ALT-2 Get that Raise how to Research your Pay Scale
Depending on the size of the company, it is sometimes possible to go on the company web site and find out what your pay scale is. At my last job, every job had a letter and number designation. You could go on the company web site and see the pay scale any time you wanted. If the company doesn't have a web site or doesn't post that sort of information, you can just go to Human Resources and ask for a pay scale list. This stuff isn't supposed to be a secret. In most cases, you can ask for the pay range for your job before you get hired. That's certainly something you should ask about before you agree to take a job, not just the starting salary but how high your position can take you in pay.
If there is no access to that information at your place of work, they're not playing with a full deck. That information should be readily available to any employee without having to sneak around to find it. The only concern I would have with my pay is whether I am making an appropriate amount in relation to others in my same classification, depending on whether they had been working on the job for a longer or shorter time than myself.
If the company does not make that information readily available, there is usually an employee who has worked for the company forever who knows everything. They can probably tell you or get the information. You can try looking it up on the Internet but some companies don't put that information on their public site. If they are seeking new employees, they may post the pay range for the jobs being offered. Sometimes, however, you have to call or apply before being given the pay range. In that case, you may need to get a friend to make a phony application for work or call about a listed job and try to get the information over the phone.
