Brian Alden: Hi! I am Brian Alden, founder and CEO of Job.

com and today, we have been discussing all about what to do for your job search in a down economy as well as how to get a better job in any economy. Right now, we are going to talk about some great salary tips to help you once you get that job offer. Some great tips for salary negotiations are to really understand what salary negotiations are all about. First of, you never be the first one to bring it up. Wait till the potential hiring person brings it up and then you can discuss it from there. Typically, salary doesn't come up to after maybe the second and third interview with the potential employer. So, wait till that happens and that person bring it up and then you can start to discuss your compensation. Now, what is your compensation? Well, your compensation is not only your base salary, but it's your bonuses, commissions, vacations, anything that factors into your total package; company car perhaps, expense account and so forth. How do you know what your worth is also a great question that you need to know before you go into this interview process? Utilizing some of the online tools that you can find like a salary report of some type or a local market compensation report will help you as you go into the interview process and as you go into the salary negotiations, knowing what you are truly worth. These types of reports and these types of tools will take what your years in the work force are, your years of experience in the current job that you are in and match it with the zip codes and the market that you are in, to determine what your true value is in the market place.