shoot fer a good salary, the best you can get at the time.
If yer worth your salt, you will find raises appear when you work with an employer. However, if they only care about saving money or playing the part of scrooge, I think most folks would find that the job was not fulfilling long before raises were an issue and/or pay scales were discovered, as there would be other culture indications/problems.
On the other hand, if an employer is looking for motivated personnel, they will reward those over paycheck collectors (if they are worth their salt) ... my philosophy is to get rid of those types of employees, no matter their talent, as they are uninspiring and intolerable to work with and demand very high pay. Productivity means nothing to me if the producer is a prima donna, or even smells like one, and cannot work into the company culture.
This whole thread suggests money is a lasting motivator. I disagree with that basis. While making a living is important, once you earn one pay scale, you will consume any new levels of income, and then desire more in a seemingly never ending cycle. It's human nature. I've been at the top where I could earn a thousands in 60 seconds and still be stressed for the lack of funds, and then be at other points were $2000 was more than enough for an entire month. So if yer just job hopping for paycheck carrots, then yer probably not a good employee/investment in the long run, except for working in large companies that really don't give a flying leap about their employees and waste money just to hear their name echoing in a dry toilet because it sounded good (like CEOs and VPs that move around almost annually).
Right now is a time to get away with such practices, but when things get tight, as they always cycle back to at various points, smart HR folks will be looking for known loyalty combined with the desired talent. The rest will be out at the soup line looking for a different type of handout.
Mister Ed /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
