We've sifted through hundreds of sites to provide a simple step-by-step guide to finding salary statistics on the Web, plus the best sites around for specific industries.

So you finally got that job offer. Congratulations, but don't relax just yet. It's salary negotiation time, a part of the job-getting process that can cause even a seasoned professional to break out in a cold sweat.

Bargaining and getting the compensation you deserve can be tough. How do you know what numbers to shoot for?

If you surf the Net in search of salary data, you'll be swamped by hundreds of sites offering contradictory, often outdated figures. Even more frustrating -- most of the compensation surveys out there are designed for employers, not prospective employees. Just check out the price tag. Many sites charge: For example, placement giant William Mercer Inc. offers its comprehensive 1999 ITAA Computer Services and Software Industry Compensation Survey for the tidy sum of $975.

Up-to-date and free (or at least cheap) statistics are out there. You just have to know where to look.

Income info
The first step is to start researching wage data early -- before you even interview with a company, says Janet Ruhl, a computer programmer, compensation expert and author of Answers for Computer Contractors and The Computer Consultants Workbook.

"I'm amazed at the number of people who move to a new city or interview with a firm without doing any research" says Ruhl. There are countless software startups in Seattle but very few in, say, Ohio, "and salaries generally reflect that."

A little research on the Web should minimize such surprises. To evaluate sites with salary data, ask yourself the following:

1) Is the site run by a consulting or job-placement firm? Data from these sites are sometimes skewed: either upward, to entice job seekers to use the firm's services; or downward, favoring employers (who are, after all, the firm's clients). Trouble is, the lion's share of surveys are conducted by these firms. If possible, look for data coming from more neutral sources, like professional organizations or trade publications.

2) Does the site require me to register and provide personal information? You know whom that gets sold to -- just about anybody. Though hard to avoid, we prefer sites that require a minimum of input from you.

3) Who is the source of the survey information? If it's provided by visitors to the site, look for games or premiums offered to contributors. That can sometimes skew results -- contributors may say anything just to get the prize.

4) How detailed is the data? The majority of salary sites provide only national averages for generic job titles like "Programmer" or "Team Leader." But that doesn't help the Java programmer in the Silicon Valley, who can expect a lot more money than a Cobalt programmer in Des Moines.

Look for breakdowns by state, region or, even better, city. After all, an average salary for a senior programmer in the Midwest is still rather vague -- are we talking Chicago or Topeka?

5) How current is the data? Anything culled from the last three years is useful for workers like HR personnel or school psychologists, whose salaries are based on more concrete factors like certifications, exams and years of experience. But three-year-old data is antiquated for those in more volatile industries, such as engineering or IT.

The bucks stop here
The nine Web sites below provide the most recent data on salaries in a variety of fields.

Computer/IT
Janet Ruhl

Healthcare
American Physical Therapy Association
Data on physical, occupational and respiratory therapists, and speech language pathologists.

Advertising
Advertising Age

Aviation
Aviation Maintenance

Engineering
EE Times Online
Stats for design and development engineers.

Legal
National Law Journal

General info
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
A comprehensive database, in terms of variety of positions covered, but it only provides national averages. There is a good deal of information, however, on economic trends and additional sources that you can investigate on your own.