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How about that Robert Wright? He got more than $15.6 million in compensation from General Electric in 2006, including $520,291 in above-market earnings on an employee salary deferral plan.

But if you're thinking about a job change - regardless of whether you're after a payday like Robert Wright's - money's still something to consider. And until recently, I thought Salary.com was the only game in town when it comes to doing research on salary rates.

Turns out I was wrong. One source is collecting salary information direct from industry sources - even if they're making it not so easy to find on their website. It's CareerJournal.com, and they go deep into the executive levels in a number of fields, including:

* Accounting
* Advertising/Public Relations
* Aerospace & Airlines
* Banking
* College Administration/Academia
* Computers, IT & Internet
* Construction and Architecture
* Consulting
* Corporate Finance
* Energy & Utilities
* Engineers
* Financial Services/Insurance
* Food Marketing & Processing
* Health
* Hotel, Restaurant, Leisure
* HR & Executive Recruiters
* Law
* Librarians
* Manufacturing
* Media/Journalism
* Nonprofits
* Pharmaceuticals
* Real Estate
* Retailing
* Sales/Marketing
* Senior Executives
* Telecommunications

What's more, they break those industries up into dozens of subcategories, so you're bound to find the level of detail you're looking for.

Why go to the trouble? Three reasons:

1. Planning. If you're going to make a change in your executive career, make it an informed one. Don't make a leap to a new industry until you have a firm grasp on what it could do to the rest of your life.

2. Targeting. You want to go for the right position - one that matches your interests as well as your monetary desires (should that be a factor for you - it's not always in the top three reasons for executives deciding to switch jobs).

3. Negotiation. If the recruiter you hook up with matches you with an employer who makes an offer, your research will give you a better idea of how good the offer is - and whether to take it, negotiate it, or pass on it.

So check it out, and while you're at it, check out this other salary source, ExecutiveDisclosure.com. They tout their free site as an "online database that provides compensation data for officers and directors of publicly traded companies."

I've got no loyalty or ties to any of these salary source sites - just a desire to make resources like these available. Which one helps you best is going to depend on your own personal situation.

My advice? Check 'em all out!

Allen Voivod is the Chief Blogger for ResumeMachine.com, the leading resume distribution resource for managers, executives, and professionals looking to accelerate their job search results. Get the attention of thousands of hiring agents with the largest and most frequently updated recruiter database on the web, and dive into a wealth of immediately useful career articles and blog posts - all at http://www.ResumeMachine.com

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