You’re sitting in a job interview and everything has been going great. You’re feeling really good about how you’ve responded to all the questions so far. Then, the hiring manager asks, “How much money do you currently make?” or “How much salary do you expect?” Your heart races and you begin to sweat. How should you answer?

你正在參加一場工作面試，而且事事都進行得順順利利。到目前為止，你對于剛才回答的所有問題感覺很不錯。接著，這位招聘經理問道，“你當前的工資是多少?”或者“你期望的薪資是多少?”你的心跳加速，并開始出汗。你應該如何作答?

As a recent mentee discovered, the salary question can be a difficult topic to discuss if you haven’t already thought through potential responses. “James” (name changed) felt he had been close to being hired during several job interviews. Then the inevitable salary question came up and the hiring managers asked what James was making in his current position. He told the truth and, in both cases, the hiring managers responded that James’ current salary was more than what the position would pay。

正如近期一位學員所發(fā)現(xiàn)的，如果沒有對對方可能的反應進行過充分思考的話，有關薪資的問題是一個很難討論的話題。“詹姆斯”(化名)感覺他在幾次面試中差一點就被錄用。于是免不了就會談到有關薪資的問題，這些招聘經理問詹姆斯目前的工作能掙多少錢。在這個問題上他都會實話實說，但有兩次面試，這些招聘經理表示，在招聘的這個職位，薪水比詹姆斯目前的要低。

“What’s the best way to respond to the question of how much are you making in your current position?” James asked me. “I let both hiring managers know I’m flexible with salary, but it seemed like once they heard what I’m currently making, they kind of switched off and didn’t consider me as a viable candidate anymore。”

“怎么樣才能最好地回答目前我掙多少錢這個問題?”詹姆斯問我，“我每次都向招聘經理表示，在薪酬問題上是有商量的，但好像他們一聽說我目前的薪資，就‘槍斃’了我，不再將我作為合適的候選人。”

For job seekers, I tend to think of the salary question in terms of a poker game with the goal being to get the hiring manager (or HR rep) to lay down their poker cards on the table first. That’s because, as James found out, once you share a specific salary number, you might just have priced yourself too high (or too low) for the position。

對于求職者而言，我喜歡把回答薪資問題比喻成玩撲克牌，它的目標就是讓招聘方先亮出底牌。其原因在于，正如詹姆斯察覺到的，一旦你暴露了具體的薪資數(shù)目，你就會陷入要價太高(或者太低)的境地。

Here are tips to prepare for the salary question/discussion during job interviews:

以下這些小技巧也許能為你準備面試時回答薪酬問題和進行對話提供一些幫助：

Tip #1: Arm yourself with salary information.

技巧一：用薪資信息武裝自己。

Before you go to the job interview, spend adequate time conducting research to find out average salaries and salary ranges for similar jobs in your area, industry and geography. Websites for salary research include: salary.com, payscale.com, indeed.com, careeronestop.org, glassdoor.com, and jobsearchintelligence.com。

在參加工作面試之前，預先做足功課，了解清楚那些與你的工作領域、行業(yè)和地域相似的崗位，薪資的平均數(shù)及上下浮動范圍究竟是多少。在薪酬問題上有助參考的網站包括：salary.com, payscale.com, indeed.com, careeronestop.org, glassdoor.com, and jobsearchintelligence.com。

Tip #2: Deflect the salary question if it’s asked early in the job interview。

技巧二：在面試期間，如果薪資問題被過早的問到，那么要盡量轉移話題。

It will do you no good to tell the hiring manager how much you currently make or a desired salary range if you haven’t at least made it to the end of the interview to see if you and the hiring manager believe you’re a good fit. Let her/him know you’d like to better understand the job responsibilities and requirements and how well you meet those needs before discussing the salary topic。

如果在面試結束之前，還未能了解到你和這位招聘經理是否都認為你是一個合適的人選，告訴這位招聘經理你當前的工資水平或者期待的薪資范圍對你沒有任何好處。在討論薪資問題之前，讓他或她知道你希望更多地了解這位工作的職責和要求以及你將如何滿足這些需求。

Tip #3: Be prepared to provide a salary range。

技巧三：準備提供一個大致的薪水范圍。

This can be handled in a few different ways. You could provide the salary range you’ve researched, as in, “Based on my research, similar positions in this geography and industry are currently paying between $x and $y. Is this also the range for which you’ve budgeted for this position?” Or, you could share the salary range you desire, such as, “Based on the job requirements we discussed and my knowledge, skills and experience, I would expect the salary range of the position to be between $x and $y。”

這可以通過幾種不同的方式處理。你可以提供你已經研究過的薪資范圍，比如說，“根據(jù)我的研究，在這個地域和行業(yè)，類似職位的薪水是在x美元和y美元之間。這也是在您對這個職位的預算范圍嗎?”或者，你可以分享你期待的薪水范圍，比如，“根據(jù)我們討論的職位要求、我的知識、技能和經驗，我期待這份工作的薪水范圍是在x美元和y美元之間。”

Tip #4: Think about how much you’d like to make。

技巧四：想想你希望掙多少錢。

This doesn’t mean sharing an exact number, because it can place you above or below the budgeted salary for the position. Instead, provide a range you’d like to make. “Because I’m changing industries, I’m not expecting to exactly match my previous salary, but, I’d like my pay to be in the range of…”

這并不意味著要公開一個具體的數(shù)字，因為這會讓你要么高出要么低于這個職位的薪酬預算。相反，提供一個你期望的薪資范圍。“因為是在轉行，所以我并不指望拿到與上一份工作完全匹配的薪酬，但是我希望的薪酬范圍是……”

Tip #5: Think through ways to side step the salary question。

技巧五：想好如何規(guī)避有關薪資的問題。

Remember, the goal is to get the hiring manager to tell you the budgeted salary range for the position before you share any salary information. Try to avoid giving out information by providing answers such as, “My research shows similar positions pay in the range of $x to $y. I’m sure you’ve budgeted a salary range based on competitive data for this industry. What is your budgeted range?” Or, “If I’m the candidate you’d prefer for the position, I’m sure we’ll be able to reach agreement on the salary, as I’m willing to be flexible. What is the budgeted salary range?”

請不要忘記，我們的目標是在你公開自己的薪酬信息之前讓招聘經理告訴你這份職位的預算報酬。通過提供以下的回答，盡量避免泄露信息，“我的研究顯示類似職位的薪酬范圍是在x美元和y美元之間。我肯定您已經根據(jù)行業(yè)內的情況擬定好了具有競爭力的薪酬預算。您的預算范圍是什么?”或者，“如果我是貴公司鐘意的候選人，我相信我們將在薪水方面達成一致，因為我愿意在這方面展示靈活性。貴司薪資預算范圍是什么?”

Tip #6: Discuss the salary range with the HR rep during the initial screening interview.

技巧六：在初期的篩選面試中與人事代表探討薪資范圍。

You don’t have to wait until you’ve made it to the interview round with the hiring manager. The initial telephone screen with HR is a good time to discuss the position’s pay range to make sure your expectations are within the salary parameters. This also makes the salary discussion with the hiring manager (when it comes up) a lot less stressful。

你不必要等到進入到招聘經理面試的那一輪才去討論這個問題。人力資源的首輪電話篩選面試是談論這個職位薪資范圍的好時機，從而確保你的預期在工資參數(shù)之內。除此之外，它還可以大大減少在與招聘經理討論有關薪資問題時所承受的壓力。

As my mentee James found out, sometimes honesty isn’t always the best policy. When it comes to discussing salary during job interviews, avoid sharing with the hiring manager what you currently make. Focus instead on getting them to share the salary range they’re willing to pay. This isn’t always easy and you’ll need to be professional and respectful in your approach; however, it will help you walk away much closer to your desired salary。

正如我的學員詹姆斯指出的，有時候誠實并非總是最好的策略。當在面試期間談到薪資的時候，避免與招聘經理討論你當前的薪資。相反，將精力集中在讓他們公開他們愿意支付的薪資范圍。這并不是那么容易，你需要在你的方法中體現(xiàn)出專業(yè)和尊重;不過，它可以幫助你更接近你期待的薪資。