亲爱的安妮：看了你写的关于按绩效加薪的帖子，我很感兴趣。近来我自己就遇到了几桩薪资谈判，不过不是为了加薪，而是为了跳槽。

    在近来的几个面试中，招聘经理在与我谈话之初便问我现在挣多少，这让我有点儿尴尬。一方面，我不想显得不太配合；另一方面，难道我们不应该先讨论一下工作的具体要求以及为什么我很适合这份工作，然后再谈钱的问题吗？

    问题症结并不在于我目前工资不够高，我想换工作其实另有原因，但如果我和盘托出，不就会限制面试官愿意开出的薪资待遇？您还有您的读者们能否给些建议，我该如何应对这个问题呢？

    ——沉默是金的人

    亲爱的“沉默是金”：这个问题问得好。这些日子以来让事情变得纠结的一个因素是：很多人已经失业很久了。这意味着和你一起竞争某些空缺岗位的对手“哪怕工资比应得的要低，也甘愿接受这份工作”，一家位于美国华盛顿市的招聘咨询机构亨伯特集团（Humbert Group）的负责人比尔.亨伯特如是说道。“于是，老板们觉得开低薪水也照样能请到人。”

    即便如此，他又说，“然而事实是，想得到这个工作又想得到期望的薪资，还是可以找到两全之策的。”亨伯特在过去的三十多年里曾与来自通讯卫星实验室（Comsat Labs），USF&G保险公司，美国政府雇员保险公司（GEICO），CSX科技公司及其它公司的3,000多名招聘经理共事过。

    他传授了应聘者在薪资谈判中占据主动的五大秘诀：

    1. 不要在发送的简历中说明薪资要求。

    “如果一家公司要求在发送的简历中说明薪资要求，这其实有可能日后对应聘者不利，”亨伯特说道。他推荐，其实只要写上你的期望薪酬是“开放的”或“可商讨的”即可。他说，“如果你的简历符合岗位的要求，招聘经理会给你打电话的。”

    2. 不要在求职信中写历任工作的薪资情况。

    关于笔试题目里如果问到过去的薪资情况，亨伯特说：“写上‘愿意在面试中合适的时机讨论这个问题’并且将那些数字栏留空，这种做法完全可以接受。写下太具体的数字会把你归到三六九等，同时削弱你在谈工资时的优势。”

    3. 在对所应聘工作了解清楚之后再谈薪资。

    如果面试官在第一轮面试便希望和你谈谈钱的问题，亨伯特建议：应聘者可以调转话锋，反过来问所应聘岗位的薪资范围。他说，“看看有多少面试官会告诉你这一点，你会很惊讶。”

    亨伯特说，事实上，过快地谈及薪资问题是不切实际的，因为“在你确切地知道这份工作所涉及内容以及五年里的提升空间有多大之前，你其实并不知道应该开多高的价钱。”

    同样，对于用人单位所能提供的福利待遇有个初步的概念也很重要。比如，如果对方提出的薪资范围比你之前希望的低一点，但有其他福利，诸如额外带薪假期，配公车，还慷慨缴纳与个人缴费金额相等的401(k)养老金，这些其实等于弥补了两者间的差额。

    4. 着重说明你能为公司做些什么。

    亨伯特说，一旦你了解清楚这份工作的细节情况以及薪资福利待遇之后，便是时候将话题转移到你的“影响力”上了，也就是说，你应聘的这个职位对公司盈利和收入有什么直接作用。

    他建议，“重点谈你能给公司带来的价值，然后在面试最后，只需说你对这个职位很感兴趣并且你会认真考虑他们发出的聘约即可。”

    5. 请记住：对方报出的薪资未必是“一口价”。

    亨伯特指出，问一句“这个聘约还可以商量吗？”或许就能谈成更好的待遇。他说，“这样问的话，更可能得到的回答是类似‘增加一周的带薪休假或签约奖金’，期待工资大涨不大现实。”

    亨伯特还说，“讨价还价与其说是技术，不如说是艺术。当然有些公司制定的一些政策需要你稍微调整一下应对策略，此时关键是要记住：你不需要在谈判之初便给出期望薪资范围，这会影响你的收入提升空间；另外，在多数情况下，你没有必要一口就答应他们给你的第一个薪资待遇。”

    反馈：如果您最近刚经历了一次薪资谈判，上述几点哪些对您能有所帮助？如果您是一名招聘经理，您在向应聘者第一次报价的时候预留了（如果有的话）多少商谈空间？请在下面进行评论。

    Dear Annie: I read your post about merit raises with interest, because I've been involved in some pay negotiations myself lately -- not as an employee, but as a job hunter.

    In a couple of interviews, the hiring manager has asked what I'm making now very early in the conversation, which puts me in an awkward position. On the one hand, I don't want to seem uncooperative, but on the other hand, shouldn't we discuss exactly what the job entails and why I'm a good fit for it before we move on to the subject of money?

    There's nothing wrong with my current salary (I'm interested in changing jobs for other reasons), but if I reveal it right off the bat, doesn't that put a cap on what employers might be willing to offer? How would you and your readers suggest I handle this? —Mum's the Word

    Dear Mum: Good question. One factor that complicates matters these days is that many people have been out of work a long time, which means that some of your rivals for any job opening "are so happy just to get a job offer that they will accept a lower salary than they have to," says Bill Humbert, who runs D.C.-based recruiting firm Humbert Group. "So employers feel they can get away with lowball offers."

    Even so, he says, "the truth is, there are ways to get the job and still get the compensation you want." Humbert has worked with more than 3,000 hiring managers at Comsat Labs, USF&G Insurance, GEICO, CSX Technology, and many other companies over the past 30 years.

    He offers the following five tips for coming out on top in pay negotiations:

    1. Don't send salary requirements with your resume.

    "When a company asks you to include pay requirements with your resume, it can be used against you," Humbert says. Instead, he recommends simply saying that your expectations are "open" or "negotiable." "If your qualifications are on target, they'll call you."

    2. Don't write down your pay history on an application.

    In answer to a written question about salary history, "it's perfectly acceptable to fill in 'willing to discuss at appropriate time during the interview process' and leave those numbers blank," Humbert says. "Writing down specific figures pigeonholes you, and reduces your negotiation power."

    3. Delay salary discussions until you have a clear understanding of the job.

    When an interviewer wants to talk money early on in your first meeting, Humbert advises turning the tables and asking about the salary range for the position you're seeking. "You'd be surprised at how many interviewers will tell you," he says.

    In fact, Humbert says, addressing the pay question too soon is impractical because "you really don't know what you'd require until you're sure you know what the job involves and what the potential for advancement would be over the next five years."

    Having an idea of the benefits package the employer is offering is important, too. If, for instance, the salary range for the job is somewhat lower than you had hoped, other perks such as extra vacation time, a company car, or generous 401(k) matching may make up for the shortfall.

    4. Emphasize what you'll be bringing to the table.

    Once you've gleaned as many details as you can get about the job and the total compensation attached to it, Humbert says, it's time to steer the conversation back to what he calls your "impacts," meaning those aspects of the position that have a direct impact on the company's revenues and profits.

    "Focus on the value you believe you can add," he advises. "Then, at the end of that discussion, simply say that you're very interested in the job, and that you'd seriously consider any offer they'd like to make."

    5. Keep in mind that an offer is not always the last word.

    Asking "Is there any flexibility in this offer?" may lead to a juicier deal, Humbert notes. If so, he says, it's more realistic to expect something like "an extra week of paid vacation or a signing bonus" than a big boost in base pay.

    "Any negotiation is more art than science, and some companies may have policies that would require you to adjust the script a little," Humbert says. "The key thing to remember is that you don't have to state a salary range up front that would jeopardize your earning potential -- and, most of the time, you don't have to accept their first offer."

    Talkback: If you've negotiated a pay package recently, what worked for you? If you're a hiring manager, how much (if any) wiggle room is there in your first offer? Leave a comment below.