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The job offer has been made and the prospective boss suggests a salary that fits the candidate’s lifestyle – it would cover children’s school fees and a couple of up-market holidays a year. The temptation is to shake hands and accept it.
工作機會已經拿到，未來老板提出了適合求職者生活方式的薪酬——足以承擔孩子的學費，一年還能享受兩次高檔假期。誘惑是握手，接受這份工作。
But that would be a mistake, says Daniel Porot: his advice is “always negotiate”. Mr Porot, managing director of Porot Associates and author of 101 Ways To Improve Your Salary, says: “People associate your skills with a salary level. The higher the salary the better the skills. We have a tendency to respect the things which cost us a lot. Like in love, as a rule, when the thing is more difficult to get it has more value.”
但丹尼爾•波羅(Daniel Porot)認為，那將是個錯誤。他的建議是“始終要談判”。波羅是波羅合伙公司(Porot Associates)董事總經理、《提高工資的101種方法》(101 Ways To Improve Your Salary)一書作者。他指出：“人們總是把你的技能和工資水平掛鉤。工資越高技能越強。事物越昂貴，我們越珍惜。這是一條規則，就像愛情一樣，越難以得到的東西越有價值。”
But can it be that simple in today’s tough employers’ market?
但在當今嚴峻的就業市場，事情真的可以那么簡單嗎?
Anne Pritam, a partner in employment and partnership law at Stephenson Harwood law firm, agrees it is worth a try: “There is no reason not to ask, regardless of the climate. As a new recruit, this can be a key moment to land on the right rung of your new employer’s salary ladder and obviously that has a knock-on effect in future years.”
夏信律師事務所(Stephenson Harwood)雇傭與合伙法律合伙人安妮•普里塔姆(Anne Pritam)認為值得一試：“不管氛圍如何，沒有理由不去問一問。作為新的應聘者，這是踏上新雇主薪酬階梯上正確臺階的關鍵時刻，顯然這對后續年份有連鎖效應。”
It can also stand a candidate in good stead legally, she says: “While there can be acceptable justifications for doing so, there are legal complexities for employers in lowering salary – or even keeping it unchanged when others receive increases – in future years, so it pays to get in at the best realistic level to start with.”
這也可以使應聘者在法律上處于有利地位。她指出：“盡管有可能找到站得住腳的理由，但一般而言雇主在未來年份降薪——或者甚至只是在給別人加薪時保持你的工資不變——是要面對法律復雜性的。因此從一開始就達到現實范圍的最佳水平是有好處的。”
Ms Pritam says there are factors that indicate how much more a candidate could realistically request: “Take a look at your bargaining position. How long has the firm been recruiting for this role? Is it now desperate to fill this position? Were there many other suitable candidates?”
普里塔姆指出，有一些因素可以說明，求職者還能現實地多要多少錢：“看看你的談判地位。這家公司招聘此職有多久了?它急于補上這個職位嗎?有很多其他的合適候選人嗎?”
She also advises making good use of headhunters or recruitment agents: “Don’t be afraid to ask quite searching questions, such as, ‘Within the scale of executive pay at the company, where would that position me?’”
她還建議充分利用獵頭或者招聘代理機構：“不要害怕提出尖銳的問題，例如‘在該公司高管的薪酬尺度上，我將處在什么位置?’”
It is also important to gauge what the future might hold for the pay packet. “Ask what sort of rises might be expected if you perform to all your objectives in the first year. This may give you a clue as to whether you are being ‘bought in’ at a high rate which will plateau, or whether the company is trying to get you cheap and pay you when you start to deliver,” Ms Pritam says.
此外，估計薪酬的未來漲幅也很重要。普里塔姆表示：“問一問，如果你在頭一年達到所有績效目標，你可以期望得到多大的薪酬漲幅?這可能讓你了解到，你是以高價‘被買來’，以后薪資漲幅趨緩，抑或公司正試圖廉價雇傭你，然后在你開始拿出優良業績的時候提高薪酬。”
Mr Porot says it is important to act quickly when the subject is raised and offers a few psychological tricks that can help. He suggests staying silent and strong: “Learn to remain silent and to speak as late as possible,” he says.
波羅表示，一旦提到這個話題，就要不失時機地提出這個問題，他還介紹了一些有用的心理技巧。他建議，要保持沉默和堅定：“學會保持沉默，盡量等到最后說話。”
“You have to remember you may be judged on how well you master the situation. Some companies might see salarynegotiation as a demonstration of how well you handle leadership situations.”
“你必須記住，雇主可能根據你多好地把握局面來評價你。有些企業可能認為，薪資談判展示了你能否處理好需要展示領導力的局面。”
He also suggests repeating the figure offered back to the interviewer and waiting. “If they haven’t talked when you have counted to eight, they probably aren’t going to budge,” he says. If all else fails, he says, try laughter: “My top salary is yours minus 15-20 per cent.”
他還建議，向面試者重復他們報出的數字，然后等待片刻。他說：“如果你數到8時，他們還沒有說話，那就可能是他們不準備讓步。”他說，如果所有策略都失敗，那就試著搞笑一番：“我的最高薪酬期望值比你現在的薪酬低15%至20%。”
Some employers expect candidates to demonstrate their worth to the company and they should be prepared with some tangible justification for their salary – achievements such as reducing operating costs, directly influencing profit, reducing headcount, reducing reporting times, increasing cash flow and contributing to growth.
有些雇主期望求職者展現他們對公司的價值，求職者應該準備好一些切實的理由，為自己提議的薪酬水平提供依據——例如降低運營成本、直接影響利潤、精簡人數、減少報告時間、增加現金流，以及為增長做出貢獻等成就。
There are also things to avoid. For example, the Remuneration Code imposes limits on pay and bonuses in the financial services sector and candidates must make themselves aware of them so that they do not look out of touch or greedy.
還有些事情要避免。例如，《薪酬法》(Remuneration Code)對金融服務業的薪酬和獎金有限制，求職者自己必須意識到這一點，以免顯得脫離實際或貪得無厭。
Ms Pritam adds: “Be patient. Senior executive pay may have to be approved by a remuneration committee, the board, or a non-executive director. Without those approvals, companies often cannot legitimately make any binding offer.
普里塔姆補充道：“保持耐心。高管薪酬可能要經過薪酬委員會、董事會或者一名非執行董事批準才行。未經批準，企業往往無法提供任何有法律效力的工作機會。”
“Also, don’t pretend you are holding another, better offer if you aren’t. The truth may well come out and could be viewed as a serious issue clouding your integrity. If you are asking to be ‘made whole’ – ie to be topped up for any rewards or compensation you had to leave behind with a previous employer – bear in mind that a company might be limited in what it can offer to replicate, either by law or its own pay structures.”
“此外，如果手里沒有其他更好的工作機會，不要假裝有。真相有可能暴露，這會被當作弄虛作假的嚴重問題。如果你要求‘補足’——也就是說不能低于前雇主提供的獎酬——請記住，一家企業能否原封不動地復制待遇，也許是受到法律或其薪酬結構的限制的。”
There might be occasions during the negotiations when a lawyer needs to be consulted: “If your new employer is offering a guaranteed bonus, a complex pay structure, carried interest plans, profit sharing, or anything else that might be contingent, instruct a lawyer to ensure you are as well protected – and the company is bound as firmly – as it can lawfully be,” says Ms Pritam.
在談判過程中，有時可能需要咨詢律師。普里塔姆表示：“如果你的新雇主提供保證獎金、復雜的薪酬結構、附帶權益計劃、分享利潤，或者任何視情況而定的東西，就應當請一名律師來確保你在法律上受到妥善保護，而且企業受到法律嚴格約束。”
“Think of the legal fees as a protective investment. If you are a high earner, you can probably afford a few hundred pounds to make sure your six-figure reward package is binding and won’t be withheld from you on a technical drafting point.”
“把律師費當作保護投資。如果你收入很高，你很可能付得起幾百英鎊的費用，保證6位數的獎酬方案受到法律約束，不會受到技術細節的阻礙。”
On the other hand, candidates must remember that salary is only one part of the negotiation. Other parts of a package might not cost an employer much to provide, especially if schemes are already in place, but which could be very valuable. For example, health insurance, annual health check-ups, and a company vehicle.
另一方面，求職者必須記住，薪酬只是談判的一部分。方案的其他部分可能不需要雇主付出多少(尤其是如果相關計劃已經存在)，但可能非常有價值。例如，健康保險、年度身體檢查、以及公司提供的交通工具。
“You may seek a high employer pension contribution to make your remuneration more tax efficient. Or if the role is at board level, you might inquire about directors’ and officers’ liability insurance,” says Ms Pritam.
普里塔姆表示：“你可能想要雇主繳納較高的養老金，以提高你的薪酬的稅收效率。或者如果職位是董事會成員，你不妨問一問董事或者執行官責任險。”
