How To Get a Better Salary

How To Get a Better Salary
After Years of Low Pay

Q: I've been with my company for about 10 years; it's my second job out of college. I've been interviewing for other positions and am often asked about my current salary. I have done my homework and know that I am underpaid by about $15,000 for the position I am in. In fact, people hired in a level below me often get hired at the same salary I make. I know that companies I interview with will make offers based on the salary I make now, but even at a 15% higher salary, I'd not be making up the difference. How can I be honest about my current salary but also command the salary I deserve at a new company?

A: You've definitely got the right idea to be honest about your current salary. Potential employers can always find out what you earn and it would be the end of an opportunity if a company found out at a later date that you lied about your salary. "It reflects your ethics," says Sheryl Spanier, an executive career management consultant in New York.

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To get what you think you deserve, you'll definitely want to know why you have been underpaid. Is it because you have had marginal performance, is the company or industry is struggling or is the company bad at managing salaries? Perhaps you stayed on because of challenging assignments even though raises were paltry and you see now that the best way to make more money is to jump to another firm. Once you get a handle on why you've be underpaid, you'll be better able to explain it honestly in an interview.

Recruiters and human resources personnel ask this question because they want to know where you fit into their compensation structure—not necessarily to figure out how little they can pay you. But, there are ways to get around giving a specific number at the beginning of the interview or even shifting the focus of the question when asked about your current salary. The first thing to keep in mind is that companies are most interested in your experience. They want to know that the person they're offering a position to can handle the everyday challenges on the job. "Be very clear about how your experience and talent fits directly with the new position," says Andrea Eisenberg, a senior human resources consultant in New York.

Then, when the conversation gets around to a hiring manager's question about what you're making, Paul Gavejin, managing director of Total Compensation Solutions, a compensation consulting firm in Armonk, N.Y. suggests asking a few questions in return. You might say: "I'd be happy to tell you, but first, I'd really like to know what you think this job is worth?" or "What is the salary range for this job?" You could also reply with by shifting the subject and saying, "I'm looking at jobs in this salary range." It might also help to adjust your thinking when you respond. Think in terms of total compensation, and not just salary alone. To that end, you might respond, "My salary is X, my annual bonus is Y and the employer contribution to my 401(k) is Z. All totaled, my current compensation package is worth $(X+Y+Z)."

Another tactic might be to tell the interviewer that you appreciate that they have asked you about your compensation but that you won't be making your decision about the job based solely on that criteria alone, says Ms. Spanier. "Tell them you're looking for an opportunity for growth, career development, and ability to make a contribution," she says. You could also say that the job you did for 10 years is a very different position than the one for which you are applying, even though the skills are similar.

Clearly, you only want to deflect the question up to a point, otherwise you'll start to annoy the hiring manager. The idea is to try to get as much information as you need about the position and salary range before you disclose your previous salary. "The goal is not to get screened out before you can fully explore your candidacy," says Ms. Spanier.

If the interviewer insists on knowing what you're currently earning at the start of the interview, it's best to have a few already-thought out answers in your mind that can explain your low pay. "You'll want to do a little explaining about how you've been at the organization a long time and while you're not looking to leave based solely on salary, you would expect to be paid fair market value when you make a move," says Ray Skiba, director of human resources for Streck Inc., a medical-device company in Omaha, Neb.

Perhaps your company traditionally gives out very low annual increases or froze raises altogether for the last few years—mention that or say that while the company provided many on the job challenges, it didn't offer much in the way of compensation. "It is pretty common that people who have been with companies a while don't often keep up with the typical salary ranges" adds Mr. Skiba. You might want to share a recent performance appraisal to make clear that your salary issues aren't a matter of performance.

Mr. Skiba says whatever you do, don't be too pushy. "Show your value on the job and you'll be taken care of," he says. If you get the feeling that's not the case before you take a new job, "you won't want to work there anyway," Mr. Skiba adds.

走出低薪困境

作者：托蒂·甘瑟

     问：我已经在我现在的公司差不多有10年了，这是我大学毕业后的第二份工作，我在面试其它职位时经常会被问及我现在的薪水，我私下准备，也了解到以我现在的职位和薪水，我差不多被少付了一万五千美金（年薪），实际上，很多职位比我低的人经常和我拿同样的薪水，我知道我所应试的公司会以我现在的薪资为基础开出他们的薪酬，但即使是高出15%的薪酬，对我来说并没有太大的差别，我该如何既可以诚实的说出我当前的薪酬又可以向我的新公司提出我应得的薪酬呢？

     答：你向新公司坦诚你当前的薪酬的想法是完全正确的，准雇主通常可以查出你当前的薪酬，如果后来他们发现你关于薪酬对他们说了谎，也就意味着你将失去这个工作机会，这还会影响到你的信誉，纽约职业管理执行顾问舍尔·斯班尼说。

     要得到你应得的（薪水），你必须知道你为什么被支付低工资，是因为你有不良的表现吗，还是公司处于困境之中，还是因公司薪酬管理混乱？尽管加薪少的可怜，可能你留下来是为了挑战工作难度，但现在你发现能挣到更多钱的最好方法是跳到其它公司，一旦你掌握了被支付低酬的原因，你在面试中诚实的解释它就有把握的多了。

      招聘人员和人力资源职员问你这个问题是因为他们想知道你在他们的薪酬结构中处于什么位置，而并不是决定他们可以尽量少的支付你薪酬的必要依据。但是还是有办法在面试中被问及薪酬时不给出具体的数字甚至可以转移话题。一定要记住的第一条就是公司最关心的是你的经验。他们想知道的是他们将这个职位提供给的人能应付这项工作中的日常挑战“一定要非非常清晰的说明你的经验和天赋正好特别适合这个新职位”，纽约高级人力资源顾问安德里·伊森博格说。

     然后，当话题转到主面试官问你当前能挣多少时，可以反问一些问题来代替回答。纽约一家薪水管理理资询公司的全薪酬待遇方案管理主任保尔·盖维金说建议说。

     你可以说：“我很愿意告诉您，但我很想先知道这份工作值多少钱呢？”或者“这份工作的薪资水平如何呢？”，你也可以转移话题来回答说：“我想找一份这样薪资水平的工作”，这也可以帮助你在回答时调整你的思维，适当的考虑全部福利，而不要仅仅局限于薪酬。最后，你可以回答说：“我的薪水是X，我的年度分红是Y雇主给我的401(k)（美国1978年《国内税收法》条款；译者注）是Z”，所有加起来，我当前的待遇总价值（X+Y+Z）美元。

     另一个策略是告诉面试官你很高兴他们问你关于待遇的问题，但你不会只因此一个标准而做出决定，斯班尼说，告诉他们你在寻找一个机会来成长、发展职业和作出贡献的能力，她说，你也可以说你做了十年的这份工作与你现在申请的职位是两个很不相同的工作，尽管它们用到的技能类似。

      要清楚的是，你一定要将这个问题转到一个观点上，否则你就会开始使面试官感到厌烦，主要思想就是在你摊牌你原来的薪水前，要尽可能多的获取你所需要的关于这个职位和薪资水平的信息。宗旨就是在你能完全确认你对这个职位的候选地位之前不要摊出你的所有信息，斯班尼说。

      如果面试官一开始就坚持要知道你当前能挣多少薪水，最好就是你脑中要有预先准备好的回答来解释你当前的低薪水。你可以作一些解释说你已经在这个组织很长时间了，你不想只因为薪水低而离开它，但现在你想离开了是因为你想得到市场价值应有公平薪酬。Omaha Neb一家医疗设备公司--Streck公司的人力资源主管瑞·斯科巴说。

     可能你的公司在过去的几年里一惯给出很低的年度涨薪甚至零加薪，可以说一些这方面的原因，也可以说公司待遇上并没有什么竟争力，但在工作上很有挑战，很多人在公司并不能获得应有的典型的薪资水平，这是是很正常的。斯科巴补充说。你可以拿一份工作表现评估表来证明你的薪酬问题与你的工作表现无关。

     斯科巴说，无论怎样做，不要表现的太过于有进取心，“展现你对这份工作的价值你就会被考虑”。如果你在得到一份工作前抱有无所谓的心态，”无论如何，你不会真想在那里工作的“，斯科巴补充说。