How to negotiate a job offer 如何进行工作谈判

How to negotiate a job offer
如何进行工作谈判

JOB-OFFER NEGOTIATIONS ARE rarely easy. Consider three typical scenarios:
工作谈判往往很不容易。请想象三种典型场景：

You’re in a third-round interview for a job at a company you like, but a firm you admire even more just invited you in. Suddenly the first hiring manager cuts to the chase: “As you know, we’re considering many candidates. We like you, and we hope the feeling is mutual. If we make you a competitive offer, will you accept it?”
在一家喜欢的公司，你已经闯入第三轮面试，但是，另一家更中意的公司却刚刚通知你前来加盟。突然，第一家公司的招聘经理开门见山地说：“如你所知，我们正在考虑很多人选。我们看好你，并希望这种感觉是相互的。如果我们给你一份有竞争力的薪酬，你会接受吗？ “

You’ve received an offer for a job you’ll enjoy, but the salary is lower than you think you deserve. You ask your potential boss whether she has any flexibility. “We typically don’t hire people with your background, and we have a different culture here,” she responds. “This job isn’t just about the money. Are you saying you won’t take it unless we increase the pay?”
您获得了一份工作，很喜欢，但工资低于你应得的水平。你问日后的老板，是否存在任何灵活性。“我们通常不雇用像你这种背景的人，而且，我们这个的文化也不同，”她回答。“这份工作不光涉及到钱。你的意思是除非我们加薪，否则你不会就职？ “

You’ve been working happily at your company for three years, but a recruiter has been calling, insisting that you could earn much more elsewhere. You don’t want to quit, but you expect to be compensated fairly, so you’d like to ask for a raise. Unfortunately, budgets are tight, and your boss doesn’t react well when people try to leverage outside offers. What do you do?
你已经在这家公司愉快工作了三年，但一位招聘人员一直在给你打电话，坚称你在其他地方能够挣得更多。你不想跳槽，但期望得到公平的补偿，所以想要求加薪。不幸的是预算紧张，同时，当人们试图以外面的薪酬为参照时，老板的脸色不太好看。你怎么办？

Each of these situations is difficult in its own way—and emblematic of how complex job negotiations can be. At many companies, compensation increasingly comes in the form of stock, options, and bonuses linked to both personal and group performance. In MBA recruitment, more companies are using “exploding” offers or sliding-scale signing bonuses based on when a candidate accepts the job, complicating attempts to compare offers. With executive mobility on the rise, people vying for similar positions often have vastly different backgrounds, strengths, and salary histories, *** it hard for employers to set benchmarks or create standard packages.
上述每一种情况都各有难处，说明了工作谈判的复杂性。在许多公司，通过股票、期权，以及与个人和小组业绩挂钩的奖金形式支付薪酬的情况日益增多。在MBA招聘中，当求职者接受工作时，更多公司采用“优先”录用（即要求候选人立即作出入职决定，否则工作机会将被收回）或按比例增减签约奖金的方式，加大薪酬比较的复杂程度。随着行政人员流动性的提高，争夺类似职位的人们在背景、实力和薪酬历史方面存在重大差异，使得雇主难以设定薪资标准或建立标准福利制度。

In some industries a weak labor market has also left candidates with fewer options and less leverage, and employers better positioned to dictate terms. Those who are unemployed, or whose current job seems shaky, have seen their bargaining power further reduced.
在某些行业，疲软的劳动力市场让求职者几乎没有选择和讨价还价的余地，雇主处以更有力的地位，可以擅自做主。对于失业者或当前工作不稳定的人们而言，议价能力进一步减低。

But job market complexity creates opportunities for people who can skillfully negotiate the terms and conditions of employment. After all, negotiation matters most when there is a broad range of possible outcomes.
但是，就业市场的复杂性为人们创造了机会，他们可以巧妙地磋商雇用条款和条件。毕竟在存在多种可能性的情况下，谈判是最关键的因素。

As a professor who studies and teaches the subject, I frequently advise current and former students on navigating this terrain. For several years I have been offering a presentation on the topic to current students. (To see a video of this talk, go to www.NegotiateYourOffer.com.) Every situation is unique, but some strategies, tactics, and principles can help you address many of the issues people face in negotiating with employers. Here are 15 rules to guide you in these discussions.
作为研究和讲授这一主题的教授，我经常建议现在和之前的学生占据这片高地。几年来，我一直在为现在的学生提供这个主题的演示课程。（要查看此讲座的视频，请访问www.NegotiateYourOffer.com。）每个情况都具有独特型，但一些战略、战术和原则可以帮助你解决许多人在与雇主谈判时面临的问题。这里有15条规则，可以指导你应对这些讨论。

Don’t underestimate the importance of likability.
This sounds basic, but it’s crucial: People are going to fight for you only if they like you. Anything you do in a negotiation that makes you less likable reduces the chances that the other side will work to get you a better offer. This is about more than being polite; it’s about managing some inevitable tensions in negotiation, such as asking for what you deserve without seeming greedy, pointing out deficiencies in the offer without seeming petty, and being persistent without being a nuisance. Negotiators can typically avoid these pitfalls by evaluating (for example, in practice interviews with friends) how others are likely to perceive their approach.
不要低估取悦于人的重要性。
这听起来很简单，但却至关重要：人们只有喜欢你，才会为你而战。在谈判中，你做的不讨喜之事越多，越不容易为自己争取到更好的待遇。这不仅关乎礼貌，还涉及到如何对谈判中一些不可避免的紧张加以管理的问题，比如争取理应得到的利益，但别显得贪心不足；指出工作机会中的缺陷，但不要给人留下斤斤计较的印象；坚持自己的意见，但没必要胡搅蛮缠。参加谈判的人通常可以通过评估别人可能的反应（例如与朋友一起进行面试预演）来避免上述陷阱。

Help them understand why you deserve what you’re requesting.
It’s not enough for them to like you. They also have to believe you’re worth the offer you want. Never let your proposal speak for itself— always tell the story that goes with it. Don’t just state your desire (a 15% higher salary, say, or permission to work from home one day a week); explain precisely why it’s justified (the reasons you deserve more money than others they may have hired, or that your children come home from school early on Fridays). If you have no justification for a demand, it may be unwise to make it. Again, keep in mind the inherent tension between being likable and explaining why you deserve more: Suggesting that you’re especially valuable can make you sound arrogant if you haven’t thought through how best to communicate the message.
帮助他们理解为什么你的要求合乎情理。
只让他们喜欢你还不够，他们也必须相信你开出的价码物有所值。永远不要直接说出你的要价——记得要讲故事给他们听。不要只是陈述你的愿望（例如薪资提高15%，或者让公司同意你每周在家工作一天）；要明确无误地向他们解释为什么要这样做（你应该比其他雇员工资更高的理由，或者你的孩子每周五提前放学回家）。如果你说不出加薪的正当理由，那么，提出加薪请求可能是不明智的。同样要记住的是，既要讨人喜爱，又要解释你为什么应该得到更多，在这其中存在着内在矛盾：如果你不知道如何以最佳方式与对方沟通这一信息，那么，说你自己具有特殊价值，听上去难免有些傲慢。

Make it clear they can get you.
People won’t want to expend political or social capital to get approval for a strong or improved offer if they suspect that at the end of the day, you’re still going to say, “No, thanks.” Who wants to be the stalking horse for another company? If you intend to negotiate for a better package, make it clear that you’re serious about working for this employer. Sometimes you get people to want you by explaining that everybody wants you. But the more strongly you play that hand, the more they may think that they’re not going to get you anyway, so why bother jumping through hoops? If you’re planning to mention all the options you have as leverage, you should balance that by saying why—or under what conditions—you would be happy to forgo those options and accept an offer.
明确告诉他们你会入职。
如果在一天结束之际，你还在说“不，谢谢”，那么，人们会心存疑虑，不想为你的加薪请求耗费政治或社会资本。谁愿意为另一家公司“做嫁衣”？如果你打算争取更好的福利待遇，一定要让他们知道你是认真的，希望为这家雇主工作。有时候如果你解释说每个人都想要你，他们就会雇用你。但是，你手上的牌越强，他们就越无法错过你，所以，为什么要百依百顺呢？如果你计划把自己所有的选择都摆在桌面上，作为讨价还价的筹码，那么，你就应当权衡一下，告诉他们为什么或在什么条件下你乐意放弃这些选择，接受这份工作。

Understand the person across the table.
Companies don’t negotiate; people do. And before you can influence the person sitting opposite you, you have to understand her. What are her interests and individual concerns? For example, negotiating with a prospective boss is very different from negotiating with an HR representative. You can perhaps afford to pepper the latter with questions regarding details of the offer, but you don’t want to annoy someone who may become your manager with seemingly petty demands. On the flip side, HR may be responsible for hiring 10 people and therefore reluctant to break precedent, whereas the boss, who will benefit more directly from your joining the company, may go to bat for you with a special request.
了解桌子对面的人。
公司不会谈判；谈判的对象是人。在你可以影响坐在你对面的人之前，你先要了解她。她对什么感兴趣？关心什么？例如，与未来的老板谈判迥异于与人力资源代表进行谈判。你或许可以与后者详细询问这份工作的细节情况，但却不能用一些鸡毛蒜皮的要求来麻烦未来的上司。另一方面，人力资源人员可能要负责招聘10个人，因此不愿意打破常规，而你的老板可以从你加入公司这件事上直接受益，或许会愿意回应你的特殊要求。

Understand their constraints.
They may like you. They may think you deserve everything you want. But they still may not give it to you. Why? Because they may have certain ironclad constraints, such as salary caps, that no amount of negotiation can loosen. Your job is to figure out where they’re flexible and where they’re not. If, for example, you’re talking to a large company that’s hiring 20 similar people at the same time, it probably can’t give you a higher salary than everyone else. But it may be flexible on start dates, vacation time, and signing bonuses. On the other hand, if you’re negotiating with a smaller company that has never hired someone in your role, there may be room to adjust the initial salary offer or job title but not other things. The better you understand the constraints, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to propose options that solve both sides’ problems.
了解他们的局限性。
他们可能喜欢你，可能认为你应该得到你想要的一切，但仍可能无法给你。为什么呢？因为他们可能面临一些刚性限制，比如工资上限，在谈判中无法网开一面。你的任务是要弄清楚在哪些问题上他们可以灵活处理，在哪些方面不能变通。例如，此刻你正在与一家大公司谈判，这一次他们同时要雇佣20名员工，相对其他人而言，不可能给你更高的工资。但他们可能在上工日期、休假时间和签约奖金上灵活行事。在另一方面，如果你正在与一家规模较小的公司谈判，此前在你这个职位上，他们从未雇过人，那么，就有余地对你的起始薪资或职务加以调整，但这种事情百年不遇。你对这些限制了解得越透彻，越有可能提出建议，解决双方面临的难题，达到两全其美的目的。

Be prepared for tough questions.
Many job candidates have been hit with difficult questions they were hoping not to face: Do you have any other offers? If we make you an offer tomorrow, will you say yes? Are we your top choice? If you’re unprepared, you might say something inelegantly evasive or, worse, untrue. My advice is to never lie in a negotiation. It frequently comes back to harm you, but even if it doesn’t, it’s unethical. The other risk is that, faced with a tough question, you may try too hard to please and end up losing leverage. The point is this: You need to prepare for questions and issues that would put you on the defensive, make you feel uncomfortable, or expose your weaknesses. Your goal is to answer honestly without looking like an unattractive candidate—and without giving up too much bargaining power. If you have thought in advance about how to answer difficult questions, you probably won’t forfeit one of those objectives.
准备应对棘手问题。
许多应聘者都被不希望面对的困难问题打倒了：你有没有收到其他工作机会？如果我们明天让你上班，你同意吗？我们是你的首选公司吗？如果你没做准备，可能会狼狈不堪地蹦出一些搪塞之词，甚至更糟的是，说假话。我建议你在谈判中永远不要说谎，因为它会经常回过头来伤害你，即使不是这样，那也是不道德的。面临棘手问题时，另一个风险是你会太过努力讨好对方而丧失了讨价还价的能力。原因在于，你需要准备回答问题、阐述观点，以便加强防守，而这样作会让你感到不自在，或者使缺点一览无遗。你的目标是如实回答，别看上去像一个毫无吸引力的求职者，也不要放弃太多议价能力。如果你能为回答疑难问题提前做些准备，可能就不会错失其中一个目标。

Focus on the questioner’s intent, not on the question.
If, despite your preparation, someone comes at you from an angle you didn’t expect, remember this simple rule: It’s not the question that matters but the questioner’s intent. Often the question is challenging but the questioner’s intent is benign. An employer who asks whether you would immediately accept an offer tomorrow may simply be interested in knowing if you are genuinely excited about the job, not trying to box you into a corner. A question about whether you have other offers may be designed not to expose your weak alternatives but simply to learn what type of job search you’re conducting and whether this company has a chance of getting you. If you don’t like the question, don’t assume the worst. Rather, answer in a way that addresses what you think is the intent, or ask for a clarification of the problem the interviewer is trying to solve. If you engage in a genuine conversation about what he’s after, and show a willingness to help him resolve whatever issue he has, both of you will be better off.
注意提问的意图，而不是问题本身。
尽管你有所准备，但还是有人会从意想不到的角度发问。如果发生了这种情况，请记住这条简单法则：重要的不是问题本身，而是提问的意图。通常情况下，这类问题都是具有挑战性的，但提问的意图是良好的。当一位雇主问你明天是否会马上上班，他可能只是想知道你是否真的对这份工作感到兴奋，而不是试图将你逼入困境。如果有人问你是否接到其他工作机会，他的目的不是想暴露你的缺点，而只是要了解你在寻找哪一种什么类型的职位、这家公司是否有机会聘用你。如果你不喜欢这个问题，不要做最坏的打算。相反，设法针对提问者的发问意图作答，或者要求面试人员明确一下他到底想解决什么问题。如果你的回答正好是他想要的答案，或者你让他知道你愿意伸出援手，帮他解决任何问题，那么，你们双方都会感觉更好。

Consider the whole deal.
Sadly, to many people, “negotiating a job offer” and “negotiating a salary” are synonymous. But much of your satisfaction from the job will come from other factors you can negotiate—perhaps even more easily than salary. Don’t get fixated on money. Focus on the value of the entire deal: responsibilities, location, travel, flexibility in work hours, opportunities for growth and promotion, perks, support for continued education, and so forth. Think not just about how you’re willing to be rewarded but also when. You may decide to chart a course that pays less handsomely now but will put you in a stronger position later.
全盘考虑。
可悲的是，许多人将“工作机会谈判”和“工资谈判”混为一谈。但是，你对工作的满意程度大多来自于其他因素，相对于工资而言，它们更可以通过谈判商量着办。不要迷恋金钱。把眼光放在交易的整体价值上，其中包括职责、位置、出行、灵活工作时间、成长和晋升机会、津贴、继续教育支持等等。不要只想着你愿意得到的回报方式，还要考虑获得回报的时间。你可能会决定参加一门课程，虽然现在报酬不够丰厚，但将来会让你获得一个更有利的职位。

Negotiate multiple issues simultaneously, not serially.
If someone makes you an offer and you’re legitimately concerned about parts of it, you’re usually better off proposing all your changes at once. Don’t say, “The salary is a bit low. Could you do something about it?” and then, once she’s worked on it, come back with “Thanks. Now here are two other things I’d like…” If you ask for only one thing initially, she may assume that getting it will make you ready to accept the offer (or at least to make a decision). If you keep saying “and one more thing…,” she is unlikely to remain in a generous or understanding mood. Furthermore, if you have more than one request, don’t simply mention all the things you want—A, B, C, and D; also signal the relative importance of each to you. Otherwise, she may pick the two things you value least, because they’re pretty easy to give you, and feel she’s met you halfway. Then you’ll have an offer that’s not much better and a negotiating partner who thinks her job is done.
同时提出多个问题，而不是连续发问。
如果有人提供给你一份工作，而且你对这份工作的某些部分关心在意，通常情况下，一次性抛出所有问题的效果会比较好。不要说，“工资有点低。能想点办法吗？”然后，当她还在考虑这个问题时你又说，“谢谢。现在还有另外两件事，我想.....”如果你起初只问一件事，她可能认为只要把此时解决了，你就准备接受这份工作（或至少做出决定）。如果你继续说“还有一件事...... ”，她就不可能一直保持慷慨的或理解的心情。此外，如果你有一个以上的要求，不要简单地说出你想要的所有东西，A、B、C和D，同时暗示它们对你具有不同的重要性。否则，她可以挑两件你最不在意的事，因为它们轻而易举就能做到，她会觉得已经满足了你的一半要求。于是，你得到的工作机会就不会那么好，而谈判对手则认为自己的工作已经完成了。

Don’t negotiate just to negotiate.
Resist the temptation to prove that you are a great negotiator. MBA students who have just taken a class on negotiation are plagued by this problem: They go bargaining berserk the first chance they get, which is with a prospective employer. My advice: If something is important to you, absolutely negotiate. But don’t haggle over every little thing. Fighting to get just a bit more can rub people the wrong way—and can limit your ability to negotiate with the company later in your career, when it may matter more.
不要为了谈判而谈判。
抵制诱惑，不要向别人证明你是一流的谈判高手。那些没有参加过谈判课程的MBA学生都为这个问题而困扰：他们讨价还价，疯抢自己得到的第一次机会，而争夺对象则是一位未来的雇主。我的建议是：如果某样东西对你很重要，绝对需要谈判。但是，不要锱铢必较。为蝇头小利拼得你死我活会让人走上歧途，也会在今后的职业生涯中，限制你与公司协商的余地，那时，谈判的价值要比现在大得多。

Think through the timing of offers.
At the beginning of a job hunt, you often want to get at least one offer in order to feel secure. This is especially true for people finishing a degree program, when everyone is interviewing and some are celebrating early victories. Ironically, getting an early offer can be problematic: Once a company has made an offer, it will expect an answer reasonably soon. If you want to consider multiple jobs, it’s useful to have all your offers arrive close together. So don’t be afraid to slow down the process with one potential employer or to speed it up with another, in order to have all your options laid out at one time. This, too, is a balancing act: If you pull back too much—or push too hard— a company may lose interest and hire someone else. But there are subtle ways to solve such problems. For example, if you want to delay an offer, you might ask for a later second- or third-round interview.
在求职的整个过程中不断思考。
在开始找工作时，你往往希望至少将一份工作确定下来，以便有安全感。对于完成学位课程的人来说尤其如此，这时，每个人都去面试，一些人正在庆祝首战告捷。讽刺的是，早期得到的工作机会可能问题不少：一旦一家公司提供了一份职位，他们都希望尽快得到求职人的回复。如果你要考虑多个就业机会，最好能让所有工作机会在短时间内同时到来。所以，不必害怕延长与某位潜在雇主的沟通时间，或者加快与另一位雇主的接触，以便让所有选择同一时间摆在你的面前。这也是一种平衡手段：如果你拖后太久或催促太甚，公司可能会失去兴趣，雇用别人。但也有微妙的方式来解决这种问题，例如，如果你想拖延一份工作机会，可以要求进行第二轮或第三轮面试。

Avoid, ignore, or downplay ultimatums of any kind.
People don’t like being told “Do this or else.” So avoid giving ultimatums. Sometimes we do so inadvertently— we’re just trying to show strength, or we’re frustrated, and it comes off the wrong way. Your counterpart may do the same. My personal approach when at the receiving end of an ultimatum is to simply ignore it, because at some point the person who gave it might realize that it could scuttle the deal and will want to take it back. He can do that much more easily without losing face if it’s never been discussed. If someone tells you, “We’ll never do this,” don’t dwell on it or make her repeat it. Instead you might say, “I can see how that might be difficult, given where we are today. Perhaps we can talk about X, Y, and Z.” Pretend the ultimatum was never given and keep her from becoming wedded to it. If it’s real, she’ll make that clear over time.
避免、忽略或淡化任何形式的最后通牒。
人们不喜欢被告知“做这个，否则后果不堪设想。”所以要避免最后通牒。有时候我们会不经意地这样做，目的仅仅是为了展现实力，或者我们感到沮丧，使用了错误的方式。你的对手可能会做同样的事。我个人的方法是，在收到最后通牒时干脆视而不见，因为在某些时候，发出最后通牒的人可能会认识到，这样做会把事情搞砸，想把它收回去。如果此事从未被讨论过，他便可以更容易地做到这一点，而且不丢面子。如果有人告诉你，“我们永远做不到，”不要纠缠于此，或是让她不断重复这话。相反你可能会说，“我知道，以目前的情况看，这可能有点困难。也许我们可以谈谈X、Y和Z。”假装最后通牒从未发出，不要让她纠结在这个问题上。如果她的话是真的，随着时间的推移，她会解释清楚。

Remember, they’re not out to get you.
Tough salary negotiations or long delays in the confirmation of a formal offer can make it seem that potential employers have it in for you. But if you’re far enough along in the process, these people like you and want to continue liking you. Unwillingness to move on a particular issue may simply reflect constraints that you don’t fully appreciate. A delay in getting an offer letter may just mean that you’re not the only concern the hiring manager has in life. Stay in touch, but be patient. And if you can’t be patient, don’t call up in frustration or anger; better to start by asking for a clarification on timing and whether there’s anything you can do to help move things along.
请记住，他们不是在求你。
艰难的工资谈判或长期拖延的正式录取确认可能会让人感觉未来的雇主怀恨在心、伺机报复。但如果你在这个过程中走得足够远，这些人便会喜欢你，并想继续器重你。在个别问题上止步不前可能只是反映出一种限制，而你对此并不完全理解。很久得不到录取通知书可能只是意味着你不是招聘经理在生活中唯一关注的对象。保持联系，但要有耐心。即使你无法耐心等待，也不要沮丧或愤怒，不如先跟他们确认一下时间安排，看看是否有什么事可以做，以协助事情向前发展。

Stay at the table.
Remember: What’s not negotiable today may be negotiable tomorrow. Over time, interests and constraints change. When someone says no, what he’s saying is “No—given how I see the world today.” A month later that same person may be able to do something he couldn’t do before, whether it’s extending an offer deadline or increasing your salary. Suppose a potential boss denies your request to work from home on Fridays. Maybe that’s because he has no flexibility on the issue. But it’s also possible that you haven’t yet built up the trust required to make him feel comfortable with that arrangement. Six months in, you’ll probably be in a better position to persuade him that you’ll work conscientiously away from the office. Be willing to continue the conversation and to encourage others to revisit issues that were left unaddressed or unresolved.
留在桌子上。
请记住：今天没得谈的事或许明天可以商量。随着时间的推移，利益和限制都会发生改变。当有人说不的时候，他说的是“不——鉴于今天我对世界的看法。”一个月后，同样的人也许能够做一些此前他不能做的事，无论是延长工作期限或是提高你的薪水。假设一位未来的老板拒绝你周五在家工作的请求，也许是因为他在这个问题上缺乏弹性。但也有可能是你还没有从他那里获得所需的信任，让他无法轻松地作出那种安排。半年中，你可能会有更好的理由，说服他允许你远离办公室开展工作。要乐意继续交谈，并鼓励他人对尚未言明或未解决的问题进行重新考量。

Maintain a sense of perspective.
This is the final and most important point. You can negotiate like a pro and still lose out if the negotiation you’re in is the wrong one. Ultimately, your satisfaction hinges less on getting the negotiation right and more on getting the job right. Experience and research demonstrate that the industry and function in which you choose to work, your career trajectory, and the day-today influences on you (such as bosses and coworkers) can be vastly more important to satisfaction than the particulars of an offer. These guidelines should help you negotiate effectively and get the offer you deserve, but they should come into play only after a thoughtful, holistic job hunt designed to ensure that the path you’re choosing will lead you where you want to go.
保持前瞻性。
这是最后的也是最重要的一点。即使你可以像一位专业人士那样谈判，但如果选错了谈判内容，也会铩羽而归。你对最终结果是否满意，与谈判权关系不大，而更多取决于工作权。经验和研究表明，就满意程度而言，相对于一份特定的工作机会而言，你选择从事的行业和职能、你的职业生涯轨迹，以及日常工作对你的影响（例如老板和同事）要重要得多。这些准则应该帮助你有效地进行谈判，并得到应得的工作，但它们只有在经过深思熟虑、全面周全的求职中才会发挥作用，以确保你所选择的道路能够将你带到你所向往的地方。

Deepak Malhotra is the Eli Goldston Professor of Business Administration in the Negotiations, Organizations and Markets unit at Harvard Business School. On Twitter: @Prof_Malhotra.
迪帕克·马尔霍特拉是哈佛商学院谈判、组织和市场部工商管理系艾礼·戈德斯坦教授。他的Twitter账号：@ Prof_Malhotra 。