It's the question we all dread.

這是一個我們所有人都不敢直視的問題。

Sometimes it comes up in the first interview, and sometimes hiring managers hold it until the very end. But it always comes. "What were you earning at your last job?"

有時一面的時候就會被提出來，有時招聘主管會在終面的時候才提出來——“你上一份工作的薪水是多少?”

For job seekers, this question should keep you up at night, since it has the potential to negatively affect your income for your entire career.

對求職者而言，這個問題會讓你夜不能寐，因為它足以對你整個職業生涯的收入帶來消極影響。

That means if you accepted too little or didn't negotiate early on, one bad salary move follows you to each next job.

也就是說，如果你的目標薪酬過低或沒有早早和公司協商好，一份低收入會隨著你影響下一份工作的收入。

"How are you ever going to increase your earnings if every time you change jobs, you get a tiny raise over what they paid you at the last place?" writes Liz Ryan, founder of one consulting firm.

某咨詢公司創始人瑞恩女士寫道：“如果每次你換工作都只是在上一份工作的基礎上漲那么一點兒，你怎么提高收入呢?”

“We’ve gotten used to the idea that the question ‘What were you earning before?’ from a prospective employer is perfectly reasonable. It's not, of course. Your personal finances are your business.”

“我們都覺得面試官問‘你以前掙多少?’太正常了，也習慣于去回答這個問題。但這個問題當然不是非答不可的。你的個人財務狀況關他們什么事。”

So how do you avoid the fateful question without hurting your chances of landing the job?

所以你怎樣才能既確保得到這份工作又完美地回答這個關于薪水的問題呢?

Ryan advises answering it indirectly by giving your target salary range instead.

瑞恩建議可以給出一個目標收入區間，避免直接回答。

If the interviewer asks for your previous salary a second time, Ryan says you can simply respond that you'd prefer not to give it.

如果面試官追問你之前的薪水，瑞恩認為你可以直接說“不”。

It will likely be uncomfortable the first few times you do it, but remember that most services are not valued by what another customer previously paid for them.

可能你一開始會不習慣這么做，但是請記住絕大部分的服務都不是靠之前的某位顧客定價的。

As Ryan writes, "When we call the plumber because our tub drain is clogged, we don't ask, ‘What did you charge the guy down the block to unclog his drain last week?' If we do, the plumber is going to say, ‘My rate is $95 an hour. Do you want me to come over or not?'"

瑞恩寫道：“我們下水道堵了會叫水管工，但我們從來不會問‘上個禮拜你給我們小區的某某通下水道收多少錢?’。如果我們真的問了，這個水管工只會這樣回答,‘我收費95美元一小時，到底要不要我來?’”

Setting and sticking to a reasonable rate for your services will actually make you a more appealing job candidate, and in the long run, you'll make more money.

對你所能承擔的工作定一個合理的價格并堅持，這會讓你更吸引公司的注意。長遠來看，你也會掙得更多。