It's the question we all dread.

这是一个我们所有人都不敢直视的问题。

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?"

有时一面的时候就会被提出来，有时招聘主管会在终面的时候才提出来——“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.

对求职者而言，这个问题会让你夜不能寐，因为它足以对你整个职业生涯的收入带来消极影响。

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

也就是说，如果你的目标薪酬过低或没有早早和公司协商好，一份低收入会随着你影响下一份工作的收入。

"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.

某咨询公司创始人瑞恩女士写道：“如果每次你换工作都只是在上一份工作的基础上涨那么一点儿，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.”

“我们都觉得面试官问‘你以前挣多少?’太正常了，也习惯于去回答这个问题。但这个问题当然不是非答不可的。你的个人财务状况关他们什么事。”

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

所以你怎样才能既确保得到这份工作又完美地回答这个关于薪水的问题呢?

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

瑞恩建议可以给出一个目标收入区间，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.

如果面试官追问你之前的薪水，瑞恩认为你可以直接说“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.

可能你一开始会不习惯这么做，但是请记住绝大部分的服务都不是靠之前的某位顾客定价的。

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?'"

瑞恩写道：“我们下水道堵了会叫水管工，但我们从来不会问‘上个礼拜你给我们小区的某某通下水道收多少钱?’。如果我们真的问了，这个水管工只会这样回答,‘我收费95美元一小时，到底要不要我来?’”

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.

对你所能承担的工作定一个合理的价格并坚持，这会让你更吸引公司的注意。长远来看，你也会挣得更多。