A tight job market might have taken away some jobseekers' leverage in a salarynegotiation, but that doesn't mean they should roll over and accept the first offer, says New York-based executive coach Rabia de Lande Long. To get the top compensation possible-without putting a sour taste in your potential employer's mouth-take these steps.

　　1. Do your research.

　　It used to be hard to find out what your coworkers and other professionals in your industry get paid. But now, several resources have attempted to opened that black box, says Ms. de Lande Long. Salary.com and Payscale.com give salary ranges to expect based on a job seeker's position, location, and experience. Employees at the actual company you're applying to might have also posted their salaries at GlassDoor.com.

　　2. Don't give out the first number.

　　You'll be pressured to do this through the application process. 'What's your salary requirement?' 'What salary range are you looking for?' 'What do you get paid now?'

　　Whatever you do, never give out the first number, says Ms. de Lande Long. If your answer is too high, you might not make it to the next stage. Too low, and an employer will either think you're not qualified or desperate. So, if possible, write 'NA' on applications.

　　If you're pressured to say how much you make during the interview process, try giving your 'total compensation,' which many large employers will break out for you on the company's internal human resources website. If your current employer doesn't do that, just spell out your salary, benefits, bonuses, and anything else your current employer offers, says Decatur, Ga. career coach Walter Akana. If the new company doesn't offer some of similar benefits, the HR manager will know that your new salary would have to be bumped up to reflect that, he says.

　　If the interviewer still presses for a required salary, try giving a range of $15,000 rather than a specific number, Mr. Akana says.The low amount should be the minimum you'd be happy with and the high amount should be what would make you happy.

　　3. Don't lie.

　　'It's so easy to get someone in HR to verify a salary, even if they're not supposed to,' says Ms. de Lande Long. Even if you make it to a job offer, the false salary could come out during a background check, which could result in an outright retraction of the offer or at least upset an employee's new boss. 'And from that point onward, you might face trouble innegotiations not just with your new employer, but with everyone in your industry who has heard. Word gets around,' says Ms. de Lande Long.

　　4. Don't take the first offer.

　　Most employers expect candidates to try to negotiate. So they leave room in the first offer for a raise, says Mr. Akana. If possible, try to arrange a face-to-face meeting with the hiring manager rather than someone in human resources. The hiring manager is more likely to be flexible, says Mr. Akana. '

　　Say that you're flattered to have an offer and really want to join the team, but that there are a couple specific items that you're sure you could resolve if you put your heads together,' says Mr. Akana. Despite the pressure on salaries during the downturn, a good rule of thumb is to ask for a 10% higher salary, says Ms. de Lande Long.

　　If the hiring manager says budget restrictions keep him from going as high as you'd like, it might be that the position is 'graded' to be within a certain salary band by HR, says Mr. Akana. It's worth asking if the boss can ask the appropriate person for the job to be re-graded. The worst he can say is no.

　　5. Once that's locked in, go for other benefits.

　　Despite what you might have heard, many benefit packages aren't flexible, says Ms. de Lande Long. So, while it's worth asking, it might be difficult to modify the health plan. Your success in getting more vacation days depends on the employer, says Ms. de Lande Long.

　　Your potential boss might be hesitant to give you more days if it will make other employees think they're being treated unfairly. Instead, focus on things that are easy for the employer to provide, such as a work-from-home arrangement for one day a week, if the employer has made such arrangements in the past, says Mr. Akana.

　　If you still feel your package is too low, ask if it can be reviewed again in six months. 'That way, you can show them that you're worth the money,' he says.

　　纽约的企业主管教练拉比娅?德兰德隆（Rabia de Lande Long）表示，就业市场的紧缩也许会使求职者在谈薪酬时少了些砝码，不过也不是说你就只能妥协、雇主一开价就得全盘接受。要想得到尽可能高的薪酬──又不致令未来雇主感觉不爽──不妨运用如下几招。

　　1. 做好前期调研。

　　德兰德隆女士表示，在以前，要想知道你的同事和其他业内同行的收入还是比较困难的，不过如今就有很多的了解途径了。Salary.com和Payscale.com都根据求职者的职务、所在城市及工作经验给出了相应的薪酬范围。上GlassDoor.com网也许还能查到你所应征那家公司公布的他们的薪酬状况。

　　2. 不要轻易泄底。

　　申请表上都会要求你给出自己对于薪酬的确切要求，会提出“你对薪水有何要求？”、“你预期的薪酬水平？”、“你目前的薪水有多少？”之类的问题。

　　德兰德隆的意见是，尽量不要给出确切的数字。如果你开的价码太高，很可能就没法进入下一阶段的面试。太低的话，雇主会以为你无法胜任这份工作，或者以为你是非常迫切地需要这份工作。所以，如果可以的话，就在申请表上填“无”吧。

　　佐治亚州迪凯特市的职业规划教练沃尔特?阿卡纳（Walter Akana）表示，如果在面试过程中，对方坚持要了解你目前的薪酬，那你就告诉他你的“整体薪酬”，很多大公司的人力资源内网上都会提供这个数字。如果你现在的公司没有提供这个数字，那么就悉数报上你的工资、福利、奖金以及现任雇主给予的其他报酬。他表示，如果新公司没有类似的福利，那么人力资源部经理会在工资里把这些考虑进去的。

　　阿卡纳说，假使面试者还是坚持要求你说出预期薪酬，不要给出确定的数字，而是给出一个上下浮动15000美元的范围，低值是你所能承受的底线，高值则是你很满意的薪酬水平。

　　3. 不要撒谎。

　　德兰德隆说，“对于人力资源部的人来说，去核实你自报的薪水是否真实是易如反掌的，虽然他们不见得会这么去做。”即便你最终成功得到了工作机会，公司对你进行背景调查时也会发现你虚报薪酬的，你也许会就此失去这个工作机会，至少也会令你的新老板很不爽。德兰德隆说，“而且从此以后，你跟别的雇主、还有业内听说了这件事的人讨价还价就都会很麻烦。消息是传得很快的。”

　　4. 不要接受对方第一次开出的价码。

　　阿卡纳表示，多数雇主都预期应聘者会讨价还价，所以他们第一次开出价码时会预留上涨的空间。可能的话，安排一次跟你未来直接上司的直接面谈，而不是只跟人力资源部的人谈谈就拉倒了。阿卡纳表示，直接上司通常都更容易变通。

　　阿卡纳说，“向对方表示，你很荣幸能够得到这个机会，你非常想要加入这个团队，不过有几个具体问题需要面谈。”德兰德隆表示，虽然经济低迷时期工资会受到一定的影响，要求对方在开出的价码上再加10%是绝对不会错的。

　　阿卡纳说，如果你的未来上司表示，因为预算的限制，他没法给到你要的工资，那么可能是因为这个职位的薪酬级别是由人力资源部来“评定”的。可以试着问他是否可以找相关人员重新评定薪酬级别，问一问总是没错的，大不了他回答你说不行。

　　5. 工资谈妥之后，赶紧去争取其他福利。

　　德兰德隆表示，很多公司的福利政策是固定的，跟你原先的了解也许不尽相同。所以，虽然不妨一问，但是要想改变医疗保险条件是很难的。而能否争取到更多的休假则取决于你的新公司。

　　阿卡纳表示，你的未来上司也许没法给你更多的休假，因为也许其他员工会因此觉得不公平，所以，你不妨把重点放在上司比较容易安排的事情上面，比如，如果公司此前有过类似的先例，你也可以要求一周有一天在家上班。

　　如果你还是觉得薪酬过低，那么就问问对方是否可以在6个月之后重新评定。阿卡纳表示，“这样可以显示你的确是值这个价的。”

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