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?