In this market, many job candidates are desperate for an offer -- any offer. But even if you are new to an industry or have been unemployed for a while, is it smart to blindly accept the first number that an employer throws out? I don't think so.

    Once you are inside an organization, raises are small and promotions are often slow in coming, so you have to do what you can to maximize your salary and benefits package right out of the gate. But how can you do this when the employer has the upper hand and hundreds of qualified candidates?

    Lesley Gibson, a 30-year-old senior health-care professional in Boston, was nervous about overstepping her bounds when interviewing for a new job at the depth of the recession. 'The offer was less than I was making before, so I felt I should ask for more,' she says. 'But the work environment was different from what I was used to, and I worried that they'd hold that against me.'

    Justify Your Pay Request

    Ms. Gibson decided on a specific number she'd be happy with and in order to justify her request, wrote out a list of ways she intended to bring value to the position.

    'When I called the hiring manager to discuss the offer, she countered with the salary I wanted,' Ms. Gibson says. 'The advance planning made me feel a lot more confident going into that conversation.'

    Midcareer professionals often think they have to accept a lower salary because their industry or job experience isn't a perfect fit. 'You have to get out of the mindset that you're starting over,' says Elaine Varelas, managing partner of Keystone Associates, a career-management firm. 'However, you will need to convince potential employers why you deserve a salary closer to mid or senior level than entry level.'

    This means considering what your years of work experience will add to the organization and what you can do that will bring in more money today. Because functional skills are easy to pick up but problem-solving ability and business acumen are best honed over time, employers often prefer more seasoned candidates.

    Know the Field

    When applying for a job in a new field, understand what entry-level and upper-level positions pay by checking sources like payscale.com and having frank conversations with individuals working in the industry.

    Experts like Ms. Varelas agree that you shouldn't be the first to mention salary in the interview, but if confronted about it directly, you shouldn't hesitate. 'Tell them you're looking for compensation in X range and, at the same time, ask about the range for that position,' she says.

    Once you receive an offer, evaluate it realistically. Be aware that public-sector organizations compensate differently than private-sector ones, and that you are unlikely to replace your past salary 100%.

    Also remember, however, that employers will expect negotiation and are likely to go up from the original number. If you're not entirely satisfied with the end result, see if the employer will agree to revisit compensation at six and 18 months of service.

    在就業市場上，許多求職者都急于找到一份工作，甚至任何工作都可以。但即使你是新進入一個行業，或是失業已有一段時間，那是不是就應該無條件接受雇主一開始給你開出的薪水呢？我對此不能茍同。

    一旦你正式開始了工作，加薪幅度少得可憐，升職速度往往也慢如蝸牛，因此你必須在入職前盡最大努力提高你的工資和福利。但在雇主掌握主動權，并有數百名合格的候選人可供選擇時，你怎么能做到這點呢？

    波士頓30歲的高級醫療衛生專業人員吉布森（Lesley Gibson）就對在目前嚴重衰退的背景下，面試新工作時可能做出的越界行為感到緊張。她說，這份職位的薪水趕不上我以前的工作，所以我覺得應該多要一點。但是，這份工作的環境與我以往習慣的不同，我擔心他們會因此而拒絕我的要求。

    以理服人

    本文作者Alexandra Levit吉布森確定了一個她滿意的數字，為了說明她的要求是合理的，她還列出了她打算給這個職位創造價值的一系列途徑。

    吉布森說，當我致電招聘經理討論這份工作時，她不同意我提出的薪水要求。事先計劃讓我在交談時更有自信了。

    處于職業中期的專業人員常常認為他們只能接受較低的薪酬，因為他們的行業或工作經歷并不十全十美。職業管理公司Keystone Associates的執行合伙人威爾拉斯（Elaine Varelas）說，你必須拋棄你是從頭開始的思維。不過，你需要讓潛在的雇主相信，相對于入門水平，你為什么應該得到更接近于中級或高級水平的工資。

    這意味著考慮你多年的工作經驗將給公司增添什么，你的哪些做法能夠創造更多的收入。由于技能本身很容易掌握，但解決問題的能力和商業頭腦卻需要時間的磨練，雇主們一般都青睞經驗更豐富的候選人。

    知彼知己

    當在新的領域求職時，可以通過payscale.com等網站或是與業內人士開誠布公的談話了解入門級和更高一級職位的工資水平。

    威爾拉斯等專家認為，在面試時你不應該先提及薪水，但如果要直接面對它時，你也不要猶豫。她說，告訴他們你希望的是某一個范圍內的薪酬，與此同時，也要詢問這個職位的工資范圍。

    在得到某份工作后，要對它做出現實的評價。應該認識到，公共部門的薪酬與私營部門不同，而且也不可能完全同過去的工資一樣。

    不過，還要記住雇主預計將會出現討價還價，并可能在原有基礎上調高工資。如果你對最終結果并不完全滿意，可以看看雇主是否同意在任職6個月和18個月時再調整薪酬。