I did not get what I wanted when I did not ask for it. We had cubicle (小隔間) offices andwindow offices.I sat in the cubicles with several male colleagues. One by one they were movedinto window offices, while I remained in the cubicles, several males who were hired after me alsowent to offices. One in particular told me he was next in line for an office and that it had beenpart of his negotiations for the job. I guess they thought me content to stay in the cubiclessince I did not voice my opinion either way.

　　It would be nice if we all received automatic pay increases equal to our merit, but “nice” isn’t aquality attributed to most organizations. If you feel you deserve a significant raise in pay,you’ll probablyhave to ask for it.

　　Performance is your best bargaining chip (籌碼) when you are seeking a raise. You must be ableto demonstrate that you deserve a raise. Timing is also a good bargaining chip. If you cangive your boss something he or she needs (a new client or a sizable contract, for example) justbefore merit pay decisions are beingmade, you are more likely to get the raise you want.

　　Use information as a bargaining chip too. Find out what you are worth on the open market.What will someone else pay for your services?

　　Go into the negotiations prepared to place your chips on the table at the appropriate time andprepared touse communication style to guide the direction of the interaction.

　　練習題：

　　Choose correct answers to the question:

　　1. According to the passage, before taking a job, a person should ________.

　　A. demonstrate his capability

　　B. give his boss a good impression

　　C. ask for as much money as he can

　　D. ask for the salary he hopes to get

　　2. What can be inferred from Beth’s story?

　　A. Prejudice against women still exists in some organizations.

　　B. If people want what they deserve, they have to ask for it.

　　C. People should not be content with what they have got.

　　D. People should be careful when negotiating for a job.

　　3. We can learn from the passage that ________.

　　A. unfairness exists in salary increases

　　B. most people are overworked and underpaid

　　C. one should avoid overstating one’s performance

　　D. most organizations give their staff automatic pay raises

　　4. To get a pay raise, a person should ________.

　　A. advertise himself on the job market

　　B. persuade his boss to sign a long-term contract

　　C) try to get inside information about the organization

　　D) do something to impress his boss just before merit pay decisions

　　5. To be successful in negotiations, one must ________.

　　A. meet his boss at the appropriate time

　　B. arrive at the negotiation table punctually

　　C. be good at influencing the outcome of the interaction

　　D. be familiar with what the boss likes and dislikes

　　答案詳解：

　　1.[D] 推理判斷題。根據文章第1句。開頭立論：“It is easier to negotiate initial salary requirement在進入公司以前就談妥你的最初工資要求要更容易些”。因此，在接受一份工作前應該先提出期望薪金要求，即D。注意C中as much…as he can意思太絕對，不妥。

　　2.[B] 推理判斷題。Beth的故事是為了證明第1段提出的觀點，主要依據第2段第1句，第3段最后一句再次印證。核心詞為ask for。

　　3.[A] 推理判斷題。從Beth的故事中不難總結出：如果你要求加薪或提升，你可能就會得到滿足;你如果不要求，老板就可能不予考慮。因此在salary increase中含有很大的主觀因素，故而unfair。直接依據為第3段第1句。

　　4.[D] 事實細節題。根據倒數第3段，performance“工作表現”，timing“抓住時機”和information“利用信息”是加薪的三大籌碼。D與其中對timing的闡述一致。

　　5.[C] 事實細節題。最后一段指出，帶著準備好的籌碼去跟老板商談加薪，并在合適的時候拿出來,而且要運用一定的交際手段引導談判的發展方向，即C。注意其中place your chips on the table at the appropriate time “在適當的時候拿出籌碼”不等于A中的meet his boss at the appropriate time。