Q: I worked in the health-care industry for 15 years as a geriatric nursing assistant, but I recently decided that my career wasn’t paying the bills and went back to school for a B.A. in organizational management and communication. The problem is, I have never worked in an office setting and I’m not sure how to go about learning etiquette, how to speak appropriately, etc. I thought that once I got a degree, everything would be self-explanatory, but it really isn’t. Can you help?
问：作为一个老年病护理助理，我曾在医疗保健业工作了15年。但不久前，我发现这份工作不够应付生活开销，于是决定回到学校攻读机构管理和传播学的学士学位。问题是我从来没有在办公室环境工作过，我不知道如何开始学习相关礼节，如何适当措辞等等。我本以为我拿到学位后一切都能迎刃而解，但事实并非如此。你能帮助我吗？
A: First of all, good for you for having the forethought to be concerned about issues of conduct and etiquette. In fact, in the business world, more emphasis is placed on an individual’s ability to make a strong first impression than her ability to get the job done. The good news is, once you understand what to do, it’s not complicated. I’d check out some books on the topic (mine is called ’They Don’t Teach Corporate in College’) and also talk to some people already working in your new industry to get a sense of organizational culture and how you should prepare for interviews.
答：首先，你能有这个远见关心行为举止和礼节问题，这是好事。事实上在商场，人们更注重一个人是否能给人以深刻的第一印象，而不是能不能把工作做好。好消息是，只要你明白该怎么做，其实并不复杂。我会找一些这方面的书来看（我的书题为《上大学为了什么：职业规划从校园开始(They Don’t Teach Corporate in College)》），同时跟已经从事你这个新行业的人谈谈，了解组织文化和你应当如何准备面试。
Q: One situation that you didn’t mention in your recent piece on negotiation was: How do you negotiate your salary when you’re being promoted from within, especially in a poor economy? I feel that employees who have potential to move up from their current roles are at a disadvantage with so many people vying for those plum positions.
问：你最近有关谈判的文章遗漏了一种情形：当你获得内部升职的时候怎么谈薪水，尤其是在经济很糟糕的时候？我觉得有潜力晋升的员工处于不利地位，因为竞争那些高薪厚职的人太多了。
A: Since you are being promoted, the assumption is that the position you’re moving into already exists. This means that your human-resources department likely has a set salary range for it, and I would ask a representative about it. Even in a poor economy, a newly promoted employee is entitled to receive compensation at the bottom of this range. If there is no established range that you can present to your boss, then you should still ask for increased compensation to reflect your new responsibilities. The increase might not be what you’d get in better times, though, so set a time to re-evaluate it in six months.
答：既然你获得提升，那你要担任的这个职位应该是已有的。这就意味着公司的人力资源部对这个职位可能有设定的薪资范围，我会向人力资源部的人员询问。即使经济形势不好，新晋升的职员也有权接受这一范围下限的薪酬。如果没有已设定的薪酬范围供你向老板提要求，那你还是应当要求加薪，以体现你的新职责。不过加薪幅度可能没有经济形势好的时候那么多，因此要设立时限，过六个月重新评估。
Q: I like your columns, but the people you feature have done such great things. I spent a huge part of my adulthood raising my children. I’m happy with my life and now I have a part-time job with a local association that I enjoy, but sometimes I regret not doing more career-wise. Any suggestions?
问：我喜欢你的专栏，但你提到的人都很有成就。我成年后绝大部分时间都用来抚养孩子了。我对自己的生活很满意，现在我在一家地方机构兼职，也很喜欢这份工作，但有时我很后悔没有更好地规划自己的事业。你对此有何建议？
A: While the people featured in Reinvent have indeed done inspiring things, remember that a 500-word column is not enough room to chronicle their life stories. Most of them have experienced career lulls and hardships in addition to their successes. If there is a particular profession you’d like to explore now, then I encourage you to give it a shot. But please remember that raising healthy children and giving back to your community do constitute meaningful work, and if you have been happy doing these things, then in my opinion, you should have no regrets.
答：虽然我在专栏里写到的人确实做出了令人鼓舞的成就，但别忘了，篇幅才500字的专栏文章并不足以一一道来他们的毕生经历。他们大多数人在成功之外都经历过事业停滞的时候，也遭遇过艰难困苦。如果现在有哪种职业是你想尝试的，那我鼓励你去尝试。不过请记住，养育身心健康的孩子和回报社会也是很有意义的工作，如果你你喜欢做这些事情，那在我看来你应该没有遗憾。
