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?
問：作爲一個老年病護理助理，我曾在醫療保健業工作了15年。但不久前，我發現這份工作不夠應付生活開銷，於是決定回到學校攻讀機構管理和傳播學的學士學位。問題是我從來沒有在辦公室環境工作過，我不知道如何開始學習相關禮節，如何適當措辭等等。我本以爲我拿到學位後一切都能迎刃而解，但事實並非如此。你能幫助我嗎？
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，你能有這個遠見關心行爲舉止和禮節問題，這是好事。事實上在商場，人們更注重一個人是否能給人以深刻的第一印象，而不是能不能把工作做好。好消息是，只要你明白該怎麼做，其實並不複雜。我會找一些這方面的書來看（我的書題爲《上大學爲了什麼：職業規劃從校園開始(They Don’t Teach Corporate in College)》），同時跟已經從事你這個新行業的人談談，瞭解組織文化和你應當如何準備面試。
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.
問：你最近有關談判的文章遺漏了一種情形：當你獲得內部升職的時候怎麼談薪水，尤其是在經濟很糟糕的時候？我覺得有潛力晉升的員工處於不利地位，因爲競爭那些高薪厚職的人太多了。
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：既然你獲得提升，那你要擔任的這個職位應該是已有的。這就意味着公司的人力資源部對這個職位可能有設定的薪資範圍，我會向人力資源部的人員詢問。即使經濟形勢不好，新晉升的職員也有權接受這一範圍下限的薪酬。如果沒有已設定的薪酬範圍供你向老闆提要求，那你還是應當要求加薪，以體現你的新職責。不過加薪幅度可能沒有經濟形勢好的時候那麼多，因此要設立時限，過六個月重新評估。
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?
問：我喜歡你的專欄，但你提到的人都很有成就。我成年後絕大部分時間都用來撫養孩子了。我對自己的`生活很滿意，現在我在一家地方機構兼職，也很喜歡這份工作，但有時我很後悔沒有更好地規劃自己的事業。你對此有何建議？
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：雖然我在專欄裏寫到的人確實做出了令人鼓舞的成就，但別忘了，篇幅才500字的專欄文章並不足以一一道來他們的畢生經歷。他們大多數人在成功之外都經歷過事業停滯的時候，也遭遇過艱難困苦。如果現在有哪種職業是你想嘗試的，那我鼓勵你去嘗試。不過請記住，養育身心健康的孩子和回報社會也是很有意義的工作，如果你你喜歡做這些事情，那在我看來你應該沒有遺憾。
