为什么有人会拒绝一份提供双倍薪酬的工作？谁会这样做？？？尽管这种情况比较极端，但近几年来却屡见不鲜：我们发现有的候选人虽换了工作，但在薪资上只有很少甚至毫无增加，更有甚者，宁愿减薪也要换到一个能大大改善其发展前景，并有助其实现未来职业及薪资目标的环境。对这一类型的候选人来说，他们非常清楚怎样的环境能够为自己创造高薪资水平，并提升自己的竞争力，以在职业道路上赢得更多机会。他们认准的机遇是：有利于拓展其技能，积累其成就，并能使其施展足以承担更大职责的能力。而那些机会主义却好景不长的环境，并非被其所看好。基于此种考虑，他们便寻求有利的职业平台来施展才能，增添自身价值，为将来长远发展积累筹码。
"我们只为价值买单"
在当今中国，一个人的市场潜力和职业成就越来越取决于他能否识别有利的职业平台，但几年前情况并非如此。当时，许多公司为了保持业绩增长便采取激进型的雇佣策略，他们往往过度评估了员工的价值并支付其过高的工资。那段时期，个人尽可以等待机会上门；但对于雇主，由于到处都有更高的薪资条件，他们几乎不可能维持合适的薪酬福利水平。
而今天，人才市场的竞争日益激烈，雇佣和升职要求也日益严格，员工的薪资水平更符合他们的市场价值。各公司不仅更易掌握薪酬福利信息以衡量市场标准，各公司也更严格遵守其薪酬福利体系和政策。所以，现在同一行业的公司提供给同等职位的薪酬福利越来越接近。总体而言，市场因素的日趋成熟使雇主们成为掌控薪资决定权的主导方，使其得以基于员工的真实能力、经验、和价值合理决定其薪资。
最近，我们的一位候选人要求招聘方加薪40%，虽然我们的客户很欣赏这位候选人，但他们只愿意提供15%的增幅，并且认为这已经相当可观了。当协商陷入僵局，那位总经理声明了自己的立场：“我非常愿意满足这位候选人的要求，钱不成问题，前提是她现在的工作业绩必须达到我们的要求，而她尚未达到。但是，我们愿意给她这样一个机会：如果她能够接下一些高挑战度的项目，并展示她的能力，证明她果真如她所说的那样出色，到时我们必当乐意重新协商薪酬问题。”
寻找有利职业平台
有那么多工作环境，究竟怎样才算是一个强大的平台呢？基本上，它应该是一个有助于你学习和发展必要技能，提供你取得成就的高质量的环境。所以，一个好的平台基本包括：
* 一个快速成长的公司
* 一个发展中的行业
* 一个可靠的管理团队
* 一个与直线领导间良好的沟通关系
* 新的充满挑战的职责
* 充满可为你的专业背景增加价值和技能的机会
决定这一平台是否有利的因素还包括：你所接触的人以及你被赋予的职责。在评估一个机会是否能为你的职业道路带来巨大利益时，你需要关注并考虑：
* 你将与之共事最多的经理的职业背景
* 这家公司的客户质量/导向
* 是否能接触国际性资源和商业运作
* 与高级管理层的交流程度
* 对重要决策的参与程度
* 计划和执行事务的机会
* 管理事务的机会
* 创造的机会
* 管理他人的机会
就你目前来看，你的工作/公司是否具备了这些发展潜力和机遇？是否是一个有利于你更好地发展职业技能和积累突出成就的环境？是否能够提升你在将来赢得宝贵机会的竞争力？
要灵活，也要现实
如果一个平台并不能带来经济上的即时效益，许多人就难以平衡心态做决定。我们接触的大多数候选人在寻找新工作时都期望至少有10-15%的加薪，有些甚至说他们绝不会接受一份加薪在30-40%以下的工作！要换工作就要涨工资，这无疑是一条规则，但这绝不是一条铁律。如果你的预期值太不灵活或只重眼前，就很有可能错过那些能大幅提高你的市场价值的机会。
举例来说，许多著名大公司（如通用电气，戴尔，可口可乐等）都没有最高的薪酬福利待遇，鉴于他们本身作为雇主的魅力已经足够强大。我们很多候选人换工作到这些公司，尽管薪酬只能持平或者更少，但是接触到了世界级的资源和高水准的运营环境。虽然，进入这些公司就可能意味着接受一份低于你目前拥有的薪酬福利。
同样的，如果你考虑的是能更大程度管理企业的工作，你就得对薪酬福利抱有现实的期望值。小型/新生企业在起薪上尤其保守。然而，其他非固定的绩效报酬就相对灵活与慷慨。进入这类公司自然承担较高风险，但也有更大的提升空间。加入这些年轻公司的管理团队就能相应得到突显自己的绝佳机会，因为个人的成就比起企业的成就要更易识别（例如：未完全成熟的品牌，已建立的客户基础，体系和进程等等）。
"要在一家跨国公司找到一个与我原来相同的职位，其实反而简单，"一位女性候选人说，她在今年早些时候作为财务控制人员加入了一家刚起步的电信服务公司，“虽然现在的薪酬福利没有我原来的工作高，但这份工作的职责把我的事业提高到了新的阶段。比如，我以前虽然参与过财务系统实践，但从没有从无到有建立起一个财务部门及财务流程；我现在也是与公司密切合作的银行和主要投资者的直接联系人。这些事务和我未来的目标——CFO所要担当的责任紧密相关。
你能吸引到最好的机会吗？
随着如今的求职市场日益活跃，对于大多数专业人士而言最关键的不是是否能找到工作，工作到处都有，关键是，你的职业背景是否足够出色，是否具备足够竞争力去赢得那些最吸引你的工作。在你的职业发展道路上，你所得到的回报将主要取决于你的自身价值和表现优异度。换句话说，如果你值，你就能赚更多。
当然，每个人都想有份好工资，或至少所得能与所付出的成正比。没有人会主动去找赚得更少的工作。但如果你的主要目标就是挣钱，那么你就得清楚你的职业选择是否有助于加强你的未来薪酬水平和市场潜力。若将你自己置于一个能够提升你的技能、成就、和价值的强大平台，你就能在这个不断成熟化、竞争激烈化的环境下继续寻找到更好的机会。
为长远价值做正确选择
那么为什么会有人拒绝一份提供双倍工资的工作？事实上，我们的候选人说这并不是一个难做的决定。当时，他每年赚30万，而他拒绝的那份工作给他每年60万的薪资。那时他30出头，正处于中层管理阶段，他最希望得到的是一份高层管理工作，有更广阔更直接的职责，能够向成为总经理的目标前进。但是那份工作是一份高指标、个人化的工作，也就是他过去一直做的。所以即使短期来看这份工作很诱人，但是很难帮助他增加新的技能和成就，并实现成为总经理的目标。
相反，他最终接受了一份薪资适中（35万每年）的工作，但是这份工作赋予了他所寻求的那些职责。“我拒绝的那家公司是一家有着良好声誉，充满吸引力的公司。我知道我可以在今后几年内赚到丰厚的收入。但那之后呢？我又会处在和现在相同的处境。我所加入的公司虽然较小，但是发展很快。重要的是，它的高级管理队伍是一流的，它的客户也是最好的。最终，我的目标是成为一家领先公司的总经理，我也相信这一次的决定将帮助我实现目标。如果我能达到那个水准，我相信日后的薪酬回报将会远远超过我眼前所错过的。”
How To Identify Strong Platforms That Raise Your
Earning Power And Marketability
Why would a person turn down a position that offers him a 100% salary increase? Who does that??? Although that’s an extreme situation, we have seen many candidates over the years make moves for little or no salary increase, or even take a pay cut, in order to join a situation that can significantly better their development and help them attain their future career and financial objectives. With these candidates, they have a very good sense of what will create earning power for themselves and increase their ability to attain attractive opportunities over the course of their career. Rather than pursuing opportunistic, short-lived situations, they identify ones that will allow them to develop broader skill sets, accumulate outstanding achievements, and demonstrate the ability to handle greater responsibilities. As such, they seek out strong platforms that they can be a part of which add value and create upside for their long-term prospects.
"We’ll Pay For Value"
Identifying strong platforms is becoming more and more critical for a one’s ongoing marketability and career success, especially in China today. Just a few years ago, things were different. Meaning, you saw many instances where talent was being overvalued and overpaid, as companies hired aggressively to keep pace with their business growth. For individuals, it was a great time to be opportunistic. For employers, this made it nearly impossible to maintain appropriate compensation levels with candidates since much higher salaries could always be found elsewhere.
Today, however, employees are being paid more in-line with their appropriate market value and worth. This is because of an increasingly competitive talent market and stricter hiring and promotion practices. There is also greater availability of compensation information for companies to benchmark the market as well as greater discipline among companies for staying within their compensation structures and policies. As a result, you see fewer and lesser disparities in compensation levels across companies in the same industry and for comparable positions than before. Overall, maturing market factors have shifted the control of salaries in favor of the hiring side, basing them more accurately on a person’s actual capabilities, experience, and value.
We saw this highlighted recently where one of our candidates was asking for 40% over her current salary. Our client liked the candidate a lot, but would only offer a 15% increase, which they thought was already quite generous. When the negotiations came to an impasse, the GM made his position clear. “I’m more than willing to pay what this person is asking for,” he said. “That’s not the issue. But only for someone who has a demonstrated track record of what we need them to do. This person hasn’t got that. Instead, we’re willing to give her an opportunity to take on some challenging, high profile projects to show what she can do. If she’s as good as she thinks she is and is able to perform, and then we’re happy to revisit the topic of compensation with her later on.”
Seeking Out Strong Platforms
With many job situations to choose from out there, what exactly would be considered a strong platform to be a part of? Basically, you want an environment that offers exposure to quality situations and opportunities to learn and develop essential skill sets and that allows you to build your achievements. Therefore, a good platform might include a situation that offers:
* A high growth company
* A growth industry
* A solid management team
* A good connection with your immediate management
* New and challenging responsibilities
* The overall chance to add value and skill sets to your professional background
Factors that determine the strength of a platform also have to do with the people you have access to and the responsibilities you are allowed to take on. In assessing opportunities that can provide significant benefits to your career growth, you want to look at and determine:
* The backgrounds of the managers you’ll be working with most
* The quality/orientation of the company’s client base
* The access to international resources and best practices
* The level of interaction with top management
* The level of participation in key decision-making situations
* The chance to plan and manage things
* The chance to run things
* The chance to build things
* The chance to manage others
Within your current situation, does your job/company provide such development potential and opportunities? Or are there situations that can much better allow you to develop your skills sets and accumulate standout accomplishments that improve your ability to capture attractive opportunities in the future?
Be Flexible And Realistic
Choosing a platform that may not bring immediate financial gains is a tough decision for many to justify. Most candidates that we work with expect at least a 10-15% jump in their base salary when looking at a new opportunity. Some even tell us that they won’t consider a position unless it offers a 30-40% salary increase! Receiving an increase in salary when making a move, however, is by no means a rule. And having expectations that are too inflexible and short-sighted can lead to missed opportunities that could greatly enhance your earning power.
As an example, many of the most reputable companies (e.g. GE, Dell, Coca-Cola, etc.) tend not to be the market leaders in compensation, given their attractiveness as an employer to work for. We see many candidates who make moves to such companies for comparable or even less money because they offer access to world-class resources and high-caliber operating environments. Therefore, joining these companies can mean accepting a less than premium compensation situation in comparison to your current one.
Likewise, if you are considering a more entrepreneurial opportunity, you need to have realistic expectations with regards to compensation. Smaller/start-up companies are typically more conservative on base salaries. On the other hand, they tend to be more flexible and generous on variable, performance-based incentives. They are naturally higher risk, but are also higher growth and upside potential. Joining these relatively young organizations as part of their management team offers excellent chances to standout, since achievements can be much more easily identified to the individual, as opposed to the company (e.g. less mature brand, existing client base, systems and processes, etc.).
"It would have been fairly easy for me to find another position with a multinational comparable to the one I was at before," says a female candidate, who earlier this year joined a value-added services telco start-up as their financial controller. “Although the package was no higher than what I made in my previous job, this opportunity offers responsibilities that can help me advance to the next level in my career. For instance, I have been a part of financial systems implementations before, but have never built a finance department and developed its financial processes from scratch. I’m also the direct contact with the key investors and banks that the company works closely with. These things are right in line with the responsibilities that a CFO handles, which is what I’m targeting in the future.”
Can You Attract The Best Opportunities?
With today’s especially active job market, the key issue for most professionals is not about the ability to find a job. There are plenty of those out there. Rather, it is if your background is outstanding and competitive enough to capture those positions that are most attractive to you. Over the course of your career, you will be rewarded fairly based on the value and performance excellence you are able to deliver to an employer. In other words, you’ll earn more money if you’re worth it.
Of course, just about everyone wants to earn a good salary, or at least be paid well for what they do. And nobody actively seeks situations that offer little or less money than what they’re currently earning. But if making good money is a main objective of yours, then it’s important to have an overall approach to your career choices that emphasizes situations that can significantly increase your future earning power and marketability. By putting yourself onto strong platforms that can increase your skill sets, achievements, and value, you will be able to pursue better and greater opportunities for yourself against a maturing and increasingly competitive landscape.
Make Good Choices That Build Long-term Value
So how does a person pass on a position that offers to double your salary? Actually, according to our candidate, it wasn’t even that tough of a decision for him. At the time, he was making RMB300K/year, while the position he turned down was offering to pay him RMB600K/year. Being in his early 30s and at a middle management stage in his career, what he was seeking most was a senior manager level role with broader, more direct responsibilities that would help him develop towards his goal of becoming general manager someday. The position he was being offered, however, was a high-level, individual contributor one that essentially repeated a role that he had already done extensively before. So although it was financially attractive in the short-term, the position would add few new skills and achievements that would get him closer to his GM objective.
Instead, he ended up taking another position that offered a much more modest package increase of RMB350K/year, but that gave him the type of responsibilities that he was looking for. “With the opportunity I turned down, there was nothing wrong with the company. It was a very reputable, attractive one. I know I could have made some good money over the next couple of years. But what then after that? I’d basically still be in a similar situation as I am now. The company I’ll be joining is smaller, but fast growing. As importantly,
it’s senior management team is top-notch and client base top tier. Ultimately, I want to be a GM for a leading company and I believe this is the right situation at this time in my career to help me get there. If I can attain that level, I am confident that the financial benefits will take care of themselves and far exceed whatever amount of money that I may have passed up in the short-term.”
