白领美丽英文诵典365 -006 What Is an Interview

What is an interview?

The best way to look at an interview is as a conversation rather than an interrogation. In a conversation, information flows both ways and after all, you want to learn about the company you may be working for as much as they want to learn about you. You want to make sure the job fits you no less then they want to be sure you fit the job. If you can think of the interview as an opportunity to check them out, you'll show that you're interested in the company, you'll feel more relaxed, you'll perform better and you'll increase your chances of getting an offer.

What kind of interview are you in for?

There are a number of different approaches an interviewer can take. Perhaps the most common is the clarification interview, in which the interviewer asks general questions about points on your resume¹ that he'd like to know more about. You may get asked what your career goals are, or what you think you can bring to the job. Know your resume, know how to make it fit the job and interviews like this should be a walk in the park.

An interviewer may also throw in some doubt-resolving questions: "Why did you leave your last job? ","Are you always this late? ","Where it says on your resume, "manufacturing mailbags for the government", where exactly was that? "Be aware of the weaknesses on your resume and prepare some nice flowery words to cover any career cracks and flatten² the interviewer's unfounded fears.

Increasingly popular are behavioral interviews, an approach which consultants³ claim is used by a quarter of interviewers. You may be asked to describe an incident in which you had to use your initiative⁴ under pressure, deal with a difficult worker or work as part of a small team. The idea is that your past behavior will predict your future actions in similar situations and the questions the interviewers ask will highlight skills they believe are important to the job.

To handle questions like these, think about your work experiences, and retell them in STAR order: Situation/Task, Action and Result. Identify the situation or task you were dealing⁵ with, explain the action you took and describe the results.

Preparation is the best way to beat behavioral interviews.

1 resume   

v.（中断后）继续，恢复；n.摘要，简历

参考例句：

• We'll stop now and resume at two o 'clock.我们现在停下来，到两点再干。
• My resume shows that I have the right qualifications for the job.我的简历表明我正符合这项工作的条件。

2 flatten   

v.把．．．弄平，使倒伏；使(漆等)失去光泽

参考例句：

• We can flatten out a piece of metal by hammering it.我们可以用锤子把一块金属敲平。
• The wrinkled silk will flatten out if you iron it.发皱的丝绸可以用熨斗烫平。

3 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。

4 initiative   

n.主动性，首创精神，主动权（的行动），倡议

参考例句：

• He went to see the headmaster on his own initiative.他主动去看望校长。
• His employer had described him as lacking in initiative and drive.雇主说他缺乏进取心和干劲。

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。