Interview Englsih

面试口语

Part I Objectives

The ABCs of Job Interviews In North America

北美工作面试须知

Common questions guidelines to proper answers

常见问题及应对技巧

“Tell me something about your self” – The tone-setting question

面试中的自我介绍

Nonverbal Pitfalls to Watch For

小心坠入面试中肢体语言的陷阱

Part II The How-Tos

The ABCs of Job Interviews In North America

The one-on-one format is the most familiar and common format in job interviewing. It’sabout two people sitting down to have a conversation. In this case, the conversation has aparticular purpose: To determine whether there is a natural fit between the interviewer, theapplicant and the job available. Both parties will leave this conversation with some kind of ajudgment. The interviewer will know whether you can fulfill the responsibilities of the position,and you will know whether or not this is the right position, and company, for you to utilize andexpand upon your talents.

The interview begins the second you and the interviewer initially meet -- this is thecrucial nonverbal judgment. The interviewer is sizing you up: Are you dressed appropriately?Are you well-groomed and pleasant? Next, is the handshake -- do you offer a limp-fishhandshake or is it firm and comfortable? A lot of close scrutiny takes place in those initialmoments, and the interviewer can get a good idea as to how well the interview will or will notgo based on his or her first impressions of you. After a bit of chitchat or warm-up, thequestions begin.

The conversation will usually begin with the same request: "Tell me about yourself." Theinformation you reveal as an answer to this question and throughout the interview allows theinterviewer to get a clear picture of you, and certain pictures or patterns will begin to emerge.Each time a new subject is mentioned, the interviewer may want to dig a little further, and thepicture becomes more focused.

Behavioral questions such as, "Tell me about your experience with...," give the interviewerclues about your past experiences that can be applied to solving the problems of the job inquestion. You must be prepared to talk about your achievements and past behaviors and haveexamples of the experiences you mention. For example, if you say, "I am very detail-oriented,"or "I am an analytical problem-solver," there must be examples to back the claims. Show theinterviewer that you are detail-oriented by providing him with an example of when yourattention to detail positively affected your work. You should create a list of youraccomplishments and experiences that validate these claims prior to interviewing.

If you don’t immediately offer this information, the interviewer can probe further. As anexample, you might say, "I have excellent written communication skills." The interviewer cannow follow up on this subject by asking, "What type of writing have you done?" Or, "Tell meabout a project you have worked on involving written communication skills." If you aren’t ableto come up with good examples, or success stories, there might be a credibility problem.Saying you can do something and actually giving an example of when you have done it are twodifferent things.

Interviewers are attempting to get a picture of your abilities to perform in the position thatis available. They are also looking to see how you would fit in with the corporate culture.Sometimes there will be a succession of one-on-one interviews within the same company. Theprocess may begin with the human resources department, then move on to an interview witha prospective boss, or hiring manager. It may then continue down the line to other members ofa department, and can sometimes include a CEO.

In each one-on-one conversation, you must be able to present good examples and tellabout past successes. When this is done, you can leave the interview knowing that you havecommunicated a picture that is positive and accurate, no matter how many conversations ittakes.