【雅思课外精读】如何真正打动面试官？

　　【雅思课外精读】如何真正打动面试官？*注：本文摘自6月13日《华尔街日报》

　　The Surprising Strategy for Acing a Job Interview面试策略

　　Don’t try to figure out what the interviewer is looking for. It will only backfire.不要尝试去猜想面试官想要的是什么，这可能会适得其反

　　1. The conventional wisdom for acing a job interview is pretty simple: Figure out what the interviewers want and give it to them.

　　一般来说，面试成功的要点很简单：弄清楚面试官想要什么，然后满足他们的要求。

　　2. Sounds reasonable. But it’s likely to backfire.

　　这听起来很合理，但可能会适得其反。

　　3. In fact, studies that I and others have done show that catering to an interviewer’s expectations is less effective than being authentic-willing and courageous enough to express your own views, opinions, and preferences, no matter how unpopular they may be.

　　事实上，我和其他的的研究都表明，迎合面试官的期待，还不如真诚，勇敢地表达自己的观点，意见和喜好，不管这些观点、意见和喜好多么不受欢迎。

　　4. Catering hurts our chances for two reasons. When we cater, we are intentionally choosing to minimize our own interests and preferences in favor of those of the person we are trying to impress. This requires an effort to hide who we really are—a cognitively and emotionally draining process. What’s more, we can’t be certain about the other person’s preferences and expectations, no matter how much research we’ve done on them. This further raises our anxiety and hurts our performance.

　　迎合有两方面的问题。首先，当我们迎合别人的时候，我们会有意地隐藏自己的兴趣和偏好，而去迎合那些我们想要打动的人。这需要我们努力隐藏真正的自己——这是一个消耗认知和情感上的过程。更重要的是，无论我们做了多少研究，我们都无法确定对方的喜好和期望。这进一步增加了我们的焦虑，对我们的面试表现不利。

　　5. We demonstrated this in one study with 379 working adults. We asked them to imagine applying for a job (which we described to them) and to prepare a two- to three-minute video in which they spoke about themselves and the job. They then answered a few questions. As they were told, a research assistant with hiring expertise would watch and then score the videos and decide, based on the results, how likely she would be to hire them. Those with the highest scores would receive a financial bonus.

　　我们对379名成年人的研究证明了这个观点。我会给他们描述工作的一些相关内容，然后让他们想象自己申请了这份工作，准备一段两到三分钟的视频，让他们在视频中对自己和这份工作的看法，然后回答几个问题。如他们所知，一名一名具有招聘专业知识的研究助理会看他们的视频，然后打分，看他们是否能被聘用。那些得分最高的人将会得到经济奖励。

　　6. We randomly assigned participants to one of three buckets: catering, authenticity and a control group. We asked the caterers to position their statements for what they believed to be the expectations or interests of the person reviewing the videos. For those in the authenticity bucket, we asked them to “be yourself”—that is, to be genuine and authentic. The control group wasn’t told to either cater or be authentic. They were just reminded that a person would watch the video to review applicants.

　　我们将参与人员随机分成三组:迎合组，真实组和对照组。我们要求迎合组的参与人员根据面试官的期望和兴趣来陈述他们的观点，要求真实组的人“做真实的自己。”对照组没有给出具体要求，他们只是知道会有人要看他们的应聘视频，还会打分。

　　7. As we expected, participants who catered felt more anxious and strategic than participants who were simply being themselves on video or than those in the control group. The emotional state of those who catered, in turn, hindered their performance in the job interview. Those who behaved authentically were 26% more likely to be hired than those who catered, and those in the control group were 15% more likely to be hired than those who catered (and 9% less likely to be hired as compared with those who acted authentically).

　　正如我们所料，迎合组的参与者比真实组和对照组的参与者更焦虑，更有策略。那些迎合组的情绪状况反过来也影响了他们在面试中的表现。真实组被雇佣的可能性比迎合组高26%，而对照组比迎合组高15%，比对照组低9%。

　　8. We found the same results in another study where we asked people to take the role of a person interviewing for a job we described to them in detail, or of the person conducting the interview and evaluating candidates. Those who played the role of the interviewee were asked to either be authentic or cater to the expectation of the interviewer, without the interviewer knowing they had been asked to follow one of these two approaches. Authenticity helped participants land the job more frequently than catering did.

　　在另一项研究中，我们也得到了同样的结果。在这项研究中，我们让部分参与人员扮演面试者，也给了他们工作的详细描述，让另一部分参与人员扮演面试官，负责面试和评估那些候选人。同样，那些面试者也分为真实组和迎合组，而面试官并不知道谁是属于真实组谁是属于迎合组，结果表明，真实组更有可能成功找到工作。

　　9. A scene in the movie “The Devil Wears Prada” does a good job of illustrating these concepts, as was first observed in a research paper co-written by Celia Moore, now a professor of organizational behavior at Imperial College Business School in London.

　　正如西莉亚·摩尔(Celia Moore)在与人合著的一篇研究论文中的发现一样，电影《穿普拉达的女王》(the Devil Wears Prada)中的一个场景很好地阐释了这些观点。摩尔现在是伦敦帝国理工学院商学院(Imperial College Business School)的组织行为学教授。

　　10. When one of the film’s main characters, Andy Sachs, applies for an assistant position at an elite fashion magazine, she goes through several successful lower-level interviews. But in her interview with the editor in chief, after seeing that the editor is not impressed, instead of catering to what she thinks the editor wants, Andy decides to be her authentic self. She says she is not skinny or glamorous and that she doesn’t fit in with the other magazine workers, and even confesses to not knowing much about fashion. But she is smart and hardworking, she says. Andy’s strategy, to the audience, doesn’t seem so smart. But, impressed by Andy’s honest self-appraisal—and presumably her intelligence—the editor gives her the job.

　　影片的主要角色安迪•萨克斯(Andy Sachs)在一家精英时尚杂志申请助理职位时，她成功地通过了几次低级别的面试。在主编的面试中，看到主编不为所动，安迪决定做真实的自己，而不是去迎合主编。她说她不够苗条，也不够迷人，她甚至承认自己对时尚知之甚少。但她说，她聪明勤奋。对观众来说，安迪的策略似乎不太明智。但是，被安迪诚实的自我评价——大概还有她的智慧——所打动，主编给了她这份工作。

　　11. In this case, Hollywood had it right, even if it struck some viewers as unlikely.

　　在这种情况下，好莱坞是对的，尽管一些观众觉得这不太可能。

　　12. The same research paper by Prof. Moore and colleagues finds further support for the idea that authenticity pays off for qualified applicants. Using a sample of highly qualified teachers from around the globe applying for placements in the U.S., the researchers found that those who had a strong desire to present themselves accurately increased the likelihood of receiving a placement to 73% from 51%. Similarly, using a sample of lawyers applying for positions in a branch of the U.S. military, the same researchers found that high-quality candidates who had a strong desire to present themselves accurately were more likely to receive a job offer, increasing their chances more than fivefold—to 17% from 3%. This is because the desire to present ourselves accurately leads us to communicate in a more fluid way about who we are. And this, in turn, leads others to perceive us as more authentic and less misrepresentative.

　　摩尔教授和同事在同一篇研究论文中发现了进一步的证据，证明了一种观点，即对合格的申请者来说，诚实更重要。我们选取来自世界各地申请到美国实习的高水平教师作为样本，研究发现，那些展示真实的自己的人，获得职位的可能性从51%增加到73%。同样地，研究人员以申请美国军队某个分支职位的律师为样本，发现那些展示自己的高素质候选人更有可能获得工作机会，他们获得工作的几率提高了五分之一以上——从3%提高到17%。这是因为，当我们想要真实展现自己的时候，我们更真实地和自己沟通，从而认识了真实自己。而这，反过来又会让别人觉得我们更真实。

　　13. The power of authenticity extends beyond the job interview. My colleagues and I explored the power of authenticity in a study of entrepreneurs pitching their ideas to venture capitalists in a “fast pitch” competition in the U.S. Each of the 166 entrepreneurs who participated presented his or her idea to a panel of three investors. The investors filled out a scorecard after each pitch, then chose 10 semifinalists after deliberating.

　　真实的力量不仅仅体现在工作面试方面。我的同事和我在一项研究中探索了真实的力量。这项研究中，创业者需要在美国的一场“快速推介”竞赛中向风险投资家推销自己的想法。166名创业者参加比赛，每人都需要向一个由三位投资者组成的小组展示了自己的想法。投资者们在每次竞演后填写一张记分卡，然后慎重择出10名半决赛选手。

　　14. Post-pitch, we asked the entrepreneurs to answer a few questions about whether they were being themselves when giving their presentations. The result? Entrepreneurs who felt authentic were three times as likely to advance as those who did not.

　　比赛结束后，我们让这些创业者回答了几个问题，看他们在做演讲时是否在做真实的自己。结果呢?感觉真实做自己的创业者获得成功的可能性是不够真实的创业者的三倍。

　　15. The lesson is obvious. Being real matters.

　　答案是显而易见的。真实很重要。

　　精读解析

　　篇章结构P1—P3：一般认为，迎合面试官比较容易成功，但是研究表明做真实的自己更重要。P4—P12：关于真实和迎合的研究及其结果：真实获得面试成功的几率更大。P13—P14：真实的力量并不仅仅局限于工作面试。P15：真实很重要。

　　重点单词backfire /bæk'faɪə/ vi. (内燃机等)发生逆火, 发生回火；(枪炮)向后爆发；发生意外, 产生事与愿违的后果n. (内燃机等)逆火, 回火；(枪炮)向后爆发【例句】Her schemes backfired on herself, and she lost her boyfriend forever.她的计划害了她自己,从此永远失去了她的男友。

　　cater to 迎合；为…服务cater to the need of 迎合…的需要【例句】He says niche media cater to their audiences. It's a business. Outsiders might be offended.他说小众媒体要迎合观众的口味。这是生意。局外人可能会感觉受到了冒犯。

　　authentic / ɔ ː ' θ ent ɪ k/ adj. 真的, 真正的；可靠的, 可信的【短语】authentic self 本真自我authentic text 正本；代替契约之正本【例句】Is that an authentic painting from Piccaso, or a modern copy?那幅油画是毕加索的真迹还是现代仿制品?

　　courageous /k ə 're ɪ d ʒə s/ adj. 勇敢的;无畏的【例句】We are no carpet soldiers, but courageous troops.我们不是少爷兵, 而是英勇善战的勇士。

　　unpopular / ʌ n'p ɒ pj ʊ l ə / adj. 不得人心的, 不受欢迎的, 不流行的【例句】Several unpopular decisions diminished the governor's popularity.几项不得人心的决定使州长的声望下降。

　　minimize /ˈminimaiz/ v. 使减到最少；小看，极度轻视【例句】He minimized the value of her contribution to his research so that he got all the praise.他极力贬低她在那项研究中的贡献, 从而独获全部奖励。

　　demonstrate /'dem ə nstre ɪ t/ vt. 说明, 演示；论证, 证明；显示, 表露【同根】demonstrative adj. 说明的；证明的；公开表露感情的; n. 指示词;demonstration n. 示范；证明；示威游行【例句】They demonstrated the new invention to us.他们向我们演示了他们的新发明。

　　expertise / ˌ eksp ɜ ː 'ti ː z/ n. 专门知识或技能【例句】We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。

　　participant /pɑː'tɪsɪp(ə)nt/ n. 参加者, 参与者【例句】She is an active participant in this activity.她积极参与这项活动。

　　bucket /'bʌkɪt/ n. 铲斗；桶，水桶；一桶的量v. 倾盆而下；颠簸着行进【例句】The car bucketed over the country road.轿车在乡间路上颠簸前进。

　　hinder/'h ɪ nd ə / vt. & vi. 阻碍; 妨碍【短语】hinder from 妨碍；阻止【例句】Nobody wants to hinder your doing that.谁也不想阻止你做那件事。

　　evaluate / ɪ 'vælj ʊ e ɪ t/ vt. 评价, 估计, 估价【同根】evaluation n. 评价；[审计] 评估；估价；求值evaluative adj. 可估价的【例句】Before you go into the next stressful evaluative situation, for example, a job interview, for two minutes, try doing this, in the elevator, or at your desk behind closed doors and say to youself, " That's what I want to do."在你进行下一个很有压力的评估时，比如求职面试，试着用2分钟的时间来做这个，在电梯里，或者在关着的门后面的桌子前对自己说：“这就是我想做的事。”

　　skinny /'sk ɪ n ɪ / adj. 极瘦的, 皮包骨的【例句】At school I was fairly skinny and undersized.上学时我相当瘦小。

　　glamorous /'glæm ə r ə s/ adj. 富有魅力的;迷人的【例句】The show demonstrates how glamorous ballroom dancing is.这个节目展示了交际舞的魅力。

　　self-appraisal自我评估【例句】Such differences of opinion arose out of those between the two in personality, self-appraisal, times and social environment.  孔、孟对管仲评价的差异，主要由他们的个人性格、自我评价以及所处的历史时代、社会环境不同所导致。

　　perceive /pə'siːv/ vt. 察觉，感觉；理解；认知【词组】perceive as 视为；当作【例句】We perceive him wish to make progress.我们看得出他是要求进步的。

　　misrepresentative /ˌmisrepri'zentətiv/ adj. 不如实表达的,歪曲的;给人以假象的【例句】Class action lawsuits are now being brought against fast food chains for their misrepresentative and misleading marketing techniques.现在有人因为快餐连锁店隐瞒事实和误导消费者的行销手法而提出集体诉讼。

　　entrepreneur  [,ɔntrəprə'nə:] n. 企业家；承包人；主办者；创业者【例句】Despite the policies, returning entrepreneurs hit many problems.尽管有了政策上的优惠，归国创业者仍面临诸多问题。

　　重点句子A scene in the movie “The Devil Wears Prada” does a good job of illustrating these concepts, as was first observed in a research paper co-written by Celia Moore, now a professor of organizational behavior at Imperial College Business School in London.

　　这个句子的主干是：A scene in the movie does a good job of illustrating these concepts. 后面的 as was first observed in a research paper co-written by Celia Moore是as引导的一个从句，补充说明前面的内容，最后的now a professor of organizational behavior at Imperial College Business School in London.是后置定语，补充说明Celia Moore的身份。