014C 找工作: 高级课程

Professor: Toby has applied for a job at a company, and today he has his first interview with Jack, the head of human resources.

Toby在简历上把自己吹得神乎其神,今天可有好戏看啦!

Professor: So let's see if Toby's "people skills" can get him a job he might not be qualified for.

Jack: Hi Toby, my name is Jack Wilson, and I'm the head of human resources here.

Toby: Hello Mr. Wilson, thanks for taking the time to see me.

Jack: Sure. I see on your resume that you've done a lot with computers, sales and customer service. Can you tell me a little bit about your experience?

Toby: Of course. As it says on my resume my main experience is working in retail sales at a book store.

Jack: What were the day-to-day responsibilities for this job?

Toby: I did a lot of market research. Since we sold a lot of newspapers and magazines, I spent a lot of time reading news stories online.

这个Toby,真能胡扯!他上班的时候明明在网上瞎逛,却说这是market research - 市场研究!

Professor: Well what do you expect? In a tough job market you have to exaggerate your skills a little bit. The most important thing is not to sell yourself short.

面试的时候谦虚当然行不通,可是,像Toby这样胡乱吹嘘自己的能力,早晚会露馅儿啊!

Jack: Do you have any experience in customer service?

Toby: Of course. I'm very goal oriented, so whenever a customer asked me for something, it was my goal to help him find it so I could go back to surfing the Internet.

Jack: You mean your "market research"?

Toby: Oh right.... of course I meant my market research.

Jack: I see. And do you work well as part of a team?

Toby: Oh yes! I'm really a team player. It's important for all the members of the team to pull their weight.

"Goal oriented"指做事有明确目标,可Toby的目标就是能上班偷懒! 他还说自己是team player - 有团队精神,说团队里的每个人都应该pull their weight - 作好自己那份工作,其实,他根本就不干活,把工作都推给别人了!

Professor: Exactly. Now in the next section, listen for the phrase "think outside the box," which means "to think about problems in a new or unique way."

Jack: We need all our employees to be pro-active. How would you describe your work ethic?

Toby: I have a really good work ethic. But in addition to that, I pride myself on always thinking outside the box.

Jack: Can you give me an example of how you have come up with a new solution to a problem?

Toby: Umm ... you know, I can't think of one at the moment. But trust me, whenever there is a problem I can always think on my feet and come up with a solution.

哈哈,露馅儿了吧! Toby夸口说,自己善于think outside the box - 想出别出心裁的点子,可是人家让他举例的时候,他就没词儿了!

Professor: That's right. When you go to an interview you should be ready to give examples of your accomplishments, not just talk generally about your work ethic or creativeness.

不过,professor Bowman, 什么是"thinking on your feet?"

Professor: Thinking on your feet is quickly thinking of solutions to unexpected problems. For example, a politician needs to think on his feet during a debate in order to respond to attacks from his opponent.

哦,就是“反应敏捷迅速”的意思。

Jack: Well Toby, I appreciate you coming in. Right now we have to interview a few more applicants, so we will get back to you when we make a decision.

Toby: Thanks for your time. Can you tell me when you would want me to start if I'm selected?

Jack: Frankly, Toby, I wouldn't worry about that too much.

Ouch! Toby 问人家自己什么时候开始上班,人家却说,这个问题您就不用管了!看来,这份工作肯定没戏了!

Professor: It sounds like Toby might be working at the campus book store for a while longer.