Folks, with layoffs mounting, gas prices surreal, mortgage defaults on the rise, the stock market in a swoon, and much of
the world staggered by truly awful weather of one kind or another, we could all use a good laugh right about now. Executives at 1,000 big U.S. companies, plus 100 in Canada recalled the most embarrassing or bizarre interview moments they had witnessed or heard of. A sampling of their answers:
“The person was dancing during the interview. He kept saying things like, ‘I love life!’and ‘Oh, yeah!’”
伙计们, 失业人数在增加,油价高得可怕,房屋抵押贷款违约现象在增长,股市低迷,世界很多地区遭受着不是这种就是那种相当恶劣的气候的影响,而我们现在能做的也只能是开怀大笑一下吧。1000家美国大公司外加 100 家加拿大大公司的巨头们回忆了他们亲眼所见的或听说的让人最囧或让人喷饭的面试时刻。下面是他们的一些只言片语:
“那个人在面试过程中一直在手舞足蹈,他不断说些‘我爱生活!’和‘哦,耶!’之类的话。”
“One job applicant came in for his interview with a cockatoo on his shoulder.”
“The candidate sent his sister to interview in his place.”
“有个求职者肩膀上放着一只美冠鹦鹉就来面试了。”
“ 有个求职者让他姐姐来替他面试。”
“The candidate stopped the interview to ask me if I had a cigarette.”
“We had one person who walked out of an interview straight into a glass door. The glass shattered.”
“有个求职者打断了面试,问我有没有烟抽。”
“我们面试过的一个人面试完之后径直走出去撞到了玻璃门上。玻璃都碎了。”
“The candidate got his companies confused and repeatedly mentioned the strengths of a competing firm, thinking that was who he was interviewing with.”
“A guy called me by the wrong name during the entire interview.”
“We’re a retail company, and when we asked the candidate why she wanted to work for us, she replied that she didn’t want to work in retail anymore.”
“有个求职者把面试人员说得晕头转向,这人不断提到一家对手公司的强项,还以为那就是正在面试他的公
司呢。”
“有个家伙在整个面试过程中都叫错了我的名字。”
“我们是一家零售公司,当我们问及候选人为何想为我们做事的时候,她说自己再也不想做零售了。”
“An interviewee took his bubble gum out of his mouth and held it in his hand. Then he forgot about it and shook hands with me.”
“A job seeker gestured with his hands so much that he then sat on them to stop it.”
“一个应试者把泡泡糖从嘴里拿出来攥在手里。后来他忘了这回事,直接和我握了手。”
“一个求职者太能打手势了,以至于后来他得把手塞在屁股底下压住才能停住。”
“A candidate fell asleep during the interview.”
“有个求职者在面试过程中睡着了。”
“An applicant was doing really well in the interview until we got to the question about why she had left her previous job. She told us everyone there was out to get her .”
“A candidate insulted the interviewer’s tie.”
Okay, so these are obviously dumb moves – but what if something happens that falls into
the category of plain bad luck?A few of the hiring managers mentioned candidates who
suddenly fell ill during an interview.One hapless candidate had cut his lip shaving (alas, the cut opened up while he was talking and bled throughout the interview – ouch!).
“有个申请人的面试进行得非常好,直到我们问及她为何离开上一份工作。她说,那里的每个人都跟她过不去。”
“有个求职者嘲笑面试官的领带。”
好了, 这些很明显都是些愚蠢的举动,不过,万一发生的某些事纯属不幸,又该怎么办呢?有几个面试经理提到有些求职者在面试过程中突然身体不适。有个倒霉的求职者刮胡子的时候割伤了嘴唇(哎,伤口在他谈话的时候裂开了,面试结束时血还没止住——哎哟!)
Handling problems gracefully may actually impress interviewers,but if the situation can’t be overcome, move on and focus on the next opportunity. It’s a learning experience that will someday make an entertaining story. If you can bear to recall it.
优雅地处理问题也许真能让面试官印象深刻,不过,如果实在控制不了局面, 那就往前看, 把精力放在下一次机上。这是一条学习经验,日后也会成为一则笑料——如果你有勇气回想的话。
Vocabulary
1. bizarre a . 奇异的,不寻常的。
2. cockatoo n . (澳大利亚)葵花鹦鹉,凤头鹦鹉。
3. out to get someone: 故意和某人过不去,使其为难、难堪。