美国文化脱口秀 第339期:中国人如何闯荡英语面试?

 中国人在美国职场求职，面试会经历什么？如何击败金发碧眼的竞争者，进入招聘率只有3%的顶级投行高盛？今天，我们请到一位特别嘉宾，分享自己的美国面试经验。

关键词：

找工作，忙面试

New graduates: 应届毕业生

Looking for work: 找工作

Investment bank: 投行

Goldman Sachs: 高盛

Cream of the crop: 最优秀的人

Interview process: 面试过程

中国学霸的美国求职路

Startup: 创业公司

Entrepreneur: 创业者

I declined Goldman's offer and decided¹ to run my own startup instead: 我放弃了高盛的招聘书，决定自己创业

My parents don't really understand my decision either: 我爸妈也不是很理解我的决定

First year/freshman: 大一

Second year/sophomore: 大二

Third year/junior: 大三

Fourth year/senior: 大四

In the fourth year at an American university, do you still attend classes or were you interning² and trying to find work? 美国大四，还要去上课吗？还是基本都在实习、找工作？

I didn't attend my fourth year: 我自己没上大四

I quit after three years since I fulfilled all my major credits, so I still got my degree: 我上了三年就不上了，因为已经拿够学分了

Dropout³: 缀学

Super nerd: 学霸，超级书呆子

＊英语里没有一个特别对应“学霸”的词，最贴切的是nerd, 但是nerd更强调成绩超好的书呆子

美国最难的投行面试长啥样？

Goldman Sachs is famous for its intensely competitive interview process: 高盛的面试竞争激烈是出了名的

What was the hiring process like? 招聘过程是怎样的？

How many rounds of interviews did you go through? 你经过了几轮面试？

It depends on the position, but generally there are three to four rounds of interviews: 要看你申请的职位，不过基本上有三、四轮面试

The last round is called a Super Day: 最后一轮面试叫Super Day

Super Day: “超级日”，美国金融银行业的行话，形容最终一轮面试这一天

Intense: 紧张激烈的

中国人如何闯荡英语面试?

投简历、等待电话面试

Resume drop: 投简历

You submit your resume and specify⁴ where you want to work and which position you're applying for: 递交简历，说清自己应聘什么职位

The first round interview is usually a phone interview: 第一轮面试通常是电话面试

Analyst⁵: 分析师

I interviewed with someone who was really chill：面试我的人态度很放松、很友善

Chill: 放松

But it's still an interview format⁶: 但还是一个面试，不是闲聊

They ask you questions at first, and at the end you ask them questions: 他们会问你问题，最后你可以问他们问题

面试两大类问题

Assume you'll be asked both behavioral and technical questions in the interview: 做好你会被问到行为类和技术类两类问题的准备

#1 Behavioral questions: 行为类的问题

Those questions are designed to find out about your personality: 行为类的问题是用来了解你的性格、个性特点的

They're trying to find out whether they want to work with you: 这些问题会帮他们决定是否想跟你一起工作

The behavioral type of questions are mostly about what you wrote on your resume: 基本上问题都跟你简历上写的东西有关

For example, why did you take the classes you took? 比如你为什么选修那些课？

What kind of activities do you participate on campus? 你在学校参加了什么活动？

Why are you interested in us? 你为什么要来我们这里工作？

#2.Technical questions: 技术性的问题

These questions vary depending on the position you applied⁷ for: 这类问题根据你应聘的职位不同有所区别

If you're applying for a trader position in an investment bank, you might get questions like what kind of stocks have you been looking at? 比如你应聘银行交易员的职位，那你会被问到自己有买股票吗？

What's your Portfolio⁸ strategy? 你的投资组合策略是什么？

Very real world questions: 很真实、与现实接轨的问题

Balance sheet: 资产负债表

Project financial statements: 预测财务报表

Evaluate cash flow: 评估现金流

临时抱佛脚没用

Cramming⁹ can only get you so far：临时抱佛脚帮助有限

For me, it really started from day one in university: 对我来说，准备是从上大学第一天就开始了

Career center: 学校的职业辅导中心

Seminars: 座谈会

怎么回答经典面试题？

What's your greatest strength and weakness? 你最大的优点和缺点是什么?

Do interviewers really ask this type of questions? 面试官真会问这种问题吗？

Totally! 绝对会

You have to prepare yourself mentally: 你要先做好思想准备

Those questions aren't meant to be a test: 这类问题不是用来陷害你的

They're meant to figure out if you're the type of person that will thrive at their bank：这是用来衡量你是什么样的人，能不能在投行环境里成功

30-second pitch about who you are: 还要准备一个30秒的自我介绍

Don't overkill it by telling people how perfect you are: 不要用力过猛, 一个劲说自己多完美

You need to tell a personal story of passion and growth: 重点要展现你的个人故事，体现你的热情和成长

For example, in one of my interviews, the interviewer intentionally¹⁰ flipped¹¹ my resume over: 我有一次面试，面试官听了我的自我介绍，直接就把我的简历翻过来，不看了

Then he asked me, “Mr. Perfect, tell me one time things didn't go well.”： 然后问我“完美先生”，讲讲自己不那么顺利的一次

最烂的面试回答: 我是完美主义者

The worst answer to “What's your greatest weakness?” is “I'm a perfectionist.”: 如果被问到“你最大的缺点是什么？”，最烂的答案就是“我是个完美主义者”

If you answer that, people know it's not a sincere answer: 你这样答，一听就知道不是真诚的回答

They want to know if you have honest assessement of yourself: 他们想知道你是否能诚实认识自我

The key is to be honest about your weaknesses, and show that you have been working to improve on it: 回答的关键是你要知道自己的弱点，而且一定要展现你是如何去克服它的

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 interning   

v.拘留，关押( intern的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I will spend the summer interning at a software company in Bombay. 夏季我将会在孟买的一家软件公司里实习。 来自互联网
• The young doctor is interning at the Medical Center this year. 这名年轻医生今年在医疗中心做实习医生。 来自互联网

3 dropout   

n.退学的学生；退学；退出者

参考例句：

• There is a high dropout rate from some college courses.有些大学课程的退出率很高。
• In the long haul,she'll regret having been a school dropout.她终归会后悔不该中途辍学。

4 specify   

vt.指定，详细说明

参考例句：

• We should specify a time and a place for the meeting.我们应指定会议的时间和地点。
• Please specify what you will do.请你详述一下你将做什么。

5 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

6 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

7 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

8 portfolio   

n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位

参考例句：

• He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
• He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。

9 cramming   

n.塞满，填鸭式的用功v.塞入( cram的现在分词 )；填塞；塞满；（为考试而）死记硬背功课

参考例句：

• Being hungry for the whole morning, I couldn't help cramming myself. 我饿了一上午，禁不住狼吞虎咽了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She's cramming for her history exam. 她考历史之前临时抱佛脚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

11 flipped   

轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转，撞毁了。
• The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。