求职面试中怎样描述失业经历

 　　Tips for Explaining a Job Loss

　　在求职面试中,如果被问到以往失业的经历,你是否能应付自如? 电视节目上常用的借口——“为了得到更好的工作”，并不适用于所有人。

　　Today, the words "you're fired" have become part of our popular culture, thanks to Donald Trump¹ and "The Apprentice²."(电视节目《实习生》,Donald Trump是里面的人物) And while contestants³ on the television show all seem to turn their public firings into lucrative⁴ job offers, the same is not always true for the rest of the "regular Joes" in corporate⁵ America(企业化美国中的普通人).

　　If you have been fired, you may be afraid that your past will come back to haunt you in your next job interview. After all, you want to impress a potential new employer, and letting them know about a major failure isn't that impressive. But getting fired is not automatically a deal breaker. In fact, the book "We Got Fired...And It's the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Us," (Ballantine Books, 2004) includes interviews with well-known professionals who were fired in their past and used those experiences as catalysts⁶ to success.

　　So just how do you handle questions about your past? Here are a few strategies to try that might keep you on the "A list" when the interview is over.

　　1. Plan ahead to answer the question.

　　The best thing you can do is arrive at the interview ready to answer questions about your experience. Prepare in advance by thinking about your negative work experience. Why were you fired? What did you learn from the experience? What did you do right, and what did you do wrong? Try to look at the situation objectively and from the employer's point of view, as well as your own. You will get nowhere if you still harbor resentment⁷ about losing the job, and your negative feelings will come through in the interview.

　　2. Don't volunteer the information.

　　Lee E. Miller⁸, president of NegotiationPlus.com, says it is utterly⁹ crucial to tell the truth, but you don't have to draw attention to this part of your past if you don't need to. "You have to be honest, but how you choose to phrase it is up to you," he says. This means that you don't have to state outright¹⁰ you were fired if the interviewer does not already know. It is acceptable – and advisable – to package the truth in a way that is most favorable to you.

　　For example, you can say you "left the company" or briefly¹¹ mention that job and move on to your next position and what you accomplished¹² there. Perhaps a simple, "It didn't work out and wasn't the best fit for me or the company," may be sufficient.

　　Keep in mind, however, that this tactic¹³ does not work in all situations. It works best if the firing was several jobs ago and you have more relevant job experience to discuss.

　　3. Explain the situation briefly, then focus on the positive.

　　If it is apparent that you were fired and you cannot get around the question, you need to briefly explain the situation and then move on.

　　Here is one example: "Our company went through a great deal of change in the time that I was employed, as did my department. Unfortunately, my new supervisor¹⁴ was in need of skills I did not possess at that time."

　　Once you have explained why you were let go, then it's time to move to the positive. For example: "Since that time I have continuously updated my skills to make myself a well-rounded((身体, 形状等)丰满的, 成熟的, 多彩多姿的) contributor. I have taken additional computer classes, become involved with the industry's trade association, and feel that this job experience made me a better candidate in the long run."

　　The key here is pointing out what you learned from the experience, what you did (proactively主动地，抢先地) to improve yourself, and focusing on those positive things in the interview. "You must deal with the issue in a forward-thinking way," Miller says. This means learning from the past, but thinking about the future.

　　4. Stay positive, no matter what.

　　You may have been fired from your last job because you had the boss from hell or because you got stabbed in the back by a co-worker. Even if you got the short end of the stick, it is your job in the interview to stay positive and professional. "Never badmouth a company or prior supervisor," says Miller. Again, if you are asked about your former boss and have nothing good to say, bite your tongue(忍住不说) for a minute and focus on your work and what you learned from the situation. Remember, a job interview is no place to vent¹⁵ about your negative experiences!

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 apprentice   

n.学徒，徒弟

参考例句：

• My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
• The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。

3 contestants   

n.竞争者，参赛者( contestant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The competition attracted over 500 contestants representing 8 different countries. 这次比赛吸引了代表8个不同国家的500多名参赛者。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency. 两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

5 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

6 catalysts   

n.催化剂( catalyst的名词复数 )；触媒；促进因素；有感染力的人

参考例句：

• The first catalytic converters were called conventional oxidation catalysts. 最初的转化器叫做常规氧化催化器。 来自辞典例句
• Many processes that are essential to the chemical industry use heterogeneous catalysts. 很多重要的化学工业过程就是使用多相催化剂的。 来自辞典例句

7 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

8 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

9 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

10 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

11 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

12 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

13 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

14 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

15 vent   

n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄

参考例句：

• He gave vent to his anger by swearing loudly.他高声咒骂以发泄他的愤怒。
• When the vent became plugged,the engine would stop.当通风口被堵塞时，发动机就会停转。