HR professionals are often swamped with applications from candidates whose qualifications look similar on paper. They have similar work experience, a similar education and similar personal qualities.

 

　　人力资源专业人士经常会收到大量的求职简历，而这些申请人的资历看起来都大同小异。他们有着相似的工作经历、教育背景，以及个人素质。

 

　　Faced with these equal options, recruiting mangers need to find clever ways of differentiating between candidates. Sometimes they come up with strange solutions, such as observing interviewees over dinner or letting them play board games together.

 

　　面对这些势均力敌的人选，招聘经理们需要找到一些鉴定求职者的巧妙方式。有时他们会怪招频出：例如通过宴会上来观察应聘者，或者让他们一起玩棋盘游戏。

 

　　Below, three candidates share their most unexpected and challenging interview experiences. We also asked experts to provide tips on how to survive them.

 

　　接下来，三位求职者将和我们分享他们遇到过的最出乎意料，同时也最具挑战性的面试经历。此外，我们也向专家请教了一些应对面试怪招的小窍门。

 

　　1. Chen Boju, 22, a senior majoring in law at Xiamen University:

 

　　1.陈伯驹（音译），22岁，厦门大学法律专业大四学生：

 

　　I once applied for a sales position in a trade company. The interviewer asked me to entertain him for five minutes and said he would not talk during that period.

 

　　我曾经申请了一家贸易公司的销售职位。面试官让我在五分钟内逗乐他，并且表示在此期间内他不会说话。

 

　　I was very nervous and didn’t know what to say.

 

　　我非常紧张，不知道说什么。

 

　　Comment by Xu Jun, HR manager at Guangqi Honda Automobile Co Ltd:

 

　　广汽本田汽车有限公司人事经理徐君（音译）评论如下：

 

　　The task is intended to see how you handle different situations and judge if you are proactive and creative.

 

　　这个面试作业是为了测试你的应变能力，看看你是否主动且具备创造力。

 

　　This is because such a situation might occur during a real sales negotiation. You might suddenly be left alone with a client when your partner steps out for a short break.

 

　　因为在真正的销售谈判中，可能会发生这样的情况：你的搭档出去透透气，一下之间，你只能和客户独处。

 

　　You must be able to break the silence and create a friendly atmosphere by talking about any subject you know. This can help you close the deal with the client. If you don’t know what to say, use the time for a personal sales pitch.

 

　　你必须有办法打破沉默，通过和他交谈任何一个你所熟悉的话题，来营造一个友善的氛围。这有助于你成功拿下客户的订单。如果你不知道说什么，利用这段时间来做个人营销吧。

 

　　2. Chen Xianyi, 22, a senior majoring in computer science at Tsinghua University:

 

　　2.陈献一（音译），22岁，清华大学计算机科学专业大四学生：

 

　　I was interviewed by an electronic product company for the role of design engineer.

 

　　我面试了一家电子产品公司的设计工程师职位。

 

　　The interviewer put two cell phones on the table – an iPhone 3 and a Nokia – and asked what I could see from them.

 

　　面试官把两部手机放在桌子上，一部iPhone3和一部诺基亚，问我怎么看。

 

　　Comment by Liao Qiong, product design engineer at Koobee Mobile Company in Shenzhen:

 

　　来自深圳酷比通信设备有限公司的产品设计工程师廖琼（音译）评论如下：

 

　　A major part of working in a product department is managing supply costs and keeping them as low as possible. You have to understand how to work within the budget’s limits.

 

　　产品部门的工作主要是控制供应成本，尽量保持其最小化。你必须学会如何在预算控制的范围内工作。

 

　　The iPhone and Nokia are two brands that are priced against each other competitively. HR’s expect you to analyze the materials and composition of the two phones and to compare their costs.

 

　　iPhone和诺基亚是两个存在价格竞争的品牌。HR们希望你能分析两部手机的材料和构造，然后比较二者的成本。

 

　　Prove that you can design products while keeping costs down by showing off your expertise in materials and their properties.

 

　　你只需要在二者的材料及性能方面展示出自己的专业度，来证明你能够在节约成本的同时，成功设计出产品。

 

　　3. Tang Guojian, 22, a senior majoring in mathematics at Yunnan University:

 

　　3.唐国建（音译），22岁，云南大学数学系大四学生:

 

　　During the interview for an administration specialist position, the HR manager asked me to clean up a desk in a conference room.

 

　　在我应聘行政专员的面试中，人事经理让我去清理会议室的桌子。

 

　　It was in a complete mess with loads of files and stationary lying around on it.

 

　　桌子上面七七八八地堆满了文件以及办公用品，简直是一团糟。

 

　　Comment by Yu Jin, HR manager at the Shenzhen branch of Citibank China:

 

　　花旗银行（中国）有限公司深圳分行人力资源经理于晋（音译）评论如下：

 

　　The company wants to see you in a stressful situation and test your time management skills.

 

　　这家公司想要看看你在压力环境下的表现，测评一下你的时间管理能力。

 

　　You need to achieve the maximum benefit with minimum effort in a limited amount of time. It’s best to prioritize cleaning tasks according to the amount of time they require. Choose the tasks you can do quickly first and then do the more time-consuming ones.

 

　　你需要在有限时间内，用最小的力气，做最大的功。最好能按照规定时间，优先安排清理顺序。先选择你能够快速完成的任务，然后再做那些比较耗时的。

 

　　This way you’ll have cleaned up the worst mess when your limited time runs out.

 

　　这样一来，你就可以在限定的时间内整理好最混乱的局面了。

 

　　HRs like to ask about the condition of your own desk, so answer that you always like to keep this public area tidy and that you make sure it’s in good order before leaving for the day.

 

　　HR们喜欢询问你书桌的整洁状况，所以你要回答自己总是喜欢保持这片公共区域的整洁，每天离开前都会保持一切井井有条。