面試通常是招聘過程中必不可少的一部分。你有過不愉快的面試經(jīng)歷嗎？有人曾在面試中被雇主層層盤問和職位無關(guān)的事；還有的面試官態(tài)度惡劣，給申請人施加了巨大的壓力。本集《隨身英語》探討一些令人咋舌的面試方法。

Vocabulary: employment  詞匯: 就業(yè)

Have you ever attended a job interview? For some people they can be a painful and embarrassing experience, but for others, it can be a chance to shine – a platform to perform and show off their talents. But sometimes, even for the most confident candidates, things don't go to plan and the interviewee is left feeling they'd wish they had never stepped foot in the room!

The interview is a necessary part of the recruitment process, and if carried out fairly, can be a good way to select the ideal person to fill a position in a company. This can be done by just asking questions or by carrying out other tasks that test someone's competencies. It's also a chance for the interviewee to ask questions and get a feel for their potential new employer.

All this is to be expected when applying for a new job. But the BBC has found there are many examples of situations where inappropriate questions have been asked and irrelevant things have been discussed. Olivia Bland recently attended an interview at a technology company in the UK and claimed to have been subjected to a "brutal" two-hour job interview. She said the company's CEO "tried his best to intimidate" her and that in her feedback… "He told me everything I did was wrong, everything I said, the way I sat, my body language, everything that he could do to attack me." She actually got a job offer but turned it down. The CEO did apologise.

Other people have told the BBC about the grilling they received about their personal lives. For example, mature student Kevin Helton said "The interviewer asked, 'You used to be in the Army, how many people have you killed?'" Jo Foat was asked by an interviewer to wear a large straw hat and was told "In my experience, pretty girls like you rely too much on their looks."

There are, of course, laws against discrimination, and managers should only be asking questions that are relevant to a vacancy. But sometimes, according to James Reed, chairman of employment agency Reed, what may appear to be an inappropriate question is said "…to provoke you, and there's nothing illegal about provoking someone, but they can be annoying."

Of course, some unconventional job interviews can be fun and are designed to put you at ease. A French marketing agency is inviting applicants for an internship to discuss the opportunity over a game of Fortnite! Now that sounds like a fun way to develop your career!

詞匯表

talent 才能，天分
candidate 候選人，申請者
interviewee 參加面試者
recruitment process 招聘過程
position 職位
competency 技能，能力
employer 雇主
CEO 首席執(zhí)行官
job offer 工作機會
grilling 盤問
discrimination 歧視
vacancy 職位空缺
employment agency 職業(yè)介紹所
provoke 激怒，挑釁
unconventional 不同尋常的
marketing agency 營銷代理公司
applicant 申請人
internship 實習(xí)
career 職業(yè)

測驗與練習(xí)

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. According to the report, what can an interviewee do during an interview?

2. Which word do we use to describe interview questions that are not relevant to the job?

3. True or false? According to interviewee Olivia Bland, the person interviewing criticised her body language but not the way she sat.

4. What can protect an interviewee from being treated fairly and not being asked questions that aren't relevant to the job position?

5. When might questions asked in a job interview be annoying?

2.  請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習(xí)。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. We have so many top __________ for the job position, it's tricky to know which one to pick!

vacancies                 talents                              candidates                   competencies

2. I've had a __________ from the bank, offering me more money. Should I accept it?

offer job                    job offer                            jobs offer                      job offered

3. The engineering company is offering a six-month __________ to learn how to use all the machinery.

internship                  career                               vacancy                        position

4. The first thing I have to do as part of the __________ is fill in a long application form.

recruited process     recruitment processed     recruiting processing     recruitment process

5. I was able to show off my ________ at the music festival by playing my guitar.

competencies            talents                              career                            applicant

答案

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. According to the report, what can an interviewee do during an interview?
An interviewee can ask questions and get a feel for their potential new employer.

2. Which word do we use to describe interview questions that are not relevant to the job?
The word is 'inappropriate' - the BBC has found there are many examples of situations where inappropriate questions have been asked and irrelevant things have been discussed.

3. True or false? According to interviewee Olivia Bland, the person interviewing criticised her body language but not the way she sat.
False. She said her interviewer said "everything I did was wrong, everything I said, the way I sat, my body language, everything that he could do to attack me."

4. What can protect an interviewee from being treated fairly and not being asked questions that aren't relevant to the job position?
Laws against discrimination protect people from being asked irrelevant questions.

5. When might questions asked in a job interview be annoying?
According to James Reed, chairman of employment agency Reed, what may appear to be an inappropriate question is said "…to provoke you, and there's nothing illegal about provoking someone, but they can be annoying."

2.  請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習(xí)。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. We have so many top candidates for the job position, it's tricky to know which one to pick!

2. I've had a job offer from the bank, offering me more money. Should I accept it?

3. The engineering company is offering a six-month internship to learn how to use all the machinery.

4. The first thing I have to do as part of the recruitment process is fill in a long application form.

5. I was able to show off my talents at the music festival by playing my guitar.