职场英语面试

职场英语：怎样回答英语面试中突如其来的“怪”问题

How would you respond if you were asked one of the following interview questions:

如果别人问你以下问题你该如何回答:

"If aliens landed here right now, what would you do?"

“如果此刻有外星人在此登陆，你会怎么做？”

"What did you want to be when you were 8 years old?"

“8岁的时候你想当什么？”

"What would your refrigerator say if it could talk?"

“如果你的冰箱可以说话，它会说什么？”

These types of odd questions are called "wild cards" because they seem to come out of nowhere. With the current economic climate allowing employers to be more picky, these types of questions are becoming more common. A stellar resume, impressive credentials, and strong interviewing skills are no longer enough.

之所以称这些古怪的问题为“外卡”，是因为看起来它们好像无章可循。如今的经济形势也让雇主们越来越吹毛求疵，这些问题也更加普遍了。所以在面试中，仅仅有精美的简历，令人印象深刻的职业证书，以及精湛的面试技巧是远远不够的。

While a rare interviewer may ask these questions simply to watch you squirm, many wild-card questions serve a purpose. Generally speaking, interviewers ask these questions to see how well you perform under pressure and think on your feet. They also might ask wild cards to break out of the routine of a typical interview in order to get a glimpse of your genuine personality.

很少有面试官问这些问题仅仅是想让你尴尬，但是很多不可预知的问题都是为了特定的目的才问的。通常来说，面试官会问你三个这样的问题，来测试你在压力下表现如何，以及你的突破性思维。面试官问你这些突破常规性面试的问题也可能是想看看你真实的本性。

Here are some real questions as reported by job seekers, with some insight into what interviewers may be looking for -- and how to deliver:

以下列出了一些求职者反应的问题，并附有一些见解，讲解了面试官的目的，以及你该如何应对这些问题：

"If there was a fire in your house, what two things would you save?"

“如果你家着火了，你最想抢救的两样物品是什么？”

What's the point? The interviewer is trying to determine how well your ideals and principles match the company's values.

这个问题的重点是什么？雇主想了解你的利益观和原则是否符合公司的利益观。

Approach: Find an honest answer that aligns you with the values of the company with which you are interviewing.

应对措施：找出与你所面试的公司价值观最相符合的也是最真诚的答案。

Possible response: If you're applying for a job as a technical project manager, for example, you might say: "My computer and my family photo album." This shows your obvious technical side but also demonstrates that you prioritize relationships. This could help distinguish you from your fellow techie competitors.

答案之一：如果你正在应聘一个技术项目经理的职位，你可以这样回答“我的电脑和家庭相册”。这样的答案显示出你很明显的重视技术，同时也表示你也重视家庭关系。这样的回答可以让你在其他求职者中间脱颖而出。

"If you were a cereal, what would you be?"

“如果你是谷物，你选择做那种哪种？”

What's the point? The interviewer is trying to gain some insight into your work personality to see what kind of worker you will be. If you are unsure of what your work personality is, you can take a career interest test to find out.

这个问题的重点是什么？雇主想通过这个问题了解你的工作个性，以确定你适合的职位。如果你不确定你的工作个性是什么，你可以通过做职业兴趣测试来定位。

Approach: Try to tie your answer back to the job requirements.

应对措施：按照工作要求去回答问题。

Possible response: If you were interviewing for a nursing assistant, position, you could say: "Cheerios. Because I'm reliable, consistent, and good for you!" -- all positive qualities for someone in the health-care industry.

答案之一：如果你正在应聘护理员的职位，你可以这样回答“Cheerios。因为我坚定，可靠，对人亲切。”在医疗行业中所有积极的品质都可以用来回答。

"If you were writing an autobiography, what would its title be?"

“如果你正在写自传，你打算用什么标题？”

What's the point? This question gives the interviewer a peek into your self-perception as well as a read on how creative you are.

这个问题的重点是什么？这个问题可以让雇主了解你的自我了解以及你的创新能力。

Approach: Emphasize your main selling points. If you can't come up with something original on the fly, perhaps there is a song or movie title that captures your essence. You don't need to invent something on the spot as long as you can provide a good explanation for the title you choose.

应对措施：将重点放在你主要的卖点上。如果你不能即兴发挥，那就引用一首歌名或一部电影的名字吧。只要你能很好的解释你引用的标题，你就大可不必去苦思冥想用什么标题。

Possible response: If you were applying for a job as a social worker, you could say "I Will Survive," explaining that the hardships you personally experienced made you a stronger person, qualified to help others to work through their own issues.

答案之一：如果你应聘的是社工，你可以说“我会生存下去”然后解释你所经历的那些磨难，以及正是这些经历让你成了生活的强者，而现在你可以很好的帮助别人解决他们碰到的问题。

It's impossible to rehearse the best responses to wild-card interview questions, since, by definition, they are unpredictable. But you can prep. Even if you don't get asked the specific questions you've practiced for, you'll still have a better handle on wild cards in general. If you answer honestly and justify your response, you'll likely impress your interviewers and be one step closer to landing your dream job.

你似乎不能预先排练面试中这些未知问题的答案，因为它们是不可预知的。但是实际上你是可以预先准备的。即使你没用被问到你提前预演过的问题，在碰到其他未知问题时你仍然可以很好的处理。如果你真诚的回答这些问题，并且阐述你的答案，你就会给雇主留下深刻的印象，这样你就来离你的梦想工作更近了一步。