Few workplace rituals are more suspensefulthan a job interview, but is it really a "dreaded, stressful ordeal"? Yes, says a new report that sums up the results of a survey of 1,002 employed adults by Harris Interactive and Everest College. It seems that 92% of Americans fear at least one thing, and often several, about meeting a prospective employer.
職場上恐怕沒有比面試更令人緊張不安的場合了。但面試真的是“可怕的、壓力山大的折磨嗎?”恐怕是這樣。哈里斯互動公司和珠穆朗瑪峰學院對1002名成年職場人士進行過一項調查。結果發(fā)現,關于與潛在雇主見面這件事,有92%的美國人至少會存在某一種憂慮,而很多人常常是憂慮重重。
The most widespread worry: Seeming nervous (17%), followed by being overqualified (15%), being stumped by an interviewer's questions (15%), showing up late (14%), being underqualified (11%), and not being prepared (10%).
其中,最大的憂慮是:自己看上去顯得緊張(17%),其次分別是,個人資歷過高(15%),被面試官的問題難住(15%),遲到(14%),不合格(11%),以及沒有做好準備(10%)。
The poll turned up a few interesting differences between men and women. The most common fear among men, with 19% choosing it as their top worry, is being seen as overqualified. Women apparently are humbler (not always a good thing, in this context): Their chief fear is seeming nervous, tied at 19% with being unable to answer a specific question.
調查發(fā)現,男性和女性存在許多有趣的差異。男性最大的憂慮是個人資歷過高,比例達到19%。而女性明顯更加謙遜(這在面試時不見得一定是好事):她們最大的憂慮是自己看起來很緊張(19%),另外有相同比例的女性擔心回答不出面試官的問題。
The more money you make, the less likely you are to be fazedby a job interview, the poll suggests: 22% of those whose household income is less than $50,000 said that they worry about seeming nervous on an interview; 11% of survey respondents with incomes of $100,000 had the same fear. Moreover, among the 8% minority who claim to have absolutely no qualms about job interviews, those with incomes between $75,000 and $100,000 are "more likely not to fear anything than those making between $35,000 and $50,000," the report says.
調查發(fā)現,收入越高的人群越不會被面試所困擾:家庭收入低于5萬美元的受訪者中,有22%的受訪對象稱擔心在面試的時候看起來很緊張;而收入在10萬美元的受訪者中,僅有11%存在這樣的擔心。此外,在8%聲稱絕對不會對面試感到不安的極少數人當中,收入在7.5萬美元至10萬美元的受訪者“沒有收入在3.5萬至5萬美元受訪者的那些擔憂!
A related finding: College makes you confident. "22% of the survey participants with a high school diploma or less ranked being too nervous as their top fear, compared with just 11% of college graduates," the report notes.
一項相關調查顯示:大學教育讓人更有自信。報告發(fā)現:“僅有高中或更低學歷的受訪者,約有22%認為過于緊張是最大的擔憂,而大學畢業(yè)生中僅有11%!
Age also makes a difference, with people aged 18 to 34 more likely than older employees to say they worry about making a bad first impression -- in some cases, rightly so. John Swartz, West Coast regional director of career services for survey co-sponsor Everest College, says he hears from hiring managers that young job candidates often take phone calls and send or read texts during interviews. This doesn't necessarily make them appear nervous as much as uninterested in the process altogether, Swartz says. "The job interview is still a traditional environment, where the distractions of social media and smartphones are not appropriate."
年齡也會產生影響。相比年長的受訪者,18至34歲的受訪者更擔心留下糟糕的第一印象——不過在有些情況下,確實如此。珠峰學院西海岸地區(qū)職業(yè)指導主任約翰-斯瓦茨表示,招聘經理們曾經跟他說,年輕的求職者經常在面試中接電話和看短信。斯瓦茨認為,這倒不一定會讓他們看起來顯得緊張,反倒會讓人覺得他們對面試過程不感興趣。“面試依然是一個傳統(tǒng)環(huán)境,在面試過程中為社交媒體和智能手機而分心是不恰當的做法!
How can you conquer the job interview jitters? "Everyone is different under pressure," says Swartz. "But the best way to manage fear is simply to be prepared." Researching the company thoroughly ahead of time, doing your best to anticipate questions, and thinking up some smart questions of your own can help calm you down, he adds.
如何克服面試中的緊張不安?斯瓦茨說:“面臨壓力,每個人都會有不同的表現。但管理恐懼最好的方法就是做好準備!彼a充道,提前研究潛在雇主的公司,盡量預測面試問題,同時提前想出一些比較有技巧的問題,這樣便可以幫你平靜下來。
It might also help to keep in mind that, in a high-stakes situation, a mild case of sweaty palms is perfectly natural and unlikely to count against you. Every hiring manager has, after all, sat on your side of the desk, too.
還有一點要記住,在高風險情況下,手心輕微出汗是非常正常的現象,不會對求職者造成不利的影響。畢竟,招聘經理當年也曾經是求職者。