"I've sent my résumé to over 150 companies but I'm not getting any bites," complained a job hunter. "How many more jobs should I apply to in order to generate some interest?"
"我把简历发给了150多家公司,但是没有得到任何面试机会,”一个找工作的人抱怨道。“我还得申请多少份工作才会有公司对我感兴趣呀?”
Some people treat job hunting as a numbers game. They hope that by applying to enough companies, sooner or later they will find success. While there is no one magic number of how many places a jobsearcher need apply, you shouldn't for a moment believe that applying to everything in sight is a winning strategy for career progression. Moreover,being unprepared for success might also be risky.
有些人把找工作看成是数字游戏。他们希望申请足够多的公司后,早晚都能成功。由于并不存在申请多少家公司就能找到工作的魔法数字,你不应该相信,只要是公司你就去申请对你的事业发展是成功的策略。此外,没有准备好也是有风险的。
Imagine getting this call: "Hi Joe.This is Jane from ABC Corp. I'm responding to the résumé you submitted to us.Thanks so much for your interest. Can you tell me why this job appeals to you?"
想象一下你接到这个电话:“你好,乔。我是ABC公司的简。我负责处理你提交给我们的简历。谢谢你对我们的公司感兴趣。你能告诉我为什么这份工作会吸引你吗?”
Gulp. Joe's chances could be doomed from the get-go if he can't quickly summon to mind a better answer than: "Well… I applied to lots of jobs. Remind me which company you're calling from, and tell me about the job. Then I'll be able to explain it to you."
如果乔不能迅速地找到比这个更好的回答,那么他的机会注定会瞬间即逝:“嗯......我申请了很多份工作。请提醒我你是哪家公司的,告诉我是什么工作。这样我就能向你解释了。”
Already, Joe has blown his chance to show that he actually cares about this particular opportunity. Worse, he cemented in the mind of the interviewer that he is submitting frivolous applications out of desperation and likely isn't a serious candidate.
乔实际上很看重这一机会,但这样回答,这个机会就浪费掉了。更糟的是,他留给面试官的印象是他由于绝望才随便提交申请的,他可能不是一个严谨的候选人。
To be fair, you can't be expected to put in hours researching the details of every company before submitting an application. Nonetheless, it is important to have a clear sense of why you're interested in every company to which you apply, and what in your background should make that particular company interested in you.
说句公道话,你不可能每次提交申请前都花很长时间研究每个公司的细节。然而,重要的是要清楚地意识到你为什么对你所申请的公司感兴趣,以及你的哪些背景能让公司对你感兴趣。
If you want to make a hit, then take the time to understand the basics of your target companies' employment brand. Be prepared to tap into their carefully crafted reputation from your first conversation and all the way through the hiring process.
如果你想得到工作,那你就需要花时间理解目标公司就业品牌的基本内容。在你第一次的谈话和以后的招聘过程中,准备好去深入了解他们精心打造的声誉。
Here are five possible answers to the"why work here" question. Pick and choose from them, and expand with the facts of your particular situation. Thereby, you can demonstrate that you've done your research, your interest is real and your candidacy makes sense:
这里给出了“为什么想在这里工作”这一问题的五种回答方式。从中挑选一个,用自己的情况加以扩充。由此,你可以证明,你已经做过功课,你真的对这份工作感兴趣,你的申请是有意义的:
1. "I've known several colleagues over the years that have worked at your company, and they have all said great things."
1.“我认识几个在你公司工作几年的人员,他们都觉得这里好。”
2. "I was excited to see on your website that you feature employees talking about how great it is to work for your company. These days so many people seem to hate where they work for one reason or another. It's wonderful to see that your employees are proud to talk about how much they love their jobs."
2.“从你们的网站上看到,你们的员工在上面谈论为你们的公司工作是如何地好,这让我很兴奋。现在很多人都由于这样或那样的原因而讨厌他们工作的地方。看到你们的雇员们自豪地讨论他们如何热爱自己的工作真是件奇妙的事情。”
3. "Your company's Facebook page is really engaging. I love how you [fill in the blank]."
3. “你公司的Facebook页面真是迷人。我喜欢你们的_______."
4. "I'm connected on LinkedIn to many people who work at your company. When I reviewed their profiles, I saw that we all shared some things in common. [You might reference similar accomplishments, prior employers, colleges, etc.] It struck me that this is the kind of place where I can fit in and excel, so I was thrilled to see you have this opening."
4."我和贵公司的很多人在LinkedIn上都有联系。当我看他们的个人资料时,我发现我们都有共同之处。【你可以说一下类似的成就、之前的雇主、大学等】这份工作打动我的地方在于,我能适应并能胜任这份工作,所以当我发现你们招聘这一职位时我很兴奋。”
5. "Your company is known for making great products that help people do X. But on top of that, I know of your company's leadership role in our community through your support of X, Y and Z events or causes. Your products and philanthropy show you to be a company that cares about both the bottom line and giving back to society."
5.“贵公司以做出帮助人们X的伟大产品而闻名于世。但除此之外,我通过你们对X、Y、Z事件或事业的支持,了解到你们公司在社会中的领导角色。你们的产品和慈善事业表明你们的公司既有自己的原则,也会回馈社会。”
Of course, to be in a position to make any of these kinds of statements you need to do a bit of work. Check out the company's own website and Facebook page to see what it does in the community. Follow it on LinkedIn, and do a search for people in your network who have experience working there. Then, look at several of their individual profiles to determine what you have in common with them. Search for the company in the news to see if it is mentioned for something with which you can identify.
当然,要想说出这样的话你需要做些工作。查看一下公司的网站和Facebook页面来看一下公司在社会上做了哪些活动。在LinkedIn上把它加为关注,对联系人中在那里工作的人员进行调查。然后,看看他们的个人简介来想想你和他们有哪些共同之处。在新闻里搜索一下该公司,看看里面有没有你熟悉的内容。
You don't need to know every detail at the very beginning of the search, but you should know enough to justify a genuine belief in your own mind that there is a basis for you considering this company, and for that company to consider you.
在搜索前你不必知道每个细节,但是你应该知道地够多,来表明在你的意识中你真的在考虑这家公司,这样让这家公司来考虑你。
When you go about things this way, you won't be able to apply to anything close to 150 jobs simultaneously. But the quality of your thoughtful and purposeful applications will produce a more focused target group of opportunities that can move your search forward. When you present a compelling answer to the "why are you interested in our company" question, you will be well on your way to establishing the basis for being seriously considered for a job that will advance your career at a company you respect and admire.
如果你这样做,你不可能同时去申请150份工作。但你深思过和有针对性的申请会产生更集中的目标群机会,让你可以进一步搜索。当你回答“为什么你对我们公司感兴趣”的这一问题时,给出让人信服的回答,你会让别人认真考虑你,这会促进你在自己所尊敬并欣赏的公司中的职业发展。
Happy hunting!
开心找工作!