节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-05-15
难易度:High
关键字:prospect, etiquette, misguided, compliment, jerk, handcuff


























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I hope you all had a great break.
Welcome back.
Today we're looking at some real-life examples of what people have actually said
and done during a job interview.
Are you shocked and amazed?
Or are you thinking: Hey, I could see myself doing that.
If you are of the second type, then it might be time to make some adjustments.
Let's resume the reading now on line 19.
How Not to Get Hired: Bring Your Cockatoo to the Interview.
An individual applied for a customer service job, and when asked what he might
not like about the job, he said: dealing with people.
A person came to the interview in pajamas with slippers.
The applicant told me he really was not interested in the position, but he liked
that we allowed for a lot of time off.
Others' mistakes were bold but very misguided:
One candidate handcuffed himself to the desk during the interview.
After being complimented on his choice of college and the GPA he achieved, the
candidate replied:
I am glad that got your attention. I didn't really go there.
A job applicant came in for an interview with a cockatoo on his shoulder.
The candidate arrived in a cat suit.
(Music).
We are talking about some very outstanding and unfortunate mistakes you can make
in job interviews.
We've heard some ridiculous stories about peculiar or very strange mistakes as
well as some violations on etiquette.
Now the first one was calling your manager a jerk in front of another manager.
That's not polite.
Let's see what the next one is.
OK.
An individual applied for a customer service job, OK, and when asked what he
might not like about the job, he said: dealing with people.
OK. Well, to make sure this is strange, to make sure we all understand, when you
are in a customer service position,
that means you are working to help solve other people's problems.
So if there's something wrong with the product or your company, you're helping
the people that are complaining about it.
In other words, you're dealing with people.
When you're dealing with something, that means you are interacting with it.
And usually it might mean you're trying to help something or solve a problem.
So basically when he was asked what he might not like, he said this job.
That's right.
I've been in customer service.
I've had customer service jobs.
And all you do all day is deal with people and try to help solve their problems
even when they're really mean to you.
So this is not a job this man should do.
Yeah. Bad answer.
All right. Well, let's see another example.
OK. A person came to the interview in pajamas with slippers.
Oops.
OK. Well, you remember from yesterday we were telling you that you don't need to
only worry about what you say.
It's also what you wear, how you act. And this is what you wear.
What are pajamas?
Pajamas are what we wear when we go to bed.
OK. And so are slippers.
Those are what you wear on your feet when you're going to bad.
And so this is a person who woke up and went to a job interview without putting
on normal clothes.
That's just lazy.
You need to dress professionally when you go to a job interview.
OK, Ryan, what's the next one?
OK. The applicant told me he really was not interested in the position.
Now already this is a mistake, why?
Because you're telling them you're not interested in the job.
So why was he there?
He said he liked that we allowed for a lot of time off.
So he was not looking for a job, he was looking for a job where he could not go
and get paid.
So basically he just wants money, he doesn't want to work.
Exactly. He didn't even like the job.
Why would you hire somebody who doesn't even like the job?
See, these mistakes do sound like jokes.
They don't sound like things normal people would do.
But they are no jokes!
People have done this.
This... these are definitely violations on etiquette in a job interview.
You should dress correctly.
You should be polite about your... your old employer.
And you should definitely be interested in the job you're applying for.
Yeah, you should be willing to work. OK.
So let's see some more different kinds of stories here.
We see some mistakes were bold, which means that they were really trying to get
the job,
and they were being very strong about it, but they're also very misguided.
That's right.
When you go into a job interview, you do need to be bold.
You need to be courageous and strong, but you need to not be misguided.
And when you are "misguided," that means you are unreasonable or unsuitable
because of the judgment.
You've had bad judgment.
You're not thinking correctly, and your beliefs or what you are doing is just
wrong.
Yeah. So maybe you've gotten some bad information or you believe in the wrong
thing, and so your actions are not normal.
They are not what they should be.
All right. So let's see... this first example is a little funny.
That's right.
One candidate handcuffed himself to the desk during the interview.
OK. Now if you "handcuff" something, that verb is talking about using
"handcuffs" - that is the noun.
And handcuffs are two metal rings that go on your risks... wrists to hold them
together.
And he used that to hold himself to the desk.
Now most often handcuffs are used by cops to get someone who is doing something
wrong to keep them from getting away.
Now he obviously wanted the job so much he thought he would prove that by taking
hold of the desk.
But that's just weird.
Yeah, it's very weird.
He wanted to show: Look! I really want this job.
Look! I'm tied to your desk.
I want the job!
But that's not normal.
Don't do that.
OK. The next one is after being complimented on his choice of college and the
GPA he received, the candidate replied:
I'm glad that caught your attention. I didn't really go there.
OK. This is a mistake.
Now we're saying that he got "complimented." That means you are given a
compliment,
which is nice things that are said about you, um, someone can praise or admire
you.
And he said: I'm glad that you saw I went to this college because, well, I
didn't really go there. It just got your attention.
Oh. I'm glad you saw that.
But sorry, it was a lie.
Not a good thing.
Next, a job applicant came in for an interview with a cockatoo on his shoulder.
And we talked about a cockatoo yesterday.
That is a bird.
Don't take your pet to a job interview.
OK. And the last one here, and this one's really funny to me: The candidate
arrived in a cat suit.
Now you should wear normal clothes to an interview.
Don't take your pets, wear normal clothes and be on your best behavior.
We're going to talk more about these problems tomorrow.
But for now, let's visit the Chat Room.
Hey, Bryan. Wow. That's a thick book.
What are you reading there?
Oh. This is one of my old college textbooks.
I found it when I was cleaning last night.
I was curious to see the notes I left in here.
You kept your used textbooks?
Of course! Didn't you?
No way.
I sold all of my textbooks back for cash.
Well, if you kept your textbooks, I guess that means you got good grades in
college.
Not really.
My GPA was only 3.2.
Your GPA?
Does that mean you were a good student?
Well, sort of.
I think this is a good point for Studio Classroom Editor-in-Chief Doris to
explain.
Let's go to her.
GPA is the abbreviation for Grade Point Average, which is a standard used to
measure the performance of college students in America.
The GPA represents an average score based on your grades in all of your classes.
Typically, the highest GPA is 4.0, which represents a perfect A.
I see.
So if your GPA was 3.2, you weren't that far from the top score.
Actually, 3.2 is quite a bit far from the top.
It is a very low A.
But still, you were a grade-A student.
I knew it.
No, Ken. I'm not an egg.
An egg?
I don't get it.
It's a joke.
"Grade-A" is a phrase used to describe foods, such as milk or eggs.
Food products that are grade-A have met certain health standards.
Now grade-A can be used to describe almost anything that is of top quality.
OK, got it.
So what do you call someone who gets As on their report card?
Well, if somebody gets an A in every subject, we call that person a straight-A
student.
So I can also say that you were a straight-A student in college.
Well, you could, but I don't really deserve that title.
Sure you do.
Thanks for the grade-A explanation.
(Chinese).
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
And I guess it's time for us to say goodbye.
I'll see you next time. Bye-bye.
Thank you again, Michelle.
We appreciate those tips.
If you don't get a job because you sprinkled salt on your food or because you
shook hands incorrectly, well, those are forgivable errors.
On the other hand, if you fail to get the job because you went to the interview
in your pajamas, well, then you only have yourself to blame.
Remember, the goal here is to increase your chances of success by standing out
from other job applicants in an appropriate way.
We'll discuss that more tomorrow.
Until then, I hope all of you have a terrificTuesday.