Job Interviews 面试英语

This is the second in a two-part series on first interviews. You’ll practice responding to common interview questions and learn some useful phrases and vocabulary.

这是第一次面试系列文章的第二部分。你将练习回答常见的面试问题，并学习一些有用的短语和词汇。

As you’ll remember from the first episode, Mike Barnes is interviewing William Chow for a job at the Hong Kong head office of First Mercantile International, a global bank. As we left off last time, William had just finished telling Mike about his work history, management style and personal characteristics. Our HR manager, Mike, continues the interview with another very common first round question. Let’s see what it is and think about how you would answer the question.

你应该还记得第一集里的情景，麦克·巴恩斯正在面试威廉·周，他想应聘全球银行第一商业国际香港总部的一份工作。我们上次结束的时候，威廉刚刚给迈克讲完他的工作经历、管理风格和个人特点。我们的人力资源经理迈克继续面试，问了另一个很常见的第一轮问题。让我们看看它是什么，然后想想你会如何回答这个问题。

Just before we hear the dialog, here are today’s listening questions:

在我们听对话之前，先来看看今天的听力问题:

1) What is William’s proudest achievement?

2) What is William’s greatest strength?

3) What does William say is his greatest weakness?

4) Is William happy at his current job?

5) Is William very concerned about compensation?

Vocabulary

non-performing rate – Refers to the rate of bad loans—the amount of loans that people stop paying. Bad loans are called non-performers because they fail to perform. 不良贷款率

to leverage something – A lever is a bar or a stick that is used to gain mechanical advantage in lifting or moving something. To leverage something is to use it as a lever—that is use it to your advantage to get a job done. 利用某事/物

due diligence procedures – Due diligence procedures just means your methods for satisfactorily investigating the background or risk of something. Notice that diligence is the noun form of diligent. Due in this case means deserved or appropriate. 尽职调查程序

reduce exposure to high-risk– Decrease investment to risky areas of a portfolio. restructure – Reorganization of a company that can include changes in personnel and ownership. Debts can also be restructured, for example to reduce payments or interest rates. 减少高风险的接触

contender – Competitor in an athletic endeavor. A contender at the workplace is a good employee, one that will be considered for higher positions.

竞争者

Dialog

Mike: Tell me about your proudest achievement.

William: When I took over as assistant manager in 2004, we had a non-performing loan rate of 5% on short-term loans and revolving credit due to problems with credit controls.

Mike: That sounds pretty bad.

William: Yeah. Obviously there were some problems there. So to find out where the weaknesses were, I worked with my team and the credit department to determine whether the issue was structural or down to lack of controls.

Mike: And you determined it was lack of controls? William: Yes, mainly.

Mike: How’d you go about fixing it?

William: Well, I leveraged my local cultural knowledge to find several previously unidentified risk factors that correlated strongly with the non-performers. After analysis, I reduced exposure to high-risk segments, especially real estate. After that we also modified due diligence procedures to take into account this new information.

Mike: Sounds like you really focused in on the problem. What were the results?

William: Well, let’s see. In 2005 my team and I dealt with a total of HK$200 million in credit and loans, but I am proud to say that the non-performing rate was only .3%. That’s a mere fraction of the rate for the previous year. This has added up to an estimated savings to the bank of HK$ 20 million over the next 3 years. Did I give you the level of detail you were looking for, or would you like to hear another example?

Mike: No, that’s fine. Thank you. Let’s move on to another question. So what would you say is your greatest strength and weakness?

William: One of my strengths is my ability to be flexible—in my perspective—my flexibility in analyzing new ideas and concepts. Over the past 7 years, I’ve seen First United go through several restructurings, with changes in leadership and management too. I’ve had to adjust my style to the new environment several times, but I’ve always succeeded in adapting.

Mike: Flexibility is always appreciated. And what about your greatest weakness?

William: I think I mentioned before that I enjoy challenges and work well under pressure. I really enjoy my work. The downside to this is that sometimes I put in too much time. But by being aware of my tendency to overwork, I have learned to pace myself more and work less overtime.

Mike: Maybe you can teach me. I just seem to be working more overtime the older I get.

William: It’s more about being more and more efficient, do you know what I mean? Mike: I understand. Now, can I ask why you want to leave your current position?

William: Well, I’ve set some goals for myself and for my career, and unfortunately, there is no room for me to move forward at First United. I have begun to explore options available before I spend too much time in a job where I cannot advance. My goal is to continue to grow and improve myself so that I can be a stronger performer and contender in the workplace.

Mike: Good. We always appreciate someone who is looking for more challenges. What are your salary expectations?

William: Well, let’s see. I’m sure whatever you offer will be a fair amount for a person with my qualifications. Salary is not the most important factor to me. I’m looking for opportunity.

Mike: Fair enough. Do you have any questions for me?

William: Yes. I want to ask, what is Mercantile International’s plan for the next five years, and how does the Central branch—specifically the business development side—fit in?