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  3. Four Minutes that Get You Hired Bay Stater always wants to be a teacher. With the help of friends who teach at school, she l

Four Minutes that Get You Hired Bay Stater always wants to be a teacher. With the help of friends who teach at school, she l

admin2010-05-09  48
问题                               Four Minutes that Get You Hired
    Bay Stater always wants to be a teacher. With the help of friends who teach at school, she landed an interview with the principle. "I noticed a tiny run in my stocking that morning," she recalls. "I thought about changing, but I knew I’d be late if I did. But later the run stretched from my ankle to my knee. I apologized for not looking my best." Finally, the would-be teacher didn’t get her job.
    First impressions are often lasting ones. Indeed, if you play the card right, you can enjoy the benefits of the "halo effect". This means if you are viewed positively within the critical first four minutes, the person you have met will likely assume everything you do is positive.
    Four minutes! Studies tell us that’s the crucial period in which impressions are formed by someone we’ve just met. Within a mere ten seconds, that person will begin to make judgments about our professionalism, social class, morals and intelligence. People tend to focus on what they see (dress, eye contact, movement), on what they hear (how fast and slow we talk, our voice tone and volume), and on our actual words.
    Bungle a first encounter, and in many cases the interviewer will mistakenly assume you have a lot of other negative traits. Worse, he or she may not take the time to give you a second chance.
    Most employers believe that those who look as if they care about themselves are more likely to care about their jobs. We know "it’s what’s inside that counts", but research shows that physically attractive people are generally perceived by prospective employers as more intelligent, likable and trustworthy. Your goal should be to come across in the best possible light--attractive in the way you dress, in your gestures and facial expressions and in your speech.
    Here’s how to make those crucial four minutes count:
    Look your best It signals success. Studies have linked clothing consciousness to higher self-esteem and job satisfaction. And one study funded by the Clairol Corporation found that it pays, literally, to project a professional image. Judith Waters, a professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, sent out identical resume with either a "before" or an "after" photograph of hypothetical job candidates to over 300 companies. Waters asked them to determine a starting salary for each candidate. The result? Salaries are 8 to 20 percent higher for those whose resumes have been accompanied by the photo with an upgraded image.
    Yet many people fail to understand the importance of projecting a professional image. For example, a 32-year-old in Washington, D.C., worked for ten years as an administrative assistant in a large accounting firm. When the office manager retired last year, she applied for the position. She wasn’t even granted an interview.
    "I thought it was an oversight, so I asked the director of personnel what happened," she says. "He told me I didn’t fit the image of an office manger. He suggested I change my wardrobe -- get rid of my neon-colored skirts and dangling earrings--before I applied again for another position. I was shocked. I do a great job, and the way I dress shouldn’t have any bearing. My clothes reflect my personal style."
    Forget about personal style. At work, your clothes must convey the message that you are competent, reliable and authoritative.
    Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. If you are scheduled for an interview at a company you’ve never visited and aren’t sure what to wear, send for an annual report and study what the employees pictured are wearing, or drop by ahead of time to see how they dress.
    Monitor your body language How you move and gesture will greatly influence an interviewer’s first impression of you. In a study of communications, Psychologist Albert Mehrabian discovered that seven percent of any message about our feelings and attitudes come from the words we use. 38 percent from our voice, and a startling 55 percent from our facial expression. In fact, when our facial expression or tone of voice conflicts with our words, the listener will typically put more weight on the nonverbal message.
    To make your first encounter a positive one, start with a firm handshake. If the interviewer doesn’t initiate the gesture, offer your hand first. Whenever you have a choice of seats, select a chair besides his or her desk, as opposed to one across from it. That way there are no barriers between the two of you and the effect is somewhat less confrontational. If you must sit facing the desk, shift your chair slightly as you sit down, or angle your body in the chair so that you are not directly in front of your interviewer.
    Monitor your body language to make sure you don’t seem too desperate for the job, or too eager to please. When a 26-year-old telemarketing specialist in Athens, applied for a promotion, her interview went so well that she was offered the job on the spot. "I was very delighted, she recalls. "But I reacted to the offer with too much enthusiasm. Once the boss sensed how excited I was, he knew I wasn’t going to turn him down. Consequently, he offered me a lower salary than I’d hoped for. I am convinced I could have gotten more had I contained myself."
    Keep a poker face in business situations. Audrey Nelson-Schnider, a communications consultant in Boulder, says that inappropriate smiling is the most common example of a nonverbal behavior that lessens the force of verbal messages--making you appear weak and unassertive.
    Good eye contact is also important. One study found that job applicants who make more eye contact are perceived as more alert, dependable, confident and responsible.
    Say what you mean Your goal is to gain confidence and be believed. Settle that favorable first impression by making your words consistent with your body language and appearance. If they aren’t in sync, your mixed messages are bound to confuse your interviewer.
    Open and close your conversation on a positive note For example, if you’ve studied the company’s annual report--and you should have!--consider remarking on any substantial progress the firm has made within the past year, or cite an area of company involvement that interests you. When you leave, summarize why you are the best candidate for the job and thank the person for his interest.
    Use a person’s name when talking It’s the best way to get--and keep--his or her attention. And avoid verbal clutter. As business consultant Marian Woodall puts it: "Poor communicators tend to talk in paragraphs. Successful communicators talk in short sentences and even in bulleted items."
    Master the art of small talk Most people who appear comfortable with strangers in social and business situations will tell you that they’ve worked hard to look that way. Their advice? Read a weekly news magazine and at least one daily newspaper especially the sports section-- so you can hold yourself in a conversation.
    Ask questions Too often when people meet, they feel awkward about what to say after the introductions. Almost everyone likes to be asked questions. So don’t be afraid to be the initiator.
    Finally, there is the matter of how you speak. Any voice coach will tell you that you can learn to sound more relaxed, more assertive and more confident. One good technique is to record your voice on tape. "As you play it back, be alert for voice tones that sound apologetic, tentative, meek and imploring," recommends management and communication consultant Norma Carr-Ruffino.
    In his book You Are the Message: Secret of the Master Communicators, media consultant Roger Ailes suggests a voice-improvement exercise he calls "tape and ape". Get a cassette tape of a famous actor or actress reading a classic. Record yourself reading the same selection and compare. "Your goal is not to become a performer," says Ailes. "But when you hear good speech and attempt to emulate it, you will improve your voice."
    As Christopher Lasch states in his book The Culture of Narcissism: "Nothing succeeds like the appearance of success." So take advantage of those crucial first four minutes. Look your best, move with confidence, speak with conviction-- and the job you want can be yours.
Inappropriate smile can harm your image in the job interview.
选项 A、Y
B、N
C、NG
答案A
解析 参见第15段：Keep a poker face in business situations．Audrey Nelson-Schnider, a communications consultant in Boulder，says that inappropriate smiling is the most common example of a nonverbal behavior that lessens the force of verbal messages--making you appear weak and nassertive．
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