面试中可能遭遇的奇葩问题

You have honed your CV to perfection, and put on your best interview suit.

你反复修改简历直至完美，然后穿上最好的一套正装。

You are confident you have really done your homework on the job you’ve applied for.

你非常自信，因为你对要应聘的工作已经做好了充分准备。

And then you come face to face with your prospective boss, only to be asked: "Who would win in a fight between Superman and Batman?"

然而当你与未来的上司面对面时，他却问道：“超人与蝙蝠侠，谁更胜一筹？”

Or perhaps: "If a hippo falls in a hole how would you get it out?" Or: "What type of ice cream are you?"

或者问你：“怎么把一头掉进洞里的河马弄出来？”再比如：“你像哪种类型的冰淇淋？”

These are among the bizarre questions firms are asking during interviews to ambush job hopefuls.

这些古怪的问题均是公司面试题的一部分，用来“伏击”满怀希望的应聘者们。

They emerged in a survey of 2,000 adults by the Association of Accounting Technicians.

这些问题来自英国专业会计人员协会（Association of Accounting Technicians）一项针对2000人的调查。

Bosses trying to see whether candidates flounder or flourish when grilled on unexpected subjects also asked: "What dinosaur would you like to be?"

上司们还会这样问：“你想成为哪一种恐龙？”他们想看看，面对出人意料的问题时，应聘者会表现得不知所措，还是镇定自若。

Candidates also reported finding themselves confronted with strange tasks, such as being asked to sing or improvise a scene from a film with a potential colleague. One baffled job-seeker was told: "Build a tower of paper cups in one minute that would not fall down when you put the water in the top cup."

应聘者还表示，面试时他们会被要求做一些奇怪的任务，比如唱歌，或者与其他应聘者一起即兴表演一段电影场景。其中一位应聘者非常困惑，面试官要求他“在一分钟之内，用纸杯叠一座塔，然后往顶端的杯子里倒水，但塔不能倒塌。”

Top of the list of hardest questions faced was, "What are your weaknesses?" followed by, "Describe yourself in three words". Other tough lines of inquiry included, "Describe a time when you have failed" and "What do you think the chief executive thinks of the company?"

调查收集到的最难面试题中，高居榜首的是“你有什么弱点？”，其次是“请用三个词描述你自己”。其他难题还包括“描述你的一次失败经历”以及“你认为本公司CEO是如何看本公司的？”

Not surprisingly, 30 percent of respondents said they had given awkward or cringeworthy responses. Some admitted bursting into tears or being caught out by a lie on their CV, while others revealed they had forgotten what job they were applying for or simply dried up.

毫不意外，30%的受访者表示，他们当时的回答十分尴尬或难堪。一些人承认当场痛哭，或者是被发现简历作假。还有一些人则表示，他们当时已经忘记了要应聘的工作，或是突然说不出话来。

Nearly two-thirds said they had embarrassed themselves by making gaffes such as spilling drinks, tripping over or swearing by accident. Stuttering, going red, sweating profusely or saying something stupid were other common experiences.

近三分之二的受访者称曾在面试中出丑，让自己好不尴尬，比如不慎打翻水杯，走路绊倒，或者无意中冒出脏话。其它常见失误还包括口吃、脸红、大量出汗、说蠢话等。

Aimee Batemann of AAT said: "Sometime unbelievable questions or tasks candidates have been subjected to shows sometimes you just can’t predict what will be thrown at you. However, the best way to maintain composure and reduce the chances of embarrassment is to try to prepare for every possibility and be prepared to think on your feet if need be."

英国专业会计人员协会的艾梅·巴特曼（Aimee Batemann）说：“应聘者有时会遭遇一些奇怪的问题或任务，这恰恰证明某些时候你确实不可能预见所有事。但保持冷静和减少尴尬的最佳方法，还是努力准备应对一切可能，并且做到迅速反应。”

Most applicants thought their fate had been sealed within five minutes of entering the room, regardless of how the interview went after that. Some interviewers seemed "bored" and others were "really rude".

大多数应聘者认为，在进入房间的五分钟里，他们的命运就已成定局，无论接下来的面试如何进行也于事无补。有些面试官看上去很“无聊”，有些则“非常粗鲁。”

A number flouted laws about asking personal questions such as whether applicants planned to have children or were in a relationship.

还有许多雇主会无视法律询问涉及个人隐私的问题，比如应聘者是否计划要孩子，或者是否单身。

Despite all the pitfalls, a third said they had still got the job.

尽管面试中“陷阱”众多，仍有三分之一的受访者称自己面试成功。

Vocabulary

hone：把（某物）磨锋利

prospective：未来的

ambush：伏击

flounder：（说话或做决定时）犹豫或出错误

improvise：即兴创作

dry-up：（谈话途中）突然说不出话

gaffe：失态

profusely：丰富地

think on your feet：迅速反应

flout：公然藐视

pitfall：意想不到的危险或困难