面试

Hey everyone! Welcome to a new episode of Simply Natural Chinese! I'm Tian Tian!

Hey everyone, I'm A-Jie.

A-Jie, I gotta tell you, I've been so stressed out lately.

What's wrong? Are your finals not over yet?

Exams are almost done, but I've got an even bigger worry now.

What's bugging you?

Summer break's coming up, and I wanna find an internship, but I have no idea where to start.

Oh, looking for an internship? I totally feel you on that.

Was it really hard for you back then too?

It wasn't just hard — it was a total nightmare.

Then tell me all about it so I can get a head start.

Sure, let's talk about interviews today — from submitting resumes to the actual interview, I'll tell you everything I know.

Great! Let's start with resumes — I haven't even written mine yet.

You're a sophomore now. Have you done any part-time jobs or joined any activities before?

I have done part-time work — I worked at a bubble tea shop near campus and was vice president of a school club.

You can put all of that on there. A lot of students think they have no experience and their resume is empty, but if you really think about it, there's actually quite a bit to write.

But working at a bubble tea shop — wouldn't that look too basic?

Not at all. Don't underestimate these experiences — it's all about how you phrase it. For the tea shop, you could write "handled customer service and independently managed orders and preparation during peak hours."

Wow, with that kind of spin, it sounds so professional.

Right, a resume is about presenting what you've done in a more professional way. But be careful not to exaggerate too much, or when they ask you for details in the interview, you won't be able to answer and it'll be awkward.

Got it — polish it up a bit, but don't make stuff up.

Exactly. And one more important thing — keep your resume to one page.

One page? Isn't that way too short?

For an intern, one page is plenty. HR has to go through hundreds of resumes every day — they don't have time to read slowly. If yours is too long, they might just skip right over it.

Alright, I'd better trim it down then. Oh, I've seen people online say you should mass-apply — just send your resume everywhere, the more the better. What do you think?

Mass-applying, well, how do I put it — there are pros and cons. The upside is more opportunities, but the downside is you might apply to a hundred companies with the exact same resume and zero personalization.

So what should I do?

The best approach is to pick a few companies you really want to work at, tailor your resume to highlight relevant experience for those positions, and then mass-apply for the rest.

So use a customized version for top-choice companies and a generic one for the others?

Yep, that's the most efficient way.

What about after you submit? I've applied to some companies days ago and haven't heard back at all.

That's totally normal. The most painful part of applying is the waiting. You send it off, and then — nothing. Just left on read.

Being left on read is the worst — it's like texting your crush and getting completely ignored.

Haha, pretty much. But don't lose heart — a lot of big companies have slow processes. Sometimes it takes a week or two to get back to you, and that's totally normal.

What if they never reply?

Then most likely you didn't make the cut. But it's fine — just keep applying to others. With job hunting, rejection is the norm. Getting an interview invite is the pleasant surprise.

Alright, I'll brace myself. Speaking of interviews, that's what scares me the most.

What are you scared of?

Getting nervous! I'm the kind of person who can't stop talking with friends, but the second it's a formal setting, my mind just goes completely blank.

That's super normal — almost everyone gets nervous at their first interview. I remember for my first one, the interviewer asked me to introduce myself. I'd prepared this whole speech, but the second I sat down, everything just vanished from my head.

So what did you do?

I just forced myself to say "Hi, I'm A-Jie, I'm here for the interview," and then I had no idea what to say next.

Hahaha, that must've been so awkward!

Yeah, I wished the ground would just open up and swallow me.

So how did you eventually get over the nervousness?

Just do more interviews and you'll be fine. Honestly, interviews are like exams — the more you practice, the less scary they get.

But I haven't even had my first one yet. How do I practice?

You can start by practicing in front of a mirror, memorize your self-introduction, and then get a friend to do a mock interview with you.

Mock interview?

Yeah, have a friend play the interviewer, they ask questions and you answer. Do that a few times and you won't panic as much in the real thing.

That's a great idea. I'll get my roommate to practice with me.

Here's another little trick — take a few deep breaths before the interview and tell yourself "the worst that can happen is I don't get it, and that's no big deal."

Easier said than done. But I'll give it a shot.

By the way, do you know what kind of questions they usually ask in interviews?

Self-introduction for sure, right?

Yep, self-introduction is pretty much guaranteed. On top of that, there are a few classic questions.

Like what?

Things like "Why do you want to work at our company?", "What are your strengths and weaknesses?", and "What's a challenge you've faced and how did you handle it?"

Ugh, those questions sound simple but they're really hard to answer. Strengths are fine, but how do you talk about weaknesses? You can't exactly say "my biggest weakness is having no weaknesses," right?

Haha, someone's actually said that before. When talking about weaknesses, mention a real one, but add how you're working on improving it.

Like what?

For example, you could say "Sometimes I focus too much on details, which slows me down, but I'm learning how to prioritize better."

Oh, so frame the weakness as not too fatal while showing you're making progress.

Exactly, that's the game of interviewing.

What about "Why do you want to work at our company?"

For this one, whatever you do, don't say "because your salary is high" or "because you're close to my house."

Haha, but isn't that the honest truth?

True as it may be, an interview isn't the place for brutal honesty. You want to talk about things related to the company's culture and direction.

Like "I really admire your company's mission" and stuff like that?

Right, but be specific about it. Before the interview, make sure you research the company — check their website, their social media, learn what they've been up to recently, and then bring that up during the interview.

That way it shows you actually care about the company instead of just randomly applying.

Exactly, interviewers can tell right away whether you've done your homework.

Okay, noted. Are there any weird questions? I've heard some interviewers ask really strange stuff.

Oh, there are tons of weird ones. Once in an interview, the interviewer asked me "If you were an animal, what would you be?"

What? Is that an interview or a brain teaser?

I was stunned too. But after thinking for a second, I said "I think I'm like an ant, because ants are hardworking and great at teamwork."

Haha, that's a pretty clever answer. How did the interviewer react?

He smiled and moved on to the next question. Honestly, there's no right answer to questions like that — the interviewer just wants to see how you think on your feet.

What if I said "I think I'm like a cat because I'm independent?"

That works too — the key is that you can back it up.

What if I said "I'm like a sloth?"

Then you can kiss that job goodbye.

Hahaha! Okay okay. Oh right, I've also heard about something called a group interview — is that where several people interview together?

Yep, a group interview is when several candidates interview at the same time. Everyone sits together discussing a topic while the interviewer observes from the side.

So you have to fight to get a word in?

A lot of people do fight for airtime, but that actually backfires. In a group interview, it's not about who talks the most — it's about who says something worthwhile.

So what's the best way to stand out?

First, really listen to what others are saying. Then chime in at the right moment with your own point, ideally building on what someone else said. If you can do the wrap-up summary, that's bonus points.

So it's about showing teamwork, not putting on a one-person show.

Right, group interviews test what role you play in a team. You can be the leader, the contributor, the mediator — just don't be the person who sits there saying nothing.