澳洲留学后第一份工作 – 澳洲面试技巧 Top tips for international students seeking for a job after graduation
Fresh graduates looking for new job, top insider tip from Fan, qualified Actuary and the Founder of Sirius Learning. Chinese version at the end of the page. 毕业后难找工作？英文不好没有面试的自信？ 我们的找工作经验和技巧（中文版）在英文版下面。
Entering into the workforce from a degree in Actuarial Studies, dubbed as ‘the best job of the 21st century’ I expected all my classmates to have no issues securing a graduate offer. After all, given the low ‘survival rate’ of the course, wouldn’t the demand far exceed the supply of talent?
However to my surprise, in a century where tertiary education is considered the mainstay, the supply of fresh university graduates far exceed the demand from employers.
What differentiated those that secured a graduate offer and those that different? To my surprise it was not university academic achievements but how they presented themselves in interviews. For example, I had a friend who was a constant high achiever with solid HD WAM but always had trouble getting past the interview stage because he failed to demonstrate he would be a ‘good fit’ for the role. On the other hand, another friend with mediocre marks had no trouble securing any graduate offers because he was confident in interacting with the interviewer and how to best respond to their questions.
After I gained more experience and started to ‘sit on the other side of the fence’ by interviewing candidates for our analytics jobs I began to appreciate the problem. I found once the candidate progressed to the interview stage it’s not really about what they have listed on their CVs but rather our ‘gut feel’. Candidates that knew how to express and present well became a natural fit for the organisation allowing us as interviewers to develop a strong sense that we ‘really wanted them in our team’.
So why did many graduates ‘fail the interview test’? When I dug deeper into the root cause, I found 2 reasons: a lack of confidence and a lack of understanding of the expectations in an Australian work place.
The two causes go hand in hand and resolving one will instantaneously alleviate the other. The good news is that with practice these are definitely issues you can overcome. What you need to grasp is being able to compose responses and react in a professional manner using appropriate English vocabulary and phrases. This is inherently professional English.
“In the job interview, you are literally auditioning for a new role. Developing your skills as a performer will help you not only to land the job, it will also help you grow and gain a new skill that is critical in the 21st century workplace — navigating constant change that requires flexibility and new performances all the time.” Harvard business review.
Professional English is essentially putting a business context to the English you speak. You can think of it as rather than speaking to your friends and family in normal conversational English, you need to communicate professionally both verbally and written to interviewers, colleagues, managers, customers and stakeholders. A lot of times Professional English will be influenced by the profession you are in as different jargons will be appropriate to the relevant job but the common thread is that in a professional setting you will be judged by the way you speak and carry yourself. The best way to ensure your professional career moves in the direction you anticipate is to behave with utter professionalism and be aware how you should best communicate in a business setting.
Here is a useful guide to Professional English to get you started through different stages of your career.
Stage 1: Securing the job
A job interview at a graduate level is all about the interviewers learning about your experiences in university years, your character and the potential you have for the future. A interview may only be 30 minutes or 1 hour and for the interviewer to find out almost 21 years of information about how you developed into who you are today will mean assessing you right from when you walk into the interview room.
…1 minute into the conversation the interviewer has probably already made an initial decision based on the way you spoke and greeted them.
For example, if you meet your interviewer with a weak handshake and says in a soft voice ‘Hey, I’m Fred’ this already creates a vibe for the interviewer that you are perhaps not very confident.
Rather, if you shake the interviewer’s hand firmly with a smile and say ‘Hi. My name is Tom. It’s a pleasure meeting you today and I’m keen to hear more about this graduate opportunity’ this relaxes you and the interviewer and immediately creates a sense that you are highly engaged and confident.
After the initial greeting, the interviewer will ask a series of questions to essentially assess ‘whether they like you’. This involves an extensive understanding of the Australian work culture, determining what phrases are appropriate to use and how to respond to various situations in the interview.
An example is that some times in interviews the interviewer may ask challenging questions like ‘what do you believe is your greatest weakness?’
Your response might be
Example 1
My weakness is that I’m too perfect. I always try to do everything to a perfect state.
This response may make the interviewer feel you are too cocky and there is no demonstration how you are working on your weakness.
Instead you can say
Example 2
My weakness is that I’m really a perfectionist. I sometimes want to get every detail right and could compromise the time it takes to finish the work. I have realised that this is definitely a challenge for me and have actively been trying write out a plan with expected timelines early in the project and set upfront how much detail I should provide based on the requirements of the project.
Or consider “My weakness is that I can be very detailed. I sometimes want to get every detail right and could compromise the time it takes to finish the work. It has come to my realisation that not every task needs to be as very detailed and perfect. Instead now I set the scope before I start so that the expectation of the project is clear and I can set a realistic timeline to ensure timely delivery. “
Here the weakness is not important but it is more about how you articulate in a professional manner that demonstrate you have critically thought about your weakness.
Knowing when to say what and the most appropriate way to convey your message is the key to utilising Professional English at interviews.
Stage 2: ‘Building your personal brand’
Your career doesn’t stop as you secure the graduate offer. Navigating through your new workplace and building your personal brand among colleagues, the management team and stakeholders is a much larger challenge. Key characters that you would want to demonstrate are:
- Competence
- Confidence
- Accountability, honesty and integrity
- Strong emotional intelligence
All of these characteristics require you to communicate verbally and written in a professional manner and suited to the style of the Australian work place. This is why local Australians have a significant advantage over graduates with ESL backgrounds because they are more aware of the Australian culture and how they should behave in different work situations.
For example, your manager might ask to have a weekly coffee catch up to see how you are tracking. Although these are set in informal settings, the purpose is to create a relaxed setting to talk about more serious topics at work. Here you want to still remain professional and speak to your manager about your thoughts. If you are stressed at work you should not say ‘Oh I feel so stressed. So much overwhelming work’ but rather a better way to express it is ‘Work has been a challenge lately. There have been quite a significant number of projects that different stakeholders have requested and I really want to make sure I give them all my 100% effort. I want to run past you priorities we should set in the coming weeks so I could get back to them with timelines’.
At work there are often stakeholders that could be difficult to manage. If you have been busy and have not got to a piece of work for a stakeholder and sends you an angry email saying ‘Why haven’t you done this for me?’
A good way to respond might be
Hi Tom,
I apologise for not getting to the SL project earlier.
I have been prioritised by the leadership team to complete another piece of work with urgent deadlines. Once I send out the results for that on 28th May 2018, I will be able to work on the SL project. I will provide an update of my progress and set up regular catch ups to outline to you the progress.
Stage 3: Seeking ways to grow your career
As you settle into the role and master the responsibilities, eventually you will seek for either a promotion or alternative opportunities.
If you are asking for an internal promotion it can often be a daunting experience. Your employer is unlikely to offer you a promotion unless you ask because they would either perceive you as comfortable in the role or a need to save budget.
Asking for a promotion will mean you will need to utilise language that demonstrate you are confident you deserve the promotion. For example if you say ‘I have been in the role for 2 years now and feel I am ready for more responsibilities and moving to the more senior position. Do you agree?’ this could not be that forceful and the manager may say tenure does not mean a deserved promotion.
A better way to say this is ‘I have done various projects over the last 2 years such as the SL project that have consistently demonstrated I have performing above the expectations of my current level. I have received outstanding feedback from various stakeholders on my performance and am really looking to take additional challenges to enhance my career.’ This shows you have evidence that you are consistently performing at the next level which is backed by various members in your business.
The ability to communicate professionally is essential from the start of your job interview all the way to navigating your way in the work place. This means investing time into Professional English will be the key to a successful career.
相信很多人都听过职场英语(Corporate English 或者 Business English 或者 Professional English)，可是你可能会产生疑惑：到底什么是职场英语？职场英语和我们平时说的英语有什么不一样？职场英语能为我们带来什么？而且最重要的是如何去提高自己的职场英语水平？
我非常非常理解大家的困惑，下面让我通过介绍一下自己的职业生涯再配合不同职场阶段的例子来给大家提供捋一捋什么是职场英文。
记得当年在我即将从所谓的“21世纪最佳职业”的精算专业毕业的时候，我一直以为找工作对于我们这个“金子专业”的人来说易如反掌，毕竟能从这个专业坚持到最后人已经寥寥无几，所以就业市场上对于精算毕业生的需求一定很旺盛。然而。。。我错了，事实是不论你是什么专业，是澳洲本地人或者留学生，毕业生就业市场总是供大于求。
虽然大部分人都会在第一份工作的求职路上苦苦挣扎，然而在每一届的毕业生里，总有那么几个“大神”甚至还没毕业就顺利找到dream job。相信很多人和我一样非常好奇，到底是什么因素能让毕业生的差距拉的如此巨大？当时我猜肯定是大学成绩，学习好的一定受欢迎。但是在和身边朋友交流过后才发现，原因不是这么简单。我有一个学霸朋友门门HD，但是令人震惊的是他总是通不过面试。还有另外一个朋友，成绩平平，但却似乎没费吹灰之力就找到令人羡慕的工作。后来问他原因，他觉的可能是因为他自己在面试的时候比较自信吧。
这个谜团终于在我工作了几年，有机会变成面试官之后，才渐渐看明白。真相是当求职者成功拿到面试机会后，简历上的内容，大学的学习成绩等等就变得不再重要了，决定性因素已经悄悄转变成了“眼缘”- 对，就这么简单，如果面试官看你“顺眼”，你就被录用了。那些能完美推销自己的求职者，能用令人信服的语言来表达自己的求职者，面试官通常会觉得他们可以更轻松，自然的融合到团队中，并产生一种“就是你了”的主观情感。
所以求职成功的最关键因素就是 – 要变得“顺眼”！但是建立“眼缘”真的很难吗？通过观察我发现，求职成功的方式有千万种，但“不顺眼”的原因往往可以归纳为下面两类：1.缺乏自信2.缺乏对澳洲职场文化的了解
其实这两个原因经常是同时出现的，而且解决了其中一个往往另外一个也会得到改善。好消息是，好“眼缘“可以通过不断的练习来培养的。练习的关键点就是学会如何使用职场英文来让自己的表达方式更加职场化，更加具有专业精神。你在学好了职场英文的同时，其实也就增加了对澳洲职场文化的了解，也就懂得了如何包装自己，如何推销自己。不信你看：
“In the job interview, you are literally auditioning for a new role. Developing your skills as a performer will help you not only to land the job, it will also help you grow and gain a new skill that is critical in the 21st century workplace — navigating constant change that requires flexibility and new performances all the time.” Harvard business review.
说白了，职场英文就是把在咱普通的英文放在商业环境里表达（或者说就是“换一种更具职业精神的说法”），但是表达方式要更加专业化，职场化。在职场里，你的交流对象由你的家人朋友变成了你的面试官，你的同事，你的经理，你的顾客等等。虽然你的专业词汇会根据你从事的行业而变化，但是无论你是哪一行，你的职场表达方式，表达技巧永远是评判你职场能力的重要依据。要想在职场里有所作为，最重要的基石就是时时刻刻保持专业。
光在这里大谈特谈职场英文的重要性可能你会不太容易理解， 接下来咱举一些职场英文应用的例子。从开始找工作，到职场奋斗，再到升职加薪，每个阶段我都举一些学好职场英文能帮助到你的例子，这些例子足以说明学好职场英文的重要性。
职场第一阶段：找工作
面试，其实就是一个面试官尝试了解你的途径，他们就想看看你在你大学生涯里都干了些啥，了解一下你的性格和人品，并且预估一下你未来会有多大潜力。但是面试官只有短短30分钟到1个小时，要想在这么短的时间里了解你在过去20几年的所作所为并不是一件容易的事，所以其实在你踏进面试房间的第一步时，你的面试就已经悄然开始了。更可怕的是，在从你开口的一分钟之内，面试官根据你的言行举止就已经知道了你是不是他们想要的人。
举个例子，你如果握手的时候没有用力去“捏”面试官的手，或者介绍自己的时候用软绵绵的声音说“Hey, I’m Fred”，那么对不起，你已经给面试官种下了你不自信的第一印象。
反过来，如果你在介绍自己的时候紧紧握住了面试官的手，并且用浑厚的声音说 ” Hi, My name is Tom. It’s a pleasure meeting you today and I’m keen to hear more about this graduate opportunity”, 这感觉立马就变了，面试官会觉得你很自信，很投入，同时你自己也会感觉更放松一些。
简短介绍自己之后，面试官通常会问你一系列问题，而问问题的目的坦白来说就是面试官一直在“找感觉”，找一种喜欢你的感觉。如果面试结束面试官还找不着这个感觉，那么很抱歉，这次面试不成功的几率很高。如何让面试官喜欢上你并不是一门简单的课题，这需要你深入了解澳洲的职场文化，正确使用一些职场化的词汇，并且能够用合适的语言来回答不同语境下的问题。
再来个例子，假设面试官问你一个比较棘手的问题：你觉得你最大的缺点是啥？
第一种回答：”My weakness is that I’m too perfect. I always try to do everything to a perfect state.”
是，面试官有可能会明白你的意思：你的缺点是你是个完美主义者。但是这个回答会给人一种你很傲慢的感觉，而且你并没有回答出来为什么这个完美主义会成为你的缺点。
更好的回答（使用职场英文）：
“My weakness is that I’m really a perfectionist. I sometimes want to get every detail right and could compromise the time it takes to finish the work. I have realised that this is definitely a challenge for me and have actively been trying write out a plan with expected timelines early in the project and set upfront how much detail I should provide based on the requirements of the project. “
或者回答：
“My weakness is that I can be very detailed. I sometimes want to get every detail right and could compromise the time it takes to finish the work. It has come to my realisation that not every task needs to be as very detailed and perfect. Instead now I set the scope before I start so that the expectation of the project is clear and I can set a realistic timeline to ensure timely delivery.”
请你自己慢慢来品一品这两个用职场英文来回答的例子，如果你是面试官，你会更喜欢哪个？
更进一步讲，其实这些“缺点”具体是什么并不重要，重要的是你怎么去用职场化的语言来表达出来你的缺点，能让面试官觉得你对你的缺点有一种辩证化的了解 （critically thinking），而且能让面试官觉得你是一个说话有逻辑性的人。
其实职场英文的核心就是在合适的语境，合适的时间来用合适的语言来表达出来你要传达的信息。
职场第二阶段：建立“个人品牌”
恭喜你，你已经被成功录用了。然后呢？接下来你要做的是在职场里建立自己的“个人品牌”。你的职业生涯在你成功通过面试后才刚刚开始。真正的挑战现在才露出水面 – 你要尽快建立起自己的口碑，在职场获得认可，这样才能更快“出人头地”。
那么如何去建立个人品牌呢？稍微概括下，你可能需要拥有如下特征：
首先，你要有合格的业务能力，其次你要有自信，再其次，你要具有责任心，要诚信，再再其次，你要具备高情商，再再再其次。。。。
但是无论你有多少“内在美”，要想被人赏识，要想得到认可，最基本，也最关键的一点就是你需要具备良好的职场沟通能力，包括口语沟通和书面沟通。这也是为什么本土澳洲人在职场上会比移民在职场更具有优势，因为土生土长的澳洲人更了解如何使用职场英文，也懂得在不同的情况下应该如何去沟通表达。
来个例子：在澳洲职场里，你的经理通常会定期单独跟你约个咖啡，谈个心。目的就是想跟你聊一聊你的近况，了解你下你的内心情况。虽然这种聊天看似是在一个非常休闲的场景下进行的，但是之所以选择这种休闲的场景其实是为了让你更能敞开心扉的去聊一些工作上遇到的严重问题。千万别被这种看似轻松的场景给骗了，你的沟通对象依然是你的经理，所以你的语言和行为也一定要满足职场化的要求，要专业。假设你感觉你最近手头上的活有点多，工作压力有点大，你当然可以不假思索，“掏心窝子”的对你经理说 “Oh I feel so stressed. So much overwhelming work” ，但是你的经理可能有可能会产生误解，误解你会不会不够坚强，会不会太消极，会不会不堪重任。但是你如果用更专业的语言来跟你的经理沟通的话 “Work has been a challenge lately. There have been quite a significant number of projects that different stakeholders have requested and I really want to make sure I give them all my 100% effort. I want to run past you priorities we should set in the coming weeks so I could get back to them with timelines “。。。看出不同之处来了吗？虽然你表达的是一个意思，但是语言的选择会给你的经理产生完全不同的感觉。
再来一个场景，有些时候你可能会遇到非常“难搞”的情况，比如说有可能你特忙，然后你的同事给你发邮件问“交给你的活怎么还没帮我做完“。这时候你应该怎么处理？直接说“我特忙，没空做，过一阵再帮你做”？
更好的，更专业的表达方式应该是：
“Hi Tom,
I apologise for not getting to the SL project earlier.
I have been prioritised by the leadership team to complete another piece of work with urgent deadlines. Once I send out the results for that on 28th May 2018, I will be able to work on the SL project. I will provide an update of my progress and set up regular catch ups to outline to you the progress.“
你这样一说，你的同事就知道你为什么没有帮他们做完，然后也知道你会在什么时候帮他们做完，然后你的同事也会更理解你，同时也更信任你。
职场第三阶段：职场晋级
过了职场小白阶段，在你完全掌握了你的业务后，你的目标肯定会变成升职加薪走向人生巅峰迎娶白富美吸引高富帅。
但升职之路可没那么平摊，相信主动找过老板要求升职的朋友们都会觉得这不是一个很令人愉快的经历。因为作为雇主，他们肯定不会轻易主动给你升职，因为他们会有预算上的考虑 （天下雇主一般抠）。
主动要求升职的过程其实类于一个销售过程，你需要用精心准备的语言去展示自己，去说服你的老板你为什么值得获得一个更高的职位。如果你不加准备，用普通的语言直接去找你老板谈“I have been in the role for 2 years now and feel I am ready for more responsibilities and moving to the more senior position. Do you agree? “， 这样的语言虽然一针见血，但恐怕没有有说服力，而且你的老板通常会用“工龄并不代表能力”之类的话来回绝你。
咋整？老死在目前的岗位？
用职场语言，换个方法说呗：“I have done various projects over the last 2 years such as the SL project that have consistently demonstrated I have performing above the expectations of my current level. I have received outstanding feedback from various stakeholders on my performance and am really looking to take additional challenges to enhance my career.”
你看，你这样一说，老板就会觉得你不是空穴来风，你的升值要求是有“证据”来支持你的，而且你的表现是有目共睹的。这样会显著提高你的升职成功率。
从上面的职场三个阶段的例子我们可以看出，要想在澳洲职场有所作为，或者说的更广一点，想在整个西方职场出人头地，精通职场英文是一个必备技能。这篇文章只是起到一个入门作用，我们在下面给大家提供几个链接，里面有很多的资料可以供你查询，帮助你提高职场英文水平。
English for Business Communication Book
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