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憂うつな面接
先月、筆者のウィルスさんは人材採用の現場に立ち会う機会があった。
そこで驚いたのは、応募者たちの履歴書やカバーレター(英文履歴書に添える自分の売り込みの手紙)があまりにお粗末なこと。
この経験を踏まえて、求職活動で注意すべき点を紹介してくれた。
読者の皆さんも、ぜひご参考に。
Interview blues
Over the last month, I've seen a lot of resumes and held a lot of interviews, and it appears that people don't know how to apply for a job anymore. Most of the resumes and cover letters I ploughed through were just simply bad, but what also became apparent was there are cultural differences in the way different nationalities apply for positions. For example, a Japanese 40-year-old will send you a one-pager, its brevity bordering on the confusing, whereas a 22-year-old American will send you a detailed four-page notated list of every summer job they've had and their philosophy on life.
For the benefit of those currently searching for work, here are some dos and don'ts.
1) If you're a structural engineer or systems analyst, don't apply for a graphic design position (vice versa holds true, one hopes). The ability to design a bridge doesn't mean your magazine layout will be pretty.
2) Make sure you send the correct cover letter. Having the wrong company name, wrong industry and wrong job title never fails to impress us employers looking for detail-orientated hires.
3) Likewise, using capital letters and punctuation is a nice idea, especially if you say you have a college degree.
4) Don't try to convince the potential employer that they made a mistake in their job ad and what they really want is somebody part-time or a teleworker.
5) If you live in Sweden or India, don't apply for jobs that say you must be in Tokyo. Japanese law says we have to pay your commutation, but I don't think that covers airfares.
6) A follow-up email is a good idea, but multiple phone calls a day seem more desperate than committed.
7) Sending money with your application might be something a candidate on "The Apprentice" would try, but outside of reality TV it is generally frowned upon. We'd rather you sent a cohesive cover letter or nice work samples than ¥10,000.
8) Don't say you can do something that you can't. My mother told an employer she played the piano — it didn't end well when she was asked to play in front of a whole school.
9) Don't criticize the work of the office you will be working in during the interview. They probably won't score you very highly.
10) Dress conservatively even if you know the office is quite casual. I once almost didn't get a job because my hair was too spiky — I was lucky they didn't see me in my pink phase.
When I was in school, not that long ago, we had career counseling that told you how to write a resume and put you through mock interviews. I've learned that doesn't happen anymore.
- resumes
- 履歴書
- apply for 〜
- 〜に応募する
- ploughed through
- 頑張って読んだ
- positions
- 仕事
- one-pager
- 1ページだけの書類
- its brevity bordering on the confusing
- 簡潔すぎてほとんど何が何だか分からなくなっている
- whereas
- 一方で
- detailed four-page notated list
- 詳細に記録した4ページにも及ぶリスト
- For the benefit of 〜
- 〜のために
- those
- =those people
- dos and don'ts
- 注意事項
- structural engineer
- 構造工学技術者
- vice versa holds true, one hopes
- その逆もあってほしくない
- Make sure
- 〜を確認せよ
- never fails to 〜
- 必ず〜する(皮肉)
- detail-oriented hires
- 細部にこだわった雇用
- using capital letters and punctuation
- 大文字にすべきところは大文字にし、句読点もきちんと入れること
- potential employer
- 募集側の会社
- job ad
- 募集広告
- teleworker
- 通信ネットワークを利用した在宅勤務者
- commutation
- 交通費
- airfares
- 航空運賃
- follow-up email
- 面接後のお礼のメール
- more desperate than committed
- 熱心というより必死な
- "The Apprentice"
- 米国で人気のリアリティー番組
- reality TV
- 素人参加型の番組
- is generally frowned upon
- 一般にひんしゅくを買う
- (would)rather you〜
- 〜してくれた方がよい
- cohesive
- よくまとまった
- spiky
- 髪の毛をつんと立てた
- pink phase
- 服装などにピンク色を好んだ時期
- put you through mock interviews
- 模擬面接を受けさせる