爱思英语编者按：与其怨天尤人，不如反躬自省，求职者首先还是搞清楚，究竟是什么原因导致自己被用人单位拒之门外。

At first glance, it’s puzzling. The job market is finally looking something like its old self, with unemployment at 5.9%, a bit below its 6% pre-recession rate.

乍一看很令人费解。美国就业市场终于开始展露复苏迹象，目前的失业率（5.9%）仅仅比大衰退之前（6%）低一点点。

Yet, as anyone trying to change jobs (or get one) these days knows all too well, plenty of employers are dragging their feet, taking longer to hire than at any time in more than a decade.

然而，许多雇主却踌躇不决，其聘用员工花费的时间比过去十多年的任何时候都要长，相信每一位最近正尝试着换份工作，或者找份工作的人都对此深有体会。

What’s the holdup? Patty Prosser, chair of executive development and recruiting firm OI Global Partners, says at least some of it is “due to the way candidates present themselves, and how they perform during interviews.” That’s not all bad, since, unlike the state of the economy as a whole, “these are issues that are within job seekers’ control.”

为什么如此迟疑？高管培训与招聘公司OI Global Partners的董事长帕蒂•普罗塞表示，至少部分原因在于“招聘者自我展示的方式，以及他们在面试期间的表现。”这种情况不算太坏，因为跟经济基本面的状况不同，“这些问题毕竟在求职者的控制范围之内。”

OI Partners recently asked its hundreds of North American headhunters and career coaches to list the most common mistakes they see interviewees make. Here are the top five:

OI Partners公司最近对北美猎头与职业教练进行了调查，要求他们列出求职者犯过的最常见的错误。以下是前五种错误：

1. Don’t stand out enough from other candidates (mentioned by 67% of those surveyed). Most job seekers don’t talk enough, or at all, about “which personal attributes differentiate them from their competition, and describe what unique value they can bring,” Prosser says. One way to do that persuasively is to “read the job description carefully and perfect your pitch to include accomplishments that match the job specs.”

1. 在众多竞争者中表现不够突出（67%的受访者提到这一点）。普罗塞说道，在被问到：“哪些个人特质让他们区别于其他竞争对手，并且描述他们能够带来哪些独特价值”时，大多数求职者谈得不够多，甚至根本没有正面回答。更有说服力的方法是“仔细阅读职务说明，完善自己的说辞，其中要包含与职务要求相匹配的成就。”

2. Don’t explain how their experience is a good fit for the job opening (64%). “Job seekers often don’t see the forest for the trees. They don’t evaluate what the company really needs—not just listing buzzwords, but showing from their past experience how they can solve problems,” says Prosser. Oddly, the survey suggested that candidates too often downplay their leadership experience, a “strength that should be communicated, even if it isn’t part of the formal requirements for the job.”

2. 没有解释自己的经验为什么适合空缺的职位（64%）。普罗塞表示：“求职者往往只见树木不见林。他们没有评估公司的真正需求——求职者不仅应列出专业术语，而且要在介绍经验的时候展示自己解决问题的能力。”奇怪的是，调查显示，求职者往往不重视他们的领导经验。但领导经验“是应该展示的优势，即便它不属于职位空缺的正式要求。”

3. Don’t show enough interest and excitement (56%). A job interview isn’t the time to play it cool, yet it seems some people do. “Telling a story can have a big impact,” Prosser advises. “Try to find something in your research on the company, the job, or the interviewer that really resonates with you and then share a personal story about it.” Candidates often underestimate the value of enthusiasm, she adds. “Remember, employers hire people, not resumes.” If you already seem to be just going through the motions, hiring managers wonder what you’ll be like to work with day in and day out.

3. 没有表现出足够的兴趣和热情（56%）。面试可不是摆酷的场合，但许多求职者似乎并未意识到这一点。普罗塞说道：“讲个故事能带来不错的效果。在调查公司、工作或面试官的时候，尽量寻找一些能够与你产生共鸣的东西，然后分享一个与此有关的个人经历。”她补充道，求职者往往会低估热情的价值。“记住，雇主招聘的是人，而不是简历。”如果你摆出一副走走过场的样子，招聘经理会考虑每天与你一起共事会是什么情形。

4. Focus too much on what they want, instead of on what the interviewer is saying (54%). Alas, according to this survey, most people aren’t good listeners. “In the initial phase of interviewing, the employer is mainly concerned about their needs and how the candidate might be able to fulfill those,” says Prosser. “So you need to get the interviewer talking in detail about what the real issues are, why the company is looking to hire, and what the ideal candidate for the job would be like.” Persuade an interviewer that you’re a great fit, she adds, and then you’ll have his or her attention when you bring up your own needs and goals—but not before.

4. 过于关注自己想要什么，而不是面试官在说什么（54%）。调查显示，大多数人并不是好的倾听者。普罗塞说道：“面试一开始，雇主主要关心他们的需求，以及求职者如何满足这些需求。所以你需要让雇主详细介绍公司的真正问题，为什么公司要进行招聘，以及职位空缺的理想人选是什么样子。”她补充道，设法让面试官相信你是恰当人选，然后当你提出自己的需要和目标时，才能得到他们的关注——但不能操之过急。

5. Believe they can “wing it” without enough preparation (53%).“Prepare for an interview the same way you would for a presentation to a boss or a client,” Prosser suggests. That includes “practice, practice, practice,” plus doing enough background research on each company, and each interviewer, to “anticipate what the hiring manager is likely to ask, and prepare substantive questions to ask them.” That might sound obvious, but about 40% of headhunters and coaches in the OI poll said they’ve seen candidates go in to an interview knowing zip about the employer or the job.

5. 没有做足准备，相信自己可以“即兴表演”（53%）。普罗塞建议：“要像为老板或客户准备演示一样，准备自己的面试。”需要做的准备工作包括“练习、练习、再练习”，对每一家公司和每一位面试官进行充分的背景调查，“预想招聘经理会提哪些问题，并准备一些向他们提问的实质性问题。”虽然这听起来理所当然，但在OI公司的调查中，约有40%的猎头和职业教练表示，他们见过许多来面试，但却对雇主或公司一无所知的求职者。

One more suggestion: Be yourself. One in three (33%) lamented the number of candidates who “lack humor, warmth, or personality” in interviews. To be sure, that may be partly because some people freeze up when they’re nervous. Even so, Prosser says, “Be real and sincere. Most hiring managers will see through an act.”

外一条建议：做好自己。有三分之一（33%）受访者感叹“缺乏幽默、热情或个性”的求职者太多了。确实，人们在紧张的时候容易怯场。但即便如此，普罗塞还是建议：“要做到真实诚恳。大多数招聘经理都能看穿一个人的行为。”