Worldwide Panel LLC, a small market-research firm, is getting flooded with resumes for four vacancies in sales and information technology.

小型市場研究公司Worldwide Panel LLC準備招聘4名銷售和IT技術人員，結果收到了大量簡歷。

However, officials expect to reject numerous applicants after asking them: 'What is your greatest weakness?' Candidates often respond 'with something that is not a weakness,' say Christopher Morrow, senior vice president of the Calabasas,Calif., concern. 'It is a deal breaker.'

不過，招聘人員預計，在向應聘者發問“你最大的缺點是什么？”之后，會有很多人被淘汰。Worldwide高級副總裁莫羅(Christopher Morrow)說，對這個問題，應聘者的回答往往并非缺點，他們因此過不了關。

The weakness question represents the most common and most stressful one posed during interviews. Yet in today's weak job market, the wrong answer weakens your chances of winning employment.

“缺點”問題是求職面試中最常見也最讓人頭痛的一個問題。而在眼下就業市場疲軟的情況下，不恰當的回答將降低你贏得工作的機會。

Some people offer replies they mistakenly assume that bosses love, such as 'I am a perfectionist.' That response will be used against you because you appear incapable of delegating, warns Joshua Ehrlich, dean of a master's program in executive coaching sponsored by BeamPines Inc., a New York coaching firm and Middlesex University in London.

一些應聘者會給出誤以為老板會喜歡的答案，比如，“我的缺點是過于追求完美”。對此埃里奇(Joshua Ehrlich)提醒說，這個回答會對你求職不利，因為它顯得你似乎沒有能力授權給他人。埃里奇是一個由紐約職業培訓機構BeamPines Inc.和倫敦米德塞克斯大學(Middlesex University)合辦的經理人碩士班培訓項目的負責人。

A careful game plan could help you cope with the shortcoming query in a way that highlights your fit for a desired position. Job seekers who field the question well demonstrate that they can 'take initiative and improve themselves,' Mr. Morrow says.

為對付這個問題，可事先精心設計好一個答案，以凸顯你適合所申請的這個職位。莫羅說，出色回答這個問題的求職者表現出他們能夠“主動行動，改善自己”。

The key? Thorough preparation. Career specialists suggest you take stock of your weaknesses, focusing on job-related ones that won't impede your ability to perform your duties. Tony Santora, an executive vice president for Right Management, a major outplacement firm inPhiladelphia, says an information-technology manager flubbed a 2007 interview by choosing a personal foible as his reply: 'My true weakness is that I am a terrible cook.'

關鍵在哪里？那就是充分的準備。職場專家建議，你可以整理一下自己的缺點，挑出其中跟工作有關、但又不會妨礙你行使工作職責的方面。費城大型職業介紹機構Right Management執行副總裁桑特拉(Tony Santora)說，2007年一位IT經理在參加面試時，在有關缺點的問題上敗下陣來：他的回答居然是，“我真正的缺點是，我的烹飪技術很糟糕。”

Rehearse your responses aloud, role play with a friend or videotape yourself -- but don't memorize your words. As you review the video, look for aspects you would like to change so you can continue to get better as you practice, says Peggy Klaus, a leadership coach in Berkeley, Calif.

大聲朗讀答案，可以找朋友或自己用錄像來一番角色扮演。不過，不要背誦自己的答案。加州管理培訓師克勞斯(Peggy Klaus)說，回頭看錄像的時候，找出你覺得可以改善的地方，這樣在練習時可以做得更好。

（中國日報網英語點津 Jennifer 編輯）