答：自从我祖母死于癌症，我就一直参与癌症协会资金筹集的工作。在我内心深处，我希望研究工作有所突破，以便及时挽救我家其他人的生命。
在这里，面试官想在应聘者身上寻找出持之以恒的精神和对兴趣从一而终的经历。你的爱好是否只维持了短短一段时间，或者你的兴趣每年都不同？你的兴趣与你所申请的工作是否一致?它们是否在某方面对公司有利呢？
Q:Other than work, tell me about an activity you"ve remained interested in over several years.
A:Ive been involved in Cancer Society fundraising ever since my grandmother died from the disease. In the back of my mind I guess Im hoping that the research can lead to findings in time to save the life of someone else in my family.
问：你在业余的时间里会做些什么？
答：我实在很喜欢外出——我经常去露营和远足，因此我对不同种类的布料有一定的认识，了解到不同的布料适合于不同的气候环境，这也是为什么我对你们纺织公司如此感兴趣的原因。
面试官希望你是个全能型人才，而不是只有某方面的能力，他也在寻找彼此共同的兴趣或者相一致的地方。你总是应该在某种程度上把你的回答和该工作的要求联系起来。
Q:What do you do in your spare time?
A:I really enjoy getting outside—I often go camping and hiking. I"ve learned a lot about different fabrics that are good for various weather conditions. That"s why I"m so interested in your textile operations.
问：你的生活方式健康吗？
答：我每周两次挤出时间休息。下班回家后我就带着狗出去散步，那是使我最放松的事情之一，它还有助我想出工作中出现的难题的解决方法，尽管我不是有意识地去想着解决这些难题。
你有发泄情感、能从工作中获得休息，以便每天都能以新面貌出现且以最佳的状态去工作的方法吗？描述一些能让你放松的具体事情。从逻辑角度或思维过程看来，你的个人兴趣与职业兴趣相一致吗？
Q:Do you have a balanced lifestyle?
A:I make an effort to get out of the office at a reasonable hour twice a week. I go home and walk my dog. Thats one of the most relaxing things I do, but it often helps me think of solutions for problems at work, even though I"m not consciously trying to solve those problems.
问：什么业余活动能增进你的工作兴趣？
答：我一直都很喜欢打网球。在许多方面，这是一种讲究策略和速度的运动。当某种策略在第一局中不起作用的时候，你必须在第二局中改变它。你还必须保存体力准备进入第三局，而且要不断地观察和了解对手的反应。我是个坚毅的网球手——有时我力争拿高分——不过我会小心掌握时间。这也是我的工作方法。
面试官有兴趣知道，应聘者的个性是否在工作和业余活动中都反映出来。你对这个问题的回答会清楚地反映你的个性，也很可能反映你与该工作的相容性。
Q:What outside activities complement your workinterests?
A:Ive always enjoyed tennis. In many ways it"s a game of strategy and pacing. When something isnt working in the first set, you have to change your strategy for the second set. You also have to pace your energy in case you go to a third set, and constantly watch and read your opponent"s reactions. I"m a gutsy tennis player—I go for the big points sometimesbut I"m careful with timing. Thats the way I am at work, too.
问：谈谈你在业余消遣时所获得的对你工作有帮助的构思。
答：我在墨西哥度假时曾见过一个女人使用一块自制的跷跷板，当她要把篮子里的衣服拿出来洗时，她就用这块跷跷板把篮子提起来。这使我想出一个制造新型支架的主意。上班后，我把支架设计出来了，现在我们的彻砖工人都配有一个及腰的旋转工作台来运送材料，这样就可以减轻背部疲劳。
面试官想知道你是否有综合处理信息和把你所见到的应用到工作上的能力。要表现出你对该工作有天生的兴趣，而非不得已而为之。你能否能突破陈规而得出新的办法呢？一定要举些具体的例子。
Q:Tell me about a time you were in a recreational setting and got an idea that helped in your work.
A:I was on vacation in Mexico and saw a woman with a homemade seesaw she was using to lift her laundry basket when she needed something out of it. It gave me an idea for a new type of scaffolding, which I designed when I got back to work. Now our brick masons have a rotating bench that keeps their materials at waist level, which reduces back fatigue.
问：在你所喜爱的活动中，你的个性是如何表现出来的？
答：我喜欢烹饪和招待客人，这是一个销售人员的素质在我身上的体现。我喜欢与他人分享经验，而且为人爽直。我尤其不喜欢独处，总觉得我该干点什么的。
描述一下从工作到休息，你天生的技能与自身的价值是怎样在你所做的各种事情中表现出来的。你认为怎样才算是舒适的工作方式？例如：周到精细的个性就不同于爱冒险、爱刺激的个性。
Q:How is your personality reflected in the kinds ofactivities you enjoy?
A:I love to cook and entertain. Thats the salesman coming out in me. I love sharing experiences with people, and I"m very outgoing. I dont particularly enjoy being alone. I always feel as if I should be doing something.
问：什么业余活动有助于你将工作做得更好？
答：我喜欢在午餐时间坐在户外与学生们聊天，这让我能呼吸新鲜空气，也能使学生们与我在一起时感到更舒适。这样，当有需要时，他们更乐意寻求我的帮助。
招聘者想知道你有发泄感情并从中得到放松的方法。几乎任何爱好或者业余活动都有助于你更有效率地工作，但如果你能直接把业余活动与工作表现联系起来，那就再好不过了。
Q:What kinds of leisure activities help you perform your work better?
A:I enjoy sitting outside during lunch and talking with students. It gives me a chance to get fresh air, but it also helps the students get comfortable with me, so theyre more likely to seek my help when they need it.
问：你做些什么事情使自己放松？
答：我有一个大家庭，周末对我来说就像度假一样。当我上班时，我集中精力工作；周末回到家时，我就把工作远远抛在脑后。我做过的最明智的事情之一就是搬到离城镇20公里的地方去，即使开车回家也可以让我放松。
承认休息时不去考虑工作的事情也不是一件坏事，该求职者在展现有关他个性的一些附加信息外，还让面试官知道他已为工作日储存了大量的精力。
Q:What do you do to relax?
A:I have a great family. Weekends are like a vacation for me. When Im at work, I focus on work, but when I"m home on weekends, work really is far from my mind.
One of the smartest things I did was to move twenty miles outside of town; even the drive home is relaxing.
问：假如你发现自己精疲力竭，你将会做些什么事情来恢复精力？
答：我不会让自己陷入一种公式化的工作模式中直到精力耗尽，我是那种永远要求新的使命以保持自己的动力与兴趣的人。
你能否节制自己过度地耗费精力？你的工作效率不高时，你会发现吗？你会做些事情来对付你的压力吗？
Q:If you found yourself getting burned out, what would you do to revitalize your energy?
A:I dont allow myself to get involved in a routine to the point that I get burned out. I"ve always been the type of person who asks for new assignments so that I stay motivated and interested.
问：我们公司认为雇员应花时间参加社团活动，你怎么看待这种想法？
答：我也赞成这种想法。我前一份工作是当经理，当时，我告诉每一个雇员：他们可以每月一次在星期五下午上班的时间，为他们自愿参与的慈善团体服务，只要他们不同时在同一个星期五去就行了。出乎意料之外，生产效率一点儿也没有降低，我想星期五下午或许并不是高效率的时候。我就把下午的时间用在阅读。
描述一下你自愿为某社会团体或者组织作贡献的经历。你比预料中做得更好吗？你有效地运用了你的技能吗？作为一个队员你是否大公无私？说明一下你的个人兴趣是如何使你即使在没有任何报酬时，也能高效率地工作的？除了支票以外，什么动机能激励你这样工作？
Q:Our company believes that employees should give time back to the community. How do you feel about it?
A:I believe that, too. In my last job as manager I told each of my employees that they could spend one Friday afternoon a month at a charity of their choice on company time as long as they werent all gone on the same Fridays. Ironically,
productivity didn"t decrease at all; they got more done in the morning—and I guess Friday afternoons weren"t that productive to begin with. I"ve spent my afternoons with an adult reading program.
问：什么社区项目能用得上你的专业技能并且使你特别感兴趣？
答：作为一个营销人员，我已免费给本地中学的筹集资金者提供了意见，还帮助地方不动产办公室设法提高农业区不动产的价值。
面试官想知道应聘者是不是一个好的合作伙伴，这个问题也让面试官感觉到应聘者的价值。尝试把你回答的重点放在与工作有关技能的应用方面，不要偏离话题而描述一个不能说明你工作技能的事业上，避免讨论任何有可能引起争论的慈善团体或者组织。
Q:What community projects that can use your professional skills are particularly interesting to you?
A:As a marketing person, I"ve offered free advice to our local high school for its fundraisers, as well as to a local realestate office whose success could help my rural community"s realestate values.
问：假如你有许多业余时间，你会怎样利用它？
答：拥有大量的业余时间是再高兴不过的事情了，也许我会去旅行，学另一门语言，花更多的时间在我参加的两个慈善团体上，我还会学更多的有关会计学的课程。
在回答这个问题时，说明你会利用时间提高你的技能，或者回报社会，或者做好事。可能的话，选择与职业或者工作相关联的活动。例如：如果你在销售部门工作，就说你会参加青年促进协会，教授年轻人有关经商职业的知识。你的回答要表现出你工作的干劲和能力，以及天生的好奇心。不要说像“我不知道，我只想放松”之类的话。
Q:If you had unlimited leisure time, how would you spend that time?
A:I dont think I could ever be happy with lots of spare time. Id probably travel, learn another language, and spend more time with my two charities. I"d also take more courses in accounting.
问：在团队工作或纪律方面，一项运动或爱好是如何让你受益的？
答：高中时的足球教练教我要密切注意其他人，这样，别人会在你需要他掩护的时候来掩护你。我已把这种规则用在我所有的工作组里，特别是用在贸易领域里。
谈一次你不借助团队的力量去获得预期的成果。举出具体的例子，然后解释你如何把同样的技能或经验、教训应用于你的工作上。
Q:Describe how a sport or hobby taught you a lesson in teamwork or discipline.
A:My football coach from high school taught me always to watch out for the other guy. If you do, he"ll cover you when you need him to. I"ve applied that principle in all my work groups, especially on the trading floor.
问：不上班的时候，你愿意继续按时间表去工作还是宁愿顺其自然？为什么？
答：我的作息时间是很有计划的，因为通常我一天要开4～5个会。周末，我喜欢制定计划，但并不一定是一套固定的计划。计划本身对我来说是调节了生活节奏，使我得到放松。如果一点也不计划，我会感到在浪费时间。
无论你怎样回答，注意要紧扣你所面试的工作。例如：会计是一种要求严格和精确的职业，你的回答就应该表现出你是个热衷于制定计划和做事精确的人。然而，对于销售行业来说，这个问题从本质上来说反映了你的个性，同时它还反映了你对工作的适应能力。
Q:When you aren"t at work, do you prefer to stick to a schedule, or do you prefer to be spontaneous? Why?
A:My workday is very structured because I"m generally in four or five meetings a day. On the weekends, I like to have a plan, but not necessarily a set schedule. That in itself is a relaxing change of pace for me, but I feel I"d be wasting time with no plan at all.
问：说说你放弃的一个兴趣。
答：早期，我想成为一个专门从事医学研究的医师。于是，我花大量的时间在化学实验室，接着我意识到我并不希望在往后的两年里继续呆在实验室里工作，那就是我改行选择从事销售医学仪器工作的原因。这就把我对医学专业的敬重与一份适合我个性的工作联系了起来。
说说你以前拥有的但现在放弃的兴趣或者爱好，确定这种兴趣在某种程度上与你面试的工作没有联系。谈一下你不感兴趣的原因和它怎样与你现时的兴趣不相容。一定要谈谈你现时的兴趣怎样与你的职业有关联。
Q:Tell me about an interest that you outgrew.
A:Early on, I wanted to be a research physician. Then I spent time in a chemistry lab and realized I wasnt looking forward to the next two years of lab work. That"s why I"ve chosen marketing for medical equipment instead. It combines my respect for the medical profession with a job that"s more suited to my personality.
问：描述一部你看过的、确实对你有启迪的电影。
答：我喜欢《飞越疯人院》这部令人感到压抑的电影中一个片段。有一个镜头是这样的：护士小姐拒绝打开电视，当时电视正在播放世界棒球联赛。因此，杰克·尼科尔森看着空白的荧光屏，并开始叙述比赛的情况，就好像那场比赛真的正在进行那行。其余的病人聚集在他的周围，伴随比赛的进行。我想那一幕就是想像的力量起作用的一个例子吧。
说明你可以从书本、电影等广泛的资料中吸取知识的能力，告诉面试官具体的一本或一部你能从中学到东西的书或电影。说说你如何运用那些方面知识并用在哪些方面。
Q:Describe a movie you"ve seen that really inspired you.
A:I loved one part of an otherwise depressing movie, One Flew over the Cuckoo"s Nest. In one scene the nurse refuses to turn on the TV for the World Series, so Jack Nicholson looks at the blank screen and starts narrating as though the game were actually on. The other patients gather around him and follow the game. I thought that scene was an example of the power of visualization in making things happen.