公司和求职者之间的招聘与欺骗(上)

招聘过程可以被看作是真诚和欺骗之间的一场战斗。你可能会认为这是追求真实的公司和自我推销的应聘者之间的一场简单斗争，在某种程度上的确如此。但企业本身也往往会扭曲现实并弄巧成拙。

双语精读

Hire, liar: Job candidates are not the only ones prone to exaggeration and a lack of realism.

招聘与欺骗：容易夸大其词且不注重实际的不只是求职者

Hiring processes can be thought of as a battle between candour and dishonesty. You might imagine this is a simple fight between truth-seeking firms and self-promoting candidates, and to a certain extent it is. But companies themselves are prone to bend reality out of shape in ways that are self-defeating.

招聘过程可以被看作是真诚和欺骗之间的一场战斗。你可能会认为这是追求真实的公司和自我推销的应聘者之间的一场简单斗争，在某种程度上的确如此。但企业本身也往往会扭曲现实并弄巧成拙。

Start with the obvious culprits: job applicants. The point of a CV or a LinkedIn profile is to massage reality into the most appealing shape possible.

先从明显的罪魁祸首说起：求职者。简历或领英个人资料的用处是尽可能地将现实美化成最具吸引力的形象。

Everyone beyond a certain level of experience is a transformational leader personally responsible for generating millions in revenue; the world economy would be about 15 times bigger than it actually is if all such claims were true.

超过一定经验水平的人都是能带来革新的领导者，全凭个人创造了数百万美元的收入，如果这些说法都是真的，那么世界经济规模将是实际规模的15倍左右。

The average Briton spends four and a half hours a day watching TV and online videos. But the average job candidate uses their spare time only for worthy purposes, like volunteering in soup kitchens or teaching orphans to code.

英国人平均每天花四个半小时看电视和网络视频。但普通求职者只把业余时间用于有价值的事，比如在施舍处做志愿者，或者教孤儿编程。

The cover letter is so open in its insincerity ("When I saw the advertisement for this job, I almost fainted with excitement") that people are starting not to bother with it. At the interview stage one task facing the firm's recruiters is to winkle out the truth of what a person actually contributed to a project.

求职信的不真诚已经到了开诚布公的地步（当我看到这份工作的招聘广告时，我几乎兴奋得晕倒了），以至于人们变得根本懒得去读它。在面试阶段，公司招聘人员的一项任务是努力弄清这个人到底对项目做出了什么贡献。

Those hoary questions about a candidate's weaknesses and failures are there for a reason; no one will bring them up unprompted. Cognitive and behavioural tests are useful in part because they are harder for applicants to game.

关于应聘者有何缺点和失败经历的老掉牙的问题是有存在必要的，毕竟没有人会主动谈起这些话题。认知和行为测试之所以有用，在一定程度上是因为申请者更难在这上面钻空子。

But a tendency to stretch the truth infects companies as well as applicants. The typical firm will write a job description that invariably describes the work environment as fast-paced and innovative, and then lays out a set of improbable requirements for the "ideal candidate", someone who almost by definition does not exist.

但是，歪曲事实的倾向不仅影响应聘者，也影响公司。这类典型的公司会写一份工作职责说明，其中描述的工作环境总是快节奏和充满创新氛围的，然后对理想的候选人提出一系列不可能达到的要求，符合要求的人几乎是不可能存在的。

Sometimes -- as when ads demand more years of experience in a programming language than that language has existed for -- these requirements include an ability to go back and alter the course of history.

有时（比如招聘启事要求对某种编程语言的经验比该语言存在的时间还长）要达到这些要求，需要有回到过去、改写历史的能力。

词汇预习

economy [高考]
美[ɪˈkɑːnəmi] | 英[ɪˈkɒnəmi]
n. 经济；节约 adj. 经济的；廉价的
code [高考]
美[koʊd] | 英[kəʊd]
n. 密码；法规；准则 v. 制成法典；把 ... 编码
ideal [高考]
美[aɪˈdiːəl] | 英[aɪˈdiːəl]
adj. 理想的；完美的；空想的；观念的 n. 理想；典范；目标
definition [高考]
美[ˌdefɪˈnɪʃn] | 英[ˌdefɪˈnɪʃn]
n. 定义；阐释；清晰度
stretch [高考]
美[stretʃ] | 英[stretʃ]
v. 伸展；延伸；伸出；舒展 n. 伸展；弹性；舒展；一片 adj.有弹力的
revenue [高考]
美[ˈrevənuː] | 英[ˈrevənjuː]
n. 税收；收入；税务局
alter [高考]
美[ˈɔːltər] | 英[ˈɔːltə(r)]
v. 改变；更改；阉割；切除卵巢
extent [高考]
美[ɪkˈstent] | 英[ɪkˈstent]
n. 广度；宽度；长度；大小；范围；程度 n. [律][英]扣押； [美]临时所有权令
demand [高考]
美[dɪˈmænd] | 英[dɪˈmɑːnd]
n. 要求；需求 v. 要求；查问；需要
lack [高考]
美[læk] | 英[læk]
n. 缺乏；无 v. 缺乏；不足
battle [高考]
美[ˈbætl] | 英[ˈbætl]
n. 战斗；争斗 v. 与 ... 作战；与 ... 竞争
obvious [高考]
美[ˈɑːbviəs] | 英[ˈɒbviəs]
adj.明显的;显著的;平淡无奇的;自明
bend [高考]
美[bend] | 英[bend]
v. 弯曲；使弯曲；屈服；屈从；集中于 n. 弯曲；弯道
description [高考]
美[dɪˈskrɪpʃn] | 英[dɪˈskrɪpʃn]
n. 描述；刻画；类型；说明书
tendency [高考]
美[ˈtendənsi] | 英[ˈtendənsi]
n. 趋势；倾向；秉性
candidate [高考]
美[ˈkændɪdət] | 英[ˈkændɪdət]
n. 候选人；应试者
personally [高考]
美[ˈpɜːrsənəli] | 英[ˈpɜːsənəli]
adv. 就个人而言；亲自地；个别地；作为个人；有私交地
worthy [高考]
美[ˈwɜːrði] | 英[ˈwɜːði]
adj. 有价值的；可尊敬的；值得的；配得上的 n. 知名人士；杰出人物
self [高考]
美[self] | 英[self]
n. 自己；本性；自我 pron. 我自己；你自己；他或她自己 adj.同一的；纯净的；单一的 v. 近亲繁殖；自花授粉
lack of [高考]
美[læk ʌv] | 英[læk ɔv]
缺乏
in part [高考]
美[ɪn pɑːrt] | 英[ɪn pɑːt]
部分地
profile [高考]
美[ˈproʊfaɪl] | 英[ˈprəʊfaɪl]
n. 侧面；轮廓；形象；简介 v. 描绘 ... 轮廓；评论人物
liar [高考]
美[ˈlaɪər] | 英[ˈlaɪə(r)]
n. 说谎者；骗子
would [高考]
美[wʊd , wəd] | 英[wʊd , wəd]
aux. 将；可能；大概；总会；愿意；will的过去式
innovative [四级]
美[ˈɪnəveɪtɪv] | 英[ˈɪnəveɪtɪv]
adj. 创新的；革新的
invariably [四级]
美[ɪnˈveriəbli] | 英[ɪnˈveəriəbli]
adv. 不变地；总是；一贯地
massage [四级]
美[məˈsɑːʒ] | 英[ˈmæsɑːʒ]
n. 按摩 v. 按摩；用...揉擦；美化（事实）；虚报（数量）
dishonesty [四级]
美[dɪsˈɑnɪsti] | 英[dɪs'ɒnɪsti:]
n. 不诚实；不法行为
responsible for [四级]
美[rɪˈspɑnsəbəl fɔr] | 英[riˈspɔnsəbl fɔ:]
负责是 ... 的原因
appealing [四级]
美[əˈpiːlɪŋ] | 英[əˈpiːlɪŋ]
adj. 引起兴趣的；动人的；恳求的
exaggeration [四级]
美[ɪɡˌzædʒəˈreʃən] | 英[ɪgˌzædʒəˈreɪʃn]
n. 夸张；夸大
prone [六级]
美[proʊn] | 英[prəʊn]
adj. 易于 ... 的；有 ... 倾向的；俯卧的
out of [六级]
美[aʊt ʌv] | 英[aut ɔv]
prep. 离…一段距离；从…里；离开 ...；出于
saw [专八]
美[sɔː] | 英[sɔː]
n. 锯；谚语，格言 v. 锯，用锯割开；看见，明白（see的过去式）
hoary [专八]
美[ˈhɔri, ˈhori] | 英[ˈhɔ:ri]
adj. 灰白的；古老的
improbable [考研]
美[ɪmˈprɑbəbl] | 英[ɪmˈprɒbəbl]
adj. 不大可能的；不像会发生的；似不可信的

重点讲解

Hire, liar: Job candidates are not the only ones prone to exaggeration and a lack of realism.

招聘与欺骗：容易夸大其词且不注重实际的不只是求职者

prone a.

1. 易于遭受；有做（坏事）的倾向

【例】Some plants are very prone to disease.

有些植物很容易得病。

【例】injury-prone 容易受伤的

2. 俯卧的

【例】The victim lay prone without moving.

受害人趴在地上一动不动。

to… extent 到…程度；在…程度上

【例】To a certain extent, we are all responsible for this tragic situation.

我们都在某种程度上对这悲惨的局面负有责任。

【例】To some extent what she argues is true.

她的论证在某种程度上是符合事实的。

out of shape
1. 变形的；走样的

【例】The wheel had been twisted out of shape.

轮子已经扭曲变形了。

2. 健康状况不好

【例】I was feeling totally out of shape.

我感到身体状况很不好。

Hiring processes can be thought of as a battle between candour and dishonesty. You might imagine this is a simple fight between truth-seeking firms and self-promoting candidates, and to a certain extent it is. But companies themselves are prone to bend reality out of shape in ways that are self-defeating.

prone a.

1. 易于遭受；有做（坏事）的倾向

【例】Some plants are very prone to disease.

有些植物很容易得病。

【例】injury-prone 容易受伤的

2. 俯卧的

【例】The victim lay prone without moving.

受害人趴在地上一动不动。

to… extent 到…程度；在…程度上

【例】To a certain extent, we are all responsible for this tragic situation.

我们都在某种程度上对这悲惨的局面负有责任。

【例】To some extent what she argues is true.

她的论证在某种程度上是符合事实的。

out of shape
1. 变形的；走样的

【例】The wheel had been twisted out of shape.

轮子已经扭曲变形了。

2. 健康状况不好

【例】I was feeling totally out of shape.

我感到身体状况很不好。

Start with the obvious culprits: job applicants. The point of a CV or a LinkedIn profile is to massage reality into the most appealing shape possible.

先从明显的罪魁祸首说起：求职者。简历或领英个人资料的用处是尽可能地将现实美化成最具吸引力的形象。

culprit n.

1. 罪犯

【例】The police quickly identified the real culprits.

警方很快查出了真正的罪犯。

2. 问题的起因；罪魁祸首

【例】High production costs are the main culprit.

生产成本高是主要原因。

massage v. & n.

1. 作动词

（1）为…按摩，给…推拿

【例】He massaged the aching muscles in her feet.

他给她按摩脚上疼痛的肌肉。

（2）美化（事实）；虚报（数量）

【例】The government was accused of massaging the unemployment figures.

政府被指责谎报了失业数字。

2. 作名词：按摩

【例】Massage will help the pain.

按摩能减轻疼痛。

超过一定经验水平的人都是能带来革新的领导者，全凭个人创造了数百万美元的收入，如果这些说法都是真的，那么世界经济规模将是实际规模的15倍左右。

purpose n.

1. 意图；目的

【例】Our campaign's main purpose is to raise money.

我们这次活动的主要目的就是募款。

2. 重要意义；有价值的意义

【例】Volunteer work gives her life a sense of purpose.

做志愿工作使她的生活有了意义。

3. 意志；毅力

【例】He has enormous confidence and strength of purpose.

他信心十足，意志坚强。

【拓展】on purpose 故意；有意地

【例】He did it on purpose, knowing it would annoy her.

他明知会激怒她，却故意那么做。

The average Briton spends four and a half hours a day watching TV and online videos. But the average job candidate uses their spare time only for worthy purposes, like volunteering in soup kitchens or teaching orphans to code.

英国人平均每天花四个半小时看电视和网络视频。但普通求职者只把业余时间用于有价值的事，比如在施舍处做志愿者，或者教孤儿编程。

purpose n.

1. 意图；目的

【例】Our campaign's main purpose is to raise money.

我们这次活动的主要目的就是募款。

2. 重要意义；有价值的意义

【例】Volunteer work gives her life a sense of purpose.

做志愿工作使她的生活有了意义。

3. 意志；毅力

【例】He has enormous confidence and strength of purpose.

他信心十足，意志坚强。

【拓展】on purpose 故意；有意地

【例】He did it on purpose, knowing it would annoy her.

他明知会激怒她，却故意那么做。

The cover letter is so open in its insincerity ("When I saw the advertisement for this job, I almost fainted with excitement") that people are starting not to bother with it. At the interview stage one task facing the firm's recruiters is to winkle out the truth of what a person actually contributed to a project.

求职信的不真诚已经到了开诚布公的地步（当我看到这份工作的招聘广告时，我几乎兴奋得晕倒了），以至于人们变得根本懒得去读它。在面试阶段，公司招聘人员的一项任务是努力弄清这个人到底对项目做出了什么贡献。

bother v. & n.

1. 作动词

（1）花费时间精力（做某事）

【例】I don't know why you bother with that crowd.

我弄不懂你为什么和那伙人浪费时间。

（2）使（某人）烦恼；打扰

【例】Stop bothering me when I'm working.

我工作时别来烦我。

2. 作名词

（1）麻烦；困难

【例】It’s an old car, but it’s never caused me any bother.

这是辆旧车，但从来不给我添麻烦。

（2）令人烦恼事物/人

【例】I hope I haven't been a bother.

希望我没烦扰你。

winkle out

1. 把（某人）赶出来

【例】Government critics were winkled out of their positions of influence.

批评政府的人士被解除了重要职位。

2. 搞到，套出（信息等）

【例】Candy was very good at winkling out secrets.

坎迪极善于探听秘密。

关于应聘者有何缺点和失败经历的老掉牙的问题是有存在必要的，毕竟没有人会主动谈起这些话题。认知和行为测试之所以有用，在一定程度上是因为申请者更难在这上面钻空子。

game n. & v. & a.

1. 作名词

（1）游戏；比赛

【例】They're in training for the big game.

他们正在为大赛进行训练。

（2）行业；职业

【例】How long have you been in this game?

你干这行当多长时间了？

（3）诡计；策略

【例】So that's his game.

原来这就是他的鬼把戏。

2. 作动词：钻制度的空子；不公平地利用

【例】Some companies only received a government grant because they gamed the system.

一些公司钻了这个制度的空子而得到了政府补助。

3. 作形容词：甘愿尝试；有冒险精神

【例】She's game for anything.

她什么事都敢试。

But a tendency to stretch the truth infects companies as well as applicants. The typical firm will write a job description that invariably describes the work environment as fast-paced and innovative, and then lays out a set of improbable requirements for the "ideal candidate", someone who almost by definition does not exist.

但是，歪曲事实的倾向不仅影响应聘者，也影响公司。这类典型的公司会写一份工作职责说明，其中描述的工作环境总是快节奏和充满创新氛围的，然后对理想的候选人提出一系列不可能达到的要求，符合要求的人几乎是不可能存在的。

stretch v. & n.

1. 作动词

（1）拉长；伸展

【例】He stretched and yawned lazily.

他伸了伸懒腰，打了个哈欠。

（2）延伸，延续

【例】The town's history stretches back to before 1500.

该镇的历史可以上溯到公元 1500 年以前。

（3）滥用；随意扭曲

【例】He admitted that he had maybe stretched the truth a little.

他承认可能有点言过其实了。

2. 作名词

（1）一片，一段

【例】a particularly dangerous stretch of road 特别危险的路段

（2）（连续的）一段时间

【例】She doesn’t leave the house for long stretches of time.

她不会长时间离开这房子。

improbable a.

1. 不大可能真实的（或发生的）；

【例】an improbable story 大概不是真实的故事

2. 奇异的；荒谬的

【例】improbable combinations of colours 奇异的颜色组合

Sometimes --**** as**** when**** ads demand**** more**** years of**** experience**** in**** a programming language**** than**** that**** language**** has existed for --**** these requirements**** include an**** ability to**** go**** back**** and alter the course**** of**** history.****

有时（比如招聘启事要求对某种编程语言的经验比该语言存在的时间还长）要达到这些要求，需要有回到过去、改写历史的能力。

课后练习

In the hiring process, ____.
A. honest applicants tend to win out
B. both candidates and companies may tell lies
C. applicants often find recruiters untrustworthy
D. misinformation brings unnecessary costs
A job applicant’s CV typically ____.
A. lacks the necessary details
B. exaggerates personal achievements
C. fails to meet job requirements
D. displays after-work activities
How do recruiters find out the truth about applicants?
A. They require applicants to write a cover letter.
B. They ask applicants to learn from their failures.
C. They contact the former employers of applicants.
D. They conduct objective cognitive and behavioral tests.
According to the text, many job requirements are ____.
A. normal and dull
B. selective and demanding
C. unreasonable and impractical
D. novel and unexpected