Book 5 Unit 4 Reading

Lesson 4　Put Your Best Foot Forward

Reading

　　Self-introductions are a major part of the interview¹ for admission² to a school. Squeezing³ your unique abilities and dreams into one or two minutes, however, may seem as impossible as stuffing⁴ an elephant into a Volkswagen Beetle^ž. With such a short amount of time to give someone a clear idea of who you are, what you’re interested in, and why you want to apply to that school, it is crucial⁵ that you prepare an impressive self-introduction. Below are five easy steps for designing a self-introduction that makes you stand out. They are based on what business people call the “elevator pitch⁶.” This describes a situation such as running into the CEO^ž of a large corporation⁷ in the elevator, where you need to sell yourself to him or her in a very short time. Following these steps will help you prepare a powerful self-introduction and avoid some common mistakes.

　　自我介紹是申請入學時相當重要的一部分。然而，將你獨特的能力與夢想壓縮進一兩分鐘內，可能就像把一隻大象塞進一臺嬌小的福斯金龜車一樣，似乎是不可能的。要在這麼短的時間裡，讓人清楚地知道你是什麼樣的人、你的興趣為何以及為何你想申請那間學校，準備令人印象深刻的自我介紹是重要的。以下是五個設計出讓你出眾的自我介紹的簡單步驟。它們是根據商務人士所謂的「電梯推銷術」而來。所謂的電梯推銷指的是在某些情境下，例如在電梯裡巧遇一間大公司的執行長時，當下你需要在短時間內向執行長自我推銷。遵循這些步驟可幫助你準備一個強而有力的自我介紹，並避免一些常見的錯誤。

POINT 1 Clarify8 your choice of school and your field of study. It is important that you specify9 what subject you’d like to major in and why. Then, give your reasons for choosing that particular school. Briefly talk about your educational and career10 goals and how your choices will help you achieve them.

要點一：闡明你選擇的學校及研究領域。

具體說明你想主修什麼科目以及原因是重要的。接著，說明你為何想選擇該校就讀。簡短地談論你的教育及職業目標以及你選擇的校系將如何助你達成它們。

POINT 2 Add things that the interviewers should know about you. The next step is to list any clubs that you have been a member of. You can also talk about any volunteer or work experience that you have. Naming some extracurricularž skills and accomplishments11 will highlight12 some of your other talents. It will also show that you are a well-roundedž student.

 

要點二：補充面試者應該知道有關於你的經歷。

下一步，列出你所曾參與過的社團。你也可以談談任何你有的志工或工作經驗。列舉一些課外的技能及成就將可以強調你其他的一些才華。它也將會展現出你是個多才多藝的學生。

POINT 3 Format13 it. The best pitches answer three questions: Who are you? What can you do? What do you want to do? Stick to around 150 words for your whole pitch. If it’s too short, your interviewers won’t find out what makes you an ideal14 candidate15. If it’s too long, you’ll bore them with unnecessary details. Edit16 your pitch until you’ve kept only the most relevant17 points.

 

要點三：編排你的自我介紹。

最好的自我推銷回答三個問題：你是誰？你能做什麼？你想要做什麼？自我推銷要保持大約一百五十個英文字左右。如果你的自我推銷太簡短，你的面試官將無法得知讓你成為理想候選人的特質。如果你的自我推銷太冗長，你會以太多不必要的細節讓面試官們覺得無聊厭煩。編輯你的自我推銷，直到你只留下最相關的要點。

POINT 4 Practice your pitch until it is perfect. Even pitches that are written well can sound too formal or roboticž when you say them out loud. This might give the interviewers the impression that your pitch is more like an infomercialž instead of being authenticž and sincere. To prevent18 this, try to ensure19 that your pitch sounds more like an interesting conversation. Once you’ve perfected20 the tone, it’s time to rehearse21 your pitch until it sounds natural. Practicing in front of the mirror and video-recording your pitch will show you what the interviewers see. Try the pitch out on friends or family members to get suggestions on how to make it even better.

 

要點四：練習自我推銷直到完美為止。

當你大聲說出你的自我推銷時，即使它編寫良好，也有可能聽起來太過正式或死板。這可能會讓面試官覺得你的自我推銷聽起來比較像電視購物節目，缺乏真實感與誠意。為了避免這樣的情形發生，試著確保你的推銷聽起來比較像是進行一個有趣的對話。一旦你完美調整了你的語調，就開始排練你的自我推銷，直到它聽起來相當自然。在鏡子前練習，並錄下你的自我推銷，可以讓你看到面試官眼中的自己。在親友面前練習你的自我推銷，藉由他們的建議讓你的推銷更加完美。

POINT 5 Deliver22 it with confidence. No matter how excellent your pitch seems on paper, it will still fail if it’s not delivered well. Maintaining23 eye contact with the interviewers and having a smile will make you look more confident during your presentation24.

 

要點五：自信地表達自我。

無論你的自我行銷寫得再好，如果沒有妥善呈現的話，它還是會失敗。與面試官保持視線接觸並帶著微笑，將會幫你在報告期間看起來更有信心。

Example:

　　Hi, I’m Marvin. I’m from Tainan, and I’m 17 years old. There are two main reasons why I’d like to apply to this department²⁵. First, I’ve always loved English. I’m a member of the drama and debate clubs at school and often volunteer as an English storyteller at our local library. I also took part in some English singing contests, but I quickly realized that my spoken English is much better than my singing. Secondly, my goal is to become a salesperson for a foreign company. In order to do this, I’ll need to learn some essential business English skills. As you have exceptional professors²⁶, “English only” classes, and a good learning environment, your department can definitely help me achieve this goal. Finally, I think I’m an excellent student because I’m a hard-working, focused, and active learner. As long as I don’t need to sing, I’ll definitely be able to succeed in your English program!

範例

　　嗨！我是Marvin。我來自臺南，我十七歲。我之所以想要申請這個科系有兩個主要的原因。首先，我一直都熱愛英文。我在校是戲劇及辯論社的成員，並經常擔任志工，在我們當地的圖書館說英語故事。我也曾參與過一些英語歌唱比賽，但我很快地就發現我的英語說得比唱得好聽多了。其次，我的目標是成為外商公司的行銷人員。為了達成這個目標，我將需要學一些必要的商業英文技巧。因為貴校有傑出的教授群及「全英語」課程，也有良好的學習環境，在貴系就讀必定能協助我達成這個目標。最後，我認為我是個優秀的學生，因為我是個努力、專注且主動的學習者。只要我不需要唱歌，我一定能在貴系的英語課程中脫穎而出！