如何拒绝offer和辞职

在我上一篇博客里，我分析了自己最近面对的一个classic delimna. 这个星期，两个offers都来了！！ 当然很高兴拉，看着offer letters 上的base salary, bonus & relo, and other benefit，这些都是让我很兴奋的数字，比我现在的工作有很不错的增加。特别是那个小公司的offer, 工资开的很搞，很让我心动。 现在经济危机，job market也特别不好，我还很幸运的有2个offers 来选择，于是心存感激。

但是我要对其中一个offer say no. 说不，是一件很难的事情。 在事业和人生的道路上，我们都要面对很多需要说不的情况。也是如何有技巧的说不就成为了一个知道讨论的话题。这样往往是我们在工作的时候忽略的一项。

在拒绝工作offer的时候，很有必要写一封诚恳的感谢信。因为对方公司在你身上花了很多时间和精力 ，你也跟很多公司的员工，老板接触和交谈过。他们给你offer说明了对你能力的肯定，也是对你的一种信任。我们必须要对给于我们尊重，肯定和信任的人心存感激。在你信里要真诚的表示感谢，也表达自己愿意跟他们保持联系。这个对建立长久的professional relationship很很必要的，因为business is a small world，很有可能在事业的下一步你还会有机会跟这个公司或者这个hiring manager合作。

同样的道理，在写辞职信的时候，也请诚挚的表达你的谢意，让你的老板和同事知道你enjoy working with them and learned a lot from them. 通常情况下我都会把自己的联系方法告诉同事和老板，并且跟他们常常保持联系。

还有一些人，你也要跟他们update你的新工作。每次换工作，都给你提供了一个很好的networking的机会。比起在需要帮助的时候才联络他们，这是一个多么愉快而有效的机会阿。

请记住，在你的career中有过交集的人都是你networking的机会。常常有读者写信问我，如何才能networking，呵呵，其实秘诀就是一点一滴的积累，在不需要别人帮助的时候才是最好的networking 的机会。还有哦，有付出才有收获，networking也是这样，give and take，所以请也热心的帮助你的朋友同事，特别是我们中国同胞。 ：）

Classic Dilemma

I haven’t written for this blog for a while. I was busy with other things in my life, such as green card application, house hunting, reading tones of books, and job hunting. Yes, I have been looking a new position inactively for the last two months. Even though my job is stable at this moment, I learn early on that the best time to look a job is when you still have a job. For me, I always believe that you should never stop looking for next step in your career, or things to do to improve yourself.

Both opportunities came in the same week, and interviews were scheduled fairly quickly. I just finished all the interviews with both companies, and now in the waiting mode. While I was telling those two opportunities to my friend yesterday over coffee, I realized it is the classic dilemma many people will face in their careers: Big corporate vs. Small company. Therefore, I decide to share my own experiences and thoughts with you.

Company A: it is the leader in the industry, a major competitor of my current company.

Company B: a small company in a nicer geographic location.

While they both offer a similar position, they have different pros & cons:

Big corporate:

Pros:

· Golden name: it will look better in the resume. It is always easier to move from a big company to a small one, but verse vise could be difficult. This is even important when you want to move back to China eventually, a big name is certainly very marketable.

· More resources and budget: It means less stress work and more work-life balance.

· Better benefit

Cons:

· Hard to get promotion or pay increase: big corporate is not very flexible in terms of pay due to the detail compensation policy. It is hard to get promotion or pay raise, usually it will takes years.

· Not many challenges: there are not many other things you can do outside of your job scope and tasks. Based on my personal experience, big corporate job can be boring.

· Lack of recognitions: it is hard to navigate through a big company with tens thousands of employers. A lot of times you don’t know many people outside of your team. Therefore, hardly anyone knows what you do and how good you are.

Small Company:

Pros:

· Recognitions and engagements: in a small company, it is not uncommon that a lot people within the organization know you. You get more respects and recognitions for your accomplishments.

· Easier Promotion and Pay Raise: small company often is flexible in the salary. If you are a top performer and bring value to your company, it is easier to negotiate a pay raise or promotion than in big corporate.

· Challenges: employees in a small company are expected to work very hard, and play multiple roles. Therefore, you often end up with a lot of work in different areas. It will keep you busy and challenge you. You will certainly learn a lot in a short period of time.

Cons:

· No name: less recognizable name adds much less value in your resume

· Less resources and more stress

· Less job security (of course, nowadays there is no more stable or job security. Both small and big companies’ employees are facing mass layoff possibility.)

I think what you choose it really a personal choice, and can be vary in different career or life stages. Ultimately, it is all about what do you really want from your career. Just remember, life is not perfect and you cannot get all: money, work-life balance, respect, or sense of accomplishment. You have to follow your mind and heart, and make hard choices.

Dear readers, what will you choose?

管理你的网络形象

Manage Your Online Presence

管理你的网络形象

最近一直在WSJ上读“Laid Off and Looking" Blog, 讲的是８个下岗的MBA找工作的过程。挺有趣的，也蛮有启发性的，特别是读者发表的观点。其中有一篇博客讲到网络形象对找工作的影响，我觉得很有意思，所以今天我也来讲讲我的一些想法。

大家是不是跟我一样，每次在面试前都会对要面试我的人做个网络search, 我通常会在Linkedin.com OR Google搜索他们的名字，来了解他们的背景和兴趣。我通常会想了解他们的career path, education background, area of interests and expertises, hobbies or other significant aspects of their career and life. 所以，作为一个潜在的人选，或者被面试的人，被HR or hiring manager 搜索的可能性很大。那么管理自己的网络形象就变的很重要。

管理网络形象分两个部分：一个是减少或者消除负面形象和影响；二是积极有效的宣传自己。

如何减少或者消除负面影响呢？ 我的个人建议是在找工作的期间把自己的facebook, myspace or other personal social networks 账户暂时关闭，你不想自己的未来雇主看到太多你的个人信息和照片吧？ 在Google里搜索自己的名字，看看有什么结果。尽量减少任何对你找工作不利的信息。还有一个很重要的事情，往往被我们忽略。 那就是如果你写Blog或者有自己的个人网站, 希望雇主看到的，那么一定要注意不要有spelling or grammar errors.

如何积极有效的推销自己呢？我在之前一篇Market Yourself的文章里提到过网络是推销自己的一个很重要的渠道。首先可以利用自己的professional social network,我个人很喜欢linkedin.com，建议是花写时间在上面完善自己的proflie和扩展自己的professional network. 如果你在上面有很好的推荐，记得在自己的简历上列出Linkedin profile的link. 如果有时间，可以参加一些linkedin's groups，参加这些组的讨论等等。总是合理利用上面的不同资源，对找工作会有很大的帮助。其次，如果有能力和时间，我建议建立一个专署找工作的网站，将自己的简历，成果，自我介绍等等列出来，然后写在自己的简历上。我听过不少成功故事，算是一个让自己脱颖而出的渠道。

总的来说，网络形象是我们个人形象很重要的一个部分，对我们的事业发展和个人生活都有很深的影响。特别是在现在这个困难的时期，任何能够帮助我们找工作的途径都需要充分利用起来。记得，网络是把双刃刀，不光要利用它推销自己，还要将其的负面影响减少到最小。

How to overcome the discouragement in your job search?

I was reading an article on Fortune.com named “Keep the job-search blues at bay” by Anne Fisher (http://money.cnn.com/2009/06/03/news/economy/job.search.discouraged.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2009060409), which talks about not giving up, and some tips to get moving again. It reminds me about my own personal situation now. I still have my job, but I almost gave up my efforts to find a job in my husband’s city. Of course, there is a significant difference between my situation and people who got laid off or just come out of school that desperately need a job to stay in US. However, I think there are some similarities in term of solutions。Here are my 2-cents:

1. Treat it like a full time job: If you are looking for a job, the search itself is a full-time job. This is an important mindset and commitment. It requires your attention, dedication, and a lot of time. My suggestion is to set aside 4 hours per day to conduct all job hunting related activities, such as polish/customize your resume and cover letter, keep in touch with your network contacts, search and apply job online.
2. Develop a detailed action plan: as the article said, you should develop a daily action plan. Make a list of each hour’s activity. It is easier to follow if you have a plan.
For example:
9-9:30 am: watch news (business and industry)
9:30-10 am: research job openings and company info
10-12 am: customize resume and cover letter based on the job description
12-1:30 am: lunch break
1:30-3:00 am: find/contact people in your network who can introduce or work for the target companies
3. Focus on what you can do better rather than negative emotions: Ok, let’s face it. The environment is very hash for our foreign workers, and job hunting has become much more difficult. There are hopes, rejections, and there are many disappointments, frustration, and other negative feelings throughout the whole process. Sometimes, it may be tempting to just give up looking in this tough job market, or feel depressed. However, remember we simply cannot change the big environment, and there are very few things we can do to change companies' hiring policy or selection. What we can do is learn to deal and cope with it. That said, instead of focusing on your negative emotions after rejections, you should focus on the lessons you learn from the interview process, and what you can do better next time around. Sharpen your weapons for the next battle, rather than cry for the lost battle. Sometimes, there is no need to take it too personal.
4. Find someone to share and support you: It is very important to find someone can understand your feeling and job hunting experience (you can email me J), as well as someone can cheer you up and be happy for your achievement. Emotion is a critical part of job hunting. In order to overcome the discouragimg reality, you need mental support. Your family, friends, class-mates are good candidates to share your job hunting experience. It is a bonding time with them, love is a powerful motivation.
5. Keep eyes on the goals and your dream: Don’t let yourself forget your goals in the long run, and don’t forget your dream. Remind yourself every day, what is important to you, and why you fight hard for them.
6. Give yourself a break!! I know job hunting is exhausting, and can be depressing from time to time. Therefore, you need to give yourself a break once a while. Taking your mind off job hunting for a while is a good way to recharge yourself. Read a book, watch a movie or tv show, or take a short trip with your love ones. Switch your mind to other things in life are important for you.

In summary, job hunting is a phase of our career life, and everyone has to face it. In the current market, the process is going be to longer than usual. As an oversea Chinese, we are facing more obstacles. So we need fight harder, and work harder. Write to me, if you want to. J

Job Hunting in a Recession for H1-Bs, Tips for Survival

Job Hunting in a Recession for H1-Bs

Tips for Survival

I knew, things are tough right now for everyone in the United States, and even tougher for people who need H1-B visa. Not only there are far few companies are still hiring, but even fewer of them are willing to sponsor H1-Bs. For example, as a TRAP money recipient, my company decided to stop hiring H1-Bs, and will no longer renew H1-B visas for current holders in the company. Therefore, like many of my readers, I soon will have to start job hunting again in this bad economy.

Alright, let’s talk about what we can do to face the huge challenges in front of us. Here are some tips for survival:

1. Redefine Your Options: Does the industry or line of work you like offer little promise of employment in the coming months? If so, now is a good time to step back to identify the projected top performing industries and jobs for H1-Bs. For example, investment banking is a dying field, so allocate your efforts into other industries that are still hiring, such as health care, IT and government related jobs. Be flexible in term of geography locations, salary, titles, and other aspects of position. Narrow down your list of companies to only those who sponsor H1-Bs. You can find them by a Google search.
2. Switch Your Focus: Start asking yourself the question, "What's in it for them?" as opposed to, "What's in it for me?" Especially in an economic downturn, you'll want to stay focused on what you can do for your next employer. Show them that you understand the macroeconomic "bigger picture" of the role you play in moving the company forward, and the immediately contributions you can make.
3. Marketing Results not Skills：Leave behind that old mindset that your job-related skills or length of service are selling factors. The new mindset is to think of you as a mini profit-and-loss center rather than just an employee. Employers today buy results and are less impressed with candidates promoting a long laundry list of skills. Highlights your accomplishments rather than your skill sets in resume.
4. Show the Bottom Line: The recession has made the private sector economy even more bottom-line oriented than ever. Hiring managers categorize employees into one of two distinct groups:those who help make money, and those who help save money. Collect specific examples of the benefits that your company gained from the work you've already performed. Clarify the specific benefit your company received by making money or saving money, and write them down.
5. Achievements get You into the Door: Employers don't hire employees, they hire problem-solvers. Your new resume should be a hard-hitting sales tool designed to accomplish one goal: get the interview. To demonstrate this, add a specific achievements list to your resume. Take the list that you developed in the previous section and hone it down to your biggest and most notable accomplishments. Now, describe the benefit that your employer gained from each example. This will put you several steps ahead of your job-seeking competitors. Plus, you'll now have some talking points ready for that next phone interview.
6. Networking harder: In the downtime, networking became even more important. As a foreigner, you really need network as hard as you can. I knew, it is extremely difficult for us to overcome our shy nature or comfort zone. But the reality is, network is not even an option anymore, it becomes a necessary step of job hunting.

The words from the other side of table-5

"Networking, networking, networking. Very important, especially in a tough economy. Be a go-getter. Be proactive. Get involved in professional activities, such as seminars, networking/social events. 

I am in IT industry and often there are IT professionals from India reaching out to me for various business and career related inquiries and networking invitivations. Almost no single Chinese reached out to me across the ocean or within the states. Isn't it telling? 

The problem may be deeply rooted in the culture. Your blog is certainly a step in the right direction. "

-----------George Shen

Director of Business Intelligence, The Hackett Group

Note: George is someone I met via Linkedin, and he is so friendly to share some of the wisdom he learned throughout his own career in US. As he pointed out, networking is very important, and sometimes requires we come out of our comfort zone. Please refer to the networking post for detail discussion. 

The words from the other side of table-4

"There are so many variables impacting job searches for everyone and in particular recent immigrants it is hard to know where to start. Just some random thoughts: a) don't over-kill work ethic, we get it already, 2) be forward looking not dwelling entirely on past accomplishments, vision vs details, 3) unless the job tries to connect with China in some way focus on communication skills, 4) don't put on an act to be American ."

--------- Dr. Bruce Wicks

Associate Professor at University of Illinois 

Bruce is more than my advisor/ex-boss when I was studying in UIUC, he is my mentor and friend. I will always remember that no matter what, we need always be true to ourself, to our root.   

From the other side of table-3

I am Chinese-American and have been raised in the US. I am fluent in American-English (I consider myself more American than Chinese in culture) and am conversationally fluent in Mandarin. I have worked with many Chinese students that have only recently come to the US for schooling or employment. I have also been a mentor for international students in teaching them how to become effective Teaching Assistants in universities. As I agree with Dan's suggestions in becoming more fluent in the language (always a plus for any non-native speaker), I definitely agree with Sally-Anne's main point about understanding the culture of the workplace in the US. I think that is the most important point. 

There are significant differences btw the way people present themselves in China and the US. The Chinese culture values the appearance of humbleness while the American culture emphasizes confidence and marketability. Of course there is a line btw confidence and super-ego but many Chinese feel uncomfortable presenting themselves in any manner above-humbleness. However the quality of exuding confidence is important to get noticed for job-hunting, to get clients to take you seriously, or moving up on the corporate ladder. A huge problem I see in my parent's Chinese friends is that they can work incredibly diligently and hard but they just can't seem to get a promotion, raise, or move anywhere at work. Why? LANGUAGE and CULTURE barriers and the fear or inability to move past them. 

A Chinese person can present their resumes and themselves the best way possible and can have significant relevant experience, but will have trouble if they don't "sell" themselves the same way as Americans. I personally think the best solution to this problem would be to find a friend or mentor (preferably Chinese-American) who can talk to the Chinese students. Talking is the best way to break into a culture. That was my role for a year as a mentor and it had helped many international students. They gain experience from talking back and also from watching the mentor's mannerisms in speaking and acting. 

-----------

Linda Zhang

MS Biomed Eng grad seeking career opps in science, engineering, or consulting.

From the other side of table-2

The first and foremost hiring concern for any hiring manager considering a non-native English speaker is the level of communications skill they bring -- one can't very well instruct a subordinate who doesn't understand them, and it's difficult to give too much time to a direct report who is unable to ask questions in clearly understood language. 

Conversely, Chinese languages (Mandarin particularly, but collectively including Wu, Min and Cantonese, etc.) rank among the most spoken in the world and are expected to grow in business influence and use over the next 30-40 years (as are Portuguese, Russian and certain of the more widely used Indian languages like Hindi) as the so-called “BRIC” countries (Brazil, Russia, India & China) grow in economic power. Fluency with financial or business terms in Mandarin particularly is considered a desirable trait. 

There is a need for strong English fluency, and strong fluency in certain Chinese languages as well. A good resume, cover letter and even a blog can show both. 

With respect to English, having resumes, cover letters and any public statements proofread by native speakers is a very helpful way to avoid tipping off less-than-perfect fluency. Any two different languages will almost always have differences in phrasing with respect to gender, verb placement/conjugation and modifiers (adverbs, adjectives) that natives might uncover more readily than non-natives. It’s a wise idea to build up a network of folks to draw proof-reading from, and it’s also a good idea to spend as much time immersed in the spoken and written words to further enhance fluency where appropriate. If one’s education was obtained internationally, it would be wise to highlight English-only coursework. 

With respect to Chinese, fluency can be demonstrated using some of the same tools – for example, if a position asks for Mandarin fluency, why not have a two-part resume on a single document in Word – one version in English, one in Mandarin? Any Chinese language research papers, blogs, newsletter interviews should be highlighted as such. 

Finally, any relevant specialized fluency in specific terminology (for example: medical, business, engineering) in one or the other language should be plainly stated.

----------------

Dan Ogden

Job Search Coach

• http://www.lookseemove.com

The words from the other side of table-1

Here is the first post from my "The words from the other side of the table", which provides perspectives from the hiring managers and other related experts:

"There are some good tips about how to interview, etc., in these answers. The importance of both language and culture has been mentioned. (And you even have advice on your blog about what to wear, too.) 

I’d like to add: If your readers are just graduating from university, an employer might have two big questions about hiring them. But both questions also apply to American university graduates! 

1) How good are their communication skills? Not only do they speak, understand, read and write English well (which is more of a challenge for an international student but, sadly, also applies to Americans to some extent), but also: Are they good listeners? Can they take feedback well? Can they express company policies politely and positively to customers? 

2) Do they understand business etiquette for the work world? For example, will they interact well with coworkers? Do they know when it’s appropriate to ask for time off? Do they have business social skills for company events or meeting clients? 

These kinds of questions are so interesting for business people, young and older, that newspapers, business magazines and blogs, and job websites feature them again and again. It’s a great idea to start reading them before you graduate. Your readers might also like to know that there's a book about the multi-cultural aspect (“Recruiting, Retaining, and Promoting Culturally Different Employees” by Lionel Laroche and Don Rutherford) and I have written about these questions for ESL speakers on my website (see link). 

For many young people who are looking for their first job, having a mentor (as Linda says) or experience in a volunteer or internship placement is very useful. From their experience they can get a reference. And that reference should be able to give positive answers to questions like those above, which will be very reassuring to a prospective employer. 

The above two questions address “soft skills.” Of course, a potential employer will also want to know about candidates’ “hard skills.” 
3) Do they have the knowledge and skills required for the job? Or can they learn them quickly? This is where your degree, as well as any work experience, plays a role. 

Hard skills are important for getting the job – because soft skills are difficult to assess from a resume and interview – but soft skills will help you keep the job and get promoted.

All the best to you and your readers."

---Joan Bartel, ESL Curriculum Specialist and Facilitator: 

Business soft skills and language for internationally educated professionals 

See www.OfficeSoftSkills.com for her biography and for tutorials on soft skills. 

Other-side Perspectives

I am seeking advice and suggestions from my business contacts regarding job hunting for Chinese, and I am getting some really good information from them. It is quite interesting to get some "other-side" perspectives. In the next few days, I will post some of their feedback in my blog. Hope you find them informative and useful. 

And, thank you for all the people contribute to my topic. 

There is always another option!

They’re Taking Their Brains and Going Home

They’re Taking Their Brains and Going Home - washingtonpost.com.

By Vivek Wadhwa

Sunday, March 8, 2009; Page B02

Seven years ago, Sandeep Nijsure left his home in Mumbai to study computer science at the University of North Texas. Master’s degree in hand, he went to work for Microsoft. He valued his education and enjoyed the job, but he worried about his aging parents. He missed watching cricket, celebrating Hindu festivals and following the twists of Indian politics. His wife was homesick, too, and her visa didn’t allow her to work.

Not long ago, Sandeep would have faced a tough choice: either go home and give up opportunities for wealth and U.S. citizenship, or stay and bide his time until his application for a green card goes through. But last year, Sandeep returned to India and landed a software development position with Amazon.com in Hyderabad. He and his wife live a few blocks from their families in a spacious, air-conditioned house. No longer at the mercy of the American employer sponsoring his visa, Sandeep can more easily determine the course of his career. “We are very happy with our move,” he told me in an e-mail.

The United States has always been the country to which the world’s best and brightest — people like Sandeep — have flocked in pursuit of education and to seek their fortunes. Over the past four decades, India and China suffered a major “brain drain” as tens of thousands of talented people made their way here, dreaming the American dream.

But burgeoning new economies abroad and flagging prospects in the United States have changed everything. And as opportunities pull immigrants home, the lumbering U.S. immigration bureaucracy helps push them away.

When I started teaching at Duke University in 2005, almost all the international students graduating from our Master of Engineering Management program said that they planned to stay in the United States for at least a few years. In the class of 2009, most of our 80 international students are buying one-way tickets home. It’s the same at Harvard. Senior economics major Meijie Tang, from China, isn’t even bothering to look for a job in the United States. After hearing from other students that it’s “impossible” to get an H-1B visa — the kind given to highly-skilled workers in fields such as engineering and science — she teamed up with a classmate to start a technology company in Shanghai. Investors in China offered to put up millions even before 23-year-old Meijie and her 21-year-old colleague completed their business plan.

When smart young foreigners leave these shores, they take with them the seeds of tomorrow’s innovation. Almost 25 percent of all international patent applications filed from the United States in 2006 named foreign nationals as inventors. Immigrants founded a quarter of all U.S. engineering and technology companies started between 1995 and 2005, including half of those in Silicon Valley. In 2005 alone, immigrants’ businesses generated $52 billion in sales and employed 450,000 workers.

Yet rather than welcome these entrepreneurs, the U.S. government is confining many of them to a painful purgatory. As of Sept. 30, 2006, more than a million people were waiting for the 120,000 permanent-resident visas granted each year to skilled workers and their family members. No nation may claim more than 7 percent, so years may pass before immigrants from populous countries such as India and China are even considered.

Like many Indians, Girija Subramaniam is fed up. After earning a master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Virginia in 1998, she joined Texas Instruments as a test engineer. She wanted to stay in the United States, applied for permanent residency in 2002 and has been trapped in immigration limbo ever since. If she so much as accepts a promotion or, heaven forbid, starts her own company, she will lose her place in line. Frustrated, she has applied for fast-track Canadian permanent residency and expects to move north of the border by the end of the year.

For the Kaufmann Foundation, I recently surveyed 1,200 Indians and Chinese who worked or studied in the United States and then returned home. Most were in their 30s, and 80 percent held master’s degrees or doctorates in management, technology or science — precisely the kind of people who could make the greatest contribution to the U.S. economy. A sizable number said that they had advanced significantly in their careers since leaving the United States. They were more optimistic about opportunities for entrepreneurship, and more than half planned to start their own businesses, if they had not done so already. Only a quarter said that they were likely to return to the United States.

Why does all this matter? Because just as the United States has relied on foreigners to underwrite its deficit, it has also depended on smart immigrants to staff its laboratories, engineering design studios and tech firms. An analysis of the 2000 Census showed that although immigrants accounted for only 12 percent of the U.S. workforce, they made up 47 percent of all scientists and engineers with doctorates. What’s more, 67 percent of all those who entered the fields of science and engineering between 1995 and 2006 were immigrants. What will happen to America’s competitive edge when these people go home?

Immigrants who leave the United States will launch companies, file patents and fill the intellectual coffers of other countries. Their talents will benefit nations such as India, China and Canada, not the United States. America’s loss will be the world’s gain.

Interview Shopping List

People asked me what they should wear to an interview. Therefore, I am going to create a shopping list for the stuff you need for job hunting/interviews.

For man:  

• Dark suite: high quality and fit, either black or navy blue, solid color preferred 
  
• Two collar shirts: light color, white or baby blue is good choice, solid color or strips
• Black dress shoes
• Dark color socks
• A couple of ties: solid or stripes
• Leather interview portfolio 

For woman: 

• Dark suit: skirt (don't be too short) or pant, well fit
• Two collar shirts: light color, white or baby blue is good choice
• Black dress shoes: some kind of heels (low or medium height)
• Medium size should bag: professional look, don't be too flashy 
• Hosiery
• Leather interview portfolio 

Look sharp, professional, dress to impress, and you will get the job!!!

Onsite Interview

Onsite是每个人都梦寐以求的机会，也是让大家很头痛的事情。由于语言，文化等的根

本差异，相对美国人来说，我们有着很明显的劣势。但是我们必须对自己

充满信心，如果说整个找工作的过程是一场持续很久的战争，那么onsite interview就是就有决定性的一战。如果你被邀请去onsite，那就意味着公司对你很满意，不然不会愿意花这么多钱来安排。

Onsite的主要目的是为了公司对你进行面对面的更深入的了解，但是作为我们来说，这也是一个非常好的机会了解未来公司的文化，工作环境等等。对你在最后做决定的时候，这些都是非常宝贵的信息，千万不可以忽视。记得这也是一个双向考察的过程。

概括起来，Onsite interview 有以下几个很关键的组成部分：

1.  最初的安排：由于每个公司的报销和旅行安排policy不一样，你要跟公司协商好旅程的安排。记得要留给自己充足的时间，以免由于意外而耽误时间。 我个人的建议是如果允许的话安排在星期五面试。星期五一般公司都没有太忙碌，大家也会相对心情比较轻松。这样能够对谈话的时间和氛围有所帮助。记得你要带好公司的地址和联系方法,

还要保存好所有的收据。如果对所在城市不是很了解，记得做一些research.

2.  面试着装：很多人问我，面试要穿什么，我的建议是business suit. 投资买一套合身的深色西服，浅色的衬衣，深色的皮鞋深色的袜子。女生如果穿skirt,记得穿长袜。总的原则是不要太花俏，要professional. 

记得头发，指甲都要整齐干净。

3.  对公司的研究：去onsite前，一定要对公司做好很深的了解，如果你在申请这个职位，或者phone interview之前没有做好充分的了解，那么这次一定要对他们的产品和服务很熟悉。同时要对在面试的时候将要遇到的人都做一个了解，记得要问hr要一份interview schedule, 那么你就会知道对方的名字，职位和面试时间。我一般都会google

将要面试我的人， 对于他们的背景，毕业的学校有个了解。这样便于我到时候跟他们的沟通，也为small talk积累话题。还有一个很好的工具就是linkedin.com，上面一般都能找到别人的professional background. 如果你认识onsite公司里的人，请务必向他们打听一些跟你职位相关的信息.

4.  随身带的东西：带一个interview portfolio,里面放几份resume,interview script,reference list和 list of questions. 关于interview script我在phone interview的文章里已经介绍过了，其中包括一些对常见问题的答案，你的自我介绍等等。这个你一定要已经很熟练的记住了。你还好准备a list of questions you want to ask during the onsite. 根据你对面试人的研究，你可能会问不同的问题。

5.  Small talk: 大家都知道onsite的时候面试包括formal和informal.很多人对如何make small talk感到很困惑。我知道这个很大时候取决于一个人的性格和对美国文化的理解程度。但是为了应付onsite,我在这里可以给大家介绍一些话题：你可以聊聊当地的天气和住宿情况，如果你有足够的知识可以聊聊ncaa的比赛，比如篮球，橄榄球等，如果你跟面试人是校友，记得聊聊学校。如果你知道面试人得过什么奖，不妨聊聊。还有industry的新闻什么的。员工福利，企业活动等都是比较常见的话题。

6.  Things to do before you leave: 在面试的过程中可以做些notes，这样不光给人虚心好学的印象，也会给你之后写thank you letter的时候积累话题。在每一个面试结束后，要问面试人要名片，如果他没有名片，至少要问他的email address. 在结束面试后记得一定要去见你的面试接待人，一般都是hr.要问hr什么时候会知道决定，any feedbacks等。如果需要报销，记得问hr所需要的手续。

7.  Follow ups: 面试后记得要给所有给你面试过的人写一封thank you letter. 感谢信要简短，但最好提到一两个你们面试中提到的话题（这时候note就起到作用了）。

8.  Salary:面试过程中最好不要直接进行salary negotiation.如果被问到这个问题，要表现的比较flexible, 可以给出一个range,尽量不要说死一个数字。

总的来说，做好充分的准备，然后relax，be yourself是onsite成功的关键。如果你对onsite是很害怕的人，那么一定要多下点功夫在interview script上。可以找别人做role play的练习，所谓熟能生巧，只要你反复练习，很快你就会说的很顺口和熟练了。加油哦！