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The Top 5 Questions to Prepare for in an Architecture Job Interview 建筑求职面试中的五大问题 翻译 @白木碉
It's that time of year when many graduates across the Northern Hemisphere are searching for jobs or internships - the time of year when many realize that there's a lot more to landing a solid position at a good firm than simply being a great designer. One of the largest hurdles they will encounter is the job interview, and while there is plenty of advice out there about job interviews in general, little of it is aimed directly at architects. In this post originally published on The Architect's Guide, Brandon Hubbard tackles the top five most common questions in an architecture job interview - and how to ace the answers. 又到了每年北半球的毕业生们寻求工作或实习的时候了——大家都意识到了在一家好的公司站稳脚跟要比仅仅成为一名不错的设计师来得重要得多。其中他们将遭遇到的最大障碍之一便是求职面试，虽然有很多关于求职面试的常用建议，却鲜有针对建筑师的。在这篇最初发表在《建筑师向导》的文章中，布兰登·哈伯德列举了在建筑求职面试中最常见的五大问题——以及如何作答。
The architecture profession has been steadily recovering since the downturn of 2009. The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) has released “NCARB by the Numbers,” their annual report featuring a positive trend for the architecture profession. This means more jobs for architects - assuming you can get through the interview of course... 自从2009年经济萧条以来，建筑行业正在稳步复苏。美国国家建筑注册委员会（NCARB）发布了“NCARB大数据”，他们的年度报告展示了建筑行业的积极趋势。这意味着建筑师们将获得更多的工作——当然前提是你能通过面试……
So you have made it through initial job screening to make it to this point. Congratulations! The interview questions I discuss below come up in almost every profession. However, as an architect I am primarily focused on how to best respond to these common questions in the context of an architecture interview. As you go through each of the questions below, think about your response. WHY is the interviewer asking this question? Put yourself in his or her shoes. This will help you to understand that they are not trying to stump you but rather get an idea if you will be a good fit within the firm. If they do throw you a curve ball with a question you haven’t prepared for don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know but… I can check on that and get back to you". The worst thing you can do is make something up on the spot then look foolish later in the interview. This is especially true with an architecture interview. You can very easily go down a drawing detail rabbit hole that you can’t escape. 也就是说你已经通过了最初的工作筛选而来到这一步——恭喜！我在下面讨论的面试问题几乎涉及所有行业。然而作为一名建筑师，我主要分析在建筑求职面试的情形下如何最好地应对这些常见问题。当你面对下面的每个问题，想想你会怎样回答。面试者为什么要问这些问题？把你放在他或她的立场上。这有助于你理解，他们并不是在刁难你，而是考察你是否适合公司。如果他们向你抛出一个你未作准备的问题，不要慌张地说“我不知道，但是……我可以先看一下再回复你”。最糟糕的莫过于在面试中由于瞎编乱造而出丑。建筑面试尤其如此。常言道“撒谎容易圆谎难”，切试且珍惜。
Let's Talk 开始交谈
Although thinking on the spot can be stressful (especially given the fact an interview is generally the culmination of weeks, if not months of work) try to think of this as just getting to know someone better. Try to keep it conversational. As part of this conversation the interviewer (usually a senior architect or director within the office depending on the size of the firm) will generally ask a series of generic questions. More on that in a minute. 虽然临场发挥会有压力（尤其是考虑到一场面试通常是连周累月工作的顶点），试着把它看作只是为了更好地去熟悉一个人。尽量用交谈来化解面试中的问题。作为面试的一部分，面试官（通常是高级建筑师或者部门主管，这取决于公司规模）往往会问到一系列常见问题，而且一般都在一分钟内完事。
Do Your Research 做好调查
One of the most important things you can do before stepping foot in the office is to do your research on the interviewer. Usually you can find out ahead of time specifically who is interviewing you. We architects love to talk about ourselves so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding information online using their office website, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Also try to get their picture so when they greet you in the lobby you know who it is and can greet them by name. I will get into this topic more in a later post but knowing who you are talking to is key. 在你踏入办公室之前，你能做的最重要的事情之一便是调查好面试官。通常来说你能提前知道将要面试你的人是谁。建筑师都很喜欢谈论自己，所以你不难在官方网站、领英、脸书或推特等平台上发现你需要的信息。最好还有他们的照片，这样当他们在门厅招呼你时你能知道他们是谁并说出他们的名字。之后我会深入讲解这个话题，现在请先记住：知道你在跟谁对话才是关键。
The questions below are what I have found to be the most common throughout my architecture career and from many discussions with architects over the years. 以下是我在职业生涯中以及这些年来与许多建筑师的交谈中发现的最为常见的问题。
1. Tell me about yourself. 说说你自己
Most people hear this and think “great, an easy question to talk all about my childhood growing up with five brothers and sisters” First of all, by stating something like that you have shown you have already missed the point of the question. The real question they are asking is actually “Tell me about your recent work experience”. You should probably give a few highlights of where you are from just to build up a little personality but don’t spend more than 30 seconds on this. 大多数人听到这个会想“太好了，多简单的问题，我就说说和五个兄弟姐妹们一起成长的童年吧。”首先，会有类似的想法，说明你没有领会这个问题的用意。他们问的其实是“跟我谈谈你最近的工作经历”。你也许应该提出几个亮点以展现你的个人能力，但是不要超过30秒。
To begin, don’t just start listing off projects, you need to treat the interview as if you are telling a story. This is where your research becomes very important. Depending on how much information you have gathered on the interviewer (years of experience, previous offices, project experience) the more you can discuss technical details or project specifics. If your interviewer spent 20 years designing airports, you may want to structure your discussion and/or portfolio to larger scale projects if possible. However this also brings up a key issue. Don’t try to be somebody you're not. There is a big difference between adjusting your portfolio to emphasize your relevant work vs. saying you ran an airport project. 作为开始，不要只是罗列项目，而是要像讲故事一样应对面试。这个时候你的调查研究就派上用场了。根据你搜集的面试官信息的多少（工作年数，就职过的公司，项目经验），你就能知道自己需要谈论多少技术细节或项目详情。如果说你的面试官花了20年来设计机场，那么你会想要尽可能地扩大你谈话和/或者作品集的规模。然而这也带来一个关键问题：不要打肿脸充胖子。调整你的作品集以强调相关工作，与说你负责着一个机场项目，这之间可是天壤之别。
Having a clear, written description of the expected role is very useful as part of your preparation. Treat this description as bullet points for you to address in the interview. Go through the description line by line and think about how you can list any relevant projects/experience that would show how you work in a team or how you solved a problem. By structuring this as a sequential story in your portfolio you will be able to be clear and concise in your delivery. The advantage architects have in an interview is you have a portfolio. A portfolio is essentially a cheat sheet to allow you to take the interviewer step by step through your experience. Therefore a well structured and well thought out portfolio should make an interview go much smoother. Again, if you have prepared ahead of time your chances of it going well are greatly improved. 作为准备工作的一部分，为预期职位拟写一份清晰的书面描述是非常有用的。把这份描述作为你在面试中出手的靶心。有条不紊的进行描述，想想你怎样列出相关项目/经验来展现你是如何在团队中工作的或是如何解决问题的。通过将这些内容整合成作品集中连贯的故事，你能在表述中显得简明扼要。作为建筑师，在面试中的优势是你有作品集。而作品集就是一个约定俗成的套路，让你能够引导面试官一步步地了解你的经历。因此一个经过精心编制和深思熟虑的作品集能使一场面试更加顺利。还是那句话，如果你有备而来，你通过的机会就会大大增加。
2. Why are you leaving your job? 你为什么辞职？
This can trip up an interviewee if you are not prepared. Often a common reason for leaving is a dissatisfaction over pay, hours, projects, co-workers, etc. While these may be the reasons why it isn’t always best to list these to your potential future employer. Again, this doesn't mean you should deceive the interviewer. You should, however, craft your answer in a way that does not put down your previous employer. After all, the person across the table could be your current employer in a matter of weeks. 如果没有准备，这个问题就能绊倒你。通常来说辞职的常见原因出自对工资、时间、项目、同事等的不满。然而在面对你的潜在雇主时这些原因也要谨慎罗列。最好巧妙地在不贬损你的前任雇主的情况下解释原因。毕竟坐在桌子那头的人在几周之内可能就是你的雇主。
I have found the best way to answer this question is to try to NOT make it about yourself. This is a mistake I made in the past and it is a very common one. I tried to make it about myself and how this new job will advance my career. Try a specific example like, "I know you have an office project that has just started design development and at my previous employer we focused mainly on design competitions. The majority of my experience is with the later project phases so I am looking to leverage my knowledge base in a new environment." Saying something like this can further emphasize your fit with the firm while not speaking negatively about your previous employer. 我发现回答这类问题的最好方法就是尽量不要以自我为中心。这是我以前犯过的错误，也是最常见的错误之一。那时我总是以自我为中心，想着这份新工作将怎样有利于我的职业生涯。举个具体的例子：“我知道你们有一个刚启动的项目，正在开发新产品，而在之前的公司我们做的主要是设计竞赛。我的主要工作经验更适合新近项目，所以我在设法将我的知识应用于一个新的环境。”这么说更进一步地强调了你与这个公司的契合度，同时又不会对你的前任雇主有任何消极评价。
3. What are your weaknesses? 你有什么缺点？
Generally this is everyone’s least favorite question. I try to never ask this question myself because it usually just results in an awkward conversation. The best thing to do is just prepare for it (this is true for all of these questions by the way). What usually helps when brainstorming a good answer is to think about all the things that you wouldn’t want to mention. Examples: not getting along with co workers, not finishing deadlines, coming in late, etc. 通常来说这是所有人最不喜欢的问题。我自己也试着绝口不提这个问题，因为它总是导致一场尴尬的对话。最好地对策就是有所准备（当然，对任何问题来说都是如此）。想要对答如流，就要将所有问题都考虑周到，包括那些你最不愿意提及的。譬如：与同事相处不合，完成不了任务，迟到等等。
The typical advice is to list an actual strength but tell it like it is a weakness such as “I work too hard” or “I like architecture too much”. No. Actually give this some thought. Think about a time when you did legitimately make a mistake (pick a minor one though) and explain what you learned from it. Showing that you have taken a setback and turned it into a learning experience can emphasize your level of accountability and honesty. 典型的建议是把实际上的优点说成是缺点，比如说“我工作得太努力了”或“我太爱建筑了”。别，这样说之前请三思。想一个你真正犯了错的例子（选个不严重的例子就好）并说明你从中得到的教训。展现出你已经得到了教训并将其转变为学习经验，这能强调你的责任心和诚实。
4. Where do you see yourself in five years? 你未来五年的规划是怎样的？
This is always a tricky question. Since I am mainly discussing getting a job in an office a response you normally want to avoid is “I want to start my own office”. I see this quite often in the architecture world and for good reason, most architects do aspire to own their own firm at some point. While this may be a goal of yours someday an interview isn’t the time to share this. 这是个棘手问题。我主要谈论的是在工作室得到一份工作，所以通常你想回避的答案是“我想开办自己的工作室”。在建筑界这屡见不鲜，大多数建筑师们都渴望某天能拥有自己的公司，也在情理之中。不过即使这是你的理想，面试中却不宜与人分享。
What the interviewer is looking for is someone to fill the position now but is also looking for a long term commitment. Admitting you would like to jump ship and go out on your own, while admirable, doesn’t accomplish this goal. 面试官需要填补目前职位空缺的人，但同时也在寻找能长期委任的人。如果承认你会跳槽或自立门户，虽然精神可嘉，却不符合这一目标。
Every response to these questions needs to reinforce your willingness to join the firm. A more appropriate response might be, depending on the stage of your career, “I would like to get my architecture license to expand my knowledge base” or “I want to lead a residential project”. Pick something relevant to the job and to the firm, show that you are looking to grow with the company, not away from it. 对这个问题的每次回答都应该强调你想要加入公司的意愿。一个更加恰当的答案应该是——根据你的职业生涯规划——“我想要获得我的建筑执照以扩大我的知识面”或者“我想要负责一个住宅项目”。选一些与工作和公司相关的，表现出你是想与公司一同成长，而不是想离开它。
5. Do you have any other offers? / Are you interviewing anywhere else? 你还有其他打算吗？/你去其他公司面试了吗？
A lot of architects see this as an opportunity to brag about how many job offers they have. First of all, this should be obvious but the number one rule in an interview is: DO NOT LIE. If you have other job offers, that is fine go ahead and say so. If not, don’t try to leverage your situation. I will discuss a good answer and justification for both responses. 很多建筑师将这个问题看作是夸耀自己有很多工作机会的契机。首先，显而易见的，在面试中的第一准则就是：不要撒谎。如果你有其他预约，说出来没关系。如果没有，也不要生硬的搪塞过去。我会给出一个在两种情况下都适宜的答案和解释。
Scenario 1: You don’t have any other interviews 场景1:你没有其他面试 Question: Do you have any other offers? 提问：你有其他预约吗？ Response: No, I am selectively looking for the right fit. I am not just sending out hundreds of resumes looking for any job. I am searching for a good fit between the company and what I can bring to the table. 回答：不，我是在有选择地寻找正确的对象。我发送数百份简历不是为了随便找份工作。而是为了在众多公司之中探求一个能让我施展拳脚的合适场所。
Who would be put off by that response? In fact this shows you are carefully thinking about the role and the office. 谁会对这样的回答不满？事实上这展现出你对该职位和办公室的深思熟虑。
Scenario 2: You have a pile of interviews 场景2：你还有一些面试 Question: Do you have any other offers? 提问：你还有其他预约吗？ Response: I am currently interviewing at other firms. I am looking for a long term move so I want to make sure I make the right decision. 回答：我目前在其他公司也有面试。我在寻求长远的改变，所以我想确保自己做出正确的决定。
This doesn’t present your current situation as an ultimatum but helps your case by explaining why you are looking at several offers and wraps it in your commitment to a firm when you do join. This is especially true for the younger generation as there seems to be a bit of a stigma (possibly earned) that they jump from job to job. Putting this out there can give the interviewer peace of mind that he/she won’t be doing this again in a month. 这样回答并不是把你的近况呈现为最后通牒，而是帮助你说明你参加这些面试的原因：为了在加入时有一个长远规划。年青一代有经常跳槽的恶名，这千真万确。这样回答可以让面试官感觉到他/她至少在一个月之内不会重蹈覆辙。
In conclusion, I hope this is helpful to any architects out there hoping to land their dream job. Remember that if you have prepared properly, know yourself and your projects you will be just fine. By just spending some time gathering your thoughts a few days leading up to the interview will put you far ahead of the competition. 作为总结，我希望这篇文章能对任何想要得到他们理想工作的建筑师有所帮助。记住，只要你准备好了，了解你自己和你的作品，那么一切都将水到渠成。花些时间来整理你的想法，最终的面试将使你在竞争中甩开对手。
Now go ace that interview! 现在去面试吧！
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