An employer talks with a prospective employee at a job fair in Beijing. Zhang Bin / for China Daily

Learn the best ways to impress Chinese employers and sell yourself

As a foreigner in China, you may have whizzed through three months of intensive Chinese training. But don't fret, prep up with this lesson and you will be sure to ace the interview, or 面试 miànshì, without a hitch.

The meet and greet

The more you know about the company, the position and the people assessing you beforehand, the better your answers will be on the big day. For the interview there is no need to dress up in a full suit. A crisp button-down shirt with slacks is all that's called for.

Hi, I'm Steven - we spoke on the phone. I didn't expect the company's HR manager to be so young.

Nín hǎo，wǒ shì Steven, wǒmen tōnɡɡuò diànhuà。Méi xiǎnɡ dào ɡōnɡsī de rénshì jīnɡlǐ jìnɡrán zhème niánqīnɡ !

您好，我是Steven，我们通过电话。没想到公司的人事经理竟然这么年轻!

This office is really nice.

Bàngōng huǎnjìng zhēn hǎo!

办公环境真好!

Winning hearts and minds

At the heart of the Chinese

mianshi is a mixed bag of standard interview questions, not unlike what you would expect elsewhere, lumped in with some bizarre inquisitions. Know what to expect and you won't be stumped.

The interviewer will be fascinated with your language and cultural assimilation. Don't get annoyed or rush through the inordinate amount of time you spend talking about stuff that has nothing to do with the job.

This is your chance to milk your Chinese for what it's worth.

Interviewer: Steven, how long have you been in China?

Steven, nǐ lái zhōnɡɡuó duōjiǔ le？

Steven, 你来中国多久了？

Interviewee: Almost a year. But I studied Chinese language and

history for two years in Canada.

Chà bù duō yī nián le。Zhīqián wǒzài jiānádà xuéxí le liǎnɡnián zhōnɡwén hé zhōnɡɡuó lìshǐ。

差不多一年了。之前我在加拿大学习了两年中文和中国历史。

Interviewer: Wow, your Chinese is pretty good! How did you learn so well?

Nǐ zhōnɡ wén shuō dé zhēn bú cuò! Nǐ zěnme xué dé zhème hǎo？

你中文说得真不错! 你怎么学得这么好？

Interviewee: Oh stop it, you're exaggerating. I can just get by, and I don't have any special learning tricks.

Nín ɡuòjiǎnɡ le, wǒ de zhōnɡwén hái còuhe, méi shénme xuéxí jìqiǎo。

您过奖了，我的中文还凑合，没什么学习技巧。

Personal questions - questions that would get you in serious trouble back home - are normal interview fare here. For example, it is standard to ask interviewees for their age, marital status, number of kids and personal plans.

Interviewer: How long are you planning to stay in China?

Nǐ dǎsuàn zài zhōnɡɡuó dāi duōjiǔ？

你打算在中国待多久？

Interviewee: It would be a push to say five years, but I'll be here for at least a year or two.

Wǒ bùɡǎn shuō wǔnián, dànshì zuì qǐmǎ wǒ huì zài liú yī dào liǎnɡ nián。

我不敢说五年，但是最起码我会再留一到两年。

Interviewer: Are your parents

living outside of China?

Nǐ de jiārén dōu zài ɡuówài mɑ？

你的家人都在国外吗？

Interviewee: My parents live in Canada, but my wife is from Hebei.

Wǒ fùmǔ zài jiānádà。Wǒ àirén lǎojiā zài héběi。

我父母在加拿大。我爱人老家在河北。

Interviewer: Do you think you'll be interested in this type of work?

Nǐ duì zhèyànɡ de ɡōnɡzuò ɡǎn xìnɡqù mɑ？

你对这样的工作感兴趣吗？

Interviewee: I'm very interested. In fact, I've always wanted to try this type of work.

Hěn ɡǎn xìnɡqù。Qíshí wǒ yīzhí xiǎnɡ chánɡshì zhèyànɡ de ɡōnɡzuò。

很感兴趣。其实我一直想尝试这样的工作。

With assessment questions out of the way, you will get down to business discussing the important stuff - money - with HR. Prepare for questions like follows:

What range is your current (previous) salary in?

Nǐ mùqián (yǐqián) de xīnshuǐ zài shénme fànwéi ？

你目前(以前)的薪水在什么范围？

What kind of salary are you looking for now?

Nǐ de lǐxiǎnɡ yuèxīn dàɡài duōshǎo？

你的理想月薪大概多少？

When the interview finally wraps, remember to thank your interviewers for their time. Post-mianshi, expect a call very soon (if it's a positive answer) or not at all (if it's a “nay”). It is not uncommon to hear back on Monday with an offer to start on Wednesday. Have your phone handy and be prepared to accept, decline or negotiate when you get that call.

The basics of hiring

to hire,

zhāopìn, 招聘

position,

zhíwèi, 职位

resume,

jiǎnlì, 简历

academic experience,

xuéli, 学历

professional experience,

jīnɡyàn, 经验

face-to-face interview,

miànshì, 面试

Happy hunting!

Zhǎo ɡōnɡzuò jiāyóu！

找工作加油！

Courtesy of The World of Chinese, www.theworldofchinese.com

The World of Chinese

(China Daily 03/08/2013 page17)