Unit 2 原文(使用前请再仔细核对).docVIP

Fit For Hiring? Its Mind Over Matter By Judith H. Dobrzynski NEW YORK-Members of Americas professional and managerial classes have always left college confident of at least one thing: they had taken their last test. From here on, they could rely on charm, cunning* and/or a record of accomplishment to propel them up the corporate ladder. But thats not necessarily true any longer. A growing number of companies, from General Motors Corp to American Express Co., are no longer satisfied with traditional job interviews. Instead, they are requiring applicants for many white-collar jobs-from top executives down-to submit to a series of paper-and-pencil tests, role- playing exercises, simulated decision-making exercises and brainteasers*. Others put candidates through a long series ofinterviews by psychologists or trained interviewers. The tests are not about mathematics or grammar, nor about any of the basic technical skills for which many production, sales and clerical workers have long been tested. Rather, employers want to evaluate candidates on intangible* qualities: Is she creative and entrepreneurial? Can he lead and coach? Is he flexible and capable of learning? Does she have passion and a sense of urgency? How will he function under pressure? Most important, will the potential recruit fit the corporate culture? These tests, which can take from an hour to two days, are all part of a broader trend. Companies are getting much more careful about hiring, said Paul R. Ray Jr., chairman of the Association of Executive Search Consultants. Ten years ago, candidates could win a top job with the right look and the right answers to questions such as Why do you want this job?. Now, many are having to face questions and exercises intended to learn how they get things done. They may, for example, have to describe in great detail not one career accomplishment but many-so that patterns ofbehavior emerge. They