Want to Be a Better Job Interviewer? Start Mirroring (2)

Mirroring is a conversational technique that establishes rapport, helps others open up and lets you get past the canned 
「鏡像模仿」幫你找到對的人這種談話技巧能建立融洽關係、助人敞開心胸、讓人不再制式回應

Do that, and you accomplish at least two things. One, you show you're actually listening. Two, you show you want to know more... and the candidate will give you more. As Voss says, "People love to be mirrored. They love to be encouraged to go on."

Mirroring sounds more conversational. Asking follow-up questions is important but can seem interrogative: "What did you do next?" "How did that turn out?" 

Each also sounds potentially judgmental. What the candidate did, how things turned out - the answers could be positive or negative.

But mirroring takes "judgment" out of the equation. Mirroring says, "That's interesting. Tell me more." 

Say you ask a sales candidate to describe the toughest sales call she ever made. 

Candidate: "... but I pushed through."

You: "Pushed through?"

Candidate: "... until I realized what his real needs were."

You: "His real needs?"

Keep mirroring and you'll learn how the candidate navigated the call, built rapport, dealt with rejection, found the right strategy, etc. 

By repeating the last three or four words the candidate says, you'll turn what could have been a question-and-answer session into an engaging conversation. And get a better sense of their motivation, outlook and cultural fit. 

Info Cloud

spill the tea / spill the gossip / spill the beans 形容分享祕密

Hello, everyone. Welcome to Info Cloud. Anne Marie, I heard a really big secret this morning, and I've been dying to tell you. 

Rex, what are you waiting for? Spill the tea! 

I will as soon as we explain "spill the tea" to our friends. 

OK, fine. Spill means to reveal confidential information to someone. Maybe you've heard the phrase: spill the gossip? 

Gossip is information about someone else. It's usually something about their personal life. 

Like the secret Rex has to tell me. 

Not yet. Anne Marie, we're not done teaching. In this phrase, "tea" has become synonymous with gossip. 

It's easy to imagine how "spill the tea" came to mean the same thing as "spill the gossip". 

Yep. And "spill the beans" means essentially the same thing. Although this phrase is older, it also carries the idea of letting information slip that you shouldn't have. 

I guess you could say that people have always been spilling the gossip. "Spill the tea" is just a trendier way to say it. OK, Rex. It's time to spill the tea. 

當有人正在講八卦，或是分享祕密的時候，你可以說他正在: spill the tea，spill是灑出來的意思，tea是茶，spill the tea 字面上就是把茶灑出來，用來形容分享祕密。你也可以說: spill the gossip，因為gossip是流言蜚語或是小道消息。在這邊，tea 跟 gossip 就有一樣的涵義。當你想要你的朋友告訴你某個秘密，你可以跟他說: Come on, spill the tea. 除了 spill the tea 和 gossip 之外，你也可以說 spill the beans. 字面上是把豆子灑出來，跟 spill the tea 有一樣的涵義。

Language Lab

interrogative adj. 疑問的 
/ˌɪntəˈrɑːgətɪv/
asking a question : having the form or force of a question
- James was acting goofy, and the people around him all had an interrogative look on their faces.
James 的動作很奇怪，他周遭的人臉上表情充滿疑問。
- My coworker gave me an interrogative stare when I walked into the office with the giant box.
我拿著超大的箱子子走進辦公室的時候，我的同事看著我的眼神充滿疑問。
interrogate v. 審問、訊問 
/ɪnˈterəˌgeɪt/
to ask (someone) questions in a thorough and often forceful way
- The spy was captured and taken to a secret base where he would be interrogated.
那個間諜被抓了之後，被帶到一個秘密基地去訊問。
- When you’re going on a first date with someone, don’t make them feel like you’re interrogating them.
當你第一次跟人家約會的時候，不要讓對方覺得你在審問他。 

equation  n. 數學、化學的方程式 
mathematics : a statement that two expressions are equal (such as 8 + 3 = 11 or 2x – 3 = 7)
- The teacher was surprised at how quickly the student was able to solve the equation.
老師對學生解方程式的快速感，感到驚訝。
- The professor wrote an equation on the board for everyone to see.
教授在板上寫了一個方程式給大家看。
equation  n. 有多種因素的狀況 
a complicated situation or issue — usually singular
- The situation is very complicated, and I’m trying to find a way to remove myself from the equation.
情況很複雜，所以我在想如何把自己從況況中抽出來。
- The use of smartphones has completely changed the equation when it comes to our forms of communication.
智慧型手機的使用，對我們溝通的方式帶來了很大的改變。 

navigate v. 為船隻或車輛導航   
to find the way to get to a place when you are traveling in a ship, airplane, car, etc.
- When Patrick goes on a road trip, he relies on his GPS to navigate.
Patrick 開車長途旅行時會依賴GPS來導航。
navigate v. 導向
to control the direction of (something, such as a ship or airplane) : steer
- Please don’t ask Serena to navigate; she can’t read a map.
請不要讓Serena 幫你導向，她不知道怎麼看地圖。
navigate v. 確定方向
- How do salmons navigate their way back to their place of birth?
鮭魚是如何確定方向，游回他們出生的地點呢?
navigate v. 在一個狀況或是問題當中逐漸確定，並導正方向 
- It was a miracle that we were able to navigate through that crisis.
我們得以在那危機當中度過，真的是一個奇蹟。 

outlook n. 看法、觀點 
the way that a person thinks about things
- Sam has a negative outlook on everything and likes to criticize things.
Sam 看事情都很悲觀，所以很愛批評。
- Alice has changed her outlook on things, and it’s made her a happier person.
Alice 改變了她的觀點，她人也因此變得比較開朗。
outlook n. 前景 
a set of conditions that will probably exist in the future : the future of someone or something — usually singular
- The weather outlook for the coast is pretty good for this weekend.
這周末，氣象預報說海岸區的天氣會不錯。
- With the way the team is playing in this game, the outlook is not very favorable.
以球隊在這場球賽的表現來看，前景不是很樂觀。

One in Five People Want More of This Perk Than More Pay (2)

Industry breakdowns

Of the 11 industries that were included in Celebrity Cruise's survey, nine offered their workers an average of 14 or 15 paid vacation days per year. Hotel, food services and hospitality offered the fewest number of days at 11, while arts, entertainment and recreation employees were given an average of 12.

Some industries offered generous PTO packages, but employees felt compelled to work extra hours to make up for vacation time.

Overall, 62 percent admit to working extra hours the week before their travels, and this takes a toll on women the most. 

Although the finance, technology and medical industries all offered at least 14 days of PTO, employees in these fields were the most likely to work overtime before vacation.

Benefits and burnout

Along with women, Gen Xers and baby boomers in particular said they experienced a spike in stress levels before a vacation. Mostly because of the work that would be waiting for them upon their return or worries about work being mishandled while they were away.

As burnout continues to be an issue in the workforce, vacations have become increasingly necessary. It's up to employees to take advantage of benefits while employers should understand when employees need time off. 

Info Cloud
Which generation are you from? 

Hello, friends. And welcome to Info Cloud. Today I want to talk about the names we use for the different generations in the USA. 

Now it's hard to pin down exactly where one generation starts and another stops, so we're going to use approximate dates today. Let's start in the 1920s with the Silent Generation. 

This generation was born between the 1920s and 1940s. They're called the Silent Generation because they were born during war and economic depression. 

Baby Boomers came next. They're called Baby Boomers because they were born during the baby boom that happened after World War II, from the 1940s to the 1960s. 

Next comes Generation X, born in the late 60s till the 80s. Then come Millennials. Millennials are also known as Generation Y. They were born in the 80s and early 90s. 

Generation Z, or Gen Z for short, were born in the mid-90s until around the mid-2010s. The current generation is known as Generation Alpha. 

You now, different areas of the world have different basis for determining where one generation starts and another stops. It usually has to do with what was going on in the area at that time. 

It's interesting to see how history and culture affects the way different generations view the world. How about you, friends? Which generation are you from? 

今天要跟大家介紹美國過去一百年來所經歷的不同世代，首先是1920年到1940年的Silent Generation沉默年代，這是一個經濟大蕭條和戰亂的年代，接下來是1940年到1960年的Baby Boomers 嬰兒潮，因為二戰過後大批的嬰兒陸續出生，60年代末到80年代是Generation X (X世代)，然後80年代到90年代出生的人就是 Millennials 千禧年世代，或是 Generation Y (Y世代)，90年代中期到2010年中期出生的就是Generation Z (Z世代)，最近這幾年出生的人就是Generation Alpha (Alpha世代)。

Language Lab
breakdown n. 分類、細目 
the process or result of showing the different parts of something in order to understand it more clearly
- During the company meeting, the manager showed everyone the breakdown of last month’s expenses.
在公司的會議中，經理向大家報告上個月的開支細目分類。 
breakdown n. 分解
the process or result of separating a substance into simpler parts
- Our body’s digestive system involves the breakdown of food so that nutrients can be absorbed.
我們身體的消化系統分解食物，好讓營養成份能夠被吸收。 

breakdown n. 故障、出問題
a failure of a machine to function : an occurrence in which a machine (such as a car) stops working
- Things became worse between the two brothers after they had a breakdown in their communication.
兩位兄弟之間的溝通失敗後，雙方的關係變得更惡劣。
breakdown n. 崩潰 (尤其是精神或心理方面的)
a sudden failure of mental or physical health that makes someone unable to live normally
- Because the singer had a nervous breakdown, she had to cancel all of her concerts.
這位歌手因為精神崩潰而必須取消她所有的演唱會。 

toll n. 損偒、傷害
the number of people who are killed or injured in an accident, disaster, war, etc. — usually singular
- The huge fire happened two days ago, and the death toll is now over a hundred.
大火災是兩天前發生的，而目前死亡人數已超過一百。
toll n. 通行費
an amount of money that you are required to pay for the use of a road or bridge
- On weekdays, drivers must pay a toll to cross the bridge.
要在周間開車過橋，就得付過橋費。
toll n. 通話費
an amount of money paid for a long-distance telephone call
- This number is toll free if you are calling from somewhere within the U.S..
如果在美國，撥打這個電話號碼是免費通話的。 

spike n. 突然上升的數量(如: 價格方面的)  
a sudden, rapid increase in something
- During the famine, there was not enough food and people had to deal with price spikes.
飢荒的時候，食物不夠而且人民還得面對價錢上漲。
- Mr. Grant was so stressed that he had a spike in his blood pressure.
Grant先生壓力太大，血壓突然升高。
spike n. 又細又尖的東西 (如: 一隻大釘子) 
a long, thin rod that ends in a point and is often made of metal
- When we tried to put up our tent, we realized we had forgotten the metal spikes.
我們在搭帳篷的時候發覺，我們忘了帶要固定帳篷的鐵釘。
spiky adj. 形容一個東西的形狀是尖細的
having sharp points : formed into points  
- Howie used a lot of hair wax to make his hair look spiky.
Howie 用了很多髮蠟好讓頭髮能夠抓得尖尖的。 

mishandle v. 處理不當 ; 弄亂  (mis- “不當的”、“不對的”) handle v. 處理
to deal with or manage (something) badly or incorrectly
- The sales representative is in deep trouble for mishandling his client’s case.
這個銷售員現在麻煩大了，因為她把客戶的案件處理的不妥。
- Since Ivan had mishandled the project, his supervisor reassigned the project to Jennifer.
Ivan 因為没有把工作處理好，她的主管就把工作重新分給Jennifer。
- Originally, the present was beautifully wrapped, but then some kids mishandled it, and now it looks ugly. 禮物原本包得美美的，但是被小朋友弄亂，所以現在才變得這麼難看。

One in Five People Want More of This Perk Than More Pay (1)

Many companies don’t even offer this type of employee benefit
比加薪更受歡迎的事這種員工福利可不是每家公司都有

Being focused on work and having grit and determination to get the job done at all cost can be rewarding. But when work affects your health and well-being, it begs the question: are you guilty of overworking?

Aside from salary and benefits, the amount of paid time off we enjoy every year is one of the most important elements of employment. Ensuring we take a break from non-stop productivity is crucial for our health, performance and to minimize work burnout.

Celebrity Cruises recently surveyed over 1200 Americans to see if they're taking advantage of their PTO, how they use their time off and which industries are providing the most PTO. 

The truth about PTO

Many companies don't offer PTO while others offer sick days, personal days and vacation time under one umbrella. Understanding the needs of your employees will not only create trust but also lessen fatigue and be beneficial for the company.

From the survey:

• Nearly one in five respondents said they would rather add five more vacation days than receive a 10 percent raise. 
• 21 percent of respondents said they had a vacation request denied in the past year.
• Nearly half of employees left paid vacation time unused. 
  
  

Info Cloud
taking some time off

Welcome to Info Cloud, everyone. Today we want to talk about taking some time off. 

If you have a job that offers vacation pay, you might take some vacation days. Or if you are sick, you might take a sick day. 

But you can also take a personal day. That means that you are taking a day off work for personal reasons. 

Now sometimes when people say that they are taking a personal day, they mean that they are going to use a day's worth of vacation pay. 

But they might not be taking a vacation or even going anywhere special, just taking a day for rest or to get things done. 

I once needed to take a personal day to pack up my things for a move. But if you need to take a personal day just to rest, we have another term for that. 

We call that a mental health day. That means that you are taking a personal day to take a break from stress and to relax a bit. 

And if you are having a hard time learning English, it's OK to take a personal day every once in a while. 

不管是學生或上班族，我們對放假這件事情應該相當在乎。今天跟大家介紹幾個請假的用語，像是 take a sick day 就是請病假，take some vacation days 就是請年假去一些地方旅遊度假，take a personal day 就是請私人假，意思就是你因為一些私人因素要請假。比較特別的是 take a mental health day，mental health是精神或心理健康，mental health day 有可能是因為要紓解工作壓力，必須花一點時間放鬆心情所請的假，其實也是一種 personal day。

Language Lab
grit n. 毅力、勇氣  
mental toughness and courage
- It takes a lot of grit to start your own small business in that part of town.
在城市的那一區裡，開自己的小店是需要相當大的勇氣。
- We need someone with enough grit and ambition to handle this difficult task.
我們需要一個有毅力和志氣的人來處理這項艱難的任務。
grit n. 砂礫
very small pieces of sand or stone
- Before you put your shoes on, be sure to shake out the grit.
在你把鞋子穿上之前，你要記得把鞋內的砂礫抖出來。
grit v. 因為要忍住或是很生氣而咬著牙齒 
to press or rub your teeth together
- Billy began to grit his teeth as the nurse approached him to give him his shot.
當護士走過來，準備給Billy打針時，Billy就開始咬著牙。 

crucial adj. 非常重要、有關鍵性的  
extremely important
- The scientist’s discovery of the chemical compound was crucial to the development of the new medicine.
科學家所發現的化學物，對於新藥物的發展有關鍵性。
- The police were able to solve the case after someone found a crucial piece of evidence.
警察能夠破案，歸功於有人找到一樣很重要的證據。
crucially adv. 有重要性、有關鍵性地
- Charlie’s understanding of Morse code became crucially important during that time of emergency.
Charlie對於摩斯密碼的瞭解，在那緊急的狀況下變得非常重要。 

fatigue n. 疲憊、極度地累 
 /fəˈtiːg/  
the state of being very tired : extreme weariness
- Working eighty hours a week and going to school in the evenings is causing Dennis to suffer from fatigue.
每周工作八十小時加上還要上夜校，讓Dennis非常疲憊。
fatigue v. 讓人感到非常疲勞 
to make (someone) tired — usually used as (be) fatigued
- An entire weekend of physical training fatigued the students.
整個周末鍛鍊體力，讓學生們非常疲憊。
fatigue n. 迷彩服(軍人會穿的那一種)   
the uniform that soldiers wear when they are doing physical work 
- The little boys wanted to dress up as soldiers for Halloween so they wore army fatigues.
小男孩們想在萬聖節打扮成軍人，所以穿上迷彩服。 

respondent n.回覆者、回答者 (如回答問卷的人) 
 /rɪˈspɑːndənt/
a person who gives a response or answer to a question that is asked especially as part of a survey
respond v. 回答、回覆
to say or write something as an answer to a question or request : reply
- Emily sent out a survey, and most of the respondents’ answers were rather surprising.
Emily 做了問卷調查，而大部分的回覆者的答案讓他很驚訝。
- Less than half of the respondents were over fifty years old.
不到一半的回答者超過五十歲以上。
respondent 在法庭裡，尤其在離婚案件裡，是指被告者。  
- The woman described all the problems she had to face as a result of being with the respondents.
那位女士形容她跟被告在一起時，所產生的總總問題。