Worldwide Panel LLC, a small market-research firm, is getting flooded with resumes for four vacancies¹ in sales and information technology.

小型市场研究公司Worldwide Panel LLC准备招聘4名销售和IT技术人员，结果收到了大量简历。

However, officials expect to reject numerous applicants² after asking them: 'What is your greatest weakness?' Candidates often respond 'with something that is not a weakness,' say Christopher Morrow, senior vice³ president of the Calabasas,Calif., concern. 'It is a deal breaker.'

不过，招聘人员预计，在向应聘者发问“你最大的缺点是什么？”之后，会有很多人被淘汰。Worldwide高级副总裁莫罗(Christopher Morrow)说，对这个问题，应聘者的回答往往并非缺点，他们因此过不了关。

The weakness question represents the most common and most stressful one posed during interviews. Yet in today's weak job market, the wrong answer weakens your chances of winning employment.

“缺点”问题是求职面试中最常见也最让人头痛的一个问题。而在眼下就业市场疲软的情况下，不恰当的回答将降低你赢得工作的机会。

Some people offer replies they mistakenly assume that bosses love, such as 'I am a perfectionist.' That response will be used against you because you appear incapable⁴ of delegating, warns Joshua Ehrlich, dean of a master's program in executive coaching sponsored by BeamPines Inc., a New York coaching firm and Middlesex University in London.

一些应聘者会给出误以为老板会喜欢的答案，比如，“我的缺点是过于追求完美”。对此埃里奇(Joshua Ehrlich)提醒说，这个回答会对你求职不利，因为它显得你似乎没有能力授权给他人。埃里奇是一个由纽约职业培训机构BeamPines Inc.和伦敦米德塞克斯大学(Middlesex University)合办的经理人硕士班培训项目的负责人。

A careful game plan could help you cope with the shortcoming query⁵ in a way that highlights your fit for a desired position. Job seekers who field the question well demonstrate that they can 'take initiative and improve themselves,' Mr. Morrow says.

为对付这个问题，可事先精心设计好一个答案，以凸显你适合所申请的这个职位。莫罗说，出色回答这个问题的求职者表现出他们能够“主动行动，改善自己”。

The key? Thorough preparation. Career specialists suggest you take stock of your weaknesses, focusing on job-related ones that won't impede⁶ your ability to perform your duties. Tony Santora, an executive vice president for Right Management, a major outplacement firm inPhiladelphia, says an information-technology manager flubbed a 2007 interview by choosing a personal foible as his reply: 'My true weakness is that I am a terrible cook.'

关键在哪里？那就是充分的准备。职场专家建议，你可以整理一下自己的缺点，挑出其中跟工作有关、但又不会妨碍你行使工作职责的方面。费城大型职业介绍机构Right Management执行副总裁桑特拉(Tony Santora)说，2007年一位IT经理在参加面试时，在有关缺点的问题上败下阵来：他的回答居然是，“我真正的缺点是，我的烹饪技术很糟糕。”

Rehearse your responses aloud, role play with a friend or videotape yourself -- but don't memorize your words. As you review the video, look for aspects you would like to change so you can continue to get better as you practice, says Peggy Klaus, a leadership coach in Berkeley, Calif.

大声朗读答案，可以找朋友或自己用录像来一番角色扮演。不过，不要背诵自己的答案。加州管理培训师克劳斯(Peggy Klaus)说，回头看录像的时候，找出你觉得可以改善的地方，这样在练习时可以做得更好。