The outcome of your interview is often decided before you even step into the interview room. Preparation is the key for successful interviews. Below are some simple guidelines to help you prepare for your next interview.

你的面试结果很多时候在你踏进面试房间之前就已经定下来了，事先的准备是面试是否成功的关键。看看下面的面试指南，希望它能帮助你面试成功。

Before the Interview

面试之前

1. Personal Preparation 个人准备

Be sure to take time beforehand to make sure that you are comfortable with not only what, but how you will present yourself during the interview. You also will benefit from taking the hour before the interview to relax completely and put your mind at ease.

一定提前要花时间去看看你自己在面试过程中会表现得怎么样，而不是仅仅看看自己是否舒服。在面试之前花几个小时彻底放松一下身心会让你受益匪浅的。

2. Do Your Homework 做好功课

You can never know too much about an industry, a company, its competitors, and all relevant news. Doing your homework can often decide the fate of your interview before you even step foot in the office.

你是不可能对每一个行业、某一家公司、它的竞争对手以及所有有关的新闻都了解得特别多。提前功课做得好不好，在你踏进面试办公室之前，就已经决定你的命运了。

The Day of the Interview

面试当天

1. Punctuality 准时

Three words: Don’t Be Late. Tardiness is inexcusable.

三个字：别迟到。办事拖拉是没办法辩解的。

2 Appearance 穿着

As a rule of thumb, one can never be overdressed. That being said, you will always want to go classy-conservative, which for women means business suit (slacks are generally preferable to skirts), and for men means deep base color (black or navy blue).

一般来说，没有人会过分打扮自己。这也就是说，你总是想穿的稳重优雅，对于女士来说就是要穿商务套装(裤子会比裙子更适合面试场合);对于男士来说就是深色的服装(黑色或深蓝色)。

During the Interview

面试进行时

1. The First Impression 第一印象

You must set the tone of your interview in the first thirty seconds. You will want to establish a couple of elevator pitches beforehand. Imagine that you are in an elevator and you only have a few floors to make a positive, lasting impression.

你必须在面试开始的半分钟之内就打好基调。事先就要准备好几个电梯开场白，想象一下你如果在电梯里，那么你只有很短的(几层楼的)时间，想办法给人留下一个积极的、深刻的印象。

2. Understand Your Audience 读懂你的听众

Read your interviewer carefully. Does he/she seem very conservative? Extremely outgoing? Make sure that your attitude reflects and complements your interviewer’s.

仔细研究一下主考官，他/她看上去很保守吗?还是非常外向?一定要让你的看法和主考官一致而且补充道他/她的观点。

3. Personal Branding 个人品牌

You are your own brand, and the interview is your chance to sell yourself. Make sure to do things like look the potential employer in the eye while speaking and to refer to your potential employer by his/her first (or last) name.

你自己本身就是一个品牌，面试则是你推销自己的机会。一定要做一些事情，比如说话的时候，眼睛看着对方(未来的雇主)并且称呼他/她的名字(或姓)。

After the Interview

面试之后

The Follow-up Letter 跟踪信

Write a letter to the interviewer following your interview, making sure to summarize what you talked about and mentioning again how you could benefit the organization. Never miss a chance to say again why you are the perfect person for the job!

写一封信去跟踪你的面试，一定要总结一下你在面试里都谈到了那些内容，也要再次提到你会给这个机构带来什么样的效益。不要错过任何一个机会，来表达你是这份工作的最合适人选。