实地考察面试:更近一步

After an on campus interview, strong candidates are usually invited to visit the employer's facility. Work with the employer to schedule the on-site visit at a mutually convenient time. Sometimes employers will try to arrange site visits for several candidates to take place at the same time, 所以可能没有太多的灵活性 ... but you'll never know if the employer is flexible unless you ask.

• 现场面试的邀请函, 通常被称为“植物之旅”,并不能保证你就能找到工作. It is a chance to examine whether or not you will be a good match for the job and for the organization.
   
• 参观工厂的通知可以通过电话或电子邮件进行. Respond promptly if you are sincerely interested in this employer. 如果你不满意，请礼貌地拒绝. 永远不要为了旅行而去旅行. Document the name and phone number of the person coordinating your trip. 确认谁将负责差旅费. Most medium- and large-size companies (as well as many smaller ones) will pay your expenses, 但其他人不会. 这一点非常重要, because expenses are handled in various ways:  1) the employer may handle all expenses and travel arrangements; 2) you handle your expenses and arrangements (the employer may assist with this), and the employer will reimburse you later; 3) the employer may offer an on-site interview, 但不会为你的面试买单.
   
• Know yourself and the type of job you are seeking with this employer. 不要说:“我愿意考虑你的任何条件。."
   
• 彻底调查潜在雇主. Read company websites, annual reports, newspaper articles, trade journals, etc. Many companies have their own homepage where you can read its mission statement, 找出它的长期目标, 阅读最近的新闻稿, 查看公司照片. Don't limit your research only to company-controlled information. 互联网可以是一个有价值的调查工具. You may uncover key information that may influence --positively or negatively--your decision to pursue employment with a given organization.
   
• Bring extra copies of your resume; copies of any paperwork you may have forwarded to the employer; names, 地址, 电话号码 and e-mail 地址 of your references; an updated college transcript; a copy of your best paper as a writing sample; a notebook; a black and / or blue pen for filling out forms and applications; and names and 地址 of past employers.
   
• 带上多余的钱和换洗的衣服. 也, have the names and 电话号码 of those who may be meeting you in case your plans change unexpectedly. Anything can happen and you need to be ready for emergencies.
   
• Your role at the interview is to respond to questions, to ask your own questions and to observe. Be ready to meet people who are not part of your formal agenda. Be courteous to everyone regardless of his or her position; you never know who might be watching you and your actions once you arrive in town.
   
• 别忘了餐桌礼仪. Plant trips may include several meals or attendance at a reception the night before your "big day". When ordering food at a restaurant, follow the lead of the employer host. 例如, don't order the three-pound lobster if everyone else is having a more moderately priced entree. 如果你有“吃饭紧张症”," some authorities suggest ordering food that is easy to handle, 比如去骨鱼片或鸡胸肉.
   
• Many employers have a set salary range for entry-level positions and others are more negotiable.Though salary should not be brought up until an offer is extended, 提前知道自己的价值是明智的. Contact your campus career center to obtain more information on salaries. 根据杰伊·惠勒, manager of university relations and staffing for Halliburton, "Students have been working on perfecting their product for a number of years and should know what kind of product they've created and what the company is willing to buy."
   
• Soon after the site visit, record your impressions of your performance. Review the business cards of those you met or write the information in your notebook before leaving the facility. 你应该知道名字, 标题, 地址, 电话号码, and e-mail 地址 of everyone who was involved in your interview so you can determine which individuals you may want to contact with additional questions or follow-up information. A thank you letter should be written to the person(s) who will be making the hiring decision. Stay in touch with the employer if you want to pursue a career with them.
   
• 实地考察是双向的. You are there to evaluate the employer and to determine if your expectations are met for job content, 公司文化及价值观, 组织结构, 生活方式(工作和休闲). Take note of how the employees interact, and also assess the physical work environment.
   
• Just as any good salesperson would never leave a customer without attempting to close the sale, you should never leave an interview without some sort of closure. 如果你觉得这份工作适合你, don't be afraid to tell the employer that you feel that there is a good fit and you are eager to join their team. The employer is interested in hiring people who want to be associated with them and they will never know of your interest if you don't voice your opinion. Keep in mind that although the employer has the final power to offer a job, your demeanor during the entire interviewing process-both on and off campus-also gives you a great deal of power.