了解西方职场文化 轻松与老外打交道

1）Because of different living habits, and the influence of culture, there are differences between how the Chinese and Westerners express their ideas. Westerners are thought to express themselves directly, by saying what they really think. Also, foreigners are expected to be more open minded by accepting and respecting different ideas. On the other side, because of long-held Confucian influences, Chinese people are thought to be more conservative, and express themselves in an indirect manner. Therefore, it is very important to learn how to express yourself in an international organization.

由于不同的文化和不同的生活习惯的影响,也有不同的表达方式。西方人通常表达更直接,愿意主动表达自己的真实内心的想法,也有勇气去接受和尊重别人的意见,因为长期的儒家思想的影响,中国人一般是相对保守的,在表达上会更含蓄。因此,它是最重要的一课就是在跨国公司表达他们的真实想法。

EG. The boss of a law firm recently came to Sisi and asked her to lead a team to deal with a difficult case. Even though Sisi wanted to challenge herself, she said with some reservation: ‘This case is very difficult and I am afraid that I cannot handle it.’ Her boss thought that she was not ready, and assigned the case to another person. In result, Sisi missed this opportunity.

范例：某律师事务所老板找到员工Sisi，决定让Sisi带头处理最近一个比较棘手的案子。尽管Sisi心里很愿意接受挑战，她还是有所保留地回答：这件案子确实有难度，我担心自己的能力不够...老板却认为Sisi还没有准备好而把工作委派给了另外一个同事，Sisi因此而错过了机会。

2）The 'western handshake' is generally used in an international business setting. Even though different countries have different ways to greet each other, the handshake is one of the most universal greetings in business. Some business professionals think handshakes can determine your confidence and professionalism, judged by how firm your grip is. If your handshake is too weak, others might misjudge you as being nervous or unprofessional. When you do business with Westerners, (not including Americans), make sure that you shake hands with everyone in the room lest some will feel excluded.

国际商务场合通常采用西方的握手礼仪,不同国家用不同的方式互相问候,握手是一个值得学习的学问。职场人士是非常强调握手,因为一个好的握手,让人们感觉到你的自信,优雅和专业精神。如果你握得太松会体现你的紧张,不自信,美国以外的国家做生意,确保每个人都人握手,和每个人打招呼，相互问候。不这样做,就会被认为你排斥那些你漏掉与之握手的人。

EG. A French translator named David always shakes his clients’ hands to show respect. However, some women found his behaviour offensive because he chose not to shake their hands. David thinks that he is being polite, by allowing women to choose to shake hands with him first. However, by doing this, women in his presence felt excluded/not as appreciated as the men. After David was able to understand this situation, he was able to change his behavior. David now shakes hands with everyone regardless of gender.

范例：法语翻译官David每次与男性客户见面时都会主动握手，然而某些女性客户却感觉这样的行为冒犯了她们。尽管David认为职场女性享有握手的主动权，应该等女士主动伸手之后再握，但一些女性却觉得自己受到了区别对待。了解以后，David更加关注西方职场礼仪，这使他今后在不同的场合中有更得体的表现。

3）Showing team spirit in the workplace can help foster a more professional environment. Some foreign companies have group interviews in order to focus on this quality in select candidates. The interviewer will watch the candidates’ performance to evaluate their ability to work as a team. In foreign companies, many projects need to be finished across different departments and regions. Because of this specific working environment, the interviewer will focus on a candidate's ability too cooperate with coworkers, analytical skills, and problem solving skills. Specific projects you have worked on in the past, and reference letters are sometimes required as well.

团队精神和团队合作意识能够反映工作的质量。我们都知道,大多数的外国公司在采访中会无领导小组讨论，主考官在旁边观察应聘者共同完成某一项目的表现，评估应聘者的团队合作能力。因为外企很多工作是需要跨部门、跨区域来完成的，所以面试官会注重你的团队合作能力，分析能力，解决问题的能力，尤其你曾经在企业合作完成过的重要项目，同事朋友对你的评价等。

EG. Sherry attended a group interview for a well-known company. At the end of the interview, a group discussion was held to encourage candidates to solve a problem as a group. Even though Sherry had a lot of experience that she could add to the discussion, she failed the interview. She wasn't hired because she displayed a lack of respect for others opinions, and did not have 'team spirit.'

范例：Sherry在参加某知名游戏公司集体面试时，最后一个环节便是无领导小组讨论，应聘者需要以小组的形式解决某一难题。尽管Sherry经验丰富，也在小组讨论中展现出她的优势，却因为没有倾听小组其他人的意见，以及缺乏团队合作精神而最终面试失败。