If networking drives you nuts and you tend to think a while before you respond to interviewers' questions, you may find a job search especially difficult. Here's what to do.

如果交际让你很烦恼，回答面试官问题前，你都要有停顿的考虑时间，那么也许你会发现找工作特别困难。下面教你怎么做。

Dear Annie: I lost my job as an IT manager in a downsizing last November and am still looking for another one. Apart from the fact that the tech job market is pretty flat right now, and employers seem to be taking a wait-and-see approach to hiring, I think my personality is getting in my way.

亲爱的Annie:去年十一月公司裁员中，我失去了IT经理职务，现在还在找工作。除了技术市场现在十分不积极之外，雇主们似乎在招聘时采用等等看，我想我的性格成了阻碍。

I know I'm supposed to be networking, and I'm trying, but I find it exhausting, and I'm aware that I often don't come across well in a crowd of people I don't know. Also, in the few interviews I've managed to get, I've been asked some interesting questions that required some thought, and I got the impression that I took too long to answer them. My wife says I'm a classic introvert and that this is making my job hunt harder than normal. Your thoughts? Sudoku Samurai

我知道我应该去交际，而且我也在努力，但是我感到疲惫不堪，我发现自己经常在一群陌生人面前不会留下好印象。而且，在一些获得的面试中，我被问了一些要多考虑的有趣问题，我觉得自己花要回答的时间太长了。我的妻子说我是一个典型的内向，这正让我的求职比尤为困难。你是怎么看的? (提问者)Sudoku Samurai

Dear Samurai: Sounds as if your wife is familiar with a personality test widely used in business called the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, which identifies introversion as a specific personality type. One clue: You find networking exhausting. Another hint: You’re inclined to think carefully before you speak.

　　亲爱的Samurai: 听起来你的妻子似乎熟悉一种被称作”Myers Briggs Type Indicator"广泛在企业中运用的性格测试。这个测试将"内向"定义为一种明确的性格类型。 一个提示: 你对交际感到令人疲惫。另一个暗示：你倾向于在开口说话前仔细地思考。

Gelberg wrote a book you might want to check out, The Successful Introvert: How to Enhance Your Job Search and Advance Your Career (Happy About, $19.95). She observes that introverts, among whom she counts herself, usually assume that introversion is, well, kind of weird.

Gelberg写的一本书你也许想了解一下--《成功的内向者:如何提高求职及如何让事业前进》(Happy About出版社,价格19.95美元)。她认为，连同将自己算在一块的内向的人们通常认为内向，怎么说呢，有点古怪。

"We tend to feel that extroversion is the gold standard, that it's more 'normal,' " she says. "But that's because it's all we see, on TV and elsewhere. After all, a television show about someone just sitting quietly or reading a book wouldn't draw many viewers. And then, as introverts, we don't get together and share our experiences, so we assume we're all alone."

她说:“我们往往回去认为外向就是模范标准，认为那更‘正常’，但是那是因为我们在电视和其它地方看到的。毕竟，播放一个人安静坐在那里或读一本书的电视节目不会吸引太多观众。其次，作为内向的人来说，不会凑在一起，分享体验，所以我们认为都是一个人。”

Far from it. Research analyzing the results from a national representative sample of 3,009 people who have taken the Myers Briggs test shows that introverts actually outnumber extroverts, 50.8% to 49.3%. More men (54.1%) than women (47.5%) are introverted. And lest you think the title of Gelberg's book is an oxymoron, consider this: Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA, Fortune 500) CEO Warren Buffett, Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) chairman Bill Gates, Sara Lee (SLE, Fortune 500) CEO Brenda Barnes, Steven Spielberg, and Charles Schwab all describe themselves as introverts.

绝非如此。根据全国代表性对进行Myers Briggs测试了的3009人的调查结果表明内向的人数(50.8%)其实超过了外向的人数(49.3%)。内向男性(54.1%比内向女性 (47.5%)要多。为了怕你认为Gelberg的书是错误矛盾的，想想看：Berkshire Hathaway的首席执行官沃伦巴菲特，微软主席比尔盖茨，Sara Lee首席执行官布伦达.巴恩斯，斯蒂芬斯皮尔伯格还有Charles Schwab 全都认为自己是内向的人。

The job-search process, alas, often seems to favor the extroverted, but you can prevail. First, let's take those interviews where (you think) you haven't spoken up quickly enough. Gelberg says that modern neuroscience has pinpointed one difference between introverts and their opposites: PET scans of both kinds of brains show the two types process information differently, with introverts tending to think before speaking and extroverts thinking while they talk.

呜呼,求职的过程似乎常常是钟爱外向的人们，但是你能取胜。首先，看一看那些（你认为）说话速度不够快的面试。Gelberg说，现代神经科学已经确定了外向和内向的一个不同点:对两类人的大脑进行PET扫描显示处理信息的方法不一样：内向的人在说话前会做思考；外向的人一边说一边思考。

"In a job interview, you can overcome this difference by preparing thoroughly beforehand," says Gelberg. "Most people, especially extroverts, go into an interview and 'wing it.' For you, a better approach is to think hard beforehand about what questions you are likely to be asked, and have your answers ready." Take a pad and paper with you, she suggests, not just to take notes but also "to give yourself prompts. Write down key words and phrases to remind yourself of what you planned to say."

Gelberg说:"在求职面试时，通过提前充分地准备来克服这个不同，多数人--尤其是外向的人--参加面试(在现场)’即兴发挥‘，对你而言，更好的方法是提前好好地考虑一下可能被问及的问题，然后准备好答案。" 她建议，带上垫板、纸，不但为了做笔记，而且“给自己台词。写下关键词、话，提醒自己之前打算要说的话”

What if, in spite of your best efforts in advance, the interviewer throws you a curve ball? "You can say, ' That's a good question, let me think about it for a minute.' Then do," says Gelberg. Try to come up with an answer as quickly as you can —but bear in mind that any job interview is a two-way street. A corporate culture that discourages cogitation may not be one where you'd be comfortable in the long run.

万一如果虽然提前做了很好的准备，但是面试管突然问了一个让你防不胜防的问题呢? Gelberg说:"你可以说，‘这是个好问题，请让我想一想看’，然后去想” 尽量快地回答--但是牢记任何一次面试都是双方情愿的事情。一个不鼓励深思熟虑的企业文化也许不是你长久会乐意呆的地方“

Another tip: Make full use of an advantage your introversion gives you, which is the inclination to do detailed research. "Everyone should do their homework before a job interview, but extroverts usually don't," observes Gelberg. You, on the other hand, probably relish the prospect of studying the corporate Web site, seeking out the press the company has gotten lately, Googling your interviewer, and generally gathering as much information as you can find before you go in. "Employers love this, because it shows you are interested in their company, not just desperate for a job," she says. "It will often give you a real edge."

另一个提示:充分利用你的内向带来的优势，即：细节调查。Gelberg说，"在一次求职面试前，每个人都应该做功课，但是外向的人通常不会”。相反，你大概就对研究公司网站、寻找公司最近获得的媒体报道上十分感兴趣。用谷歌搜索你的面试官信息，通常在你面试前收集到尽可能多的信息。她说， “雇主喜欢这一点，因为这表明你对它们的公司感兴趣，而不只急着要工作。这会给你一个切实的优势”

As for your other bugaboo, networking, Gelberg recommends that you accept the fact that you have to pace yourself. "Since it's hard for you to shine in a big gathering, you need to give yourself more time in between them than an extrovert would," she says. "Be more selective, too. Instead of hitting every single event you could go to, think strategically and go to just those get-togethers that are most likely to be truly worthwhile."

至于你的另一个吓人的东西--交际，Gelberg建议你接受自己要不得不去给自己定步伐的事实。“既然在一个很多人的场合中很难让你放光彩，那么在这种场合之间，你需要给自己比外向的人更多的时间。也要更有选择性。每一个活动不要能去就去，而是讲策略地考虑，然后去那些最有可能是真正有价值的聚会。”

When it comes to making professional connections, Gelberg notes, the Internet may be an introvert's best friend. "Social networking sites like LinkedIn, blogs, and chat rooms are all great for introverts because you get to think and choose your words before you 'speak,' " she points out. "One reason for the huge growth of online networking is that it plays to introverts' strengths. You can 'meet' and be in contact with large numbers of people without the strain of spending time with them in person."

在职业关系方面，Gelberg指出，互联网可以成为内向的人最好的朋友。她指出:“向Linkedln这样的社交网站，博客还有聊天室对内向的人来说极好，因为你可以在’说‘之前做思考，选择要说的话。网络交际巨大增长的一个原因是它顺应了内向人的强项。你可以同许多人’见面‘和接触，没有和他们当面在一起时的劳累”。