If you're like a lot of job seekers, when you get called for an interview, you swing into preparation mode. You research the company, you try to predict what questions you'll be asked, and you practice your answers until they're flawless. But in the midst of all this effort to make a great impression, don't lose sight of what might be the single most important thing you can remember as you head into the interview: The point of the interview is not to get a job offer. It's to figure out if you're a mutual match, emphasis on mutual.

你是不是和大部分的求职者一样？在收到面试通知后，会立刻进入准备状态。对公司进行研究，分析会问到哪些问题，练习回答直到答案完美无缺。但是要想让人印象深刻，在面试时，不要忘了最重要的事情：你面试的目的不是为了得到这份工作，而是要弄清自己是否适合这份工作。注意这种适合是相互的。

If you go into your interview focused solely on convincing the employer to hire you, you'll lose sight of whether this is a job you even want or a company (or manager) you want to work for. Instead, in addition to showing the interviewer what you can do, your goal should be to make an informed decision about whether this is the right job and the right employer for you.

如果你在面试时只是想说服雇主聘用你，你会忽视自己是否想做这份工作或是否想为这家公司(或管理者)效劳。相反，除了向面试官展示你的技能外，你的目标应是通过面试时的信息判断：这份工作是否合适？雇主是否适合你？

Think of it like dating: If you approached every first date determined to make your date fall for you, you'd miss important cues about whether or not you were right for each other. And you might end up with someone who makes you miserable, or someone who you couldn't make happy.

把它想象成约会：如果你在每个初次约会前都下定决心让对方爱上你，你会错过你们是否合适的重要线索，这样也许最后和你在一起的人会让你很痛苦，也可能你没办法让他/她幸福。

So when it comes to job hunting, it's important to view a job interview as a two-way conversation … not a one-sided interrogation where the interviewer fires questions at you, and you just hope you're measuring up. Don’t focus so hard on pleasing the interviewer that you forget to pay attention to whether this is a job you even want.

所以，找工作时，不要认为面试就是面试官向你发问，你能做的只是把所有问题都答出来。要把面试看成双向的交流，而非面试官的单方审问。不要只想着如何取悦面试官，还要看看这份工作是否是你想要的。

This approach means interviewing the interviewer, asking questions to figure out things like:

本文提出的方法是让你和面试官交谈，询问一些问题来解开下面的疑惑。

Is the work well aligned with your strengths—your real ones, not ones you puffed up in your cover letter?

这份工作是否能发挥你的优势？注意，这里指的是你真正的优势，而不是你在简历上吹嘘的那些。

Is the environment one you'll thrive in?

你会在这种环境中成长吗？

Is the manager someone you’d want to work with?

你想和这样的管理者一同工作吗？

If you're offered the job and accept it, you're going to be doing this work with these people, all day, every day. Your goal is to find out if you can do it well and happily, not to get the job at all costs.

如果你收到了录取的通知并接受了这份工作，你每天都要和这些人在一起。你要弄清自己做这份工作时，会不会开心，能不能做好， 而不是想方设法获得这份工作。

Now, some job seekers hear this and think, "That's all well and good, but I really need a job, and I don't care if the employer is right for me or not, as long as I'm getting a paycheck." But approaching the interview as a two-way discussion rather than a one-way assessment means that you're going to do better in that interview. After all, interviewers want to see that you're thinking really critically about whether you'd be good in the job and whether you'd be happy in it or itching to leave a few months in.

现在，有的求职者看到这些后可能会想，那样做的确很好，但我确实需要一份工作，我不介意雇主是否适合我，只要有工资拿就行。但是，把面试看成是双向的交流而不是单向的评估会让你在面试中表现得更好。毕竟，面试官是想看看你有没有考虑过，自己是否擅长这份工作，或这份工作会不会让你开心，还是你只想在这家公司呆上几个月。

In other words, even if you really do just want that job offer at all costs, this approach will still work in your favor.

换句话说，即便你非常想要这份工作，这种方法对你也是有益的。

So when you head into your next interview, remember that you're not just waiting for the interviewer to decide if the fit is right. You're making that decision too.

下次再去面试时，记住你不是只在那里等待面试官决定你是否适合，你也可以做决定。