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Receiving an interview invitation from a company you admire is always exciting, but keep in mind that you haven’t succeeded yet; it is only after facing the interviewer in person that you can secure the position. If a good resume is the steps that help you climb upward, then an interview is the process of figuring out how to step over the threshold while standing on those steps. Typically, interviews for foreign (joint venture) companies consist of 2–3 rounds (with some having more than 3 rounds). The first round is conducted by the human resources manager (sometimes together with the department head), the second round by the department manager (sometimes together with the human resources manager), and the third round by the company’s general manager or director. Obviously, such an interview takes a relatively long time. (Calculated on a cycle of one week, plus the company’s final decision, it takes about a month in total). The interview formats for foreign companies are very varied. Usually, there is a brief phone interview before the first in-person interview, and this is quite important – whether you get to proceed to the first interview depends on this short conversation. For example, after figuring out who you are, he (she) might suddenly switch to speaking in English on the phone, catching you off guard; but if you’re prepared for it, you won’t be defeated by this tactic. For some foreign companies that need you, the first two rounds of interviews can also be conducted over the phone. (Naturally, it’s because of geographical or work-related reasons that you can’t have a face-to-face conversation.) For a phone interview, first, find a phone with good call quality, and second, find a quiet place. Compared to an in-person interview, a phone interview is more difficult. So you must be fully focused during the phone interview; you absolutely cannot get distracted. The preparations to be done before an interview is a well-known topic, but if you prepare thoroughly, it can yield twice the result with half the effort. The main way to learn about a company these days is through the internet. The websites of some large companies are very comprehensive; you should at least know 1. The company’s history: its date of establishment, when it entered the Chinese market, where its Asia-Pacific headquarters is located, the number of employees in China, the total number of employees worldwide, and so on. 2. Company culture: What qualities do the company value most in its employees? 3. The company’s main business activities. When the company’s executives ask what you know about their company, if you mention the points mentioned above, they will start to get a bit \"excited\". Another extremely important preparatory task is: the acquisition of business knowledge. To be precise, it should be called organizing one’s thoughts. The company provides you with a detailed Job Description; by combining your previous work experience with that description and organizing your words carefully, all the challenges related to the job requirements can be overcome. The final preparation step is to get ready with your \"speaking skills\" – there’s no need to be afraid of interviews in English. In fact, foreigners usually speak English more clearly than Chinese people do. Remember that English is a tool for communication, and they have no reason to use it to make things difficult for you. One thing to keep in mind: never speak that fast! Otherwise you’ll confuse him; just speak slowly and clearly to convey what you want to say, and that’s fine. An interview is an interactive process, so you shouldn’t just focus on responding to questions but also on asking your own. Towards the end of the interview, the interviewer will usually ask if you have any questions; be sure to keep two things in mind: 1. Do not ask more than 3 questions. 2. Under no circumstances ask about salary (if you must ask, do so casually, so that he thinks you don’t really care about it). After the interview, be sure to express your gratitude; this is very important. 2 ways to express gratitude: 1. Say thank you in person. 2. Send an email to express your thanks after returning. I suggest using both methods together, as it will yield very good results.