Employers assume that those they hire know how to perform certain tasks. For example your boss will expect you to know how to write a professional email and answer the phone properly. Those tasks are pretty simple, but others are a bit more complicated—for example apologizing for a mistake. That's not something everyone knows how to do. Here are 8 tasks, some simple and some not, that everyone must master:

　　雇主们认为有些事情是招来的员工应该知道怎么做的。比如写专业的商务邮件，有礼数地应答客户打来的电话等等。这些事情确实很简单，但还有一些确实不容易的——比如为失误道歉。不是所有人都知道该如何正确道歉。下面就是八件你会做到的小事，有的简单有的难，但是每个人都必须能做得游刃有余：

　　1.Sending a Professional Email

　　1.发送商务邮件

　　If you are under the age of 30 it's very likely you have been using email since you've known how to write. What you may not know is that there's a big difference between sending email to your friends and using this medium for work-related correspondence. For example, you may write in all lowercase letters, use slang and abbreviations, and perhaps even let misspellings and bad grammar go by, when sending email to your friends. Those are some of the "do nots" to which you should be attentive when corresponding with coworkers, your boss or clients.

　　如果你的年龄在30岁以下，那么你很有可能一会写字就会写电邮了。但是你不知道的是给朋友写电邮和给工作伙伴写电邮完全不是一个feel。比如，给朋友写电邮时，你可能全部用小写字母，使用俚语和缩写，甚至拼写出错，语法混乱。这些都是你给工作伙伴，顾客和老板写邮件所万万不能够的。

　　2.Writing a Memo or Business Letter

　　2.写备忘录或商业信函

　　It's hard to imagine having to send a paper copy of a memo or letter instead of an email, but it could happen. In case it ever does, you should know how to do it properly.

　　很难想象不发电邮而是写信或是做备忘，但是这事可能发生。为了处理得当，get新技能吧。

　　3.Answering the Telephoned and Making Phone Calls

　　3.接打电话的方式

　　You've been making and receiving phone calls your entire life. Of course you know how to do this very simple task: you pick up the phone and say hello (or if making a call, you ask for the person to whom you want to speak). That's fine for personal phone calls but not for business calls. When you answer a call you should always identify yourself by name and state the name of your department or company. Give your name to the person who answers the phone when you are the caller and then tell him or her who you are trying to reach.

　　你这辈子，都离不开打电话接电话。你当然知道这事儿有多简单：拿起电话说声嗨(或者打电话过去说让谁接)。私人电话这么打当然没问题，但绝不适用于商务电话。接商务电话时，你需要陈述自己的姓名，说出公司和部门。所以要告诉接电话人你的名字，并告知他你想找谁。

　　4.Making Introductions

　　4.自我介绍

　　When you meet someone new it is polite to introduce yourself to him or her. It is also polite to introduce people to one another. In a work-related situation it is always best to use first and last names. For example, say "Hello. I'm Mary Smith" when you meet someone for the first time. You can also do this when you run into someone you've met before but whose name you don't remember. In that case, you can add "I know we've met before but I'm afraid I've forgotten your name." Chances are they don't remember yours either! When introducing others say, for example, "John Jones, I'd like you to meet Peter Smith."

　　当你见到一个新人时，自我介绍是礼貌地体现。为别人互相介绍也是同理。在工作场合，介绍出姓和名是最合宜的。比如在初次见面，说：“你好，我是马丽·史密斯。”当你遇到那些你曾经见过却记不起名字的人，也可以用这招。这种状况下你要加上一句：“我记得我们见过的，但我这人好忘事，请问您叫?”可能他们也不记得你!介绍别人时，可以这样说：“约翰·琼斯，来认识一下彼得·史密斯吧。”

　　5.Taking Minutes at a Meeting

　　5.会议记录

　　Many jobs involve attending meetings, at least occasionally. Often it is required that written records, called minutes. At some point, the person running the meeting may turn to you to take these minutes. This will require keeping track of attendees and carefully taking notes of all discussions. You will also have to type up the minutes after the meeting.

　　很多工作都要经历文山会海，至少是经常性的。会议里通常要做会议记录，学名叫做minutes。有时候会议主持人会需要你做会议记录，这就需要你具备密切关注参会者及详细记录所有讨论笔记的能力。在会议结束后你同样需要将会议记录整理成文打印出来。

　　6.Writing a 'To Do' List

　　6.做得一手好计划

　　Most jobs involve juggling multiple tasks. The best way to keep track of all of them is to keep a to do list. Write down all the tasks for which you are responsible, prioritized by the order in which you must complete them. Include due dates. Whether you use a smart phone app, computer software or a piece of paper, make sure you can either check off or cross out items as you complete them.

　　大多数工作是由很多个任务集合而成的。跟进所有任务的最好办法就是做计划。写下你要负责的所有任务，将他们按紧急程度排序，并且附上截止日期。无论你用手机应用，电脑软件还是写在纸上做计划，都要保证做完一项划掉一项。

　　7.Apologizing for a Mistake

　　7.为犯错道歉

　　In order to apologize for a mistake, you will have to admit you made it. That's a hard thing to do but it's necessary. It is imperative that you act quickly—as soon as you realize your error, talk to your boss or whomever it will effect. Try to have a plan in mind to correct the mistake.

　　为了道好歉，就一定学会先承认是自己犯的错。这很棘手但又很必要。及时道歉是势在必行的，这能表明你知错就改的好品行，所以跟相关上司或老板聊聊吧。以防万一，为纠正错误提前找一个补救方案吧。

　　8.Calling in Sick

　　8.请病假

　　No one likes getting sick but, even more than that, most people hate calling in sick. A precarious job market has led us to believe our presence at the office (or wherever your workplace happens to be) is of the utmost importance. While it is true that you shouldn't take sick days unnecessarily, you should try to avoid infecting your coworkers—stay home if you have a something they could catch! A phone call is usually the best way to inform your boss of your absence but make sure to follow your employer's notification procedures.

　　没人喜欢得病，更没人喜欢给上司请病假。在不稳定的就业市场中，我们都知道有办公室坐(或者不管你的工作场所在哪)是多么重要的事情。虽然不必要的请假是恶劣的，但把病传染给同事是件遭人恨的事情——得了传染病就好好跟家养着吧!打一个电话是告诉老板你请假的最好方式，但是要遵循好请假的程序，不要越级请假。

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（编辑：何莹莹）