Human Relations: Interpersonal Job-Oriented Skills, 12e (DuBrin)
Chapter 17 Job Search and Career Management Skills
17.1 Multiple Choice Questions
1) Which one of the following is least likely to be a qualification sought by an employer?
A) ability and interest in working alone most of the time
B) customer service orientation
C) adaptability to change
D) cross-cultural skills
AACSB: Application of knowledge
2) The majority of hiring decisions in today’s job market are based on the candidate’s
A) amount of formal education.
B) relevant coursework.
C) willingness to work long hours.
D) job-relevant skills.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
3) The job-finding tactic called develop a comprehensive marketing strategy centers on
A) identifying your potential contribution.
B) using multiple approaches to reach the right employer.
C) smiling at interviewers and contacts.
D) identifying your position objective.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
4) An example of extreme job hunting would be to
A) take many rides on a subway while wearing a T-shirt presenting information about your job
availability.
B) send your job résumé to 300 different potential employers.
C) post information about your job availability on several social networking sites.
D) hand out hundreds of business cards with the intent of developing job leads.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
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5) Ashley intends to implement the job-hunting tactic referred to as go where the jobs are, so she
should
A) relocate to a very large city.
B) look into industries with high projected employment growth.
C) invest in a well-known franchise.
D) look into traditional, basic industries such a baked-goods company.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
6) The job-hunting tactic most closely related to increasing personal productivity is
A) engage in extreme job hunting.
B) be aware of qualifications sought by employers.
C) stay organized during your job search.
D) use networking to reach company insiders.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
7) A recommended approach to networking for a job is to
A) use a persistent, aggressive approach to asking for job leads.
B) get a signed contract about network members’ willingness to help you.
C) use a tactful, low-key approach.
D) set up a Web page asking people to help you.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
8) Smiling is an effective job-hunting technique when meeting interviewers in person because a
smile
A) suggests you are not lying about your past.
B) suggests that you have expert knowledge.
C) is more genuine than a handshake.
D) is a relationship builder, however brief.
AACSB: Interpersonal relations and teamwork
9) A starting point for choosing keywords to include on your job résumé is
A) the job description associated with the position.
B) a modern dictionary of slang.
C) words and phrases that are trending on social media Web sites at the time.
D) current industry buzzwords.
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10) Violet is searching for a position as an insurance claims adjuster, and decides to prepare a
video résumé. Violet’s résumé will most likely be particularly good in demonstrating her
A) employment history.
B) online reputation.
C) hard skills.
D) soft skills.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
11) The best strategy to use in presenting yourself in an employment interview is to
A) try to outsmart the interviewer.
B) avoid as much eye contact as possible with the interviewer.
C) be dramatic about your past accomplishments.
D) present yourself favorably but accurately.
AACSB: Interpersonal relations and teamwork
12) Which of the following would most likely be part of a behavioral interview?
A) How are you feeling and acting today?
B) Describe for me a time when you solved a tough problem under a time deadline.
C) Tell me about your record of attendance and punctuality.
D) What type of animal do you admire the most?
AACSB: Reflective thinking
13) Misty is applying for a job as an assistant bank manager. During one of the interviews, a
manager takes three different phone calls. Misty is best advised to
A) smile, and wait for the interviewer to resume his or her conversation.
B) say, “Excuse me, but is being rude standard practice in this bank?”
C) whip out her cell phone, and make a few calls of her own.
D) get up from the interview, and say, “I’ll take a brief break right now.”
AACSB: Interpersonal relations and teamwork
14) A poll taken by Marist College found that which one of the following words or phrase is the
most annoying, and should therefore be minimized while interviewing?
A) “Excuse me, sir (or madam)”
B) “Nice to be here”
C) “You can say that again.”
D) “Whatever”
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15) A frequent career path for today’s young professionals is likely to involve
A) a series of step-by-step promotions.
B) a series of jobs at the same level.
C) yearly pay increases of about five percent.
D) taking over the boss’s job within three years.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
16) Roy is building his personal brand, so he should
A) list his most important needs for development.
B) compare himself to his favorite brands, such as Nike or Chevrolet.
C) give himself a clever name, such as “Resilient Roy.”
D) think through his basket of strengths.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
17) The career-advancement strategy of being passionate about your work is closely tied in with
A) building your career around an area of expertise.
B) developing a proactive personality.
C) developing a code of professional ethics.
D) projecting a professional image.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
18) Chloe’s career can be considered a calling because she
A) entered her field because of a family business.
B) satisfies a few of her religious values through work.
C) experiences a consuming, meaningful passion about her work.
D) supplements her paid work with volunteer work.
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19) A distinguishing characteristic of a proactive personality is that the individual
A) avoids organizational citizenship behavior.
B) freely criticizes his or her boss.
C) patterns his or her behavior after coworkers.
D) brings about environmental change (on the job).
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20) Peter, a mutual fund sales representative, has a proactive personality so he is likely to
A) search out new potential clients his company is not yet serving.
B) respond immediately when his boss makes a suggestion.
C) procrastinate when faced with a difficult task.
D) become stressed with facing a heavy workload.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
21) When first developing your network, it is recommended that you
A) only include people doing work similar to yours.
B) offer people prizes for becoming network members.
C) include a large number of people.
D) be quite restrictive about who can be in your network.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
22) Rocky is an adventuresome, risk-taking person who joins a slow-moving, conservative
company. Several months later he leaves in frustration. The career-advancement tactic Rocky
neglected was
A) work with a mentor.
B) take sensible risks.
C) develop depth and breadth.
D) find a good organization-person fit.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
23) An effective career-management strategy for some people is to enter a basic industry because
A) basic industries receive a lot of publicity.
B) personal contacts are not so important in a basic industry.
C) basic industries often offer growth opportunities.
D) salary and bonuses in basic industries are often tax-free.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
24) To decrease the possibility of one’s job being outsourced, the worker should
A) emphasize relationship building in his or her position.
B) agree not to ask for salary increases for three years.
C) perform strictly technical work.
D) find a job where being physically present is not so important.
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25) Now that I have studied techniques and strategies for career management, I have increased
my chances of
A) earning a high income in my field.
B) attaining career satisfaction.
C) living longer and healthier.
D) all of the above.
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Job Scenario, Multiple-Choice
At age 24, DeShaun had earned a business degree and aspired to becoming a retail executive. To
launch his career, he took a retailing position that would give him the biggest responsibility at an
early age, the manager of a dollar store. After two years as manager, DeShaun has performed
outstandingly well. Sales have exceeded quota in his store, employee turnover is well below
average, and inventory shrinkage (theft) is below average. DeShaun feels that he is ready to
advance his career.
26) DeShaun decides to quietly conduct a job search in order to explore how much he might be
in demand. To achieve the best results from his job search, how should DeShaun state his job
objective in his cover letter?
A) State that he is searching for more responsibility in a higher-paying field.
B) State that it would be best for the prospective employer to decide where he best fits.
C) State that he is searching for a position in retail management.
D) State that he is searching for a position as a discount-store manager.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
27) After a couple of months of conducting his job search externally, DeShaun has attained a few
promising leads. However, he decides to also concentrate on other approaches to career
advancement. From the information you have about DeShaun, what do you recommend as a next
step in career advancement for him?
A) Request an interview with his boss, and document what he has accomplished at his store
during his two years. Then have a cordial discussion about possible career management
opportunities at the chain.
B) Regularly wear a suit, tie, and wing tip shoes to the dollar store so he will stand out.
C) Work with a coach to develop a personal brand that goes beyond being a manager at a
discount retailer.
D) Attempt to make a career switch by preparing for another field such as conserving the
environment (a “green” job).
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17.2 True/False Questions
1) When job hunting, it is best to express your job objective in vague terms so your qualifications
will fit a wide range of positions.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
2) With the availability of mobile apps that translate written and spoken language, having a
command of a second language no longer enhances a person’s competitiveness in finding a job.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
3) The cornerstone of a successful job search is a thorough list of assets and accomplishments
because they point to useful skills and abilities.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
4) Staying organized during a job search is now quite easy because so much of a job search is
now conducted online.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
5) Casey uses extreme job hunting when she skateboards through a downtown business area
carrying a banner with her job objective and Twitter address.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
6) Zeke has decided to no longer own a desktop, laptop, or tablet computer, and instead rely on a
smartphone. Fortunately for him, many employers now make it easy to apply for a job with a
mobile app.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
7) A creative and effective way to attract prospective employers is to have a wild and outrageous
presence on a social Web site such as Facebook.
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8) A functional résumé focuses on job duties performed rather than a chronological job history.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
9) A recommended approach to highlighting your accomplishments on your résumé is to use the
future tense of actions verbs, such as “will contribute.”
AACSB: Reflective thinking
10) Now that so many hiring managers are part of Generation Y, a job résumé will gain a
competitive edge if it is written in the style of a text message or a typical Twitter post.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
11) A video résumé is thought to be useful for displaying soft skills.
AACSB: Interpersonal relations and teamwork
12) The cover letter can be quite influential in deciding who gets invited for an in-person
interview.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
13) Compulsive talking during the job interview is highly recommended for most jobs because it
displays your spoken communication skills to advantage.
AACSB: Interpersonal relations and teamwork
14) A behavioral interview attempts to see how upset the candidate becomes when placed under
pressure such as being insulted.
AACSB: Interpersonal relations and teamwork
15) A recent emphasis in goal setting for the career is to emphasize the type of work a person
wants to perform rather than pinpoint a specific position that the person wants to hold.
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16) When companies operate with leaner staffs, they tend to give many young technical and
professional employees new responsibilities typically reserved for workers with more seniority.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
17) Capitalizing on your strengths is thought to be a more effective career-advancement strategy
than focusing on overcoming your needs for development.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
18) A key part of developing a personal brand for your career is to use a personal nickname such
as “Mercedes,” “Google,” or “Chiquita.”
AACSB: Reflective thinking
19) Chester perceives his career to be a calling so he is likely to think that he will be successful
even if he does not invest full effort into his work.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
20) Several experiments have indicated that when the purpose of one’s work is to help others, the
worker tends to perform better or show greater commitment to the employer.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
21) A proactive personality will typically wait for the company to point out what problems need
fixing.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
22) A person who displays organizational citizenship behavior will step outside his or her job
description to get work accomplished.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
23) A key part of projecting a professional image is using positive speech patterns including
grammar and sentence structure.
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24) Career breadth can be achieved by both holding positions in different aspects of the firm, or
by working in different industries.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
25) A good reason to avoid pursuing career opportunities in fields that others have overlooked is
that most of the jobs are in dead-end fields.
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