Business Communication Essentials, 8e (Bovee/Thill)
Chapter 13 Building Careers and Writing Résumés
1) Many companies judge recruiting success based on quality of hire, which is a term that
expresses what?
A) A measure of how closely new employees meet the company’s needs
B) A measure of the immediate performance of the new employee
C) A measure of the effectiveness of the hiring process
D) A measure of the quality of applicants who applied through employee referral
E) A measure of the candidate’s perceived ability to fit organizational culture
2) When determining how to present yourself to targeted employers, an effective exercise that
helps you develop a résumé is what?
A) Writing a list of skills and abilities
B) Writing the story of you
C) Keeping a list of all potential employers you want to contact
D) Determining which stepping stone opportunities will be most effective
E) Developing an organizational plan
3) In addition to having the ability to perform the job, what do employers look for in a potential
new hire?
A) How much money the candidate is asking for
B) Ability to start as soon as possible
C) Understanding of professionalism
D) Past job experience
E) Timeliness
4) Understanding what customers and competitors do is a vital step in what?
A) Thinking like an employer
B) Finding the ideal opportunity
C) Writing the story of you
D) Researching industries
E) Translating potential into specific solutions for the employer
5) Which of the following allows you to explain how your general potential fits the specific
needs of a position?
A) Using industry jargon and buzzwords
B) Researching companies and industries on job boards
C) Networking
D) Visiting trade shows
E) Customizing the résumé to each specific opening
6) Making informal connections with mutually beneficial business contacts is referred to as
what?
A) Networking
B) Job shopping
C) Résumé building
D) Sourcing
E) Interviewing
7) To learn more about an industry and meet people who work in that industry, which of the
following would be most helpful?
A) Career fairs
B) Trade shows
C) Job-search websites
D) Career placement offices at a university
E) Interviewing
8) For a person entering the workforce immediately out of college, which of the following could
indicate ability to problem solve and manage projects?
A) Understanding of job-search websites
B) A well-written résumé
C) Volunteering
D) Membership in a student business organization
E) Membership in a professional organization
9) Which of the following is true regarding the use of a candidate’s public network site?
A) Public network sites that are set to “private” cannot be accessed by an employer.
B) Public network sites can only be accessed by an employer with the candidate’s permission.
C) Public network sites are often searched for background information on a candidate, even
without the candidate’s permission.
D) Public network sites should be shut down before beginning the interview process.
E) Public network sites should only be used for networking purposes.
10) Which of the following is the main purpose of a career center when working with a soon–to–
be college graduate?
A) Help in identifying errors on the résumé
B) Help in identifying misspellings on the résumé
C) Help in minimizing unprofessional tweets
D) Help in job search techniques
E) Help in accessing an organization’s website
11) One way to minimize the chance of a candidate being considered careless or disrespectful is
to do what?
A) Visit career services
B) Have a fixed and well-planned career path
C) Catch errors before the résumé is sent
D) Include extensive references
E) Ask for information that can be verified on the organization’s website
12) If your online profile does not match what is on a résumé, you won’t be invited for an
interview.
13) Personal Twitter feeds will not affect the professional interview process.
14) The career counseling services offered by a college can help with interview techniques.
15) When seeking candidates, most employers will begin their search on large job board sites
such as Monster.com and Craigslist.
16) When seeking candidates, most employers will begin with employee recommendations,
making networking an important tool in the job search.
17) Discuss ways to “think like an employer” during the interview process.
18) Discuss the value of networking and effective networking practices.
19) If you apply to a company that does not accept résumés from applicants, why should you still
develop a résumé?
A) To add to an e-portfolio
B) To improve a social media site
C) To identify important information for a social networking profile
D) To replace the online application form
E) To prepare for the interview
20) What is the purpose of preparing a résumé?
A) To present a compelling story about yourself
B) To avoid preemployment testing
C) To shorten the question-and-answer phase of the interview
D) To provide as much information as possible before the interview
E) To direct potential employers to your online media sites
21) When determining what format your résumé should take, which is the most important
consideration?
A) Length of the résumé
B) What is most effective for your audience
C) Which format is easiest for you
D) Which format is the most trendy and in style right now
E) Which format will allow the most links to other sources of data
22) Which of the following is the true function of the résumé?
A) To compel employers to hire you
B) To compel employers to set up an interview with you
C) To highlight skills and abilities needed to progress on the career ladder
D) To impress the employer with industry-specific buzzwords and jargon
E) To list all your skills and abilities
23) Which of the following best describes how an employer will view the résumé?
A) The purpose of the résumé is to list all your skills and abilities.
B) A good résumé will get you the job you want.
C) Employers won’t read a resume that doesn’t make a positive impression with a few seconds.
D) Your résumé will be carefully and thoroughly read.
E) The more information you present about yourself in the résumé, the better, so add as much
detail as possible.
24) What steps can be taken in the planning phase of the writing process to best target your
résumé to the reader and their informational needs?
A) Include as much jargon and industry-specific buzzwords as possible.
B) Repeat all the terminology the company used in the advertisement.
C) Bold important phrases and concepts.
D) Research the profession, industry, company and managers you will send the résumé to.
E) Develop a blog to add depth and detail to the résumé.
25) A document in academic professions that includes detailed and personal information about a
candidate, used in many countries outside of the United States, is called what?
A) Blog
B) LinkedIn profile
C) Résumé
D) Curriculum Vitae
E) Social media page
26) Which of the following can be used to show leadership skills and work habits when a college
graduate has limited work experience?
A) Academic awards
B) Classes taken
C) Presentations given
D) High school achievements and awards
E) Offices held in clubs or professional organizations
27) Which of the following is the most common way to organize information on a résumé?
A) Functionally
B) By order of importance
C) Using links to websites
D) Using a combination of several formats
E) Chronologically
28) When using a chronological format for the résumé, where should a recent college graduate
with little work experience include information on academic qualifications?
A) After the experience section
B) On a separate page
C) Scattered throughout the discussion of skills and abilities
D) At the end of the page
E) Before work experience
29) When listing jobs on a chronological résumé, how should the jobs be listed?
A) Most recent first
B) Most important first
C) Most relevant first
D) Oldest first
E) Longest held first
30) When discussing positions held, what information should be included for each position?
A) Name of employer, dates worked and salary
B) Name of employer, job title and dates worked
C) Name of employer, job title and reasons for leaving
D) Name of employer, reasons for leaving and salary
E) Name of employer, dates worked and reasons for leaving
31) Which of the following résumé types emphasizes skills and capabilities, rather than
employers and academic experience?
A) Chronological
B) Combination
C) Functional
D) Traditional
E) Online
32) When wanting to stress areas of competence rather than job history, which of the following
résumé formats should be used?
A) Online
B) Traditional
C) Chronological
D) Functional
E) Combination
33) When wanting to minimize a lengthy period of unemployment, what type of résumé would
work best?
A) Online
B) Traditional
C) Combination
D) Chronological
E) Functional
34) Which of the following is an important consideration before choosing to use a functional
résumé?
A) Functional résumés often lack evidence of job experience.
B) Most managers prefer functional résumés.
C) Functional résumés can highlight academic qualifications.
D) Functional résumés minimize specific job skills gained in previous positions.
E) Functional résumés are the most common résumé format used today.
35) Which of the following résumé formats allows a user to highlight capabilities and education
without raising concerns that there might be issues to hide in the past?
A) Functional
B) Combination
C) Traditional
D) Online
E) Chronological
36) What can be done on the résumé to minimize the impact of frequent job changes?
A) Highlight other accomplishments.
B) Stress academic qualifications.
C) Group similar work under one job heading.
D) Use volunteer work to fill in the gaps in the work history.
E) Leave off dates of employment.
37) Which of the following can be used on the résumé to overcome gaps in work history?
A) Itemizing each position held in detail
B) Focusing exclusively on experience and skills that relate to the position
C) Including information regarding salary and reasons for leaving positions
D) Grouping all work experience under a single heading
E) Highlighting volunteer, education or community work that took place during those gaps in
employment
38) When determining whether to write a scannable résumé, an online résumé, or a plain text
PDF file, what step in the writing process is being considered?
A) Choosing the channel and medium
B) Adapting to your audience
C) Producing the message
D) Distributing the message
E) Analyzing the situation
39) Researching the target audience takes place during what phase of the three-step writing
process?
A) Planning
B) Writing
C) Completing
D) Revising
E) Distributing
40) Writing a résumé will help you prepare for interviewing and preemployment testing.
41) When developing a strong résumé, the planning, writing, and completing process should all
be done at one time.
42) In a chronological résumé, the work experience section typically dominates the résumé.
43) Volunteer work should never be included on a résumé to cover periods of unemployment.
44) A functional résumé allows the writer to emphasize skills instead of employment.