Business Communication Today, 11e (Bovee/Thill)
Chapter 18 Building Careers and Writing Résumés
1) The best time for college students to begin developing a job-search strategy is
A) about six months prior to graduation.
B) now—even if they are a year or more away from graduation.
C) no earlier than the second semester of their junior year.
D) immediately after graduation.
2) Regardless of a candidate’s work experience, the prime source of jobs in general appears to be
A) personal contacts.
B) online job posting services.
C) college job fairs.
D) all of the above equally.
3) The vast majority of all job openings in the U.S. are
A) advertised the old-fashioned way—in the newspaper.
B) posted on Craigslist or Monster.
C) never advertised.
D) none of the above.
4) When conducting a job search, you can use the Internet to
A) look for job openings.
B) respond to job openings.
C) research various companies.
D) do all of the above.
5) Business-related blogs and microblogs
A) are generally not very helpful to job applicants.
B) can help you get comfortable with the jargon and buzzwords in a particular field.
C) can be useful in a job search, but only for those seeking positions in technical fields.
D) are very difficult to find online.
6) The best way to find job opportunities is usually
A) searching online job boards such as Monster and applying before others get the chance to see
the openings.
B) looking in the newspaper.
C) waiting to hear about them from people you know.
D) identifying companies you want to work for and focusing your efforts on them.
7) Networking
A) is a simple process of contacting influential people and asking them for a job.
B) is no longer very effective, thanks to the Internet.
C) involves making informal connections with mutually beneficial business contacts.
D) none of the above.
8) Applicant tracking systems help employers by
A) charting each applicant’s progress through the hiring process.
B) mapping out promising career paths for each applicant.
C) sifting through the many résumés they receive each year.
D) doing all of the above.
9) The purpose of a résumé is to
A) induce the reader to hire you.
B) list all your skills and abilities.
C) get you an interview.
D) take the place of an application letter.
10) The best approach to preparing a résumé is to
A) spend a lot of time creating it, and then send the same version to all prospective employers.
B) learn as much as you can about who may be reading it, and be sure to meet their needs.
C) keep it general, brief, and nonspecific.
D) none of the above.
11) The primary difference between a résumé and a CV is that the CV is likely to be ________
than the résumé.
A) shorter
B) less formal
C) more detailed
D) less detailed
12) The most common way to organize a résumé is
A) chronologically.
B) functionally.
C) geographically.
D) alphabetically.
13) When it comes to functional résumés, many employers
A) are suspicious of them.
B) strongly prefer them to chronological résumés.
C) view them as a sign of strong communication skills.
D) don’t know what they are.
14) If you are just graduating from college and have little or no professional experience,
A) a traditional chronological résumé is your only option.
B) a functional résumé is your only option.
C) your chronological résumé should probably list educational qualifications first.
D) your résumé can be written in a casual, informal tone.
15) If you are planning a career change and want to deemphasize lengthy unemployment or lack
of career progress, the best organizational plan for your résumé would be
A) chronological.
B) functional.
C) targeted.
D) indirect.
16) A type of résumé that emphasizes a candidate’s skills and accomplishments while also
including a complete job history is termed
A) a chronological résumé.
B) a functional résumé.
C) a combination résumé.
D) an indirect résumé.
17) The best way to handle frequent job changes on a résumé is to
A) avoid any mention of a job you held for less than a year.
B) group similar jobs under a single heading.
C) provide a detailed explanation of each one.
D) do none of the above.
18) Which of the following would be the best wording to use on a résumé?
A) “I was in charge of a staff of six employees.”
B) “I supervised a full staff of six employees.”
C) “Was in charge of entire departmental staff.”
D) “Supervised staff of six employees.”
19) When it comes to including keywords on résumés,
A) the best strategy is to put them all into a keyword summary.
B) you should incorporate them into your introductory statement and other sections.
C) it is usually a waste of time, since most employers now personally review each résumé they
receive.
D) it is impossible to determine what words might attract the kind of employer you want.
20) If you choose not to list your GPA in the “Education” section of your résumé,
A) most employers will not consider you for an interview.
B) employers will generally respect you for being modest and not boasting about your record.
C) you should be prepared to answer questions about it during the interview.
D) you should always state it in your application letter.
21) When you describe your work experience on your résumé, you should
A) start with your most recent job and work back chronologically.
B) describe one or two jobs in detail so that employers get an idea of your work ethic.
C) list only full-time positions.
D) try to come up with fancier titles for the jobs you’ve held.
22) In describing activities and achievements on your résumé, you should
A) use mild exaggerations—everyone else does, so you’ll be at an unfair disadvantage if you
don’t.
B) limit what you include to what makes you a more attractive job candidate.
C) use significant amounts of jargon and technical terms.
D) leave out any awards you’ve won unless they are specifically relevant to your current career
objective.
23) Do not include on your résumé items that could encourage discrimination, such as
A) home address.
B) hobbies.
C) sexual orientation.
D) military service.
24) Putting “References available upon request” at the end of your résumé is
A) not necessary since the availability of references is usually assumed.
B) standard practice, and most employers will expect to see it.
C) less effective than listing the names and contact information for all references, even if the
employer has not requested them.
D) necessary only when applying for government positions.
25) Military service relevant to the position you’re seeking should be listed in the ________
section of your résumé.
A) Education
B) Work Experience
C) Education or Work Experience
D) None of the above
26) Which of the following is not a common problem that employers see in résumés?
A) They are too long.
B) They display a weak understanding of the industry.
C) They are filled with misspellings and grammatical errors.
D) They fail to catch the employer’s eye with flashy graphics.
27) To achieve the best physical appearance for your résumé, you should
A) have it prepared by a professional artist for esthetic appeal.
B) make subheadings easy to find and easy to read.
C) use colored paper.
D) use a variety of typefaces in various colors.
28) The most common problem with résumé design is
A) using excessive and distracting design elements.
B) settling for an old-fashioned look.
C) using the wrong type of paper.
D) failing to include at least one graphic.
29) Including a photo of yourself with your résumé
A) is a great way to personalize your application.
B) helps you stand out among other applicants.
C) will cause some employers to discard your application immediately.
D) is the best way to guard against potential discrimination.
30) Creating a plain-text file of your résumé
A) is an outdated practice.
B) allows you to include your résumé in the body of an email message, instead of as an
attachment.
C) is helpful, but very difficult to do without expensive software.
D) requires that you center all headings instead of left-justifying them.
31) Supplementing a traditional résumé with a PowerPoint presentation
A) makes you appear desperate.
B) is considered a viable choice in today’s job market.
C) is limited since it does not offer multimedia capabilities.
D) is more convenient for employers than an online résumé.
32) An online résumé
A) should never include “extras” such as screencasts and online videos.
B) can give employers a more complete picture of who you are and what you have to offer.
C) requires a paid subscription to an online hosting service.
D) is useful only if you are applying for jobs in technology-related fields.
33) The most common file format for uploading résumés directly to websites such as
Monster.com is
A) WordPerfect.
B) PDF.
C) Microsoft Word.
D) Microsoft Publisher.
34) When mailing a résumé, it is a good idea to
A) have it delivered via Priority Mail.
B) use a standard white #10 envelope.
C) pay to have it delivered the next day.
D) use a large kraft envelope.
35) When emailing your résumé to a prospective employer for a particular job, you should
A) always send it as a Microsoft Word attachment.
B) make it less formal than you would for other formats.
C) include in the subject line the reference number or job ad number.
D) use lots of colors to make your résumé stand out.
36) For college students, attempting to develop a job-search strategy before the senior year is a
waste of time.
37) The best approach to résumé writing is to create a single, solid version and send it to all
prospective employers.
38) Employers generally treat major job boards such as Monster as their last resort when seeking
qualified candidates.
39) As part of your job search, it’s essential to stay abreast of business and financial news.
40) You can find information about job hunting on the Internet, but it’s not a good source for
information on specific companies.
41) Networking is not simply putting yourself in contact with powerful people and asking them
for a job.
42) Because the competition for most jobs is so great, even a seemingly minor mistake on a
résumé can eliminate your chances of success.
43) A résumé is a persuasive message designed to help you get an interview.
44) Showing up a few minutes late to an interview sends a strong message that you are a busy
person.
45) A good résumé is targeted for specific situations and prospective employers.
46) All résumés should be organized chronologically.
47) Most employers now prefer functional résumés to chronological ones.
48) A combination résumé combines descriptions of your education and employment
background.