Business Communication Essentials, 6e (Bovee/Thill)
Chapter 14 Applying and Interviewing for Employment
1) A job interview is sometimes viewed as a test to guess the right answers, or as an interrogation
where you have to defend your background and skills. However, an interview should be thought
of as an opportunity to ________.
A) say the right thing
B) share information
C) sell yourself
D) showcase your skills
E) persuade
2) Which among these is the crux of your job search package?
A) job-inquiry letter
B) application letter
C) résumé
D) job advertisement
E) application form
3) When applying for job, a ________ lets the readers know what you’re sending, why you’re
sending it, and how they can benefit from reading it.
A) job posting
B) résumé
C) cover letter
D) curriculum vitae
E) job preview
4) Land-Air Global Transport has an immediate opening for a supply chain pricing analyst. You
are interested in this job offer and wish to apply for it. In order to make a good impression on
Land-Air Global Transport with your application letter, you should ________.
A) use an embellished layout
B) show that you understand the company and the position
C) extensively use personal pronouns and humor for a confident tone
D) only email your cover letter
E) give descriptive details of your accomplishments in the cover letter
5) Taking the initiative to write to companies even though they haven’t announced a job opening
that is right for you is called ________.
A) an open-ended interview
B) the screening stage
C) human resource planning
D) good faith bargaining
E) prospecting
6) In the job application process, prospecting is ________.
A) taking the initiative to write to companies even though they haven’t announced a job opening
that is right for you
B) seeking and attracting a pool of people from which qualified candidates for job vacancies can
be chosen
C) providing information and instruction to equip employees with a higher level of knowledge
D) a meeting during which both you and the prospective employer ask questions and exchange
information
E) the process of filtering out applicants who are unqualified or otherwise not a good fit for the
position
7) You are applying for the position of an H.R. Consultant but are unsure which companies in
your city have an opening. You decide to mail your résumé to a few companies. Which of these
guidelines would you keep in mind for an effective application letter?
A) You thoroughly research the requirements of your position.
B) You explain your résumé in detail in more than five paragraphs to save the employer time.
C) You refrain from mailing unsolicited application letters.
D) You extensively use personal pronouns and humor to project confidence.
E) You mail them hand-written cover letters to portray personal attention.
8) Ruth is applying for jobs but she doesn’t know how to begin an application letter; she comes
to you for advice. In the opening paragraph you would ask her to ________.
A) include questions about the company needs
B) include an explanation about her purpose for writing the letter
C) briefly mention qualifications
D) include details of her skills
E) match AIDA requirements
9) For an effective application letter ________.
A) include humor and generously use personal pronouns to project confidence
B) volunteer your salary history and requirements
C) add anecdotes and quotes to provide a meaningful concept to the readers
D) describe your résumé in detail in more than five paragraphs
E) show that you understand the company and the marketplace
10) Which of the following is an effective statement for an unsolicited application letter?
A) I majored in English in college with a concentration in writing and am skilled in editing
related activities. Contact me if you are considering hiring a content writer.
B) Please accept my résumé for the consideration of the position of HR executive within your
organization.
C) If you need a client services assistant who consistently delivers high-quality responsive
service with a 90 percent positive customer feedback, please consider my qualifications.
D) Here’s my résumé. Call me if you find an interesting position for my field of education.
E) I am a law student who will be graduating this year and in the current job market it is
extremely challenging to find a meaningful job.
11) When writing solicited application letters ________.
A) repeat the information from your résumé
B) identify where you discovered the job opening and describe what you have to offer
C) use a question to learn of other job opportunities in the company
D) write in a monotonous tone to project confidence
E) add anecdotes and humor to demonstrate your understanding of the company’s needs
12) One way of getting the reader’s attention in an unsolicited application letter is to ________.
A) inquire about the organization’s needs
B) ask which skills will benefit the organization
C) include anecdotes and humor to project confidence
D) refer to the company’s publicized achievements and new changes
E) volunteer salary history
13) The middle section of a job application letter, should ________.
A) present your strongest selling points in terms of their potential benefit to the organization
B) give your entire work history, in case the employer doesn’t read your résumé
C) stress ways in which you do not meet the job qualifications
D) discuss each requirement listed in the job, if it is an unsolicited letter
E) point out personal qualities specifically mentioned in the résumé
14) Mentioning your strengths in an application letter ________.
A) can be a strong selling point, when backed up with relevant experience
B) takes a lesser priority compared to stressing about experience
C) is usually overlooked by applicants
D) can be repetitive as it is already mentioned in the résumé
E) is required only in solicited letters
15) Shopmart has advertised for a store manager position in their South Oak, Iowa center. You
want to apply for this position since you have assisted your store manager and have thorough
knowledge of the skills required for the job. When writing an application letter to Shopmart you
should ________.
A) stress that you have not held any managerial roles
B) include a copy of the advertisement with your letter
C) discuss each of the requirements specified in the job posting
D) restrict your message to just core job duties
E) never highlight personal characteristics
16) In a job application letter, salary requirements ________.
A) should never be mentioned
B) are mentioned only if the organization has asked for it
C) should be higher than the typical salary, in accordance with Bureau of Labor Statistics
standards
D) should state a negotiable amount
E) should state a non-negotiable amount
17) In the final paragraph of your application letter make sure you ask the reader for a specific
action and ________.
A) facilitate a reply
B) confirm an interview date
C) explain why you wrote
D) enquire about the organizations needs
E) mention your salary requirements
18) Alicia was told by Mark about a vacancy at his organization and that the organization is
accepting applications for the next two weeks. Alicia applies within a week. What should she do
next?
A) She should call as soon as she submits the application.
B) She should email after three days.
C) She should wait for their call.
D) She should call after a week or two.
E) She should ask Mark to contact them.
19) Jenny has applied for the position of an office assistant at a leading corporation. What should
she do if her application letter and résumé fail to bring a response within a month?
A) She should call to find out why she hasn’t heard from the prospective employer.
B) She should send a follow-up letter or email.
C) She should cross this particular job possibility off her list and apply somewhere else.
D) She should mail them another copy of her application letter and résumé.
E) She should mail them a letter addressing the lack of response.
20) When preparing to apply for jobs, it is best to ________.
A) focus your research on only 2-3 companies for whom you want to work
B) realize that employers rarely expect candidates to have done any research
C) explore a wide range of firms and positions
D) expect fewer job offers
E) make sure the process takes up the least amount of time
21) Nicole has cleared seven rounds of interviews in three days and she still hasn’t been offered
the job. In her previous organization she cleared two rounds of interviews and she got the job.
Nicole should ________.
A) be worried because she may not be offered this job
B) commend herself on getting this far and persevere through the rest of the rounds
C) express her concern to the organization
D) insist that further rounds be conducted on the telephone, to save her the trouble of commuting
E) let the company know that she can attempt only one more round
22) Kelly has scheduled her screening interview for tomorrow and she has requested the
interviewer to conduct it over the phone. Since the interview is via telephone Kelly should
________.
A) dress formally because it is still a formal meeting
B) work on her verbal and non-verbal skills
C) make sure that her answers are elaborate and detailed
D) schedule it for a time when she can be focused and free from interruptions
E) not bother to have her résumé with her, because the interviewer will not ask for it over the
phone
23) Eucalygen Technologies (E.T.) is recruiting young, creative and talented individuals to fill
their vacancies. As an applicant for this job your objective should be to ________.
A) mirror company objectives
B) answer elaborately to confirm your fit for the position
C) conduct research on their customer base
D) find out if the job is a right match for your goals and capabilities
E) be boastful and sell yourself
24) You have been asked to hire 10 consultants for H.Q. Services, but the company insists that
you need not conduct preliminary screening interviews, because they believe that it may lengthen
the hiring process. Which of these arguments could help convince them about the benefits of
preliminary screening interviews?
A) Screening interviews help companies to thoroughly investigate their applicants.
B) They can give multiple tests at the screening round.
C) It will help them in restricting the number of applications they would receive.
D) They can narrow the field of applicants.
E) They can hire more candidates, as a reserve.
25) Indus Tec is hiring market analysts for the automobile industry. You have applied for this
position and have been asked to appear for a screening interview. During the screening interview
you would ________.
A) ask as many questions as possible, interviews are about knowing the organization too.
B) keep your answers short while differentiating yourself from other applicants
C) give elaborate and descriptive answers so that the interviewer is aware of your attention to
detail
D) keep a low profile because the time to differentiate yourself from other candidates is yet to
come
E) insist on a computer-based screening system
26) During interviews, the ________ helps the organization identify the top candidates from all
those who qualify.
A) follow-up stage
B) screening stage
C) ice breaker stage
D) final stage
E) selection stage
27) During interviews, the objective of the ________ is to sell you on the advantages of joining
the organization.
A) introduction stage
B) selection stage
C) ice breaker stage
D) final stage
E) screening stage
28) In the selection round of interviews, your best approach is to ________.
A) stick to brief, yes or no answers
B) relate your training and experience to the organization’s needs
C) inquire about salary and benefits
D) identify top candidates and underplay their skills
E) inquire about benefits and bonus
29) You have cleared four rounds of grueling interviews at Steadfast Solutions and have been
asked to come for one last meeting with Edward Simmons, V.P. of Finance. At this stage of
recruitment, Mr. Simmons is most likely to be concerned with ________.
A) your previous job experience
B) your educational background
C) selling you the benefits of joining Steadfast Solutions
D) checking your references
E) reviewing your persuasion skills
30) Jason has just cleared the final round of the interview and was told that he will be sent the
offer letter by email. Jason should ________.
A) congratulate himself and look forward to his offer letter
B) insist that the offer letter be hand-delivered to him
C) request that they also let him know about it on the phone, as further confirmation
D) call them back frequently
E) request that the offer letter be given immediately, because he may not be in town
31) You have been assigned the duty of recruiting candidates for your team, by conducting open-
ended interviews. During the interview, which of these strategies would you apply?
A) The candidates would be asked a series of questions in a predetermined order.
B) The candidates would only be given written tests.
C) You would make sure that the candidates do not ask any questions, so that more applicants
can be interviewed.
D) You would initiate questions but base further questions on the candidate’s reply.
E) You would avoid upsetting the candidates.
32) Michael needs to hire two computer programmers for his team. For the interviews, his best
approach would be to ________.
A) insist all applicants get their laptops
B) forego the screening process, because it doesn’t apply to programmers
C) restrict the number of applicants to ten
D) ask the applicants to write a code for an assigned task, so that he can compare their work
E) use a conversational tone in the interview
33) In a(n) ________ interview, the interviewer (or a computer program) asks a series of
questions in a predetermined order.
A) open-ended
B) structured
C) unguided
D) panel
E) group
34) Aaron has cleared the selection round and in the next round, he will be interviewed by a
group of interviewers. This kind of interview is a(n) ________.
A) guided interview
B) structured interview
C) open-ended interview
D) panel interview
E) group interview
35) During an interview, if several candidates are asked to discuss a certain topic with each other
it is a(n) ________.
A) guided interview
B) structured interview
C) open-ended interview
D) panel interview
E) group interview
36) Beth and Ruby need to know, which of their short-listed candidates are good with problem
solving while working as a team. Which of these interview formats would you suggest?
A) panel interview
B) group interview
C) behavioral interview
D) stress interview
E) structured interview
37) An interview where the job candidate is criticized or provoked is a type of ________.
A) stress interview
B) structured interview
C) screening interview
D) situational interview
E) guided interview
38) In ________ interviews you are asked to relate specific incidents and experiences from your
past.
A) working
B) stress
C) behavioral
D) screening
E) structured
39) During an interview in Innova Co. for a team manager position, the applicant was asked to
lead a brainstorming session. This kind of interview would be classified as a(n) ________.
A) screening interview
B) behavioral interview
C) working interview
D) stress interview
E) open-ended interview
40) Realistic job simulation tests ________.
A) cannot mimic actual job skills
B) fail to give applicants an idea of what the job might be like
C) should not be used for testing applicants’ skills in decision-making scenarios
D) are used in email and IM interviews
E) are good tools for online interviews