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19: Applying and Interviewing for Employment 19-1
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
19.1. Note: In early printings of the 14th Edition, Questions 19.1 and 19.3 were essentially identical. Here is a
replacement for Question 19.1, along with its answer.
19.1 How does a prospecting letter differ from an application letter sent in response to a posted
job opening?
[LO-1] AACSB: Written and oral communication
19.2. Using the AIDA model in an application letter, you attract the reader’s attention in the first paragraph by
demonstrating your knowledge of the organization or showing how your work skills and qualifications fit
19.3. When you follow up by email or telephone, you can share an additional piece of information that links
for additional insights)
Written and oral communication
19.5. Behavioral interviews require candidates to use their own experiences, whereas traditional, generic
interview questions can often be answered with “canned” responses. Employers use these questions to
assess such areas as your job-related technical skills and your ability to work under pressure, coordinate
Written and oral communication
19.6. In a structured interview, the employer maintains control by asking a series of preset questions in order.
The open-ended interview is less formal and has no rigid format. Instead, the interviewer asks open-ended
and oral communication
19.7. The three stages of every interview are the warm-up, the question-and-answer stage, and the close. Of the
three, the warm-up is the most important because it establishes a first and often lasting impression in the
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19: Applying and Interviewing for Employment 19-2
19.8. If an interviewer at a company where you want to work asks a question that seems too personal or even
unethical, you can (1) ask how the question is related to your credentials, (2) note that the information is
additional insights)
APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE
19.9. Recognize that even though the qualification did not come up in the screening interview, chances are
good that it will surface in the selection stage. Be prepared to cite specific evidence to show that you can
AACSB: Reflective thinking
19.10. The interviewer is likely to conclude that the applicant lacks the curiosity or the research skills needed to
position. [LO-3] AACSB: Reflective thinking
19.11. It’s important to distinguish unethical or illegal interview questions from acceptable questions because
you have a tough decision to make regarding unethical or illegal questions. You have four choices when
19.12. If your mind goes blank after an interviewer asks you a question, quickly replay the last minute or two of
the conversation in your mind to see if you can pick up the thread of what was being discussed. If that
PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS
19.13. Message 19.A
The letter of application will most certainly fail because of these communication problems:
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19: Applying and Interviewing for Employment 19-3
[LO-1] AACSB: Analytical thinking
19.14. Message 19.B
This letter suffers from a lack of professionalism and unclear organization. In addition, the
following problems can be found:
[LO-1] AACSB: Analytical thinking
19.15. Message 19.C
This letter suffers from both tone and content problems:
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19: Applying and Interviewing for Employment 19-4
the company, the candidate suggests a preoccupation with the social aspects of the job. The
candidate would do better to point out how he or she could make a contribution to the
company.
Instead of expressing doubt, a candidate should convey confidence in his or her qualifications.
Introducing the naval experience may help, although use of the term “hitch” is too colloquial.
[LO-5] AACSB: Analytical thinking
19.16. Message 19.D
This letter lacks tact:
The letter of inquiry should begin with whom the candidate is and what position was applied
something particularly appealing about the prospects of a career with the reader’s company.
By saying “I don’t mean to pressure you,” the writer reminds the reader that, in fact, pressure
is being applied. It would be better to simply say that the other company (which should not be
identified) requires a decision within 10 days.
[LO-5] AACSB: Analytical thinking
19.17. Message 19.E
This letter should be expanded and reorganized using the indirect approach:
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19: Applying and Interviewing for Employment 19-5
the other offer should be indicated. Singling out money as the reason makes the candidate seem
overly materialistic, damaging his or her chances of maintaining good relations with the reader.
The third sentence is tactless and should be eliminated. Instead, the writer should begin a new
[LO-5] AACSB: Analytical thinking
19.18. This exercise is designed to get students thinking about the consequences of their actions and behaviors. It
19.19 through 19.22. This is a research exercise designed to give students practice in learning about a
company prior to an interview. In addition, students are asked to use their company knowledge to
Written and oral communication
19.23. This exercise is designed to show students the difficulty of substantiating an intangible attribute. Merely
Written and oral communication
19.24. Students’ emails should focus on one or two well-developed strengths and notable weaknesses to
substantiate their individual assessments. In addition, they should try to reframe their weaknesses into
The final part of this exercise allows students to consider how their strengths and weaknesses fit
with companies seeking to fill job openings. You can ask students how explaining both strengths
19.25. After students complete this exercise, it might be helpful to have them exchange answers with their
communication
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19: Applying and Interviewing for Employment 19-6
19-26 through 19-28. The question students must resolve is whether to mention that they will be accepting a
job with a competitor. Chances are that the current employer will find out anyway if the new
employer checks references. Since the resignation will not be good news, students should use the
reasoning
CASE SOLUTIONS GUIDELINES
Here are solution guidelines for this chapter’s cases.
19.29. Media Skills: Video; Message Strategies: Employment Messages
Students will likely discover several instructive challenges with this project. Some may find it
difficult to fill up two or three minutes while talking about themselves; others will fight to
[LO-1] AACSB: Written and oral communication
19.30. Message Strategies: Employment Messages
[LO-1] AACSB: Written and oral communication
19.31. Message Strategies: Employment Messages
This project combines two challenging tasks: distilling complex ideas down to 140 characters,
and writing about oneself. In addition, each of the 13 tweets needs to be a cohesive message itself
[LO-1] AACSB: Written and oral communication
19.32. Message Strategies: Employment Messages
This exercise offers the dual benefits of giving students the opportunity to practice writing
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19: Applying and Interviewing for Employment 19-7
[LO-1] AACSB: Written and oral communication
19.33. Career Management: Researching Target Employers
This exercise could require a significant amount of research for students, but it helps them
understand the amount of research that top candidates often do as part of their job search efforts.
[LO-3] AACSB: Written and oral communication
19.34. Career Management: Interviewing
This activity helps students learn to think like employers and identify which candidates present
themselves most effectively on paper and in person. (You can extend the activity by evaluating
[LO-4] AACSB: Interpersonal relations and teamwork
19.35. Career Management: Interviewing
Students should thank the interviewer for the opportunity to interview and use the message as an
opportunity to build interest in their candidacies. This should be done briefly and subtly, however,
Remind students that follow-up letters function as a networking tool, leaving a positive
impression, even if another person is ultimately selected for the position. Also, the person who
[LO-4] AACSB: Written and oral communication
19.36. Message Strategies: Employment Messages
This message of inquiry should follow the structure of a direct request: main idea, necessary
details, and courteous close. In this situation, the main idea is appreciation for the offer from
[LO-5] AACSB: Written and oral communication
19.37. Message strategies: Employment Messages
The letter declining a job offer should be brief, appreciative, and sensitive without being
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19: Applying and Interviewing for Employment 19-8
[LO-5] AACSB: Written and oral communication
19.38. Message strategies: Employment Messages
This exercise might be more challenging than students first perceive. The conversation with the
boss is taking place along two channels more or less in parallel. The in-person conversation will
be more personal, but the written letter will have to be a more formal, “distant” message, because
it is a permanent record of the decision to resign and is really more of a communication from the
[LO-5] AACSB: Written and oral communication
ASSISTED GRADING QUESTIONS (ACCESSED ON MYBCOMMLAB)
19.39. Your application letter serves as the introduction to your résumé, creating interest in you and giving hiring
19.40. Even if you don’t have any experience in a job for which you are interviewing, you can still prepare for
behavioral interview questions by reviewing your work or college experiences to recall several instances
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