Business Communication Chapter 14 Applying And Interviewing For Employment Behavioral Questions Ask You Describe How You

14: Applying and Interviewing for Employment

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14-4. Behavioral questions ask you to describe how you handled situations from your past.

14-5. The STAR approach can be used to craft answers to behavioral questions: S/T—the

APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE

14-6. Being familiar with the company and with the jobs that you are interviewing for will give

14-8. Answers to starred discussion items not provided.

14-9. Interviewers expect you to ask questions and look negatively on candidates who don’t have

any questions to ask. An interview is a two-way conversation: the questions you ask are

14-10. Answers to starred discussion items not provided.

PRACTICE YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Activities

14-11. Here is the revised version of the document:

“Choosy mothers choose JIF” is a phrase I grew up with. That’s one reason I was happy

to see the announcement on your website for a brand manager in your Food Division.

During my undergraduate studies at Penn State, I achieved a 3.8 GPA in my business

14–12. Here is a revised version of the message:

Thank you for considering my application letter and résumé, which I sent to you on February 20,

2019. Since then, I have been promoted at my present job, so I’m enclosing my updated résumé

to reflect my new position and responsibilities.

Also, congratulations on your customer–service rating (reported in the latest issue of Your Health

14-13. This exercise provides a good opportunity to discuss the need for care when it comes to

posting materials online. Many students fail to recognize that their intended audience is

14-14. Encourage students to move beyond Google in their search for company information.

Resources such as Mergent Online, for example, can provide far more specialized

14-15. The questions in Table 14.4 (“Twenty-Five Common Interview Questions”) are so

frequently asked that students should be prepared to answer them in any interview.

14-16. This exercise encourages students to take a critical perspective on their strengths and

weaknesses. Many students will rely on vague statements such as, “I am a hard worker”

14-21. The question students must resolve is whether to mention that they will be accepting a

job with a competitor. Since the resignation will not be good news, students should use

the indirect approach—especially since the current employer might be concerned about

the person sharing trade secrets or customer information with a competitor. Students

EXPAND YOUR SKILLS

Critique the Professionals: Students’ responses will vary, depending on the material they choose.

Encourage them, however, to tie what they learn online to specific guidelines and concepts from

the chapter. If there are differences between the advice offered on the site and in the text, take the

opportunity to discuss how to navigate, evaluate, and utilize the wealth of career advice that is

CASE SOLUTIONS

Here are example solutions and solution guidelines for this chapter’s cases.

14-22. Media Skills: Video; Message Strategies: Employment Messages

Student responses will vary. Videos should adhere to the 3-minute timeframe and follow the

14-23. Message Strategies: Employment Messages

Note: Based on their investigative work into the employer’s requirements, students should

include key words and any information available that would establish a common ground with the

employer.

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Position: Social Media Virtual Assistant, Vidli, LA, California

Job Description:

A good candidate for this position loves Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Strong skills with

SEO, SEM, Inbound Marketing, and online video are also needed to be considered a top

Important Skills and Experience:

– Blogging

– Public Relations

– Knowledge/Relationships in the Online Video Industry

___________________________________________________________________________

From: april.tanner@mail.com

Subject: Application for the position of Social Media Virtual Assistant

Dear Hiring Manager,

Trade reports indicate that Vidli is in the right place, at the right time, and doing all the right

things to tap into the immense potential of video e-commerce and, as an inbound-marketing

specialist, I am excited at the prospect of helping Vidli leverage social media to achieve its goals.

My five years of experience in the industry, first as a designer and online video editor and then

as SEO, SEM, and inbound marketing specialist for Eureka Solutions—a leading social media

consulting company—have equipped me well for the position of Social Media Virtual Assistant

at Vidli. Also, I find that my degree in Marketing Management and two years of experience as

Account Executive for Google give me an edge in understanding the market.

I can provide work samples and further details in an interview. Please let me know when would

be a good time for us to meet to discuss my opportunities with your company. You can reach me

at april.tanner@mail.com or by phone at (456) 123-4567. Thank you.

Sincerely,

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April Tanner

[address and contact info]

(LO 14.1; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)

14-24. Message Strategies: Employment Messages

Note: The challenge here is to take advantage of Twitter’s informal, condensed style while

remaining grammatically correct. At best, a tweeted job application can demonstrate apt use of

Dear Mr. D’Agostino,

1. I write in reference to the Fashion Editor opening at Alive. I have a lot to offer and would

love to discuss the job.

3. My editor forwarded me this job announcement when she learned I am moving to St.

Louis in May.

5. Your publication maintained a high profile that week. Your team appeared dynamic,

sophisticated, and yet grounded in the local scene.

7. I studied art and anthropology at Emory and remain interested in fashion as dialogue,

social commentary, and artistic expression.

9. As my art explores fashion at the intersection of history and aesthetics, my work and art

constantly feed each other—a symbiosis I like.

11. Please see my résumé for a more detailed list of specific projects. OD has allowed me to

hone skills and explore what makes Miami tick.

13. Thank you for your time. I look forward to speaking with you at your earliest

14-25. Message Strategies: Employment Messages

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Note: This job candidate has a fine arts degree but is applying for a job requiring commercial

graphic design skills.

Dear Mr. Green:

Perhaps more relevant to the current position, I have worked during the last two summers as

photographer and graphic designer for my parents’ medical imaging business in Los Angeles. I

teamed up with advertising and marketing specialists to create print and online advertising, and

helped develop a marketing strategy when the company was just getting started. I loved the

excitement of building something from the ground up, and I would love to bring this creative

(310) 555-4938

(LO 14.1; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)

14-26. Career Management: Researching Target Employers

This exercise could require a significant amount of research for students, but it helps them

14-27. Career Management: Interviewing

This activity helps students learn to think like employers and identify which candidates present

14-28. Career Management: Interviewing

Student letters should thank the interviewer for the opportunity to interview. Then, using

information from the company’s website as well as from topics discussed during the interview,

14-29. Message Strategies: Employment Messages

Note: This message of inquiry should follow the plan for a direct request: main idea, necessary

details, and courteous close. In this situation, the main idea is appreciation for the offer from

Longhorn Leather and Lumber. In the midsection, the writer should express enthusiasm for

Longhorn but cite obligations to another—unnamed—company that has requested an interview.

14-30. Message strategies: Employment Messages

Letter to Longhorn Leather and Lumber, declining their job offer.

Alice Wohl

562 Pine Street

Fairfield, TX 79789

me—I have accepted that job offer.

I deeply appreciate the time you spent talking with me. Thank you again for your consideration

and kindness.

Sincerely,

Alice Wohl

work on Monday, September 24, as you requested.

Thank you for this opportunity. I look forward to making a positive contribution to my team and

to the company.

Sincerely,

Alice Wohl

562 Pine Street

Fairfield, TX 79789

(456) 555-1234

(LO 14.5; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)

14-31. Message strategies: Employment Messages (Letters of Resignation)

Dear Mr. Cooper,

Thanks so much to you and the other Lodge Industries employees for helping me learn so much

about the marketing industry. You have given me great insights and tremendous support.

You may recall that I relocated from out of state to accept the position at Lodge Industries.

Because an opportunity has been offered to me by a company in my hometown, I am submitting

Sincerely,

Betty Andrews

(LO 14.5; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)

IMPROVE YOUR GRAMMAR, MECHANICS, AND USAGE

Level 1: Self-Assessment—Vocabulary

14-32. except________Everyone except Barbara King has registered for the company

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competition. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)

(AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)

14-43. imply When you say that, do you mean to infer that I’m being unfair? (AACSB

14-45. to All we have to do is try and get along with him for a few more days.

(AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)

Level 2: Workplace Applications

14-47. Entrepreneurs and their business are so closely tied together that a bank will want to see

14-48. The company’s annual meeting will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on May 3 in the Santa Fe

14-49. Well over 400 outstanding students from coast to coast have realized their dreams of a

14-50. If your home is your principal place of business, you can generally deduct the cost of

14-51. Companies like McLeod USA sprang into being in the 90s to provide cut-rate phone

14-53. When the music industry claimed Napster was committing piracy by stealing intellectual

economy. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)

14-55. When it comes to consumer rights, the FDA, the FTC, and the Agriculture Department

14-57. The Fortune 500 not only ranks corporations by size but also offers brief company

14-58. Cisco Systems, which has bought 55 companies over the past decade, plans to make 10 to

15 new acquisitions each year. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)

14-59. In 1984, Michael Dell decided to sell PCs direct and built to order; now everybody in the

14-60. By using virtual teams, American Express has reduced the number of field offices from

14-61. In Europe and Asia, people are using mobile phones to send text messages to other users,

to exchange email, to read the morning news, to surf certain websites, and to make

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purchases (such as movie tickets) and charge them to their monthly phone bill. Or: using

mobile phones to send text messages to other users, exchange email, read the morning

news, surf certain websites, and make purchases—such as movie tickets—and charge

them to their monthly phone bill. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)

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Level 3: Document Critique

MORGAN MITRAS

2397 Glencrest Ridge, Fort Worth, Texas 76119

(817) 226-1804

February 2, 20159

Ms. Nancy Remington, Human Resources

Norton Accounting Group

3778 Parkway North