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14: Applying and Interviewing for Employment
14-16
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
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Inc.
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”
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Inc.
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.
14: Applying and Interviewing for Employment
14-20
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,
14: Applying and Interviewing for Employment
14-21
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
14: Applying and Interviewing for Employment
14-22
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
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Inc.
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.
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Inc.
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
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Inc.
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
14: Applying and Interviewing for Employment
14-26
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
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Inc.
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
14: Applying and Interviewing for Employment
14-28
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)
14: Applying and Interviewing for Employment
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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
