Business Communication Chapter 16 Homework At some point in the interview, usually near the end, candidates will be asked whether they have any questions. The worst thing they can do is say No, which suggests they are not interested in the position

vi. Target your answers at the characteristics that interviewers seek,

such as expertise, motivation, and interpersonal skills; focus on your

strengths.

vii. Use good English and enunciate clearly.

c. During the interview, job seekers can expect to field a variety of question

types:

i. Warm-up questions

ii. Questions to gauge your interest

iii. Questions about your experience and accomplishments

d. Job seekers should also be prepared for how to handle any illegal or

inappropriate questions they may be asked.

e. At some point in the interview, usually near the end, candidates will be asked

whether they have any questions. The worst thing they can do is say No,

which suggests they are not interested in the position.

f. To end an interview on a positive note, follow these tips:

i. Ask when a decision will be made and if you may follow up.

g. Writing Improvement Activity: 60 minutes total. Activity 16.7—Building

Interview Skills With Worksheets

Have students complete the activity found at the end of the chapter. This is

an excellent activity to help students think about what employers are looking

• Identify the skills and traits necessary for this position. If you

prepared a résumé in Chapter 15, be sure that it addresses these

targeted areas.

IV. After the Interview (16-4, PPT Slides 36–38, DISC: Theory application)

a. After the interview, job candidates should write a thank-you message to each

interviewer (Model Document 16.1), contact their references, and then follow

up.

b. Writing Improvement Activity: 30 minutes total. Activity 16.23—Following

Up After Submitting Your Résumé

V. Preparing Additional Employment Documents (16-5, PPT Slides 39–42, DISC: Theory

application)

a. Although the résumé and cover letter are a job seeker’s major tasks, other

important document and messages are often required during the job-search

process.

c. Other documents to be familiar with are as follows:

i. Follow-up message: Job seekers should consider sending a follow-up

message if their résumé or application does not generate a

d. Writing Improvement Activity: 30 minutes total. Activity 16.25—Saying Yes

to a Stellar Job Offer

Have students complete the activity found at the end of the chapter.

Consider having students exchange documents so they can give each other

feedback and share ideas.

• Write a job acceptance letter to an employer of your choice.

• Make up any necessary details.

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Discussion Questions

You can assign these questions several ways: in a discussion forum in your LMS; as whole-

class discussions in person; or as a partner or group activity in class.

1. Discussion: The Importance of a Thank-You (Critical Thinking #1, 16-4, PPT Slide 37)

Duration 5 minutes.

a. Put yourself in the shoes of an employment recruiter. You’re impressed by a

job candidate’s résumé and references. During her interview, she responded

eggs.”

b. Do you agree with this reasoning? Why or why not?

i. Answer: When Ms. Liebman, executive managing editor at Business

Insider, expressed this view in an article, the Twitter world blew up.

2. Discussion: The Value of Soft Skills (Critical Thinking #2, 16-3) Duration 10 minutes.

a. In a LinkedIn survey of over 5,000 talent professionals, respondents reported

that they value so-called “soft skills” equally or higher than hard skills. Many

recruiters, however, confess that they do not know how to measure

emotional intelligence and other job-ready intangibles.

b. How do you think a hiring manager determines whether an interviewee has

strong emotional intelligence?

i. Answer: Some organizations are turning to psychometric tests and

3. Discussion: Social Media and Background Checks (Critical Thinking #3, 16-2,

PPT Slide 16) Duration 15 minutes.

a. Like criminal background checks and drug tests, social media background

checks have become commonplace in today’s recruiting.

b. What are the pros and cons of conducting such checks as a primary or sole

means of screening applicants?

i. Answer: This would make an excellent debate topic with some class

4. Discussion: Why Intention Matters (Critical Thinking #4, 16-3, PPT Slide 32)

Duration 10 minutes.

a. If you are asked an illegal interview question, why is it important to first

assess the intentions of the interviewer?

i. Answer: Most illegal interview questions are asked in true innocence.

Inexperienced interviewers are ignorant of the law. They do not know

5. Discussion: Private Information Leaks (Critical Thinking #5) Duration 15 minutes.

a. A recruiter for an organization has an outstanding prospect for a position. As

part of his screening process, the recruiter checks the online presence of the

b. Is his action legal? Ethical?

i. Answer: His action seems to violate numerous laws, such as Title VII,

the ADA, GINA, and ADEA. Many of these laws were enacted to

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Additional Activities and Assignments

1. Case Study: Zooming In—Thorough Preparation Triggers Interview Success: In

this case study, students will learn about what a leading authority on interviewing

and résumé writing has to say about using preparation to reduce interviewing fears

and to convert that anxiety into enthusiastic energy. They are then asked to answer

a series of critical-thinking questions.

a. Can novice job seekers predict what a job interview will involve?

i. Surprisingly enough, even novice job seekers can closely predict what

a job interview will entail. Most interviewers ask similar questions,

b. How is interviewing a two-way street? What does this mean for job

candidates?

i. Interviewing is indeed a two-way street. Candidates must promote

their best qualities and impress the company. However, companies

c. How can job seekers show recruiters or hiring managers that they are

invested in a position during the job interview?

i. Job candidates can demonstrate their interest and investment in a

2. Case Study: Zooming In—Your Turn: Applying Your Skills With Don Georgevich:

In this case study, students will take on the role of assistant to career coach

Don Georgevich. Don has asked his assistant to think carefully about the kind of

work they want to do and the skills required for a position in that field. Students

should complete the assignment and then submit their work electronically.

a. Students should identify three to five skills that employers seek among new

hires in their career area. LinkedIn research revealed that the most

i. Many students find it difficult to translate experiences from course

work in school or entry-level or low-wage jobs such as babysitting and

waiting tables into anecdotes that illustrate innate skills necessary for

higher-level positions. Encourage students to think critically about the

skills they have developed in school and how they relate to their

a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

19

3. Chat About It: At the end of each chapter, you will find additional open-ended

questions related to the chapter material. You may assign these topics for

discussion in class, in an online chat room, or on an online discussion board. You

may also ask students to read and respond to postings made by their classmates.

Topic 2: What is your greatest fear of what you might do or what might happen

to you during an employment interview? How can you overcome your fears?

Topic 3: If you are interviewing for a company where most of the employees are

dressed very casually, including ripped jeans, should you wear similar clothes to

a job interview with that company? Why or why not?

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Additional Resources

Cengage Video Resources

• MindTap Videos:

o Learn It: Chapter 16 Interviewing and Following Up

▪ Learn It: Video Lesson 16-1

▪ Learn It: Video Lesson 16-2

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Appendix

Generic Rubrics

Providing students with rubrics helps them understand expectations and components of

assignments. Rubrics help students become more aware of their learning process and

progress, and they improve students’ work through timely and detailed feedback.

Standard Writing Rubric

Criteria

Meets Requirements

Needs Improvement

Incomplete

Content

The assignment clearly

and comprehensively

addresses all questions

in the assignment.

15 points

The assignment partially

addresses some or all

questions in the

assignment.

8 points

The assignment does not

address the questions in

the assignment.

0 points

conclusions are logically

related and consistent.

10 points

arguments, and

conclusions are mostly

logically related and

consistent.

7 points

logically related and

consistent.

0 points

Research

The assignment is based

upon appropriate and

adequate academic

literature, including peer

reviewed journals and

other scholarly work.

5 points

The assignment is based

upon adequate

academic literature but

does not include peer

reviewed journals and

other scholarly work.

3 points

The assignment is not

based upon appropriate

and adequate academic

literature and does not

include peer reviewed

journals and other

scholarly work.

0 points

The assignment follows

the required citation

guidelines.

5 points

The assignment follows

some of the required

citation guidelines.

3 points

The assignment does not

follow the required

citation guidelines.

0 points

and spelling errors.

unintelligible.

Standard Discussion Rubric

Criteria

Meets Requirements

Needs Improvement

Incomplete

Participation

Participates in or

submits discussion by

the posted deadlines.

Follows instructions for

initial post and

responses.

Comments add value to

discussion topic.

on task. Comments may

not add value to

discussion.

0 points

Does not participate in

or submit discussion by

the posted deadlines.

Does not follow

instructions for initial

post and responses.

Does not participate in

discussion.

0 points