Business Communication Chapter 19 Applying And Interviewing For Employment Concluding Gracefully You Can Usually Tell When

Unlock access to all the studying documents.

View Full Document

19: Applying and Interviewing for Employment 19–15

Concluding Gracefully

You can usually tell when the interviewer is trying to conclude the session. He or she may:

• Ask whether you have any more questions

• Check the time

negotiable or that you would expect a competitive compensation package.

If salary isn’t negotiable, look at the overall compensation and benefits package. You may find

flexibility in these areas:

• A signing bonus

• Profit sharing

Learning Objective 5: Identify the most common employment messages that follow an interview, and

explain when you would use each one.

Following up brings your name to the interviewer’s attention once again and reminds him or her that

you’re actively looking and waiting for the decision.

Any time you hear from a company during the application or interview process, be sure to respond

A message of inquiry is particularly appropriate if you’ve received a job offer from a second firm and

don’t want to accept it before you are notified by the first about their decision.

Request for a Time Extension

If you receive a job offer while other interviews are still pending, you can ask the employer for a time

extension:

19: Applying and Interviewing for Employment 19–18

COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES AT VMWARE

Individual Challenge

Here are three slightly off-the-wall questions that could conceivably elicit useful responses by showing

how candidates approach problem solving:

1. Why do telephone numbers in American movies and TV shows always start with 555?

2. How old do you think I am? (This could test how observant a candidate is, not only about the

3. How many jetpacks would you need to take everyone in this office on a picnic? (This could test

the candidates ability to make numerical estimates; even if they don’t know the population of the

office, they could make a rough estimate based on the approximate size of the building. The

jetpack angle is just a red herring.)

Team Challenge

Student answers will vary, but the interview questions they come up with should acknowledge the

difficulty of evaluating soft skills in an interview. They should focus on behavioral questions to judge

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

19.1 How does a prospecting letter differ from an application letter sent in response to a posted

job opening?

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

19.3. When you follow up by email or telephone, you can share an additional piece of information that

19.4. Your objective during the screening stage should be to confirm your fit for the position. [LO-2]

AACSB: 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

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

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

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

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

19.10. The interviewer is likely to conclude that the applicant lacks the curiosity or the research skills

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

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

PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS

19.13. Message 19.A

The letter of application will most certainly fail because of these communication problems:

• The opening immediately strikes the wrong tone, as though the writer is doing the company a

favor by announcing his or her availability.

• The writer does not specify which job was advertised. There may have been more than one

brand manager position.

• The second sentence is presumptive, particularly given the admission of no job experience in

the third sentence.

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

for; the request for a decision should also be stated up front. This writer mistakenly begins

with a me-oriented announcement that tactlessly mentions the name of another firm.

• The second sentence establishes the purpose of the letter, but the undiplomatic wording

suggests that the reader intends to play the two firms against each other in some sort of

bidding contest.

19.17. Message 19.E

This letter should be expanded and reorganized using the indirect approach:

• Instead of blurting out the bad news in the first sentence, the writer should begin with a

buffer. Also, the writer should identify the position in question.

19.18. This exercise is designed to get students thinking about the consequences of their actions and

behaviors. It may be surprising and alarming for some students to find information about

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

19.23. This exercise is designed to show students the difficulty of substantiating an intangible attribute.

Merely claiming that you are dependable or willing to take responsibility is not enough. The

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 learning experiences. An interesting question to ask the students after they’ve written their

19.25. After students complete this exercise, it might be helpful to have them exchange answers with

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

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

19: Applying and Interviewing for Employment 19–24

19: Applying and Interviewing for Employment 19–25

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

19.30. Message Strategies: Employment Messages

19.31. Message Strategies: Employment Messages

This project combines two challenging tasks: distilling complex ideas down to 140 characters,

19.32. Message Strategies: Employment Messages

This exercise offers the dual benefits of giving students the opportunity to practice writing

19.33. Career Management: Researching Target Employers

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

19: Applying and Interviewing for Employment 19–27

employee to the company, not the individual manager. In analyzing the situation, students should

ponder the effect the letter will have on the manager. As a selfless mentor, she will be delighted

that her protégé has found a good opportunity. On the other hand, she will be seeing some of her

“handiwork” leave the company, and she’ll have a new and unwelcomed task on her to-do list—

replacing the departing employee. As the case description suggests, however, the more personal

aspects of this awkward situation should be confined to the in-person conversation and not put in

the letter.

[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

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