Chapter 15 LECTURE NOTES
The Job Search and Résumés in the Digital Age
CHAPTER SYNOPSIS
Finding a job in today’s job market is increasingly complex. To successfully compete with other
job candidates and land a fulfilling position, your students need to develop job-search strategies
that reflect an understanding of the changing job market, the sources of jobs, and the use of
digital tools. This chapter helps students develop job search skills using traditional and digital
methods, create a customized résumé, and write effective cover messages.
Chapter 15 describes the changing job market and underscores the importance of getting ready
for the job search by analyzing interests, qualifications, and career opportunities. The chapter
offers strategies for pursuing jobs in both the open and hidden job markets and new coverage on
building a personal network, using social media to network, and the importance of developing a
personal brand.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Prepare to search for a job in the digital age by understanding the changing job market,
identifying your interests, assessing your qualifications, and exploring career opportunities.
2. Develop savvy search strategies by recognizing job sources and using digital tools to explore
the open job market.
WHAT’S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
• For one of the most important chapters in the book, researched hundreds of current articles
on the latest trends, tools, and practices affecting the job search and résumés in this digital
age.
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• Revised the chapter significantly showing how to prepare résumés and cover messages for
submission and viewing on many digital platforms.
• Developed Figure 15.1, a new job-search process graphic, to visually summarize the steps in
a job search so that students know what to expect.
• Provided specific advice on how to build a personal brand so that students can stand out in a
highly competitive job market.
• Stressed the importance of including a summary of qualifications in the top third of a résumé
because a recruiter may be viewing it on a tablet or smartphone.
• Strengthened the explanations of résumé content by presenting poor and improved examples
to enhance readability and heighten immediate comprehension.
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. Job Searching in the Digital Age (p. 543)
A. Understanding the Changing Job Market
• The most successful job candidates customize their qualifications for each
opening.
• The job-search process begins by analyzing yourself, developing a job-search
strategy, preparing a résumé, and grasping the complexities of the hiring process.
Figure 15.1 Job Searching in the Digital Age
B. Beginning Your Job Search With Self-Analysis
• What are you passionate about? Can you turn this passion into a career?
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C. Assessing Your Qualifications
• What technology skills can you present?
• Do you communicate well in speech and in writing?
D. Exploring Career Opportunities
• Visit your campus career center.
• Search the Web.
• Use your library.
PowerPoint slides 1-6
II. Developing a Job-Search Strategy Focused on the Open Job Market (p. 546)
A. Searching the Open Job Market
• Explore the big boards: CareerBuilder, Monster, CollegeGrad, and Indeed.
• Look beyond the big boards to company career sites, niches sites, LinkedIn, and
other social networking sites.
Figure 15.2 Trends in Sources of New Jobs
Figure 15.3 Protecting Yourself When Posting at Online Job Boards
PowerPoint slides 7-12
B. Pursuing the Hidden Job Market With Networking
• Build a personal network.
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Figure 15.5 Harnessing the Power of LinkedIn
PowerPoint slides 13-18
C. Building Your Personal Brand
• Personal branding involves deciding what makes you special and desirable in the
job market.
III. Creating a Customized Résumé (p. 553)
A customized résumé is designed specifically for each position you want and helps
distinguish you from other applicants.
A. Choosing a Résumé Style
• Chronological: Focuses on job history with most recent positions listed first
• Functional: Focuses on skills
PowerPoint slides 20, 21
B. Deciding on Length
• Make your résumé as long as needed to sell your skills to recruiters and hiring
managers.
IV. Organizing Your Information Into Effective Résumé Categories (p. 554)
PowerPoint slides 12-24
• Main Heading
List your name, address, phone, and e-mail address (and QR code if you have an
online presence).
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List your major and GPA.
Give information about your studies, but don’t inventory all your courses.
• Work Experience or Employment History
If your work experience is significant and relevant to the position sought, place this
• Capabilities and Skills
Emphasize your proficiencies with the Internet, software programs, office equipment,
and communication technology tools.
Describe proficiencies you have acquired through training and experience.
Highlight exceptional aptitudes, such as working well under stress or interacting with
customers.
Highlight those talents that are relevant to your targeted job.
• Awards, Honors, and Activities
If you have three or more awards or honors, highlight them by listing them under a
• Personal Data
Employers are legally barred from asking personal data, such as birth date, health,
and marital status. Therefore, omit such items from your résumé. You can include
hobbies or interests that might grab the recruiter’s attention or serve as conversation
starters.
• References
Listing references directly on your résumé takes up valuable space.
Figure 15.7 Action Verbs for Powerful Résumés
Figure 15.8 Sample Reference List
Figure 15.9 Chronological Résumé: Recent College Graduate With Related
Experience
Figure 15.10 Chronological Résumé: Current University Student With Limited
Relevant Experience
Figure 15.11 Chronological Résumé: University Graduate With Substantial
Experience
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Figure 15.12 Functional Résumé: Recent College Graduate With Unrelated Part-
time Experience
PowerPoint slides 23-36
V. Optimizing Your Job Search With Today’s Digital Tools (p. 564)
A. Getting Your Resume Selected: Maximizing “Hits”
• Include specific keywords or keyword phrases.
B. Showcasing Your Qualifications in a Career E-Portfolio
• An e-portfolio is a collection of digitized materials that provides viewers with
a snapshot of a candidate’s performance, talents, and accomplishments.
Figure 15.13 Making a Career E-Portfolio
PowerPoint slides 39, 40
C. Wowing Them With an Infographic Résumé
• An infographic résumé uses colorful charts, graphics, and time lines to
illustrate a candidates’ work history and experience.
Figure 15.14 An Infographic Résumé That Snagged a Job
PowerPoint slide 41
D. How Many Résumés and What Format?
• Basic print-based résumé:
▪ Prepare one attractively formatted basic résumé that can be customized
and altered.
▪ Use during job interviews, for person-to-person networking situations,
for career fairs, and for a job that does not require an electronic
submission
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▪ Remove page breaks, section breaks, tabs, and tables.
▪ Replace bullets with asterisks or plus signs.
E. Submitting Your Résumé
Formats for submitting your résumé may include the following:
1. MS Word
Figure 15.15 Portion of Plain-Text Résumé
PowerPoint slide 44
F. Checklist for Preparing for Employment and Submitting a Customized Résumé
Preparation
• Analyze your strengths.
• Research job listings.
Headings, Objective, and Summary of Qualifications
• Prepare a summary of qualifications.
Education
• Name your degree, date of graduation, and institution.
• List your major and GPA.
Work Experience
• Itemize your jobs.
• Describe your experience.
• Promote your “soft” skills.
Special Skills, Achievements, and Awards
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• Show that you are a well-rounded individual.
Final Tips
Submitting
• Follow instructions for submitting.
• Practice sending plain-text résumés.
VI. Creating Customized Cover Messages (p. 524)
Although most job listings don’t specifically mention a cover messages, a well-written,
persuasive cover message should accompany every résumé sent out. Without it, your
résumé may never be read.
A. Gaining Attention in the Opening
1. Openings for Solicited Jobs
Figure 15.16 Solicited Cover Letter
Figure 15.17 Unsolicited Cover Letter
3. Promoting Your Strengths in the Message Body
• Describe your strongest qualifications in relation to the needs of the employer.
• Discuss your personal traits.
• Refer the reader to your résumé.
4. Motivating Action in the Closing
• Ask confidently for an interview, not the job.
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B. Checklist for Preparing and Sending a Customized Cover Letter
Opening
• Use the receiver’s name.
• Identify the position, where you found it, and your information source.
• Gain the reader’s attention.
Body
• Refer to your résumé.
Closing
• Ask for an interview.
• Make it easy to respond.
Sending
Answers to Chapter Review Questions
1. In this digital age, what is the primary route to finding a job? (Obj. 1)
2. When preparing to search for a job, what should you do before writing a résumé?
(Obj. 1)
Before writing a résumé, you should analyze your interests, goals, and qualifications. Writing
3. List eight ways you can explore career opportunities while still in college. Obj. 1)
a. Visit your campus career center.
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4. What are the current trends in sources of new jobs? Which sources are trending
upward and which are trending downward? (Obj. 2)
Networking continues to be the primary source of new jobs (46 percent), but Internet job
5. Although one may not actually find a job on the Internet, how can the big job boards be
helpful to job hunters? (Obj. 2)
The big job boards can serve as a jumping-off point in most searches. They help candidates
6. What is the hidden job market, and how can candidates find jobs in it? (Obj. 3)
The hidden job market consists of jobs that are never advertised. Candidates can explore the
7. In searching for a job, how can you build a personal brand, and why is it important to
do so? (Obj. 3)
8. What is a customized résumé, and why should you have one? (Obj. 3)
A customized résumé is one that is prepared to respond to a specific job opening or to meet
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9. How do chronological and functional résumés differ, and what are the advantages and
disadvantages of each? (Obj. 4)
A chronological résumé lists a candidate’s work history in the order of jobs, starting with the
most recent. A chronological résumé is advantageous because recruiters prefer this format.
10. Describe a summary of qualifications, and explain why it is increasingly popular on
résumés. (Obj. 4)
A summary of qualifications provides a list of your most impressive accomplishments. It is
11. What is an ATS, and how does it affect the way you prepare a résumé? (Obj. 5)
An applicant tracking system (ATS) consists of computer-based software that helps
12. How can you maximize the keyword hits in your résumé? What three categories are
most important? (Obj. 5)
To maximize hits, you must include specific keywords or keyword phrases that match the
13. What is an e-portfolio? How can having one benefit you? (Obj. 5)
An e-portfolio is a collection of digital files that can be navigated with the help of menus
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14. What are the three parts of a cover message, and what is contained in each part?
(Obj. 6)
A cover message includes (a) an opening that captures attention, introduces the message,
15. Why is it important to include a cover message with all résumés you send, even if you
send them by e-mail? (Obj. 6)
A résumé that arrives without a cover message makes the receiver wonder what it is and
Answers to Critical Thinking Questions
1. How has job searching for candidates and job placement for hiring managers changed
in the digital age? In your opinion, have the changes had a positive or a negative effect?
Why? (Obj. 1)
Job searching and hiring for candidates and hiring managers have changed dramatically in
2. The authors of Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters claim that every year 50 million
U.S. jobs are filled, almost all without a job posting. Why do you think businesses avoid
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advertising job openings? If jobs are unlisted, how can a candidate locate them?
(Obj. 3)
Jobs that are unlisted often develop in one of three ways: (a) a growing company creates a
new job; (b) an employee quits leaving an open position; or (c) an employee is fired from an
3. Some employment authors claim that the paper résumé is dead or dying. What’s behind
this assertion, and how should current job candidates respond? (Obj. 4)
In this digital age, the résumé is evolving, but the paper résumé is not disappearing. Although
4. Why might it be more effective to apply for unsolicited jobs than for advertised jobs?
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of letters that “prospect” for jobs. (Obj. 6)
The advantage of unsolicited prospect letters is that the competition is reduced. Many people
5. Ethical Issue: After many months of job searching, recent grad Marcy finally found a
job. On her résumé, she fudged a little by boosting her grade point average and by
claiming an internship that she applied for but didn’t actually get. These small white
lies were absolutely necessary, she reasoned, in such a competitive and tough job
market. She felt that she needed extra ammunition in her battle to edge out other job
hunters. She breezed through the interview with no problems. Is Marcy justified in her
actions, and is she home free now that she has been hired?
Lying is never acceptable, regardless of how one rationalizes it. Although candidates may
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ZOOMING IN
Stepping Out of the Classroom and Into a Career
• What do you know about the hidden job market, and how does networking help a new
grad find a job in this elusive market?
Most students know that not all available jobs are advertised or posted at websites. Many
jobs are filled in house, through employee referrals, or from an existing talent pool. Some
• How can professional networking tools such as LinkedIn help job seekers get a foot in
the door of a favorite company?
Professional networking sites such as LinkedIn provide job seekers with updated news about
• How many résumés should a recent grad prepare? What format is preferable?
This chapter presents many kinds of résumés, but students should begin with one basic
résumé that can be customized to fit each targeted position. This means changing the career
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ZOOMING IN
Your Turn: Applying Your Skills
To: Heather Huhman <hhuhman@xxx.xxx>
From: Student Name
Subject: Ideas for Article Aimed at First-Time Job Seekers
As you requested, I have consulted friends, fellow students, and contacts in my social
networking groups, asking them questions about their attitudes toward the job search. Below are
some responses to questions you have raised about how they view the job search.
Job Search Prior to Graduation
In general, most soon-to-graduate students realize the importance of thinking about the job
search and their résumés before they graduate. They realize that doing so gives them an
Benefits of Networking
Students also understand the importance of networking. They agree that knowing someone in an
Professional Networking Sites
Many students seem to be unaware of the benefits of professional networking sites such as
LinkedIn. They are more conversant with social media sites such as Facebook. The people I
220 Chapter 15 Lecture Notes
Ethics Check Solutions
Ethics Check, Page 521
Are Phantom Job Listings Ethical?
Some jobs are advertised even when a leading candidate has the position nailed down. The
candidate could be an internal applicant or someone else with an inside track. Although not
required by law, management policies and human resources departments at many
companies demand that hiring managers list all openings on job boards or career sites.
Often, hiring managers have already selected candidates for these “phantom” jobs. Is it
ethical to advertise jobs that are not really available?
From a job candidate’s view, it seems reasonable and fair that all jobs be advertised. From a
company’s view, such a requirement seems unnecessary, restrictive, and unproductive. Human
Ethics Check, Page 576
Cover Message Bloopers
Advice columns and Internet blogs are teeming with cover letter bloopers. Downright lies
aside, some candidates simply need a lesson in selling: P.S. I haven’t taken a sick day in
years; I don’t get sick. Or consider this candid job board posting: I have a lot of customer
service experience, but I am willing to do just about anything. I am in a lot of debt and need a
good solid job to help me get out of it. After reading this chapter, what advice would you
give such job seekers?
The first example is meant to be reassuring to the recruiter, but in reality only the youthful
Photo Essay Solution
Photo Essay, Page 552
As the researchers discovered, Facebook can generate useful leads and promote feelings of
optimism for job seekers. Online networking can help develop referrals, and referrals can
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