Chapter 13 The Job Search, Résumés, and Cover Messages

1. Which of the following statements about today's job market is correct?

a. Today's job market remains stable and remarkably similar to the job market ten years ago.
b. Personal networking and referrals continue to be the primary route to hiring.
c. Despite its popularity, the Internet has not affected the way in which individuals search for jobs.
d. Job candidates should avoid using job boards, search engines, and social networks to hunt for jobs.

2. Which of the following statements about today's job search is correct?

a. The emphasis of today's job search is on the needs of the employer.
b. Today's job searchers should create a universal résumé that can be used for every job for which they apply.
c. Career paths for employees are now linear; that is, employees can expect to remain in the same position
throughout their employment years.
d. Jobs are long lasting; therefore, today's employees will need little relearning and retraining.

3. The primary route to hiring today continues to be ________.

a. a well-crafted résumé
b. detailed cover messages
c. personal networking
d. strong interview follow-up messages

4. The first step in the job-search process is to _______.

a. prepare a résumé
b. contact professional and personal references
c. analyze individual interests and goals and evaluate personal qualifications
d. purchase appropriate interview clothing

5. Which of the following would help an individual assess his or her employment qualifications?
a. Do I speak, write, or understand another language?
b. How would you describe the perfect job, boss, and coworkers?
c. Would you like to work for someone else or be your own boss?
d. Do you enjoy working with people, data, or things?

6. On average in the United States, how many jobs will individuals between the ages of 28 and 52 have over the course of
their careers?
a. 3
b. 7
c. 12
d. 20

7. Which statement about open and hidden job markets is correct?

a. More jobs are secured through the open job market than through the hidden job market.
b. The open job market consists of jobs that are advertised or listed.
c. Most job seekers start searching for jobs using the hidden job market.
d. The hidden job market refers to those jobs that are filled through illegal or unethical tactics.

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8. Kendra is searching for a job and wants to use electronic sources. Which of the following will probably be her best
source of online job listings?
a. Big job boards such as Monster and CareerBuilder
b. Specific company websites
c. Her college website job board
d. Niche websites

9. Which online source is used most for job searching and recruiting?
a. Twitter
b. Monster
c. CollegeGrad
d. LinkedIn

10. Which of the following tips will help you protect your privacy and safeguard your personal data when posting to
online job boards?
a. Respond only to "blind" job postings.
b. Post your résumé on any online site to increase your employment opportunities.
c. Post your résumé only on sites that charge a fee.
d. Consider omitting your home address and home phone number.

11. Which of the following is an example of a niche website?

a. Advance Healthcare Network
b. LinkedIn
c. Twitter
d. CareerBuilder

12. To help you develop your personal network, you should develop a contact list of anyone who would be willing to talk
with you about finding a job, make contacts with people in person and online, and _______.
a. wait for your contacts to contact you about potential job openings
b. do not initiate additional communication with your contacts because it would be too pushy
c. follow up on referrals.
d. use only online resources to help you connect with others.

13. Many job candidates use LinkedIn to research companies, receive job alerts, and _______.
a. get free résumé coaching
b. make friends
c. expand their personal and professional networks
d. find out the number of people who have applied for a job

14. A large part of your job-search strategy should be deciding what makes you special and desirable in the job market.
This introspective process is called _______.
a. networking
b. personal branding
c. desired workplace behavior
d. cognitive reflection
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15. All of the following are ways you can develop a personal brand: preparing a brief speech that describes who you are
and what problems your skills can solve, creating an individual tagline that separates you from other candidates, and
_______.
a. showing how you are similar to other job candidates
b. emailing all of your contacts a five-minute multimedia presentation that profiles your skills and experience
c. distributing business cards whenever you have an opportunity
d. creating an attractive résumé

16. A 30-second pitch describing who you are and what you can offer to a company or industry is called a(n) _______.
a. branding monologue
b. elevator speech
c. interview introduction
d. job speech

17. The most popular résumé format is the _______.

a. chronological format
b. direct format
c. functional format
d. indirect format

18. You are just graduating from college and have little employment experience. Which résumé style would help you
emphasize your skills?
a. Chronological résumé
b. Video résumé
c. Functional résumé
d. Infographic résumé

19. Most recruiters favor a _______.

a. video résumé
b. functional résumé
c. chronological résumé
d. plain-text résumé

20. Which of the following is the best advice about résumé length?
a. Because recruiters are busy, keep it to one page.
b. Because recruiters and hiring managers want to know your skills, make it as long as needed to sell yourself.
c. Because recruiters interview applicants with two-page résumés, make it two pages.
d. Because experts are divided between one- or two-page résumé length, make your résumé a page and a half.

21. Which approach to organizing parts of your résumé will help to strategically profile your skills and experiences?
a. Place your most important qualifications last so that they will be remembered.
b. Use as many headings as needed to present your experiences and skills.
c. Emphasize your skills and achievements aimed at a particular job or company.

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 d. Always place the education section before the work experience section.

22. The advantages of building a LinkedIn résumé to have in addition to your print résumé are that you can expand the
description of your skills and qualifications, add media such as images, hyperlinks, and more, and _______.
a. you don’t have to worry about proofreading your résumé because errors don’t matter in an online format
b. you can upload personal photos as you would with Facebook or Instagram
c. you can use I to tell your story more personally
d. you can save money by not printing your résumé on paper

23. Opinions on the use of a career objective are mixed. Which of the following is the best reason for candidates to add a
career objective to their résumés?
a. An objective shows flexibility and indicates that a candidate is adaptable and willing to change to suit the
employer's needs.
b. The primary goal of an objective is to make the recruiter's life easier by quickly classifying the résumé, which
means the applicant is more likely to be hired.
c. An objective can rapidly disqualify a candidate if the stated objective does not match a company's job
description.
d. An objective can tell the prospective employer that this candidate is sure about what he or she wants to do.

24. Which of the following is an example of a well-written career objective for a résumé?
a. An entry-level position in the marketing area with a possibility of promotion
b. A challenging job at an organization that raises the bar in data security
c. Serving as a team player in a company where independent thinking is a top priority
d. An accounting position in which ten years' experience and a license as a CPA will allow me to assist your
company with payroll, employee benefits, and governmental tax and records reporting

25. Which statement accurately describes the summary of qualifications portion of a résumé?
a. Recruiters and hiring managers dislike the summary of qualifications section because it adds reading time.
b. The summary of qualifications usually appears at the end of a résumé to provide a strong closing.
c. Smart job seekers add a summary of their most impressive qualifications to their résumés to save the time of
recruiters and hiring managers.
d. The summary of qualifications section is typically one or two concise paragraphs.

26. In the education section of your résumé, you should _______.

a. list all college courses that you have taken to give the employer a complete picture
b. include relevant seminars attended and workshops completed
c. list only colleges where you have completed a degree or certificate program
d. specify your high school and college GPAs

27. Which of these résumé tips is correct?

a. Don't list awards and honors on a résumé; if you list them, you will appear to be bragging.
b. Omit school and community activities from your résumé because they are unrelated to your work experience.
c. Include your personal information (height, weight, and marital status) to give a potential employer a complete
picture.
d. Improve the visual impact of your résumé by placing your employment achievements and relevant job duties
in an easy-to-read bulleted list.
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28. Which of the following statements is an example of quantifying an achievement on a résumé?
a. Directed workflow and scheduling for emergency room personnel
b. Performed preventative maintenance on production equipment
c. Achieved 125 percent of production goal for three consecutive quarters
d. Knowledgeable in a variety of production processes and Just-in-Time theories

29. Which of the following statements uses an action verb to highlight an aptitude?
a. Competent in creation of multimedia presentations
b. Mastered QuickBooks Pro accounting software in 20 hours with minimal instruction
c. Ability to develop innovative and interactive Web pages
d. Adaptable to changing work environments

30. Which of the following statements about personal data on a résumé should you follow?
a. Résumés should include an individual's birth date, marital status, height, weight, national origin, health,
disabilities, and religious affiliation.
b. Smart job seekers do not include hobbies or interests on their résumés because they know that recruiters
cannot legally inquire about such information.
c. Résumés in the United States should omit personal data.
d. Résumés in the United States should include a personal photo to show what you look like.

31. Which of the following statements regarding the use of references on your résumé should you follow?
a. Include a list of references directly on the résumé.
b. Do not include personal or character references.
c. Remember that companies generally check references before a job interview to learn about a candidate in
advance.
d. Be sure to add the statement References furnished upon request at the bottom of your résumé.

32. Research shows that readers of online résumés approach them using which letter as a pattern?
a. I
b. F
c. H
d. U

33. In considering ethical issues regarding résumés, which of the following practices is acceptable?
a. Misrepresenting a job title to make it sound more important
b. Extending employment dates to avoid showing periods of unemployment
c. Making your job duties sound more impressive and responsible than they really were
d. Putting the GPA for your major courses only (for example 3.6/4.0 in major) when your actual GPA is not
stellar

34. Because your résumé is probably the most important document you will ever write, you should _______.
a. enhance your job titles to make your résumé more impressive
b. include ample use of the personal pronoun I to make it more personal

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 c. consider having a knowledgeable friend or relative proofread it
d. use a professional résumé service to prepare your résumé

35. Some of today's employers often use applicant tracking software to sort and evaluate résumés. Which of these steps
will maximize the "hits" your résumé receives from this kind of software?
a. Describe your experience, education, and qualifications in general terms.
b. Avoid abbreviations and acronyms, especially those related to the job title.
c. Include a keyword summary that highlights your qualifications and experiences.
d. Focus on nouns that describe your skills and qualifications.

36. An e-portfolio is _______.

a. an electronic copy of a résumé recorded on a CD or flash drive
b. the addition of work samples and personal information as an attachment to an embedded résumé
c. a collection of digital files that can be accessed with the use of menus and hyperlinks
d. the name given to résumés posted on job-search websites such as [Link]

37. Which of the following statements about video résumés is correct?

a. They allow candidates to demonstrate their public speaking, interpersonal, and technical skills more
impressively than in print résumés.
b. They are appropriate for all professional fields.
c. They should be at least 15 minutes in length to showcase a candidate's background and skills.
d. They require expensive high-quality equipment to make.

38. Why do some employers prefer to receive résumé information submitted in a plain-text format?
a. The plain text format helps to avoid possible e-mail viruses.
b. They want to save money on printing, and plain text résumés use less ink.
c. Some employers find the extra formatting on résumés distracting.
d. They want all of the résumés to be in the same format so that they are all treated the same.

39. Which of the following statements about plain-text résumés is correct?

a. Plain-text résumés are in high demand for electronic applications because recruiters and employers no longer
ask candidates to send application materials by postal mail.
b. A plain-text format is widely used for posting to online job boards and for applying by e-mail.
c. Plain-text résumés will look exactly like the original and cannot be altered without Adobe Acrobat and other
conversion software.
d. A plain-text résumé enables a job candidate to present their experiences, qualifications, and interests in video
form.

40. When creating a plain-text résumé, you should _______.

a. use white space or a line of hyphens or equal signs to separate sections
b. add tabs and tables to emphasize important information
c. use bullets to enhance the readability of your résumé
d. add lots of images, designs, and colors for visual impact

41. An applicant tracking systems (ATS) is more likely to select your résumé if it focuses on _______.
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 a. verbs
b. nouns
c. adjectives
d. dates

42. The purpose of a cover message is to _______.

a. showcase an applicant's command of the English language
b. secure a job interview
c. introduce the résumé
d. repeat the information presented on the résumé

43. The biggest error job seekers make when writing a cover message is _______.
a. misspelling the receiver's name or the company's name
b. forgetting to enclose their résumé
c. making the letter too generic
d. not asking for the interview

44. If you cannot find the name of a person to address your cover message to, which of the following is a recommended
alternative?
a. The phrase To Whom It May Concern
b. A descriptive subject line such as Marketing Specialist Position
c. The phrase Hiring Manager
d. The name of the CEO

45. In the opening of an unsolicited cover message, you should aim to be more persuasive by demonstrating knowledge of
the reader's business and _______.
a. telling them the salary you would like to earn
b. showing how your specific skills will benefit the company
c. specifying the type of position you're seeking
d. explaining why you need a job