COVID 19 Pandemic Has Significantly Impacted Job Marketing Chapter Review

Please answer the chapter review questions 1-10 at the end of chapter 13.  Please complete exercise 13.1 on pages 436-437 of the text book.  Identify 8 things that are wrong with the document.  Rewrite the document making corrections and modification.  Complete exercise 13.2 on page 437. Identify 8 things that are wrong with the document.  Rewrite the document making corrections and modification.

textbook

https://studylib.net/doc/26148937/essentials-of-business-communication–12th-edition

End of Chapter Activities: Guffey/Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 12e
End of Chapter Activities
GUFFEY/LOEWY, ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION, 12E
CHAPTER 13: THE JOB SEARCH, RÉSUMÉS, AND COVER MESSAGES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Review …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………1
Critical Thinking …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2
Radical Rewrites ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3
Activities and Cases…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6
Grammar/Mechanics Checkup – 13 ……………………………………………………………………………………… 10
Number Style ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10
Editing Challenge – 13 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 11
Communication Workshop: Ethics ………………………………………………………………………………………. 13
CHAPTER REVIEW
1.
Describe the challenges of the job market in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the skills that will
help you weather any economic climate. (L.O. 1)
2.
List seven ways you can prepare for career opportunities in a dynamic job market while still in college
(L.O. 1)
3. Although one may not actually find a job on the Internet, how can the big job boards be helpful to job
hunters? (L.O. 2)
4. What is the difference between the open job market and the hidden job market, and how can candidates
find jobs in each? (L.O. 2, 3)
5. In searching for a job, how can you build a personal brand, and why is it important to do so? (L.O. 3)
6. How do chronological and functional résumés differ, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of
each? (L.O. 4)
7. Describe a summary of qualifications, and explain why it is increasingly popular on résumés. (L.O. 4)
8. What is a career e-portfolio? How can having one benefit you? (L.O. 5)
9. How can you maximize the rank of your résumé when it is going to be evaluated by an ATS? (L.O. 5)
10. Why is it smart to include a customized, job-relevant cover letter with all résumés you send, regardless of
whether you send them by e-mail or expect them to be first read by an ATS? (L.O. 6)
CRITICAL THINKING
11. When asked whether they would take full-time gig work over a traditional job, 53 percent of Generation Z
(born 1997–2012) respondents in a global study said yes.i Commissioned by the Workforce Institute of Kronos,
this study, titled “Gen Z and the Gig Economy: It’s Time to Gig in or Get Out,” surveyed 3,400 individuals
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible
website, in whole or in part.
1
End of Chapter Activities:
around the world. What is it about gig work that appeals to Gen Z people and others? What disadvantages do
you see? (L.O. 1–4)
12. “If you are starting your job search with Monster.com, CareerBuilder, or similar search tools, then you are
starting at the end of the chain,” claims job-search author Ryan Guina.ii What do you think he means? (L.O. 2,
3)
13. Why do you think some businesses avoid advertising job openings? If jobs are unlisted, how can candidates
locate them? (L.O. 3)
14. Although it is highly recommended that new grads complete and maintain a LinkedIn profile, some critics
charge that LinkedIn is a waste of time because it has become bogged down with spam connection requests,
posturing, and users’ attempts to market products instead of building relationships, as originally intended. iii As
a job candidate, will you post and maintain your résumé information on LinkedIn? Why or why not? How
could candidates make better use of LinkedIn? (L.O. 4)
15. Phantom job listings are announcements for jobs that have already been filled through informal networking
processes. The public job posting is necessary to comply with human resources department rules that mandate
the advertising of open positions. Sometimes the job has been filled by an internal candidate who already had
the position nailed down. 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. Do you believe it is ethical to
advertise jobs that are not really available?iv (L.O. 1–5)
RADICAL REWRITES
Note: Radical Rewrites are available at the accompanying student site for you to download and revise. Your
instructor may show a suggested solution.
13.1 Radical Rewrite: Poorly Written Résumé (L.O. 4)
One effective way to improve your writing skills is to critique and edit the résumé of someone else.
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible
website, in whole or in part.
2
End of Chapter Activities:
Your Task. Analyze Elliana’s poorly written résumé. List at least eight weaknesses. Your instructor may ask you to
revise sections of this résumé before showing you an improved version.
Résumé
Annalise Ortez-Villa
1340 East Phillips Ave., Apt. D Littleton, CO 80126
Phone 455-5182 ● E-Mail: Hotchilibabe@gmail.com | LinkedIn
____
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible
website, in whole or in part.
3
End of Chapter Activities:
OBJECTIVE
I’m dying to become an accounting associate in the “real world” with a big profitable company that will help
me get the experience I need to become a CPA.
SKILLS
Microsoft Word, MS Outlook, MS Office, Powerpoint, Excel, spreadsheets Excel; experienced with
QuickBooks, great composure in stressful situations; 3 years as leader and supervisor and 4 years in customer
service
EDUCATION
Arapahoe Community College, Littleton, Colorado. AA degree Fall 2019
Now I am pursuing a BA in Accounting at CSU-Pueblo, majoring in Accounting; my minor is Finance.
Completed 64 units of upper-division units. My expected degree date is June 2022; I recieved a Certificate of
Completion in Entry Level Accounting in December 2019. GPA: 3.5
I graduated East High School, Denver, CO in 2015.
Highlights:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Named Line Manger of the Month at Target, 10/2018 and 03/2018
Obtained a Certificate in Entry Level Accounting, June 2019
Chair of Accounting Society, Spring and fall 2021
Dean’s Honor List, Fall 2021
Financial advisor training completed through Primerica (May 2020)
Webmaster for M.E.Ch.A, Spring 2021
Chair, American Accounting Association (AAA), Spring & Fall 2020
Part-Time Employment
Financial Consultant, 2020 to present
I worked only part-time (January 2020-present) for Primerica Financial Services, Pueblo, CO to assist clients
in refinancing a mortgage or consolidating a current mortgage loan and also to advice clients in assessing their
need for life insurance.
Target, Littleton, CO. As line manager, from September 2018-August 2019, I supervised 12 cashiers and frontend associates. I helped to write schedules, disciplinary action notices, and performance appraisals. I also kept
track of change drawer and money exchanges; occasionally was manager on duty for entire store. Named line
manager of the month August 2018 and March 2019.
Mr. K’s Floral Design of Denver. I taught flower design from August, 2017 to September, 2018. I supervised 5
florists, made floral arrangements for big events like weddings, send them to customers, and restocked flowers.
13.2 Radical Rewrite: Inadequate Cover Letter (L.O. 6)
The following cover letter accompanies Annalise Ortez-Villa’s résumé (Radical Rewrite 13.1). Like this applicant’s
résumé, the cover letter needs major revision.
Your Task. Analyze each section of the following cover letter and list at least eight weaknesses. Your instructor
may ask you to revise this letter before showing you an improved version.
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible
website, in whole or in part.
4
End of Chapter Activities:
To Whom It May Concern:
I saw your accounting position listing yesterday and would like to apply right away. It would be so
exiting to work for your esteemed firm! This position would really give me much needed real-world
experience and help me become a CPA.
I have all the qualifications you require in your add and more. I am a senior at Colorado State
University-Pueblo and an Accounting major (with a minor in Finance) and have completed 64 units
of upper-division course work. Accounting and Finance are my passion and I want to become a CPA
and a financial advisor. I have taken eight courses in accounting and now work as a part-time
financial advisor with Primerica Financial Services in Pueblo. I should also tell you that I was at
Target for four years. I learned alot, but my heart is in accounting and finance.
I am a team player, a born leader, motivated, reliable, and I show excellent composure in stressful
situation, for example, when customers complain. I put myself through school and always carry at
least 12 units while working part time.
You will probably agree that I am a good candidate for your internship position, which I understand
should start July 1. I feel that my motivation, passion, and strong people skills will serve your
company well.
Sincerely,
ACTIVITIES AND CASES
13.3 Opening Your Job Search With Self-Analysis (L.O. 1)
E-Mail
As you have seen earlier, the first step in a job search is analyzing your interests and goals and evaluating
your qualifications. The following questions may help guide you to a satisfying career:
• What are you passionate about? Can you turn this passion into a career?
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible
website, in whole or in part.
5
End of Chapter Activities:
• Do you enjoy working with people, data, or things?
• How important are salary, benefits, technology support, and job stimulation?
• Must you work in a specific city, geographical area, or climate?
• Are you looking for security, travel opportunities, money, power, or prestige?
• How would you describe the perfect job, boss, and coworkers?
Your Task. In an e-mail or a memo addressed to your instructor, answer the questions above that appear in
the section “Starting Your Job Search With Self-Analysis.” Draw a conclusion from your answers. What kind of
career, company, position, and location have emerged from your self-analysis?
13.4 Taking Stock of Your Qualifications (L.O. 1, 4)
Before attempting to put together a winning résumé, take the following steps that will help you make the
important task of creating a compelling job application easier.
Your Task. Prepare four worksheets that inventory your qualifications in these areas: employment;
education; capabilities and skills; and awards, honors, and activities. Use active verbs when appropriate and
specific nouns that describe job titles and skills.
a. Employment. Begin with your most recent job or internship. For each position list the following
information: employer; job title; dates of employment; and three to five duties, activities, or
accomplishments. Emphasize activities related to your job goal. Strive to quantify your achievements.
b. Education. List degrees, certificates, and training accomplishments. Include courses, seminars, and skills
that are relevant to your job goal. Calculate your grade point average in your major.
c. Capabilities and skills. List all capabilities and skills that qualify you for the job you seek. Use words and
phrases such as skilled, competent, trained, experienced, and ability to. Also list five or more qualities or
interpersonal skills necessary for success in your chosen field. Write action statements demonstrating that
you possess some of these qualities. Empty assurances aren’t good enough; try to show evidence (Developed
teamwork skills by working with a committee of eight to produce a. . .).
d. Awards, honors, and activities. Explain any awards so that the reader will understand them. List campus,
community, and professional activities that suggest you are a well-rounded individual or possess traits
relevant to your target job.
13.5 Building Your Future by Choosing a Career Path (L.O. 1)
Communication Technology
Web
Many people know amazingly little about the work done in various occupations and the training
requirements.
Your Task. Visit O*Net Online at https://www.onetonline.org, run by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau
of Labor Statistics (BLS), to learn more about an occupation of your choice. This is the nation’s premier source
for career information. It provides detailed descriptions of the world of work for use by job seekers,
workforce development and HR professionals, students, and researchers.
The career profiles featured cover hundreds of occupations and describe what people in these occupations
do, the work environment, how to get these jobs, how much they earn, and more. The listings range
alphabetically from Actuaries to Wind Turbine Service Technicians. Did you know that the median salary for a
wind turbine technician is $56,230? Not bad, right?
Find the description of a position for which you could apply in two to five years. Learn about what workers do
on the job, working conditions, training and education needed, earnings, and expected job prospects. Print or
save the pages from the occupational listings that describe employment in the area in which you are
interested. If your instructor directs, attach these copies to the cover letter you will write in Activity 13.10, or
post them to your learning-management system (e.g., Canvas or Blackboard).
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible
website, in whole or in part.
6
End of Chapter Activities:
13.6 Discovering Salary Information (L.O. 1)
Web
What salary can you expect in your chosen career? Wouldn’t you like to know?
Your Task. Visit http://www.salary.com and select an occupation based on the kind of employment you are
seeking now or will be seeking after you graduate. In the text boxes below the heading Individuals (What am I
worth?), enter the job title and desired location. What wages or salary can you expect in this occupation?
Click on the job title to learn more about this occupation. Browse benefits, compare jobs, and find openings.
Take notes on three or four interesting bits of information you uncovered about this type of job. Save the
compensation information for easy access and sharing with fellow students, or bring a printout to class. Be
prepared to discuss what you learned.
Alternatively, use https://www.glassdoor.com, a social network of company or industry insiders and current
as well as past employees. The anonymous evaluations of businesses and their management on Glassdoor
are candid. They provide a snapshot of companies’ practices, culture, interview questions, regional median
base salaries, CEO approval ratings, and other hard-to-find information. Glassdoor seems more
comprehensive than Salary.com, even though its graphics are not as snazzy.
13.7 Exploring the Job Market (L.O. 1)
Web
Where are the jobs? Even though you may not be in the job market yet, become familiar with the kinds of
available positions because job awareness should be an important part of your education.
Your Task. Save, clip, or print a job advertisement or announcement from (a) a social media site, (b) the job
ad section of an online newspaper, (c) a job board, (d) a company website, or (e) a professional association
listing. Select an advertisement or job listing describing the kind of employment you are seeking now or plan
to seek when you graduate. Save this ad or job listing to attach to the résumé and cover letter you will write
in Activities 13.8 and 13.9.
13.8 Writing Your Résumé (L.O. 4)
Team
After taking stock of your qualifications and investigating career opportunities, you are ready to compile your
résumé.
Your Task. Using the data you developed in Activity 13.4, write your résumé. Aim it at the full-time job, parttime position, or internship that you located in Activity 13.7. Attach the job or internship listing to your
résumé. Also prepare a list of references. Your instructor may assign a peer or small-group editing session.
Revise your résumé until it is perfect.
13.9 Preparing Your Customized, Job-Relevant Cover Message (L.O. 6)
E-Mail
Team
As we have seen, although some recruiters don’t consider cover letters important, most hiring professionals
(87 percent) do read them. The same study also found that higher callback rates (31 percent) and interviews
(53 percent) resulted from applications with specific, job-relevant cover letters.v
Your Task. Using the job listing you found for Activity 13.7, write a cover message introducing your résumé.
Decide whether it should be a letter or an e-mail. Review the chapter discussion of cover messages. If your
instructor directs, you may get help from your peers in editing and polishing your cover message. Again,
revise until it is perfect.
13.10 Taking Your Job Search to LinkedIn (L.O. 2)
Social Media
Team
Web
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible
website, in whole or in part.
7
End of Chapter Activities:
Despite criticism, LinkedIn is the acknowledged No. 1 site for job seekers and recruiters. It’s free and easy to
join. Even if you are not in the job market yet, becoming familiar with LinkedIn can open your eyes to the
kinds of information that employers seek and also give you practice in filling in templates such as those that
applicant tracking systems employ.
Your Task. If you haven’t done so already, set up a LinkedIn account and complete a profile. This consists of
a template with categories to fill in. The easiest way to begin is to view a LinkedIn video taking you through
the steps of creating a profile. Search for LinkedIn Profile Checklist. It discusses how to fill in information in
categories such as the following:
Profile Picture. Have a friend or a professional take a photo that shows your head and shoulders. No selfies!
Wear work-appropriate attire and a smile.
• Headline. Use a tagline to summarize your professional goals.
• Summary. Explain what motivates you, what you are skilled at, and where you want to go in the
future.
• Experience. List the jobs you have held, and be sure to enter the information precisely in the template
categories. You can even include photos and videos of your work.
You can fill in other categories such as Skills, Endorsements, and Recommendations. After completing a
profile, discuss your LinkedIn experience with classmates. If you already have an account set up, discuss how
it operates and your opinion of its worth. How can LinkedIn help students now and in the future?
13.11 Deploying a Twitter Mini Résumé as a LinkedIn Alternative (L.O. 5)
Social Media
Team
Web
Twitter may not be the first social media site you consider for posting your résumé. Savvy candidates,
however, know that Twitter has one major advantage over more obvious sites such as LinkedIn and
Facebook. Twitter is an unsaturated market where your brand and mini résumé could separate you from the
crowd. Everyone wants to read less, including hiring managers. In up to 280 characters, your main selling
points in a mini Twitter résumé would be an appealing, easy read.
The Twitter résumé teaser of Lucy Taite presents just enough information to tantalize a hiring manager
looking for someone who fits her profile. In preparing a more professional Twitter résumé, include the job
title you are seeking, your strongest and most relevant skills, and where you are now or wish to relocate. Use
hyperlinks to refer readers to your full information on LinkedIn or your website. Use job-related hashtags for
your desired position to attract employers seeking such a worker. To explore examples, conduct a Google
search for Twitter resumes. Following are a few fun examples of content. Can you do better?
• Copywriter for print/online. Photo editor. Fashion/luxury market. [Insert name and Tiny URL with link to
your LinkedIn profile] #copywriter #fashionluxurymarket
• Recent grad. Intern experience in marketing/communication in NYC. Will relocate.
#communicationinternship #marketingcommunication
• Data analyst. Coffee lover. Full-time cat mom. Database extraordinaire. Ref: Acct mgr
@ABCLtd.#dataanalyst
Your Task. Compose three possible mini Twitter résumés using your information. Your instructor may ask you
to present them for discussion in class or in your chat/discussion group.
13.12 Analyzing and Building Student E-Portfolios (L.O. 5)
Communication Technology
E-Mail
Team
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible
website, in whole or in part.
8
End of Chapter Activities:
Web
Take a minute to conduct a Google search on your name. Try enclosing your full name in quotations marks
to lower the number of irrelevant hits. What comes up? Are you proud of what you see? If you want to
change that information—and especially if you are in the job market—think about creating a career eportfolio. Building such a portfolio has many benefits. It can give you an important digital tool to connect
with a large audience. It can also help you expand your technology skills, confirm your strengths, recognize
areas you need to develop, and establish goals for improvement. Many students are creating e-portfolios
with the help of their colleges.
Your Task No. 1. Before attempting to build your own career e-portfolio, take a look at those of other
students. Use the Google search term student career e-portfolio (try the phrase with or without quotation
marks) to see lots of samples. Your instructor may assign you individually or as a team to visit specific digital
portfolio sites and summarize your findings in a memo, an e-mail, or a brief oral presentation. You could
focus on user and mobile friendliness, site design, page layout, links provided, software tools used, colors
selected, or types of documents included.
Your Task No. 2. Next, examine websites that provide tutorials and tips on how to build career e-portfolios.
Your instructor may have you individually or as a team write a memo or an e-mail summarizing tips on how
to create an e-portfolio and choose the types of documents to include. Alternatively, your instructor may
ask you to create your own career e-portfolio. Your college may even offer hosting. Inquire in your college of
business or the career services department at your university.
GRAMMAR/MECHANICS CHECKUP – 13
NUMBER STYLE
Review Sections 4.01–4.13 in the Grammar/Mechanics Handbook. Then study each of the following pairs. Assume
that these expressions appear in the context of e-mails, letters, reports, or memos. Write a or b in the space
provided to indicate the preferred number style and record the number of the Grammar/Mechanics principle
illustrated. When you finish, compare your responses with those at the bottom of this page. If your answers differ,
study carefully the appropriate principles.
Example:
a. three new routers
Answer: a (4.01a)
b. 3 new routers
1.
a. thirteen club members
b. 13 club members
2.
a. Sixth Street
b. 6th Street
3.
a. thirty-two mini netbooks
b. 32 mini netbooks
4.
a. August 2nd
b. August 2
5.
a. fifty dollars
b. $50
6.
a. on the 18th of December
7.
a. at 8:00 a.m.
b. at 8 a.m.
8.
a. 5 100-page proposals
b. five 100-page proposals
b. on the eighteen of December
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible
website, in whole or in part.
9
End of Chapter Activities:
9.
a. more than twenty years ago
b. more than 20 years ago
10.
a. 9,700,000 unemployed workers b. 9.7 million unemployed workers
EDITING CHALLENGE – 13
Every chapter provides an editing exercise to fine-tune your grammar and mechanics skills. The following résumé
requires edits that address grammar, punctuation, capitalization, number form, and other writing issues. Study the
guidelines in the Grammar/Mechanics Handbook (Appendix D), including the lists of Confusing Words and
Frequently Misspelled Words.
Your Task. Edit the following (a) by inserting corrections in your textbook or on a photocopy using the
proofreading marks in Appendix C or (b) by downloading the message from the accompanying student site and
correcting it at your computer.
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible
website, in whole or in part.
10
End of Chapter Activities:
Sage W. Benton
1246 East 9th Avenue
Grand Rapids, Mich. 49510
swbenton@cybermw.com
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
• Over three years experience working in customer relations
• Partnered with Assistant Manager to create mass mailing by merging three thousand customers names
and addresses in ad campaign
• Hold AA Degree in Administrative Assisting
• Proficient with MS Word, excel, powerpoint, and the internet
EXPERIENCE
Administrative Assistant, Spencer Mold and Machine Company, Gran Rapids, Michigan
June 2021 to present
• Answer phones, respond to e-mail and gather information for mold designers
• Key board and format proposals for various machine Platforms and Configurations
• Help company with correspondence to fulfill it’s guarantee that a prototype mold can be produced in
less than 1 week
• Worked with Assistant Manger to create large customer mailings; enter data in Excel
Shift Supervisor, Old City Coffee Shop, Grand Rapids, Michigan
May 2020 to May 2021
• Trained 3 new employees, opened and closed shop handled total sales
• Managed shop in the owners absence
• Builded satisfied customer relationships
Server, Hostess, Expeditor, Busser, Roadside Girll, Toledo, Ohio
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible
website, in whole or in part.
11
End of Chapter Activities:
April 2018 to April 2020
• Helped Owner expand menu from twenty to thirty-five items
• Develop procedures that reduce average customer wait time from sixteen to eight minutes
AWARDS AND ACHEIVEMENTS
• Deans List, Spring, 2020, Fall, 2020
• Awarded 2nd prize in advertise essay contest, 2020
EDUCATION
• AA degree, Kendall Comunity College, 2021
• Major: Office Administation and Technology
GPA in major: 3.8 (4.0 = A)
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible
website, in whole or in part.
12
End of Chapter Activities:
COMMUNICATION WORKSHOP
Communication Workshop: Ethics
Résumé Padding: Worth the Risk?
Given today’s competitive job market, it might be tempting to pad your résumé. Résumé padding means adding
false or exaggerated information to boost your credentials for a job. Unfortunately, this happens more often than
we might think. A CareerBuilder survey of 2,500 hiring and human resources managers revealed that 75 percent
have caught a lie on a résumé.vi A Jobvite employer survey found that the five most common falsehoods involve
technical skills (50 percent), experience (48 percent), competitive offers (35 percent), and salary history (31
percent).vii
Candidates may embellish to qualify for a position, but it’s a risky game. Background checks are easy thanks to the
Internet and specialists who sniff out untruths. What’s more, puffing up one’s qualifications may be unnecessary.
Another CareerBuilder survey revealed that 42 percent of employers would consider a candidate who met only
three out of five key qualifications for a job.viii
After they have been hired, candidates may think they are safe—but organizations often continue the checking
process, incompetence may manifest itself, or the truth comes out by coincidence. If hiring managers find a
discrepancy in a GPA or prior experience and the error is an honest mistake, they meet with the new-hire to hear
an explanation. If the discrepancy wasn’t a mistake, they will likely fire the person immediately.
No job seeker wants to be in the unhappy position of explaining résumé errors or defending misrepresentation.
Avoiding the following actions can keep a job candidate off the hot seat:
• Enhancing education, grades, or honors. Some job candidates claim degrees from colleges or universities
when in fact they merely attended classes. Others increase their grade point averages or claim fictitious
honors. Any such dishonest reporting is grounds for dismissal when discovered.
• Inflating job titles and salaries. Wishing to elevate their status, some applicants misrepresent their titles
or increase their past salaries. For example, one technician called himself a programmer when he had
actually programmed only one project for his boss. A mail clerk who assumed added responsibilities
conferred upon herself the title of supervisor.
• Puffing up accomplishments. Job seekers may inflate their employment experience or achievements. One
clerk, eager to make her photocopying duties sound more important, said that she assisted the vice
president in communicating and distributing employee directives. Similarly, guard against taking sole
credit for achievements that required many people. When recruiters suspect dubious claims on résumés,
they nail applicants with specific—and often embarrassing—questions during their interviews.
• Altering employment dates. Some candidates extend the dates of employment to hide unimpressive jobs
or positions they lost. Others try to hide periods of unemployment and illness. Although their
employment histories have no gaps, their résumés are dishonest and represent potential booby traps.
Career Application. Alyson finally got an interview for the perfect job. The big problem, however, is that she
padded her résumé a little by making the gaps in her job history a bit smaller. Oh, yes, and she increased her last
job title from administrative assistant to project manager. After all, she was really doing a lot of his work. Now
she’s worried about the upcoming interview. She’s considering coming clean and telling the truth. On the other
hand, she wonders whether it is too late to submit an updated résumé and tell the interviewer that she noticed
some errors. Of course, she could do nothing. A final possibility is withdrawing her application.
Your Task. In groups, discuss Alyson’s options. What would you advise her to do? Why?
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible
website, in whole or in part.
13
End of Chapter Activities:
i
Gig in or get out. (2019, September 18). Retrieved from https://www.businesswire.com
ii
Guina, R. (2019, January 22). The hidden job market—How to find a job that isn’t advertised. Cash
Money Life. Retrieved from https://cashmoneylife.com
iii
Mateo, A. (2020, January 15). Is LinkedIn a waste of time? The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from
https://www.wsj.com
iv
Kolakowski, M. (2018, October 12). Phantom job postings. Retrieved from
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/phantom-job-postings-1287159; Weber, L., & Kwoh, L. (2013,
January 9). Beware the phantom job listing. The Wall Street Journal, B1 and B6.
v
Pohle, A. (2021, January 21). How to write a cover letter that stands out. The Wall Street Journal.
Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com
vi
75% of HR managers have caught a lie on a resume, according to new CareerBuilder survey. (2017,
September 14). CareerBuilder. Retrieved from http://press.careerbuilder.com; West, T. (2020, March
27). The lies we tell at work—and the Damage they do. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from
https://www.wsj.com
vii
2020 Recruiter nation survey report. Jobvite, 8. Retrieved from https://www.jobvite.com
viii
Employers reveal biggest résumé blunders in annual CareerBuilder survey. (2015, December 31).
CareerBuilder. Retrieved from http://www.careerbuilder.com
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible
website, in whole or in part.
14