Q&A Hero

Q: Do not include on your rsum items that could encourage discrimination, such as A) home address. B) hobbies. C) sexual orientation. D) military service.

Q: In describing activities and achievements on your rsum, you should A) use mild exaggerationseveryone else does, so you'll be at an unfair disadvantage if you don't. B) limit what you include to what makes you a more attractive job candidate. C) use significant amounts of jargon and technical terms. D) leave out any awards you've won unless they are specifically relevant to your current career objective.

Q: When you describe your work experience on your rsum, you should A) start with your most recent job and work back chronologically. B) describe one or two jobs in detail so that employers get an idea of your work ethic. C) list only full-time positions. D) try to come up with fancier titles for the jobs you've held.

Q: If you choose not to list your GPA in the "Education" section of your rsum, A) most employers will not consider you for an interview. B) employers will generally respect you for being modest and not boasting about your record. C) you should be prepared to answer questions about it during the interview. D) you should always state it in your application letter.

Q: When it comes to including keywords on rsums, A) the best strategy is to put them all into a keyword summary. B) you should incorporate them into your introductory statement and other sections. C) it is usually a waste of time, since most employers now personally review each rsum they receive. D) it is impossible to determine what words might attract the kind of employer you want.

Q: Which of the following would be the best wording to use on a rsum? A) "I was in charge of a staff of six employees." B) "I supervised a full staff of six employees." C) "Was in charge of entire departmental staff." D) "Supervised staff of six employees."

Q: The best way to handle frequent job changes on a rsum is to A) avoid any mention of a job you held for less than a year. B) group similar jobs under a single heading. C) provide a detailed explanation of each one. D) do none of the above.

Q: A type of rsum that emphasizes a candidate's skills and accomplishments while also including a complete job history is termed A) a chronological rsum. B) a functional rsum. C) a combination rsum. D) an indirect rsum.

Q: If you are planning a career change and want to deemphasize lengthy unemployment or lack of career progress, the best organizational plan for your rsum would be A) chronological. B) functional. C) targeted. D) indirect.

Q: If you are just graduating from college and have little or no professional experience, A) a traditional chronological rsum is your only option. B) a functional rsum is your only option. C) your chronological rsum should probably list educational qualifications first. D) your rsum can be written in a casual, informal tone.

Q: When it comes to functional rsums, many employers A) are suspicious of them. B) strongly prefer them to chronological rsums. C) view them as a sign of strong communication skills. D) don't know what they are.

Q: The most common way to organize a rsum is A) chronologically. B) functionally. C) geographically. D) alphabetically.

Q: The primary difference between a rsum and a CV is that the CV is likely to be ________ than the rsum. A) shorter B) less formal C) more detailed D) less detailed

Q: The best approach to preparing a rsum is to A) spend a lot of time creating it, and then send the same version to all prospective employers. B) learn as much as you can about who may be reading it, and be sure to meet their needs. C) keep it general, brief, and nonspecific. D) none of the above.

Q: The purpose of a rsum is to A) induce the reader to hire you. B) list all your skills and abilities. C) get you an interview. D) take the place of an application letter.

Q: Applicant tracking systems help employers by A) charting each applicant's progress through the hiring process. B) mapping out promising career paths for each applicant. C) sifting through the many rsums they receive each year. D) doing all of the above.

Q: Networking A) is a simple process of contacting influential people and asking them for a job. B) is no longer very effective, thanks to the Internet. C) involves making informal connections with mutually beneficial business contacts. D) none of the above.

Q: The best way to find job opportunities is usually A) searching online job boards such as Monster and applying before others get the chance to see the openings. B) looking in the newspaper. C) waiting to hear about them from people you know. D) identifying companies you want to work for and focusing your efforts on them.

Q: Business-related blogs and microblogs A) are generally not very helpful to job applicants. B) can help you get comfortable with the jargon and buzzwords in a particular field. C) can be useful in a job search, but only for those seeking positions in technical fields. D) are very difficult to find online.

Q: When conducting a job search, you can use the Internet to A) look for job openings. B) respond to job openings. C) research various companies. D) do all of the above.

Q: The vast majority of all job openings in the U.S. are A) advertised the old-fashioned wayin the newspaper. B) posted on Craigslist or Monster. C) never advertised. D) none of the above.

Q: Regardless of a candidate's work experience, the prime source of jobs in general appears to be A) personal contacts. B) online job posting services. C) college job fairs. D) all of the above equally.

Q: The best time for college students to begin developing a job-search strategy is A) about six months prior to graduation. B) noweven if they are a year or more away from graduation. C) no earlier than the second semester of their junior year. D) immediately after graduation.

Q: Explain how to include keywords that will attract prospective employers to your rsum, and how to select those keywords.

Q: Describe the main sections or elements that are included on most rsums.

Q: List and describe the three methods for organizing a rsum along with the advantages and disadvantages of each one.

Q: Explain the importance of networking as part of your career search, and describe how to go about finding helpful networks.

Q: Explain what it means to take the initiative to find job opportunities, and why it is necessary in today's job market.

Q: List at least seven of the nine most common problems with rsums.

Q: Name at least five types of information that should not be included on rsums when candidates are applying to companies in the U.S.

Q: What potential risk should you consider before including a career objective on your rsum?

Q: In addition to your name, what should be included in the Contact Information section of your rsum?

Q: Your work history includes a lengthy gap in employment. How can you handle this challenge when writing a rsum?

Q: Rewrite the following to make it a more active statement: "I was in charge of customer complaints and all ordering problems."

Q: Should you use the word "I" in your rsum? Why or why not?

Q: How can career counseling aid your search for employment?

Q: What is meant by "quality of hire," and how do companies use it?

Q: Briefly explain the best time to begin crafting a personal job-search strategy.

Q: When emailing your rsum to a prospective employer and you have a specific reference number or job number, you should include it in the ________ ________ of the message.

Q: Personal webpage, e-portfolio, social media rsum, and multimedia rsum are all terms used to describe ________ rsums.

Q: A(n) ________ rsum provides the opportunity to expand on the information contained in your basic rsum with links.

Q: A ________-________ file of your rsum is an electronic version that has no formatting.

Q: Community service activities should be listed in the ________ and ________ section of your rsum.

Q: In the ________ ________ section of your rsum you list jobs you've had and responsibilities you've held on those jobs.

Q: If you have very little job experience, you may choose to lead off your rsum with a(n) ________ section.

Q: One alternative to putting a Career Objective on your rsum is to include a Summary of ________.

Q: The ________ ________ section of a rsum states what you wish to accomplish in your work.

Q: The best rsums are written using short, crisp phrases starting with strong ________ verbs.

Q: A(n) ________ rsum includes key features of the chronological and functional approaches.

Q: A(n) ________ rsum is organized around a list of skills and areas of competence.

Q: The most common way to organize a rsum is ________.

Q: A(n) ________ is a persuasive message designed to get you an interview.

Q: ________ is the process of making informal connections with a broad sphere of mutually beneficial business contacts.

Q: Although employers expect rsums to be carefully written, most are understanding if candidates fail to correct a few typos.

Q: Most employers now conduct online searches to learn more about promising candidates, and many have rejected applicants because of what those searches yield.

Q: You can create a PDF file of your rsum with free Adobe Reader software.

Q: When it comes to sending rsums as email attachments, WordPerfect is the most common format.

Q: With today's technology, preparing a paper rsum is a waste of time.

Q: To fit everything on a page, it's okay to sacrifice white space on your rsum.

Q: Employers expect your rsum to display a strong understanding of the specific company to which you are applying.

Q: Employers see a one-page rsum as a sign that an applicant is weak.

Q: It would be inappropriate to mention unpaid community service activities on a rsum.

Q: When listing work experience on a rsum, you should emphasize significant achievements in each job.

Q: In the work experience section of your rsum, you may not leave out any jobs that you had, even if they do not relate directly to your career objective.

Q: Your rsum should list past jobs in chronological order, with the first job first and the current job last.

Q: You should always include your college GPA on your rsum.

Q: The education section of your rsum should list courses that have directly equipped you for the job you are seeking and indicate any scholarships, awards, or academic honors you have received.

Q: If you're still in school, you should present your educational background in depth since that is probably your strongest selling point.

Q: One example of an effective career objective is, "A fulfilling position that provides ample opportunity for career growth and personal satisfaction."

Q: If you plan to include a career objective or summary of qualifications in your rsum, you should make it as vague as possible to keep from limiting your prospects.

Q: If you have a personal webpage or e-portfolio, you should list it on your rsum under "Contact Information."

Q: Because lying on rsums is rare, employers are seldom on the look-out for it.

Q: Some examples of an effective entry to include in your rsum would be "I am a hard worker who gets along well with others regardless of the situation."

Q: If you have a criminal record, you are required by law to disclose it on your rsum.

Q: A functional rsum is structured around a list of skills and abilities and focuses on the person's areas of competence.

Q: A combination rsum combines descriptions of your education and employment background.

Q: Most employers now prefer functional rsums to chronological ones.

Q: All rsums should be organized chronologically.

Q: A good rsum is targeted for specific situations and prospective employers.

Q: Showing up a few minutes late to an interview sends a strong message that you are a busy person.