BCOM Test 1

In search of better financial prospects, Mary, an advertising executive, quit her job at an advertising firm and submitted her résumé to other advertising firms. Which of the following is the most appropriate in the description of her work experience? -"Managing the social media wing of the public relations department." -"Worked part-time as a teacher at a non-profit organization." -"Headed the department in charge of the "Save the trees" ad campaign." -"Surveying the teenage population of the city and compiling reports for targeted advertising." -"Tutoring interns and mentoring newly hired employees in strategic advertisement placing."

"Headed the department in charge of the "Save the trees" ad campaign."

Which of the following questions cannot be asked in an interview because it is not legal? -"How would you describe your experience with your previous employer?" -"How old are you?" -"How much are you expecting to be paid?" -"Would you accept a project that requires you to relocate to a different country?" -"Why should we hire you?"

"How old are you?"

Which one of the following is a form of external-operational communication? -A letter to a government official -Emails shared by employees of a company -Oral exchanges among employees about work -Inventory report by employees -Discussions among senior management of a company

A letter to a government official

Which of the following must be omitted when stating personal information in a résumé? -Name -Phone number -Age -Email address -Residential address

Age

Which of the following job-search messages would follow an indirect approach? -An email enquiring about the status of a job application -An email turning refusing a job offer -An email thanking a company for the interview -An email to an agent about a list of available jobs -An email to a career counselor seeking guidance

An email turning refusing a job offer

Which of the following is referred to as new media? -Printed reports -Blogs -Memos -Letters -Postcards

Blogs

_____ are good sources for experienced workers who want to improve their positions, and they are especially good sources for people who are conducting a major search for high-level positions.

Classified Advertisements

Which of the following is the most effective method of solving business communication problems? -Relying exclusively on heuristics to solve problems since they have worked in past situations. -Treating all communication situations as well-defined problems. -Using a standardized solution that is applicable for all ill-defined problems. -Combining existing resources with innovation and good judgment. -Avoiding the recursive process while solving business problems.

Combining existing resources with innovation and good judgment.

Which of the following is true of the characteristics of a résumé? -Excessive white space is used in the middle of the résumé. -The name and contact information of the candidate is included at the bottom of the résumé. -Blocks of text are used to cover the entire résumé. -Data is arranged for best visual appeal of the résumé, making it look balanced. -Previous work experience not related to the current job is excluded from the résumé.

Data is arranged for best visual appeal of the résumé, making it look balanced.

In terms of constructing a résumé, which of the following is the strongest selling point for a student's first job after college? -Education -Special qualifications -References -Organization memberships -Personal information

Education

Which of the following is exclusive to the "interpreting the message" step in a business communication process? -Receiving the message -Deciding on a response -Extracting information from the message -Replying to the message -Sending the message

Extracting information from the message

Which of the following strategies of organizing information in a résumé groups related skills and is good for those who have had many jobs? -Reverse chronological organizational layout -Functional layout -Combined layout -Accomplishments layout -Targeted layout

Functional layout

Which of the following is a larger context in business communication? -General business-economic climate -Relationship between the communicators -Current relationships of the communicator -Organizational contexts -Personal contexts

General business-economic climate

Which of the following phrases does not have the same parallel grammatical form? Team-work oriented Fluent in English, French and Spanish Have ambition and determination Proficient in the use of MS Excel Getting trained in network administration -Team-work oriented -Fluent in English, French and Spanish -Have ambition and determination -Proficient in the use of MS Excel -Getting trained in network administration

Have ambition and determination

Which of the following statements is true about business communication within an organization? -An organization dealing in repair services is most likely to require far more communication than an organization dealing in automobile manufacturing. -Businesses in a comparatively stable environment do not depend on established types of formal communication. -Simpler organizations typically require more communication as compared to complex organizations. -Internal communication in a business with multiple locations differs from that of a one-location business. -The communication of homogeneous organization requires more adaptation to participants' values than that of a multicultural organization.

Internal communication in a business with multiple locations differs from that of a one-location business.

Which of following statements is true about an organization's informal network? -It consists of the major, well-established channels for information exchange. -It forms the main lines of operational communication. -It is simple and follows a set pattern. -It is called a grapevine when it exists outside an organization. -It forms an ever-changing and infinitely complex structure linking the members of the organization to each other.

It forms an ever-changing and infinitely complex structure linking the members of the organization to each other.

Which of the following is true about personal communication? -It helps make and sustain the relationships upon which business depends. -It does not affect the success of a business. -Communication that is largely internal operational does not include personal elements. -It mainly includes work-related communicating that a business does with people and groups outside the business. -It mainly includes work-related communicating that occurs in conducting work within a business.

It helps make and sustain the relationships upon which business depends.

Which of the following is a reason why a statement of objective should not be included in a résumé? -It takes up unnecessary space thereby extending the length of a résumé. -It helps the recruiter quickly decide where the applicant might fit into a company. -It diverts the reader's attention from important information such as education and work experience. -It can bias a reader as it uses words that convey a long-term interest in the targeted company. -It includes only obvious information that is clearly suggested by the remainder of the résumé.

It includes only obvious information that is clearly suggested by the remainder of the résumé.

Which of the following is true of the body of a cover letter? -It matches one's qualifications to a reader's needs. -It gets the reader's attention. -It provides a brief summary of why one is interested or qualified for the job. -It requests action from the reader. -It provides contact information that makes a response easy.

It matches one's qualifications to a reader's needs.

Which of the following is an internal audience for a private sector organization? -Its competitors -Its customers -Its senior management -Its suppliers -Government officials

Its senior management

Which of the following is an external factor to be considered when identifying an appropriate job? -Education -Personal qualities -Work experience -Special qualities -Location preference

Location preference

Which of the following is a form of external-operational communication? -Discussions that senior management holds to determine the goals and processes of the business. -The orders and instructions that supervisors give employees about dealing with angry customers. -The reports that employees prepare concerning sales, production, inventories, finance and maintenance. -Meetings that managers hold with nongovernmental organizations in the context of providing required aid. -The messages that employees write to their supervisors regarding the progress of their work.

Meetings that managers hold with nongovernmental organizations in the context of providing required aid.

Which of the following is true of maintaining one's job-search activities? -Keeping up on one's professional reading is not nearly as important as keeping one's résumé updated. -Most people make it a priority to update their résumés. -Continuously keeping one's finger on the pulse of the job market is not a good idea. -Most trade or professional journals do not have job notices or bulletin boards. -It is easy to keep track of important details even if one does not regularly update one's résumé.

Most people make it a priority to update their résumés.

Which of the following is a form of internal-operational communication? -Formal letters to vendors -Emails and phone calls to the organizations cited on the Web -Trade-show displays -Letters addressed to government officials -Orders given by supervisors to employees

Orders given by supervisors to employees

Which of the following is exclusive to the "composing the message" step in a written business communication process? -Receiving the message -Sending the message -Recognizing the need for communication -Selecting a course of action -Revising the message

Revising the message

_____ is best defined as the ability to determine the deeper meaning or significance of what is being expressed.

Sense-making

_____ is best defined as the ability of people to quickly assess the emotions of those around them and adapt their words, tone, and gestures accordingly.

Social Intelligence

Which of the following is a communicator's particular context in business communication? -General business-economic climate -Sociocultural context of the communication -The communicator's state of health -The historical moment in which the communication is taking place -The place where the communication is taking place

The communicator's state of health

Which of the following is true about variation in communication activity in business? -Relatively simple businesses, such as repair services, require far more communication than complex businesses, such as automobile manufacturers. -The content and quality of a company's communication have a great deal to do with employees' attitudes and behavior. -Businesses in a comparatively stable environment tend to improvise more than those in a volatile environment in terms of their communications and company structure. -The nature of a business does not affect its communication practices. -A business's relation to its environment does not influence its communication practices.

The content and quality of a company's communication have a great deal to do with employees' attitudes and behavior.

Which of the following is true about the formal network of an organization? -The formal channel does not include the upward movement of information in an organization. -The formal channel includes the lateral movement of information in an organization. -The formal channel typically comprises all the personal communications within an organization. -The formal channel typically comprises all the personal communications between an organization and its regulatory agents. -The formal channel does not include company information disseminated via blogs and bulletin boards.

The formal channel includes the lateral movement of information in an organization.

Which of the following statements is true about ill-defined problems? -Ill-defined problems can be solved by using a set formula. -The communication process involved in solving an ill-defined problem cannot be recursive. -Most ill-defined problems come in neat packages with the path to the best solution clearly implied. -Every ill-defined problem has a unique and perfect solution. -The tackling of ill-defined problems require research, analysis, creativity, and judgment.

The tackling of ill-defined problems require research, analysis, creativity, and judgment.

Which of the following differentiates scannable résumés from the other types of résumés? -The placement of name at the bottom instead of the top -The highlighting of relevant work experience -The requirement of all items on the résumé to be parallel -The use of nouns instead of action verbs -The necessity to use a readable font size and format

The use of nouns instead of action verbs

Which of the following statements is true of headhunters? -They are career counselors who work for different universities. -They are candidates who aim at securing a top executive position when joining a company. -They are candidates who work for a company on a temporary basis until it finds a permanent employee for the position. -They are executive search consultants used to place experienced people in executive positions. -They are the members of organizations that set up career fairs to recruit college students through a job or an internship.

They are executive search consultants used to place experienced people in executive positions.

Which of the following is a type of oral communication? -Instant messaging -Text messaging -Video conferencing -Online postings and comments -Email

Video Conferencing

Which of the following is an internal factor to be considered when identifying appropriate jobs? -Current job market -Work experience -Economic needs -Location preference -Family needs

Work experience

An interest inventory refers to:

a test that helps match the interest of a candidate with others successful in their careers.

According to the general representation of résumés, the name and contact information is placed:

at the top, under the main heading.

Most large schools have _____ that attract employers who are looking for suitable applicants and are useful for students seeking an internship or just beginning their career.

career centers

In a business communication process, the step involving the selection of a course of action is most likely to involve the act of:

choosing the communication channel to deliver the message.

The _____ exerts the strongest influence on the act of communication.

communicators' particular contexts

Visual literacy is best defined as the ability to:

create and interpret graphics.

The manager of a company dealing with the supply of raw materials writes to one of its clients enquiring about their requirement. Such a communication is most likely to be classified as:

external-operational communication.

The following job-search message is an example of a _____. "Dear Mr. Yan, I'm apprehensive about my first job and would be extremely grateful if you could tell me the status of my application with you. I was interviewed by you in your office on November 7. I received an email a week later indicating I had been selected for further consideration. I am convinced this is the best organization for me to join. Kindly let me know of your decision by December 3. Sincerely,"

follow-up to an application

The informal network inside an organization is typically referred to as the _____.

grapevine

Building a(n) _____ involves building relationships with people who can help one find work when one needs it, such as classmates, professors, and businesspeople.

network of contacts

Monster.com is an employment website that customizes and filters job offers depending on a user's profile submitted to the website and offers the option of email alerts. It can be said that a student recruited through Monster.com has been recruited through a _____.

personal search agent

Some job seekers approach prospective employers directly, by either personal visit, mail, or email. This is known as _____.

prospecting

In a résumé, the educational details of a student are mentioned as follows: Education: Master of Science, University of Arizona, December 2012 Major: Electrical and Computer Engineering Emphasis: Embedded Microcontrollers Bachelor of Science, University of Cincinnati, 2009 Major: Electrical Engineering This strategy of organizing information is known as _____ layout.

reverse chronological organizational

Cross-cultural competency is best defined as the ability to:

understand and adapt to the preference for individualism or collectivism, religious beliefs, political environment and ideas about social hierarchy of different countries.