Business Writing

Employers expect what information to appear on a resume?

Contact information, work history, education

Which statement is true about resumes?

Traditional formats and elements are still important in creating a resume.

It is okay to include personal interest and hobbies on a resume to make sure that you fill the entire page with information

False

When deciding what to include in body paragraphs, recommended point(s) could be

Specific activities that relate to the organization's business focus

A person should clean up his/her social media presence once a job offer has been accepted

False

There is no need to have a resume, once you are employed

False

One way to show what separates you from other applicants in the cover letter is to

Your community service or volunteer experiences

employers use resumes and cover letters to

all of the above

When composing a resume, once you have entered college you should delete the high school information as it is assumed you completed high school to enter college

true

Proposing letters are useful when you are trying to apply for jobs specifically advertised by a company

False

One reason why an applicant could be passed over for an interview is

not following the specific directions for completing an application for a job

A job application letter is more effective if it is focused on your education and GPA than specifics about activities and skills applied in work or internships

false

Solicited and Prospecting letters should both address the letter to a specific person, be specific about your qualifications, and ask for an interview

True

An important step in preparing for an interview is to have a strong strategy for yourself, which would include what you need to know about the job and the organization to decide whether you want to accept the position, if it is offered to you

True

Resumes and cover letters are considered by employers to be examples of your writing skills and representative of the quality of your work

true

one way to distinguish yourself from other candidates for a job is to

have a minor field that is useful to the company

a cover letter should show some knowledge of the company as well as discuss all the information presented in the resume

false

one would use the same type and format of resume for changing jobs after a few years or just entering the workforce

false

examples of effective design elements for a resume are

bullets and headers

just one typo or misspelling will not have an impact on the quality of either the resume or cover letter from the perspective of an employer

false

a resume should meet the basic expectations for format and information, but the expectations do not vary from what accounting firms expect to see in a resume compared to what retail employers expect to see, for example

false

when composing a cover letter, avoid the tendency to show what you did through action statements

false

factual inaccuracies may be grounds for dismissal from a job

technical jargon should never be used in any document written for the job search process

false

if you have a telephone interview, you won't be asked to have any other type of interview to get the job

false

there is no difference between the terms "electronic resume" and "scannable" resume

False

Campus interviews are not really good opportunities for networking or getting hired

false

it is recommended NOT to blindly follow resume templates because

they rarely present you as well as a layout designed specifically for you and your skills

the most effective way to be prepared for an in-person interview is

research the company, identify typical interview questions, and rehearse your answers outlouda

an effective resume will identify skills that are a strong match with the job description and what the company needs

true

lack of eye contact in a low-context culture is usually interpreted as

suspect

When putting together documents for vision-impaired users, having sufficient contrast increases legibility. This statement is

True

People from different cultures are different and do things differently, but people within a single culture are the same and react in similar ways

False

The low-context culture is more direct and confrontational than the high-context culture.

true

German, Japanese, and North American cultures are low-context cultures

false

The last step in the writing process which allows the writer to catch misspellings, grammar errors, punctuation errors, and typos is

proofreading

Business strategies that are highly successful in the United States may be ineffective in other cultures and countries

true

Not all communication needs graphics but all communication has a visual component. Selecting graphics is a mindful decision over text

true

Accessibility and inclusivity are basically the same terms and means that the document designer is using conventions that may not improve all users' experience of a document

false

Evaluating your work, getting feedback and rearranging information are all part of which step in the composing process?

Revising

Polychronic refers to the preference of relationships over time in some cultures

True

Which of the following is NOT a trait of a successful intercultural communicator?

Relies on stereotypes to determine an appropriate response for a culture

Which is not a true statement about diversity?

Companies with relatively low levels of racial and ethnic minorities have the highest profits, the highest market shares, and highest number of customers

Business practices, such as product pricing and naming, are identical in all countries and cultures.

false

One sentence paragraphs are acceptable in business writing

true

It is important to consider cultural expectations, even in clothing selections, as it can denote status as well as profession

true

In today's business environment, the trend is to write shorter sentences, using everyday words, active voice, bullet lists and descriptive headings

True

Conventions should never be violated since it will make the author or designer seem unreliable or unknowledgeable

false

The term denotation means the word's actual or literal meaning

true

One way that good writers differ from poor writers is

Good writers are better at evaluating and analyzing the writing problem effectively

Which of the following is NOT related to global business?

The last two decades have seen a growing emphasis on diversity, with more and more women and people of color joining the US workforce

Most cultures are more formal in their writing than the United States

True

In high-context cultures, frequent smiling is a very important and is the facial expression which symbolizes sincerity in all contexts

False

Stereotypes are generalizations about groups of people that are extremely useful in predicting how an individual in a different culture will think, act, and feel.

false

Just using white space effectively can improve document appearance

True

As a rule, facts or details should not be exaggerated in a business document

True

One guideline for meetings with groups is

Begin and end on time

Speakers of English as a second language may require more time to process and review documents in order to respond

True

The recent trend of increasing multiculturalism and diversity among Americans has slowed significantly and is expected to begin to reverse within the next 10 years

false

Infographics portray data in a way that tells a story, and the title frames your story for your audience

true

Good document design is not important for one page documents such as letters or memos

false

The kinds of statements that people in the US perceive as complimentary are universal in nature; pay compliments the same way in all contexts

false

Which of the following would NOT be a source of diversity in the workplace

job title

Physical ability and sexual orientation are both sources of diversity

true

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of communication in low-context cultures?

Heavy emphasis on nonverbal signs to communicate

According to researchers, presenting statistics in a message put people in an analytical frame of mind, which can cancel out the emotional effect of a story in a message

true

Informative and positive memos use a different pattern of organization for the information than informative and positive letters

false

To give information to the receiver and to have the receiver view the information positively is a secondary purpose of an informative messages

false

If you cannot make a subject line both short and specific, it is better to make it short

false

When offering reasons for a refusal of a customer's request, it is better to

cite reasons that would leave the reader to believe he/she would make a similar decision

While delivering negative messages to clients, one should make inconspicuous refusals so that it does not offend the reader.

false

Negative critiques and bad news generally have better outcomes when delivered by e-mail rather than in person.

false

Many employers consider your resume and cover letter to be examples of your writing ability and attention to detail in your work.

true

A simplified letter format is just like a memo format, but it is only a good choice if you know the reader's name.

false

When planning your problem-solving message, it is important to remember to first present

commonground

Using patterns of organization that follow standard conventions of business for writing informative and positive messages is not recommended because it makes a document sound stilted and unoriginal

false

An audience's reaction can be influenced by whether or not it has been warned or prepared for possible negatives.

true

A simple informative or positive message usually has several purposes

true

A way for managers to prepare for possible negatives is by giving full information and being as transparent as possible in the situation

true

Presenting several elements of your message in one paragraph AND using several paragraphs for just one element are both acceptable tactics when writing informative and positive messages

true

The best way to organize a negative message depends on the audience and on the severity of the negative information

true

true

Informative messages are not necessarily short

true

In a good news message, it is acceptable to combine a short benefit with a goodwill ending

true

As a rule, facts or details should not be exaggerated in a business document

true

A positive or good news message asks the reader to take immediate action

false

A negative message can be structured to minimize the negative feelings the audience have about the message.

true

A transmittal is considered an informative message

true

Which of the following should be undertaken while conveying bad news to customers?

-

A negative message to subordinates and peers should start with:

-

When using the problem-solving pattern of organization, you do so because you know your audience cares more about ______ than other persuasive elements

logic

When conveying bad news to a superior, one should recommend a way to deal with the problem

true

When you have a reluctant audience, putting the request in the subject line will help you get a quick "yes" to your request

false

Complex situations on the job are often handled better via face-to-face meetings rather than through a series of e-mail messages

true

___refers to the reasons or logic a writer or speaker offers in a message

argument

The best reason for not using threats or punishment as a form of persuasion is that it rarely causes a long-term change in behavior

true

E-mail messages have contributed a great deal to resolving the problem of information overload

false

If you believe the audience may resist doing as you ask and you expect emotion to be more important than logic in the decision, you should use the direct request pattern

false

Which of the following is a primary purpose of a persuasive message?

to have the audience act or change beliefs

Negative communications such as refusals, rejections, recalls, and apologies are difficult to compose compared to other types of messages.

true