Deck 14: Explore Majors and Careers

Question 1

Someone who is artistic would most likely enjoy work as a/an:

A)engineer
B)economist
C)small business owner
D)public relations representative

Answer 1

D

Question 2

When developing a Career Development Portfolio a sophomore student should:

A)join a professional organization and network, develop relationships with faculty and administrators, and find a mentor, update their resume
B)attend conferences and job fairs, actively network, find a mentor, network, update their resume and write a cover letter, send out resumes and set up interviews
C)take a leadership role in clubs, start a file about careers and majors, choose a major, review general education requirements, find a part-time job or volunteer, read articles about their field, explore internships and coop programs, and explore resources in the community, write a resume, and network
D)explore clubs, go to the career center to explore majors and careers, set goals, network with professors and students, and keep a "self-assessment" journal

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Nick took the train from class to his interview.He arrived 15 minutes early, carrying coat, his backpack, pens, a pad, his portfolio and a folder with extra copies of his resume.What should he bring into the interview?

A)Everything because he should not inconvenience the receptionists by asking them to watch his belongings.
B)Everything because someone could steal anything he left in an outside office.
C)Only the pen, pad and the folder with extra copies of his resume because it looks cleaner.
D)His backpack with all this belongings because that is the most efficient way to carry them.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a reason that people might procrastinate on assembling a career portfolio?

A)They don't know where to start.
B)They can't see how it will help them get a job.
C)They don't have enough work samples.
D)They are not ready for a job.

Question 5

A thank-you letter can include the following elements except:

A)reiterating your interest in the position and the company.
B)adding anything you forgot to mention previously.
C)expressing your gratitude for the opportunity to discuss the position
D)asking questions you forgot to mention previously.

Question 6

In the "Inventory of Personal Qualities" sections of the Career Development Portfolio the best resource guide to use would be:

A)the U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics: www.bls.gov/oco.
B)the Career Development Portfolio Planning Guide at www.mhhe.com/ferrett8e
C)The Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS)
D)John L.Holland's six occupational types

Question 7

In the "Analysis of Accomplishments" section of the Career Development Portfolio one should:

A)provide a list of their accomplishments with an analysis of what was learned, using evidence or measurements of learning.
B)provide a list of their accomplishments with an analysis of the values, interests, skills, and abilities used to achieve these accomplishments.
C)provide transcripts, work evaluations, and letters of recommendation as evidence to support their resume.
D)provide transcripts, work evaluations, and letters of recommendation, and a self evaluation of values, interests, skills and abilities that helped them achieve the accomplishments listed on their resume.

Question 8

Gabe wants to research employment data and labor statistics to understand potential growth in across various industries.His best resource will be:

A)a career center
B)professional group
C)U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics: www.bls.gov/oco
D)library

Question 9

Professional organizations are helpful in exploring one's career because:

A)students can get a discounted membership fee.
B)they offer field specific magazines and journals to members.
C)they can provide on the job experience.
D)they can assist in building one's career portfolio and resume.

Question 10

Students should begin developing their career portfolios in their first semester in college.They should begin collecting everything in a/an:

A)professional portfolio case
B)3 ring binder
C)file folder
D)online portfolio program

Question 11

When developing a Career Development Portfolio, freshman students should:

A)join a professional organization and network, develop relationships with faculty and administrators, find a mentor, and update their resume
B)explore clubs, go to the career center to explore majors and careers, set goals, network with professors and students, and keep a "self-assessment" journal
C)attend conferences and job fairs, actively network, find a mentor, network, update their resume and write a cover letter, send out resumes and set up interviews
D)take a leadership role in clubs, start a file about careers and majors, choose a major, review general education requirements, find a part-time job or volunteer, read articles about their field, explore internships and coop programs, and explore resources in the community, write a resume, and network

Question 12

Beatrice likes to work with data, and enjoys seeing projects through to the end.Based on John L.Holland's six occupational personality types, she is:

A)realistic
B)investigative
C)enterprising
D)conventional

Question 13

Ideally, when should one start developing a career portfolio?

A)in high school
B)first year of college
C)last year of college
D)after graduation

Question 14

Christian is developing his portfolio.He is a junior Environmental Studies major and has applied for a summer internship.He knows he wants to include this experience in his portfolio but is not sure how to go about this, or where in the portfolio he should highlight this work.What is the best advice to offer him?

A)He should add this work to his portfolio cover letter, his inventory of skills and competencies, and his resume.
B)He should join a professional group and through networking seek advice on what employers in his field would be looking for in a portfolio or resume.He should add this work to his inventory of skills and competencies and ask for a letter of recommendation from his boss that highlights some of the skills learned.He should also include this experience in his resume, and gather work samples while on the job.He may want to add this experience to his cover letter, and infuse it within his work philosophy and goals.
C)He should find a mentor to help him with his career planning and portfolio development.
D)It should appear primarily in the "Analysis of Accomplishments" section of his portfolio and as a line on his resume.

Question 15

The average student will change their major:

A)once
B)twice
C)three times
D)never

Question 16

All of these strategies will help one decide on a major except:

A)meeting with academic departments
B)taking classes
C)relaxation and reflection
D)talking with family and friends about expectations

Question 17

The documentation section of your career portfolio should include all items below except:

A)letters of recommendation
B)letters from coworkers vouching for skills and competencies
C)letters of appreciation and thanks
D)work samples

Question 18

The Career Development Portfolio Planning Guide is a useful planning guide and tool for both 2 year and 4 year college students.It can be found:

A)in the appendix of this text.
B)through an online search engine.
C)by asking your instructor.
D)on page 440 of this text.

Question 19

When developing one's work philosophy, students should ask themselves about:

A)what goals they would like to accomplish in their life.
B)who they would see as the model worker.
C)what role they have in society.
D)what skills they feel apply most to their work.

Question 20

Which of the following job skills would not be considered a transferable job skill?

A)cooking
B)technology
C)presentation
D)coordination

Question 21

It is best to include "References available upon request" in one's resume.

Question 22

A Career Development Portfolio will help you to identify skills you want to enhance, augment or improve.

Question 23

You should never arrive late to an interview.

Question 24

Studies show the average working American will change careers 10-12 times.

Question 25

Resumes should always include a job objective.

Question 26

A cover letter should include a summary of your resume.

Question 27

Which person is most on track in finding a job after graduation?

A)Veronica is in her last semester of college.She has a 4.0 GPA and will graduate in the top 10% of her class as a double major in business and computer science.She has researched the job market and matched her skills with positions she feels will reflect her values and skills.She has prepared her portfolio and practiced interviewing.She has begun applying for jobs through online searches, and through company web sites.
B)Frank worked with a professional to tailor his resume and portfolio and to build a web site to highlight his philosophy, goals, and work to date.He belongs to several professional and trade groups related to his major and has been networking to learn of companies he may want to work for, and people have already offered to recommend him for positions.
C)Courtney is a psychology major and has decided to earn a graduate degree in marketing.She needs a job to pay for school so she has developed a resume and portfolio in the search for an entry-level position with marketing firms and advertising agencies.She has passed her resume on to a friend and a cousin who are recommending her for positions in their companies.
D)Doug just graduated and is living at home with his parents while he finishes up an internship in his desired field.He has applied for a position where he is interning, and has been applying for positions in companies through his parent's network of friends and colleagues.

Question 28

A Career Development Portfolio should include and introduction and a bibliography.

Question 29

Based on their values, interests, abilities, and skills, who seems to have the least appropriate career goal?

A)Alice is conventional and enterprising.She values security and personal growth.She has strong critical thinking and technology skills.Alice has researched the potential job market and wants to become a financial planner.
B)Mike is social and investigative.He values helping others and family.He has strong interpersonal and leadership skills.He would like to be a social worker and certified counselor for children.
C)Ned is realistic and enterprising.He values social justice and recognition.He has strong skills in creative problem solving and technology.He wants to be a technology infrastructural architect and consultant for K-20 schools.
D)Kate is investigative and conventional.She values social justice and family.She has strong skills in creative problem solving, and resource allocation.Her goal is to become a photo-journalist working on international assignments.

Question 30

Whose career plans have the least foundation?

A)Bryan has determined that he is investigative and conventional, and values justice in society based on his experiences living with fear and violence in his inner city neighborhood.He is in his senior year of college majoring in criminal justice and plans to apply to law schools to become a prosecuting attorney.
B)Caitlin is highly artistic and realistic, enjoying working with her hands.She values artistic expression and service to others so she has decided to become an art teacher.She is in her senior year of college and has taken on serving learning and internships to experience the art world from different perspectives and venues and to understand her strengths in working with children.She has the credentials to become a certified art teacher in K-12 schools, and had developed a portfolio to showcase her work as a student teacher and artist.She is applying for positions in K-12 schools and prepared for the interview process.
C)Tad values international travel and career status.He is a senior in college and wants to serve his country as a foreign diplomat.He has taken Spanish since he was in the 8^th grade and is now proficient in speaking the language, although he still needs work in becoming proficient in reading and writing it.He is studying for both the civil service and Foreign Service exams, and will apply for an entry-level position with the U.S.State Department.
D)Janet has always been a very social and enterprising young woman.She has already started her own mobile food company serving nutritious organic meat and vegetarian boxed lunches on campus during her spare time.She is a business major and is developing a business plan to attract investors to help her expand her company upon graduating.

Question 31

Who is the least prepared to choose a major?

A)Abigail is a senior in high school.She has a strong math background, and likes to solve problems for fun.She is an honors student, and, through a gifted and talented program at the nearby university, she has been able to explore many disciplines.She has determined that what she values most is doing work that will serve the common good.
B)Maureen has declared herself as an "undecided" major.She is a college sophomore and knows she needs to choose her major as soon as possible to be sure she has enough time to take the coursework she will need to graduate on time.She has met with the career counselor who helped her to determine her values, interests, and strengths.She has also researched the potential job market to determine which career paths make the most sense for her preferred lifestyle.
C)Jamal is not sure what he wants to do with his life and feels he won't know this until he has more experiences under his belt.He has decided to attend a small liberal arts college.He has determined that he is very social and investigative, and he is interested in human behavior and interaction.He is not sure what will come of this, but he has talked with his parents, the school's career counselor and different academic departments to develop a course schedule that will help him to explore and decide what career he wants and which degree will give him the best platform in which to get there.
D)Juan is the first person to go to college from his family.His parents have helped him in finding funding for college but have been unable to offer much career advice.He values service to others, and appreciates the art and reach of the cinema in shaping people's thoughts, attitudes, knowledge, and behavior.He has considered majoring in Film and Photography.He will explore this major through that academic department, and see where this will take him.

Question 32

Who will likely be called in for a second interview?

A)James has an interview with a manufacturing company for an entry-level business operations analyst position.He has had several other interviews with similar firms and has practiced not repeating past errors through role-playing.He has researched the company's web site and their annual report to understand where their strengths and weaknesses lie.He has also read a few recent news articles about the company and their competitors.He has reviewed his resume and portfolio and made notes about how he can be an asset to their company.He arrives 10 minutes early.He is dressed in a dark grey suit and is carrying a brief case with extra resumes.When he greets the interviewer he smiles and introduces himself with a firm handshake.During the interview, James listens intently and answers the questions asked of him with confidence.He takes notes of people's names and about what he is learning during the interview.He has several good questions that impress the interviewers.At the close of the interview he thanks people for their time and indicates he appreciated meeting them and learning more about the company and position.He gives a firm handshake, addresses them by the names the initially provided, and makes eye contact with each of them.That week he sends a thank-you note thanking them for their time and reiterating why he is the best choice for the position.
B)Victoria has an interview with an entry-level position with an advertising agency.She is very nervous.She has read up on interviewing tips and has researched the company to feel comfortable discussing their history, clients, artistic vision, and growth strategies to gain a competitive advantage.She has practiced discussing what value she will bring to the company and to the position with her past schooling and internship experience.She arrives 10 minutes early.She is dressed in a navy blue suit, and is carrying a portfolio case with extra resumes.When she greets the interviewers she smiles, and introduces herself with a firm handshake.At the beginning of the interview, Victoria is markedly nervous using 'you know' and 'ah' at times, but as she becomes more comfortable in the process the interviewers are very impressed with her knowledge about the company, the position, and where she sees them going.They enjoy her questions and ask to see her portfolio.She shows them her work, and they are impressed.They ask for her to meet with a colleague she would be working with if hired to ask further questions of the position and daily workload.At the close of the interview she says she really appreciated and enjoyed meeting everyone and looks forward to hearing from them with a firm handshake and eye contact.The next day she sends a thank-you note recapping the items she found most interesting, and why she will be a great fit for the position, and vice versa.
C)Bailey has an interview for an elementary school teaching position.She has practiced discussing her teaching philosophy and how she has handled certain situations as a teacher.She has practiced going through her portfolio to explain how her work as a student teacher and volunteer will make her the best choice for teaching the 4^th grade class.She arrives 10 minutes early.She is dressed in a black suit and is carrying a portfolio case with extra resumes.When she greets the interviewer she smiles and introduces herself with a firm handshake.Her interviewer brings her to a classroom and asks her to explain her teaching philosophies and how these will be demonstrated in a typical day in her classroom.Bailey feels put on the spot and begins to go through her portfolio to answer these questions.Her interviewer asks if she has any further questions about the position, and she does not.Upon leaving, she thanks the interviewer for their time and says she looks forward to hearing from them with a firm handshake.The next day she sends a thank you note reiterating why she would make a great 4^th grade teacher in the school and thanking them for their time.
D)Seb is interviewing for an entry-level graphic designing position with a marketing firm.He has researched the firm's clients and work.He has practiced going through his portfolio to discuss his work philosophy, how this is shown in his sample work, and why they should choose him as a valued worker and artist for their firm.He arrives 10 minutes early.He is dressed in a tan suit and is carrying a black leather folder with extra resumes.When he greets the interviewer he smiles and introduces himself with a firm handshake.During the interview, Seb listens and answers the questions asked of him.He uses one of the questions as a platform to offer his take their artistic vision for the company, and takes the initiative to show them his portfolio.At the close of the interview he thanks people for their time and says he looks forward to hearing from them with a firm handshake and eye contact.That week he sends a thank you note to let reiterate why he is a good fit for the position.

Question 33

The "Bibliography" section of one's career portfolio should include the books one has read related to one's major, career goals, and occupation.

Question 34

It is important to be honest in a job interview because dishonestly will likely be uncovered by references.

Question 35

Getting a college degree will only help you land a career in your specific major.

Question 36

On some college campuses "undeclared" is the largest major.

Question 37

In taking charge of one's own career, individuals must know what motivates them but look to a career coach to assess their values, positive personal qualities, and mission in life.

Question 38

During an interview it is okay to embellish a bit when discussing your resume and experience you will bring to the position.

Question 39

For recent graduates, resumes can include specific course work that is relevant for the position to which one is applying.

Question 40

A thank you letter should be sent no later than the day after an interview.

Question 41

You've landed an interview for a position you desperately want.Discuss 10 interviewing tips shared in the book you will use to make a good and lasting impression in the interview process.

Question 42

In the "Samples of Work" section of the career portfolio, one can include job descriptions and performance reviews.

Question 43

Name at least 10 essential elements of a career portfolio.At what stage are you in the career portfolio development process? What obstacles are you facing in completing your portfolio and how will you overcome these? If your portfolio is already complete, discuss at least 3 changes will you make to improve it.

Question 44

Phil had a great interview with a prospective employer and they told him they would let him know in a week if they were going to call him in for a second interview.It has been a week since his interview, and Phil is losing hope that he will be called back for a second interview.It will not hurt to call his interviewer to ask if he is still being considered for the position because he has other offers he is considering.

Question 45

Name 2 values you find to be the most important in life (e.g.adventure, family, serving the community), and 2 values in your career (e.g.autonomy, salary, environment).What are your interests (use John Holland's occupational personality type theory to answer this question)? Discuss your abilities, and skills including transferable skills (think about your basic, thinking, interpersonal, information, systems, resource, technology skills and personal qualities).Based on this information assess how your values, interests, abilities, and skills will support your career goal.

Question 46

Stacey went for a job interview last week.She was prepared, she answered all of their questions, and sent a prompt thank you note.She thought she did a good job in her interview, but she did not receive a call back.She went through the interview to determine if there was something she did not answer fully, or if she stumbled on any answers.The only thing she could think of that could have went wrong was when she was asked about her weaknesses she had to pause for a moment and seemed unprepared.Her response was that she will often go above and beyond what is asked of her which keeps her very busy.This was most likely the reason she was not called back.

Question 47

You just had an amazing interview for a position to be an institutional researcher at a university.The project you could be involved in is a K-12 Gifted and Talented program in the Department of Education.You interviewed with Dr.Lowry and Dr.Segal.Before going into the interview you knew a lot about their programs.They offer enrichment courses at the university, and also in online forums where students from around the world may collaborate in courses.Your role would be in their "Child Find" area where you would use your Statistics degree to assess students for the purpose of identifying those who are gifted.You've researched methodologies used, and had the opportunity to ask your interviewers what assessment tools they use to identify students.You asked how they identify students who have emotional disabilities and who speak English as a Second language.The interviewers liked your question and mentioned that they were looking for someone with experience in using alternative assessment tools to capture these populations in their program.You offered your experiences from graduate school and you and the interviewers had a great dialogue learning from each other.You left the interview in a very upbeat manner and thanked them sharing their working knowledge and experience with you, and you would look forward to hearing from them.They mentioned they thought you were a strong candidate and would be in touch with you by the end of the week should you be called in for a second interview to meet some of your potential colleagues.Based on this interview, write a thank-you note.

Question 48

Describe the 6 occupational personality types psychologist John Holland suggests there are in his theory.Discuss which categories you would belong in, and provide evidence from your life that supports your answer.Based on this information, what occupations would you likely excel in?

Question 49

When preparing for the job hunt, one should look up job descriptions of potential employers and redesign their portfolio to meet certain requirements.

Question 50

Discuss 5 ways you will take charge of your career based on what you've learned in the chapter.

Question 51

Imagine you are college senior and on the job hunt.Your resume shows an employment history of work as a caddie at a golf course summers and a ski instructor winters for the last 8 years.During the school year you volunteered as a staff writer on the campus newspaper.You also spent a semester abroad interning in the British Parliament.You have a degree in political science and would like to be a journalist.You've gotten your first interview to write articles for an online news outlet in NYC.You are ecstatic about the opportunity and in full preparation mode for the interview.Anticipate 3 question types you feel would be asked of you, and provide 3 answers.

Question 52

When preparing for an interview one should research the company and its competitors.