Business in action pdf download

Bovee and John V. Thill to be identified as the authors of this work have been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a license permitting restricted copying in the United Kingdom issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 6—10 Kirby Street, London EC 1N 8TS.

All trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. The use of any trademark in this text does not vest in the author or publisher any trademark ownership rights in such trademarks, nor does the use of such trademarks imply any affiliation with or endorsement of this book by such owners. We appreciate the opportunity to assist you in your exploration of the world of business, and we wish you great success in this course and in your careers. Courtland L.

Public Relations Chapter 16 , explaining how social media have upended the traditional practice of public relations Business in Action: An Ideal Text for Your Introduction to Business Course Business in Action is the ideal text for courses that aim to cover the full spectrum of contemporary business topics in the most efficient and successful manner possible.

With a full 20 chapters, including chapters dedicated to employee motivation, customer communication, financial markets, and banking, it has the same scope as other comprehensive texts while being up to 20 percent shorter.

There is no filler and no fluff, and the examples were chosen carefully to illustrate important points, without overloading the text. The chapter-opening vignette introduces a company faced with a major strategic challenge and encourages students to imagine how they would address that challenge. Three critical thinking questions require students to apply the concepts covered in the text. With this approach, each learning objective segment is treated almost as a mini-chapter within the chapter, letting students pace their intake and memorization, rather than having to review an entire chapter at once.

The consistent six-part structure Preface also simplifies course planning and class time allocation for instructors, and it helps students organize their reading, review, and test preparation.

These unique diagrams, infographics, and other exhibits address the challenge of getting students to read long passages of text by presenting vital concepts visually.

The emphasis throughout is on productive learning—on helping students minimize the time they spend reading while maximizing their learning outcome. This value-added approach to visuals is in sharp contrast to books that try to entertain with decorative photos, cartoons, or fractured page designs that disrupt the flow of reading and thereby force students to spend even more time reading.

Healthy connection between risk and reward Company Company makes a decision that involves some risk. Outcome If outcome is positive, company reaps the rewards. If outcome is negative, company suffers the consequences. Moral hazard: Link between risk and reward is broken Company Company makes a decision that involves some risk. If outcome is negative, someone else including other companies, consumers, or taxpayers suffers the consequences. You can subscribe to updates chapter by chapter, so you get only the material that applies to your current chapter.

Fourteen carefully selected questions help you review infor- mation, analyze implications, and apply concepts. Highlighted questions involve ethical considerations and concept integration from other chapters.

Discovering Career Opportunities tasks give students a chance to explore career resources on campus, observe professionals at their jobs, interview businesspeople, and perform self-evaluations to assess their own career skills and interests. Improving Your Tech Insights tasks students to research and summarize an important technical development and explain its business implications; this feature introduces them to such revolutionary developments as nanotechnology, location and tracking technologies, and assistive technologies for people with disabilities.

Building Your Team Skills teaches important team skills, such as brainstorming, collaborative decision making, developing a consensus, debating, role playing, and resolving conflict.

Developing Your Research Skills familiarizes students with a wide variety of business reference materials and offers practice in developing research skills. A collegiate institution offering degrees in business administration or accounting may volunteer for AACSB accreditation review. The AACSB makes initial accreditation decisions and conducts periodic reviews to promote continuous quality improvement in management education. Course Planning Guide The structure of Business in Action makes it easy to adapt to courses of any length and with any specific instructional goals.

The following table suggests one possible sequence and schedule for covering the chapters in the textbook, with time allocations based on the total number of class hours available. If assistance is needed, our dedicated technical support team is ready to help with the media supplements that accompany this text. A full set of PowerPoint slides is provided. The slides are divided by chapter and are suitable for leading class lectures and discussion.

The slides contain the relevant material from each chapter along with reproductions of key tables and figures. Each chapter contains a chapter outline, classroom activities, and answers to all end-of-chapter material. TestGen is a testgenerating software program that allows instructors to add, edit, or delete questions from the test bank; analyze test results; and organize a database of exams and student results.

Preface About the Authors Courtland L. Thill have been leading textbook authors for more than two decades, introducing millions of students to the fields of business and business communication. Their award-winning texts are distinguished by proven pedagogical features, extensive selections of contemporary case studies, hundreds of real-life examples, engaging writing, thorough research, and the unique integration of print and electronic resources.

Allen Paul Distinguished Chair. Thill is a prominent business consultant who has worked with organizations ranging from Fortune multinationals to entrepreneurial start-ups.

He formerly held positions with Pacific Bell and Texaco. Also, we recognize and thank Jackie Estrada for her outstanding skills and excellent attention to details. The supplements package for Business in Action has benefited from the able contributions of numerous individuals. We would like to express our thanks to them for creating a superb set of instructional supplements.

Schanne, Eastern Michigan University. We want to extend our warmest appreciation to the devoted professionals at Pearson. John V. Thill 21 real-time Updates—Learn More Real-Time Updates—Learn More is a unique feature you will see strategically located throughout the text, connecting students with dozens of carefully screened online media. Which companies do U. Starting and growing a successful partnership The innovation advantage of intrapreneurs Learn from the failure of other entrepreneurs Looking for an angel?

What makes the digital enterprise effective? A company needs bosses, right? Want to make an impact with your entrepreneurial efforts? Find an incubator to nurture your new venture Management tools and trends The effort to bring manufacturing activities back to the United States Sustainability at Walmart Interested in a career in supply chain management? Which companies rank highly in quality of work life? Looking for jobs at diversity-minded companies? Love the retail experience?

The latest coverage of crowdfunding Getting your credit report is essential—and free Debt financing programs at the Small Business Administration Get the inside scoop on IPO activity Learn the basics of successful bond investing Free money advice from Mint. Find the funds that are right for you Practice your investment skills Interested in working for an investment bank?

Use these free online financial calculators 53 63 97 R ea l-T ime Upd aT e s Learn More by Reading This Infographic Can you run an entire company from a smartphone? As companies around the world try to gain competitive advantages and cost efficiencies, employment patterns will vary from industry to industry and region to region.

The ups and downs of the economic cycle are not the only dynamic elements that will affect your career, however. The nature of employment itself is changing, with a growing number of independent workers and loosely structured virtual organizations that engage these workers for individual projects or short-term contracts, rather than hiring employees. In fact, one recent study predicted that independent workers will outnumber conventional employees in the United States by Companies can lower their fixed costs, adapt more easily to economic fluctuations and competitive moves, and get access to specialized talent for specific project needs.

These flexibilities and freedoms can create more complexity for workers and managers, diminished loyalties on both sides, uncertainty about the future, issues with skill development and training, and problems with accountability and liability. These changes could affect you even if you pursue traditional employment throughout your career. Within organiAre you comfortable working on your own?

Independent workers have become an important part of the global workforce. And the availability of more independent workers in the talent marketplace gives employers more options and more leverage, so full-time employees may find themselves competing against freelancers, at least indirectly.

As you navigate this uncertain future, keep two vital points in mind. Explore all your options and have a plan—but be prepared to change course as opportunities and threats appear on the horizon. The era of lifetime employment, in which an employee committed to one company for life with the understanding it would return the loyalty, is long gone. Maintaining a stable workforce can improve practically every aspect of business performance, yet many employers want the flexibility to shrink and expand payrolls as business conditions change.

Employers obviously want to attract the best talent, but the best talent is more expensive and more vulnerable to offers from competitors, so there are always financial trade-offs to consider. Employers also struggle with the ups and downs of the economy. When unemployment is low, the balance of power shifts to employees, and employers have to compete in order to attract and keep top talent. When unemployment is high, the power shifts back to employers, who can afford to be more selective and less accommodating.

In other words, pay attention to the economy; at times you can be more aggressive in your demands, but at other times you need to be more accommodating. Companies view employment as a complex business decision with lots of variables to consider.

To make the most of your potential, regardless of the career path you pursue, you need to view employment in the same way. The short answer: a lot. The closer you can present yourself as the ideal candidate, the better your chances of getting a crack at the most exciting opportunities. Specific expectations vary by profession and position, of course, but virtually all employers look for the following general skills and attributes:5 the most commonly mentioned skill set when employers are asked about what they look for in employees.

Improving your communication skills will help in every aspect of your professional life. Learn to work with others—and help them succeed as you succeed. Successful employers tend to be responsive to diverse workforces, markets, and communities, and they look for employees with the same outlook.

Communication is far and away Communication skills will benefit your career, no matter what path or profession you pursue. Employers want people who know how to identify information needs, find the necessary data, convert the data into useful knowledge, and make sound decisions.

Your ability to plan projects and manage the time and resources available to you will make a big difference on the job. Stuff happens, as they say.

Employees who can roll with the punches and adapt to changing business priorities and circumstances will go further and be happier than employees who resist change.

Professionalism is the quality of performing at the highest possible level and conducting oneself with confidence, purpose, and pride.

Economic necessities and the vagaries of the marketplace will influence much of what happens in your career, of course, and you may not always have the opportunity to do the kind of work you would really like to do.

Doing so will give you a better idea of where you want to be eventually, and you can use those insights to learn and grow your way toward that ideal situation. Research occupations that interest you. Find out what people really do every day.

Ask friends, relatives, alumni from your school, and contacts in your social networks. Read interviews with people in various professions to get a sense of what their careers are like. Consider how much independence you want on the job, how much variety you like, and whether you prefer to work with products, machines, people, ideas, figures, or some combination thereof.

For instance, many high-paying jobs involve a lot of stress, sacrifices of time with family and friends, and frequent travel or relocation.

If location, lifestyle, intriguing work, or other factors are more important to you, you may well have to sacrifice some level of pay to achieve them. For example, do you want to pursue a career specialty such as finance or manufacturing, or do you want to gain experience in multiple areas with an eye toward upper management?

Would you be happy in a formal hierarchy with clear reporting relationships? Or do you prefer less structure? Teamwork or individualism? Do you like a competitive environment? Filling out the assessment in Exhibit 1 might help you get a clearer picture of the nature of work you would like to pursue in your career.

Knowing what you want to do is one thing. Knowing what a company is willing to pay you to do is another thing entirely. You may already have a good idea of what you can offer employers. If not, some brainstorming can help you identify your skills, interests, and characteristics. For example, leadership skills, speaking ability, and artistic talent may have helped you coordinate a successful class project.

As you analyze your achievements, you may well begin to recognize a pattern of skills. Which of them might be valuable to potential employers?

Next, look at your educational preparation, work experience, and extracurricular activities. What do your knowledge and experience qualify you to do? What have you learned from volunteer work or class projects that could benefit you on the job? Have you held any offices, won any awards or scholarships, mastered a second language?

What skills have you developed in nonbusiness situations that could transfer to a business position? Take stock of your personal characteristics. Are you aggressive, a born leader? Or would you rather follow? Are you outgoing, articulate, great with people? Or do you prefer working alone? Make a list of what you believe are your four or five most important qualities. Ask a relative or friend to rate your traits as well. Many campuses administer a variety of tests ExHIBIt 1 Career Self-assessment Consider these 20 questions to help define the sort of career path you would like to pursue.

Activity or Situation 1. I want to work independently. I want variety in my work. I want to work with people. I want to work with technology. I want physical work. I want mental work. I want to work for a large organization. I want to work for a nonprofit organization. I want to work for a small business.

I want to work for a service business. I want to start or buy a business someday. I want regular, predictable work hours. I want to work in a city location. I want to work in a small town or suburb. I want to work in another country. I want to work outdoors. I want to work in a structured environment. I want to avoid risk as much as possible.

I want to enjoy my work, even if that means making less money. I want to become a high-level corporate manager. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree no Preference 28 Prologue that can help you identify interests, aptitudes, and personality traits. First, look for volunteer projects, temporary jobs, freelance work, or internships that will help expand your experience base and skill set.

Also consider applying your talents to crowdsourcing projects, in which companies and nonprofit organizations invite the public to contribute solutions to various challenges. These opportunities help you gain valuable experience and relevant contacts, provide you with important references and work samples for your employment portfolio, and help you establish your personal brand see the following sections. Second, learn more about the industry or industries in which you want to work and stay on top of new developments.

Join networks of professional colleagues and friends who can help you keep up with trends and events. Many professional societies have student chapters or offer students discounted memberships. Take courses and pursue other educational or life experiences that would be difficult while working full time.

Simply create and maintain an employment portfolio, which is a collection of projects that demonstrate your skills and knowledge. You can create a print portfolio and an e-portfolio; both can help with your career effort. A print portfolio gives you something tangible to bring to interviews, and it lets you collect project results that might not be easy to show online, such as a handsomely bound report.

An e-portfolio is a multimedia presentation of your skills and experiences. However, you must check with employers before including any items that you created while you were an employee and check with clients before including any work products anything you wrote, designed, programmed, and so on they purchased from you. For each item you add to your portfolio, write a brief description that helps other people understand the meaning and significance of the project.

Why did you undertake this project? Was it a school project, a work assignment, or something you did on your own initiative? If you worked with others, be sure to mention that and discuss team dynamics if appropriate. For instance, if you led the team or worked with others long distance as a virtual team, point that out. Sometimes the most impressive thing about a project is the time or budget constraints under which it was created. For example, if you wrote a letter soliciting donations for a charitable cause, how much money did you raise?

If appropriate, describe what you learned during the course of the project. Also, if you have anything embarrassing on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social networking site, remove it immediately. To get started, first check with the career center at your college; many schools offer e-portfolio systems for their students. Some schools now require e-portfolios, so you may already be building one.

Similarly, when people who know you think about you, they have a particular set of qualities in mind based on your professionalism, your priorities, and the various skills and attributes you have developed over the years.

Perhaps without even being conscious of it, you have created a personal brand for yourself. As you plan the next stage of your career, start managing your personal brand deliberately, rather than just letting it happen. Every good story has dramatic tension that pulls readers in and makes them wonder what will happen next. Where is your story going next?

You might even want to write a brief summary of your story to help clarify your thoughts. Volvos, BMWs, and Cadillacs can all get you from Point A to Point B in safety, comfort, and style—but each brand emphasizes some attributes more than others to create a specific image in the minds of potential buyers.

Similarly, you want to be seen as something more than just an accountant, a supervisor, a salesperson. What will your theme be?

Brilliant strategist? Hard-nosed, get-itdone tactician? Technical guru? Problem solver? Creative genius? Inspirational leader? Major corporations spread the word about their brands with multimillion-dollar advertising campaigns. You can promote your brand for free or close to it. You build your brand by connecting with like-minded people, sharing information, demonstrating skills and knowledge, and helping others succeed. When you promote a brand, you make a promise—a promise that whoever buys that brand will get the benefits you are promoting.

All of this planning and communication is of no value if you fail to deliver on the promises your branding efforts make. Conversely, when you deliver quality results time after time, your talents and professionalism will speak for you. Networking takes place wherever and whenever people communicate: at industry functions, at social gatherings, at alumni reunions—and all over the Internet, from LinkedIn to Facebook to Twitter.

In addition to making connections through social media tools, you can get yourself noticed by company recruiters. Networking is more essential than ever because the vast majority of job openings are never advertised to the general public. To avoid the time and expense of sifting through thousands of applications and the risk of hiring complete strangers, most companies prefer to ask their employees for recommendations first. Start building your network now, before you need it.

Your classmates could end up being some of your most valuable contacts—if not right away then possibly later in your career. Then branch out by identifying people with similar interests in your target professions, industries, and companies. Read news sites, blogs, and other online sources.

Follow industry leaders on Twitter. You can also follow individual executives at your target companies to learn about their interests and concerns. Connect with people on LinkedIn and Facebook, particularly in groups dedicated to particular career interests. Visit trade shows to learn about various industries and rub shoulders with people who work in those industries. You can do some good while creating a network for yourself. Remember that networking is about people helping each other, not just about other people helping you.

Or you might simply be able to connect one person with another who can help. The more you network, the more valuable you become Real -Tim e Up daTes in your network—and the more valuable your network beLearn More by Visiting This Website comes to you. Finally, be aware that your online network reflects on Follow these people to a new career who you are in the eyes of potential employers, so exercise Alison Doyle maintains a great list of career experts to follow on some judgment in making connections.

Also, many employTwitter. A variety of apps and websites can help you find jobs, practice interviewing, and build your professional network see Exhibit 2. A single mistake or oversight can cost you interview opportunities. Second, give yourself plenty of time. Experiment with different ideas and phrases until you hit on the right combination. Third, learn from good models. Consider the alternatives and choose the approach that makes the most sense in your specific situation.

If you need to adapt a U. If you are tempted to stretch the truth, bear in mind that professional recruiters have seen every trick in the book, and frustrated employers are working aggressively to uncover the truth. Reasonable employers understand that many professionals have been forced to job hop by circumstances beyond their control. Mention relevant experience and education you gained during employment gaps, such as volunteer or community work.

Mention related volunteer work and membership in professional groups. List relevant course work and internships. Itemize each position held at the firm to show both professional growth and career growth within the organization and increasing responsibilities along the way. Be honest with interviewers and address their concerns with proof, such as recommendations and examples of completed projects.

Laws regarding what employers may ask and whether they can conduct a criminal background check vary by state and profession, but if you are asked and the question applies to you, you are legally bound to answer truthfully. Use the interview process to explain any mitigating circumstances and to emphasize your rehabilitation and commitment to being a law-abiding, trustworthy employee. A career objective identifies either a specific job you want to land or a general career track you would like to pursue.

However, if you have little or no work experience in your target profession, a career objective might be your best option. If you do opt for an objective, word it in a way that relates your qualifications to employer needs. A qualifications summary offers a brief view of your key qualifications. The goal is to let a reader know within a few seconds what you can deliver. A career summary offers a brief recap of your career, with the goal of presenting increasing levels of responsibility and performance.

A career summary can be particularly useful for executives who have demonstrated the ability to manage increasingly larger and more complicated business operations—a key consideration when companies look to hire upper-level managers. The right choice depends on your background and your goals, as the following sections explain.

Develop your work experience 33 34 Prologue section by listing your jobs in reverse chronological order, beginning with the most recent one and giving more space to the most recent positions.

Next, in a short block of text, highlight your accomplishments in a way that is relevant to your readers. If the general responsibilities of the position are not obvious from the job title, provide a little background to help readers understand what you did.

This arrangement stresses individual areas of competence rather than job history. The functional approach has three advantages: 1 Without having to read through job descriptions, employers can see what you can do for them, 2 you can emphasize previous job experience, and 3 you can deemphasize any lengthy unemployment or lack of career progress.

The chief advantage of this format is that it lets you highlight particular areas of strength without raising concerns that you might be hiding something about your work history. Using a summary of qualifications or a career summary as your introductory statement is a great way to highlight your ability to contribute to a potential employer.

Unfortunately, there is no single format or medium that works for all the situations you will encounter, and employer expectations continue to change as technology evolves. Your education is your strongest selling point, so you need to show how your course work relates to the position.

Research, including identifying trendy new businesses 3. Analyzing data using Microsoft Excel 4. Managing projects 5. Collaborating with technical experts and sales staff 6. Creating new tools to help maximize revenue and minimize risks 7. Natural curiosity and desire to learn 9.

Detail oriented Stock food and supply pantries; prepare emergency baskets for new clients; assist director with public relations activities, including website updates and social media news releases. Assisted the service and sales managers of this locally owned car dealership with a variety of customer-service tasks; scheduled service appointments; designed and implemented improvements to service-center waiting room to increase guest comfort; convinced dealership owners to begin using Twitter and Facebook to interact with current and potential customers.

Professional Engagement Keywords and Key Phrases You study the job posting and highlight the following elements: Permanent Address: Gomes includes phone and email contacts, along with a blog that features academicoriented writing. She adjusts the descriptions and accomplishments of each role to highlight the aspects of her work and volunteer experience that are relevant to the position. The final sections highlight activities and awards that reflect her interest in marketing and her desire to improve her skills.

However, you have found an opening that is in a related field, and it would give you the chance to get some valuable work experience. The Opportunity The job opening is for a seller support associate with Amazon, the online retail giant. Employees in this position work with merchants that sell products through the Amazon e-commerce system to make sure merchants are successful. In essence, it is a customer service job, but directed at these merchants, not the consumers who buy on Amazon.

You note that the position does not require a college degree, so in that sense you might be a bit overqualified. However, you also see a strong overlap between your education and the responsibilities and required skills of the job, so be sure to highlight those.

Keywords and Key Phrases You study the job posting and highlight the following elements: 1. Be able to predict and respond to merchant needs; good business sense with the ability to appreciate the needs of a wide variety of companies 2. Strong written and oral communication skills 3. High degree of professionalism 4. Self-starter with good time management skills 5. Logically analyze problems and devise solutions 6. Comfortable with computerbased tools, including Microsoft Excel 7.

Desire to expand business and technical skills 8. Customer service experience 9. Collaborate with fellow team members to resolve difficult situations Record of high performance regarding quality of work and personal productivity Emma Gomes — [email protected] emmawrites. Assist students with a variety of math courses at the elementary, junior high, and high school level; all clients have achieved combined test and homework score improvements of at least one full letter grade, with an average improvement of 38 percent Volunteer, LeafSpring Food Bank, Terre Haute, IN weekends during college terms, —present.

The Opportunity The job opening is for a senior strategy analyst for Nordstrom. The position is similar in concept to the position at Living Social, but at a higher level and with more responsibility. The Communication Challenge This job is an important step up; a senior strategy analyst is expected to conduct in-depth financial analysis of business opportunities and make recommendations regarding strategy changes, merchandising partnerships with other companies, and important decisions.

Broad-based program combining financial reporting, marketing strategy, competitive strategy, and supply chain management with individual emphasis on quantitative methods, financial analysis, and marketing decision models. Comprehensive coursework in business fundamentals, accounting and finance, marketing fundamentals, retailing, and consumer communications. Provide research and analysis to guide major business strategy decisions 2.

Communicate across business units and departments within Nordstrom 3. Familiar with retail analytics 4. Knowledge of fashion retailing 5. Qualitative and quantitative analysis 6.

Project management 7. Strong communication skills 8. Advanced skills in financial and statistical modeling Moreover, complex layouts can confuse an applicant tracking system, which can result in your information getting garbled. As you can see in Exhibits 3 through 5, good designs feature simplicity, order, effective use of white space, and clear typefaces.

Make subheadings easy to find and easy to read, placing them either above each section or in the left margin. Use lists to itemize your most important qualifications. Color is not necessary by any means, but if you add color, make it subtle and sophisticated, such as a thin horizontal line under your name and address.

Be sure to use quality paper white or slightly off-white; avoid gimmicky designs and borders and a quality printer. These systems were quite common just a few years ago, but their use appears to be declining rapidly as more employers prefer email delivery or website application forms. The plain-text version can be used in two ways.

In some cases, an employer or job-posting website will want you to upload a Microsoft Word file or attach it to an email message.

Although there are certainly other word processing programs on the market, Microsoft Word is the de facto standard in business these days. Creating a PDF file is a simple procedure, but you need the right software. Adobe Acrobat not the free Adobe Reader is the best-known program, but many others are available, including some free versions and online services.

For print or electronic documents you will be submitting to employers or job websites, the safest advice is to avoid photos. The reason is that seeing visual cues of the age, ethnicity, and gender of candidates early in the selection process exposes employers to complaints of discriminatory hiring practices. Two key advantages of a Prezi or PowerPoint supplement are flexibility and multimedia capabilities. For instance, you can present a menu of choices on the opening screen and allow viewers to click through to sections of interest.

The reason for this caution is the same as with photographs. For example, the online retailer Zappos encourages applicant videos and provides a way to upload videos on its job application webpage. Application letters are sometimes called cover letters, and they can be either printed or emailed.

Ask the people in your network if they know a name. Keep your letter straightforward, fact based, short, upbeat, and professional see Exhibit 6 on the following page. Second, adhere to whatever instructions the employer has provided. He grabs attention immediately by letting the reader know he is familiar with the company and the global transportation business. This challenging position requires excellent communication skills in a variety of media, a polished customer service presence both in person and over the phone, and proven aptitude in statistical analysis and business mathematics.

The minimum educational requirement for this position is a bachelors degree or equivalent, preferably in business, statistical methods, or applied mathematics. Experience in customer service is highly desirable, and experience in transportation or logistics is a major plus.

Click here to learn more about Sea-Air or click here to explore the attractive compensation and benefits packages we offer all employees. Sea-Air Global Transport consistently appeared as a top transportation firm in the research I did for my senior project in global supply chain management, so imagine my delight when I discovered the opening for an export pricing analyst in your Tacoma headquarters Position Code: T With a major in business and a minor in statistical methods, my education has been ideal preparation for the challenges of this position.

The opening paragraph identifies the specific job for which he is applying. In fact, my senior project demonstrates most of the skills listed in your job description, including written communication skills, analytical abilities, and math aptitude.

I enjoyed the opportunity to put my math skills to the test as part of the statistical comparison of various freight modes. In this discussion of his skills, he echoes the qualifications stated in the job posting. This experience taught me the importance of customer service, and I want to start my professional career with a company that truly values the customer.

My verbal communication skills would be best demonstrated in an interview, of course. I would be happy to meet with a representative of your company at their earliest convenience.

I can be reached at [email protected] or by phone at Dalton Smith In the close, he politely asks for an interview in a way that emphasizes yet another job-related skill. Prologue inviting people for interviews. Wait a week or so after the close date. When you follow up by email or telephone, you can share an additional piece of information that links your qualifications to the position keep an eye out for late-breaking news about the company, too and ask a question about the hiring process as a way to gather some information about your status.

As you get ready to begin interviewing, keep in mind two vital points. First, recognize that the process takes time. Start your preparation and research early; the best job offers usually go to the best-prepared candidates.

By exploring a wide range of firms and positions, you might uncover great opportunities that you would not have found otherwise. Most employers interview an applicant multiple times before deciding to make a job offer. At the most selective companies, you might have a dozen or more individual interviews across several stages. Screening can take place on campus, at company offices, or via telephone or computer. If your screening interview will take place by phone, try to schedule it for a time when you can be focused and free from interruptions.

At Google, for example, recruits talk with at least four interviewers, both managers and potential colleagues. In other cases, you may be invited back for a final evaluation, often by a higher-ranking executive. The objective of this final stage is often to sell you on the advantages of joining the organization. In a structured interview, the interviewer or a computer asks a series of prepared questions in a set order.

In contrast, in an open-ended interview, the interviewer adapts his or her line of questioning based on the answers you give and any questions you ask. Many of your interviews will be conventional one-on-one interviews, with just you and a single interviewer. However, in a panel interview, you will meet with several interviewers at once.

Some organizations perform a group interview, in which one or more interviewers meet with several candidates simultaneously. A key purpose of the group interview is to observe how the candidates interact with one another. A working interview is the most realistic of all: You actually perform a job-related activity during the interview.

You may be asked to lead a brainstorming session sometimes with other job candidates , solve a business problem, engage in role playing, or even make a presentation. Some students start their job search as early as nine months before graduation.

Early planning is even more crucial during downturns in the economy because many employers become more selective when times are tough. Whatever shape the economy is in, try to secure as many interviews as you can, both to improve the chances of receiving a job offer and to give yourself more options when you do get offers.

The first is whether you can handle the responsibilities of the position. The second essential question is whether you will be a good fit with the organization and the target position. This line of inquiry includes both a general aspect and a specific aspect. The general aspect concerns your overall personality and approach to work. All good employers want people who are confident, dedicated, positive, curious, courteous, ethical, and willing to commit to something larger than their own individual goals.

The specific aspect involves the fit with a particular company and position. Some emphasize teamwork; others expect employees to forge their own way and even compete with one another. Expectations also vary from job to job within a company and from industry to industry. An outgoing personality is essential for sales but less so for research, for instance.

By asking insightful questions, you can demonstrate your understanding of the organization, you can steer the discussion into areas that allow you to present your qualifications to best advantage, and you can verify for yourself Prologue ExHIBIt 7 43 ten questions to Consider asking an Interviewer Use this list as a starting point when you are planning the questions to ask in a job interview.

Question Reason for Asking 1. A vague answer could mean that the responsibilities have not been clearly defined, which is almost guaranteed to cause frustration if you take the job. What qualities do you want in the person who fills this position? This will help you go beyond the job description to understand what the company really wants. How do you measure success for someone in this position?

A vague or incomplete answer could mean that the expectations you will face are unrealistic or ill defined. What is the first problem that needs the attention of the person you hire? Would relocation be required now or in the future? Why is this job now vacant? If the person quit, that might not be such a good sign. What makes your organization different from others in the industry? The answer will help you assess whether the company has a clear strategy to succeed in its industry and whether top managers communicate this to lower-level employees.

You want to know whether the managerial philosophy is consistent with your own working values. What is a typical workday like for you? What are the next steps in the selection process? Knowing where the company is in the hiring process will give you clues about following up after the interview and possibly give you hints about where you stand.

For a list of good questions that you might use as a starting point, see Exhibit 7. Instead of dwelling on your weaknesses, focus on your strengths so that you can emphasize them to an interviewer.

Questions About College 1. What courses in college did you like most? Do you think your extracurricular activities in college were worth the time you spent on them? Why or why not? When did you choose your college major? Did you ever change your major? If so, why? Do you feel you did the best scholastic work you are capable of? How has your college education prepared you for this position?

Questions About Employers and jobs 1. Why did you leave your last job? Why did you apply for this job opening? Why did you choose your particular field of work? What are the disadvantages of your chosen field? What do you know about our company? What do you think about how this industry operates today? Why do you think you would like this particular type of job? Questions About Work Experiences and Expectations 1.

What was your biggest failure? Describe an experience in which you learned from one of your mistakes. What motivates you? Are you a leader or a follower? What have you done that shows initiative and willingness to work? Why should I hire you? Questions About Work Habits 1.

Do you prefer working with others or by yourself? What type of boss do you prefer? Have you ever had any difficulty getting along with colleagues or supervisors? With instructors? With other students? What would you do if you were given an unrealistic deadline for a task or project? How do you feel about overtime work? How do you handle stress or pressure on the job?

Send a follow-up message within two days of the interview, even if you feel you have little chance of getting the job. You can use the message to reinforce the reasons you are a good choice for the position, modify any answers you gave during the interview if you realisze you made a mistake or have changed your mind, and respond to any negatives that might have arisen in the interview.

Best wishes for success in this course and in your career! Endnotes 1. Malone, Robert J. Thill, Business in Action, 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, N. Nancy M. Jeffrey R. Randall S. Cari Tuna and Keith J. Cynthia E. Schullery, Linda Ickes, and Stephen E. Sarah E. To help her mother with household expenses, Diaz approached families in the neighborhood, offering her services at cleaning, cooking, and other chores.

In high school, she got formal exposure to business as part of the Vocational Office Education program. Later, while an accounting major at the University of Texas at El Paso, she and her sister launched a part-time clothing company to help cover the cost of tuition.

By the time she graduated with a degree in accounting, Diaz clearly knew the value of hard work—and knew how to create value for customers. She put her degree to good use as an accounting supervisor for several established companies, including the multinational firm United Technologies.

After a decade of working for others, though, she was ready to return to her entrepreneurial roots and strike out on her own again.

If you were Diaz, how would you make the transition from employee to business owner? The economy is still struggling to climb out of the worst recession in nearly a century. Employment, consumer confidence, and the stock market could take years to fully recover. Against this backdrop of serious challenges, however, are exciting opportunities for ambitious business professionals. The social media revolution has fundamentally changed the relationship between businesses and their customers, empowering customers and giving forward-thinking companies new ways to grow.

Communication and collaboration tools are knocking down barriers of organization and geography, giving the best ideas a better chance of reaching the marketplace. More than ever before, your community, your country, and the global economy need the fresh thinking and fresh energy of a new generation of informed, ethical, and creative business leaders.

Business in Action, sixth edition, features more than thoughtfully designed business visuals, including more than 60 that are new in this edition. These visual learning tools are designed to convey essential concepts efficiently and effectively. This value-added approach to visuals is in sharp contrast to books that try to entertain you with decorative photos, cartoons, or fractured page designs that disrupt the flow of reading and thereby force you to spend even more time reading.