Deck 10: A Career Module

Question 1

The term career applies only to high-level professionals such as designers or physicians, not laborers.

Answer 1

False
Explanation: All workers have a career, whether they are sophisticated and highly skilled or not.

Question 2

In the past, career development was usually confined to advancement within a single organization.

Answer 2

True
Explanation: In previous generations, career development typically charted out the path that a person would take to secure advancement within a single organization. Now most careers involve switching organizations multiple times.

Question 3

A career is a best defined as a sequence of jobs.

Answer 3

True
Explanation: Though the word career can mean a profession or advancement within a profession, the best definition of career is that it is a lifelong sequence of work positions.

Question 4

Today's job seekers identify quality child care as an important job benefit.

Question 5

Most of today's college graduates are saying that their number one concern in a job is that it has the possibility for advancement.

Question 6

Job location ranked second in job priorities for today's job seekers.

Question 7

Volunteer work is important to today's college graduates.

Question 8

The best investment a person can make in his or her own future is to get a good education.

Question 9

A good career match means that the jobs you get are high paying.

Question 10

Being good with numbers can give a job seeker a competitive advantage.

Question 11

Competitive advantages that people have are limited to their natural talents.

Question 12

All a job seeker needs in a tight job market is a single competitive advantage to get a good job.

Question 13

Traditional career development in which an individual advances through the ranks of a single organization is more popular than ever.

Question 14

The first step in constructing a career path is to identify your competitive advantages.

Question 15

Being a skilled writer can give a person a competitive advantage in the job market.

Question 16

The first goal in career development is to make a career choice in which you match your interests and abilities to a job or series of jobs.

Question 17

A boundaryless career is a career in which an individual takes responsibility for his or her own career.

Question 18

The difference in pay rates over a lifetime between college graduates and noncollege graduates is fairly small.

Question 19

Today, the organization-not the individual-is responsible for the employee's career development.

Question 20

An individual typically has several careers over a lifetime.

Question 21

The best way to define the term career is as a ________.

A) series of tasks
B) series of jobs or work positions over a period of a few years
C) series of jobs or work positions over a period of a lifetime
D) single lifelong job

Question 22

Internet networking groups such as LinkedIn can provide valuable contacts.

Question 23

It is almost impossible to predict which jobs in the future are likely to decline.

Question 24

Luck has nothing to do with success in the business world.

Question 25

Most jobs do not require interpersonal skills.

Question 26

Traditional career development programs of the past focused on helping an employee advance ________.

A) through a series of jobs for different organizations
B) by holding a single job in a single organization
C) by holding a series of jobs in a single organization
D) by changing jobs every two years without fail

Question 27

Traditional career development programs in an organization were a good way for the organization to ________.

A) weed out poor performers
B) retain talented performers
C) keep costs down
D) increase efficiency

Question 28

The second step in constructing a career path is matching your strengths and interests to opportunities in the market.

Question 29

The 10,000 hour rule supports the idea that success is mostly hard work.

Question 30

An unskilled laborer has ________ a software designer.

A) no real career when compared to
B) just as much of a career as
C) more of a career when compared to
D) a much shorter career than

Question 31

It is a good idea to think of your career as your business and your boss as the CEO of that business.

Question 32

The secret to job success is identifying your competitive advantage and developing it to the fullest.

Question 33

The key to being a super high achiever is usually some unique talent or ability that no one else has.

Question 34

Changes in the environment that can affect a career include negative things, such as downsizing, only.

Question 35

Changing jobs is a sign of a troubled career.

Question 36

Trying to "protect" your career from outside harm is probably a silly idea because there is no way to protect against changes in the environment.

Question 37

The path less traveled is almost always the path to failure.

Question 38

It is a wise idea to cultivate job skills that are rare and useful in the marketplace.

Question 39

Though many people think that "whom you know" is important for getting jobs, having connections is highly overrated as a way to advance one's career.

Question 40

In the workplace, being a generalist is usually more desirable than being a specialist.

Question 41

Which of the following is an example of a well-defined career choice that is not too broad nor too narrow?

A) pharmaceutical research
B) working in the medical field
C) researching new headache remedies
D) working as an executive for Pfizer

Question 42

The optimum career choice matches an individual's interests, abilities, and personality to ________.

A) the best opportunity in the market
B) a job that a person can competently perform
C) a high-paying job
D) a job that makes the person useful

Question 43

This best describes the commitment a 1960s-era company made with respect to an employee's full-time, full-benefit job.

A) It was a permanent job that could last a lifetime.
B) It was a month-to-month arrangement.
C) It was subject to change at any time.
D) There was no commitment on the part of the company or the employee.

Question 44

The phrase "Play to your strengths" when applying for a job means ________.

A) don't show employers your weaknesses
B) be aggressive during job interviews
C) apply to only the most ambitious jobs
D) apply to jobs that suit your abilities

Question 45

In today's world, ________ are largely responsible for shaping and guiding employee career paths.

A) individuals
B) companies
C) Internet services
D) headhunters

Question 46

In a traditional career development program, ________ were largely responsible for shaping and guiding career paths.

A) individuals
B) companies
C) family and friends
D) professional counselors

Question 47

Which of the following might be a competitive edge for a person applying for an accounting job?

A) exceptional writing skills
B) exceptional problem-solving skills
C) computer programming experience
D) exceptional public speaking skills

Question 48

In today's business climate, this best describes the commitment a company makes with respect to an employee's full-time, full-benefit job.

A) It is a guaranteed lifetime job.
B) It is a week-to-week arrangement.
C) It is permanent but subject to change at any time.
D) There is no commitment on the part of the company or the employee.

Question 49

The most important job characteristic in the opinion of today's recent college graduates is this.

A) job security
B) benefits
C) starting salary
D) organizational culture

Question 50

Which of the following might be a competitive edge for a person applying for a firefighting job?

A) athletic ability
B) exceptional writing skills
C) computer programming experience
D) exceptional public speaking skills

Question 51

Which of the following is NOT a reason why today's companies have largely eliminated career development programs?

A) Companies aren't as stable as they were in the past.
B) Employees frequently move from job to job.
C) Fewer employees are interested in career development.
D) Downsizing has made jobs less stable or predictable.

Question 52

A ________ is an edge that makes a person attractive to employers in a job market.

A) job requirement
B) qualification
C) job skill
D) competitive advantage

Question 53

Today, career development typically focuses on an individual advancing ________ on his or her own.

A) through different organizations without ever improving his or her status
B) by holding a single job in a single organization
C) by holding a series of jobs in a single organization
D) through a series of jobs for different organizations

Question 54

A college degree ________.

A) is valuable for status only
B) has educational, but not financial, value
C) has both educational and financial value
D) has financial value only

Question 55

An important goal for a career is that it leads to ________.

A) status and prestige
B) financial security
C) the life a person wants to have
D) both status and financial rewards

Question 56

An individual with a college degree earns ________ than a person without a college degree.

A) over $20,000 more per year
B) over $800,000 more per year
C) almost $28,000 more per year
D) no more

Question 57

Which of the following is most likely to provide a competitive edge for a person applying for a job in a law firm?

A) exceptional math skills
B) exceptional writing skills
C) computer programming experience
D) musical ability

Question 58

A boundaryless career is one in which an individual ________.

A) has no exact job
B) works for no particular organization
C) is responsible for his or her own career
D) has a job that is part of his or personal lifestyle, 24 hours a day

Question 59

In looking for possible jobs, a primary concern should be to pay attention to the ________.

A) jobs that are in high-tech industries
B) jobs that are in low-tech industries
C) industries that have the highest compensation scale
D) industries that are expanding rather than declining

Question 60

Which of the following issues is NOT one of the top three factors that have been identified by today's college graduates as important in selecting a new job?

A) job security
B) job location
C) job benefits
D) compensation

Question 61

A more senior person than yourself who guides you through your career is known as ________.

A) a protégé
B) a mentor
C) a teacher
D) a friend

Question 62

Which of the following is a job that would allow a person who is a poor writer and speaker to excel?

A) engineer
B) lawyer
C) basketball coach
D) advertising executive

Question 63

Studies of highly successful people show that they all did this in one way or another.

A) had enormous natural ability
B) put in 10,000 hours of practice, training, and experience
C) worked in lowly jobs as teenagers, learning humility
D) relied on family

Question 64

A research scientist who needs a job is likely to accomplish this by giving a talk or poster presentation at a professional meeting.

A) increase salary
B) directly create job opportunities
C) increase visibility
D) get new research ideas

Question 65

It is a good idea for people to think of their career as a business and themselves as ________ that business.

A) the CEO of
B) an employee in
C) a customer of
D) a supervisor in

Question 66

Which job might require the highest level of interpersonal skills?

A) electrician
B) research scientist
C) teacher
D) fashion designer

Question 67

Many people in fields such as nursing, engineering, and accounting keep their skills up to date by taking formal courses and ________.

A) getting internships
B) reading journals and attending conferences
C) getting fellowships and scholarships
D) going through training programs

Question 68

It is best to try to cultivate a competitive advantage in job skills that are ________.

A) technical
B) interpersonal
C) scarce
D) common

Question 69

To extend the reach of their networks, people should do all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A) take networking classes
B) go to college alumni functions
C) attend conferences
D) join virtual business communities

Question 70

In a society that is experiencing a widespread obesity "epidemic," one might expect opportunities in this field to increase the most.

A) counseling
B) sports management
C) fitness
D) personal security

Question 71

Studies in a variety of fields show that super-high achievers ________ than others.

A) have higher IQ scores
B) work fewer hours
C) work harder
D) are more insecure

Question 72

Success in school often requires a person to be a ________, while success in the workplace often requires the same person to be a ________.

A) specialist; generalist
B) specialist; conformist
C) generalist; specialist
D) conformist; nonconformist

Question 73

One secret to a successful career is to identify your ________ and develop it to the fullest.

A) special ability
B) strength
C) main interest in life
D) competitive advantage

Question 74

How might a job applicant position him- or herself to benefit from changes that occur in the environment?

A) have highly specific job skills
B) have both general and specific job skills
C) have general job skills only
D) work on interpersonal skills rather than job skills

Question 75

Mentors have been shown to be especially helpful to ________.

A) doctors and nurses
B) women and minorities
C) older employees
D) experienced employees

Question 76

Which job skill is useful for just about every job?

A) interpersonal skills
B) computer programming skills
C) writing skills
D) manual dexterity skills

Question 77

Networking is useful ________.

A) only before you have a job
B) only after you have a job
C) both before and after you have a job
D) only for people who want to change jobs

Question 78

Which of the following jobs would be least likely to require thousands of hours of practice and experience?

A) scientist
B) musician
C) tennis player
D) entrepreneur

Question 79

Generally speaking, the more ________ a job requires that you have actually acquired, the better off you are.

A) technical skill
B) writing skill
C) speaking skill
D) training

Question 80

An advantage of an online networking community such as LinkedIn is that you can search for people according to their ________.

A) skills, experience, and interests
B) personality and temperament
C) reputation within the industry
D) organizational performance reviews