Quiz: Are You Getting the Most Out of Your Job Search?

What do you know about looking for a job?

A 13 question quiz to test your knowledge of job-search strategies and techniques.

Read the statements below and choose the most appropriate answer.

1. Losing your job is an opportunity to:
a) Find a better job, take stock of your life or evaluate your career path.
b) Relax and do what you want.
c) Review your skills and sign up for a course.
d) Panic.
 
2. What is the best tool for finding companies you want to work for?
a) The Yellow Pages.
b) Newspaper want ads.
c) Directories and websites of companies in your field.
d) Employment websites (ex. Jobboom, Workopolis or Monster).
e) Answers a and c.
 
3. How can a career counsellor help a client look for a job?
a) Help the client define personal and professional goals.
b) Target relevant fields and potential employers.
c) Identify the client's skills and preferences.
d) See if the client's skills apply to other fields.
e) All of the above.
 
4. What do you think would be an effective way to go about looking for work:
a) Cold-calling companies to offer them your services (even if there are no openings posted) and schedule an interview.
b) Showing up unannounced at companies and leaving your résumé.
c) Telling friends, acquaintances and former colleagues you are looking for work.
d) Consulting job banks, newspapers and the Internet.
 
5. What is the purpose of the psychometric tests your career counsellor asks you to take as part of the job-searching process?
a) To discover the "real" you.
b) To support or confirm your interests, values and aptitudes.
c) To identify your strengths and weaknesses.
d) To determine the fields in which you should study.
 
6. What do you say when you call a company and ask to speak to the employer:
a) To be sure you speak to the boss, you tell the secretary the call is personal.
b) You start the conversation by asking if there are any openings.
c) You ask to speak to the person responsible for hiring and offer him or her your services.
d) You do not call companies because you prefer to look through the want ads in the newspaper.
 
7. After sending your résumé to an employer, you should:
a) Wait until you are contacted for an interview.
b) Call the employer after 6 months to see whether you should send the employer your résumé again.
c) Contact the employer one to two weeks later to show that you are still interested in the position and ask to have an interview.
d) Show up at the employer's place of business to see whether they received your résumé.
 
8. After arriving at an employer's place of business, you are asked to fill out an application form. What do you do?
a) You just hand over your résumé, as it contains all of the relevant information.
b) You only write "see résumé" at the top of the application form and leave the employer a copy of your résumé.
c) You take the application form home to fill it out carefully and attach a copy of your résumé to the form.
d) You fill out the application form immediately.
 
9. You enter the office of an employer for a job interview:
a) You sit down and make the first move by starting the conversation.
b) You give your name and the title of the position for which you are applying, then wait until you are asked to sit down.
c) You quickly talk about everything in your résumé.
d) You ask for details about the job offered (salary, hours, etc.).
 
10. During an interview, an employer asks you to state three (3) of your strengths. What do you say?
a) You tell the employer that they will discover them after you are hired.
b) You tell the employer you are a perfectionist and that all your previous employers liked the quality of your work.
c) You list three (3) strengths and give concrete examples supporting each one.
d) You say you are versatile.
 
11. It is highly recommended you include the following in your résumé:
a) Second phone number where you can be reached.
b) Date of birth and photograph.
c) Marital status.
d) Social insurance number.
 
12. At the end of an interview, it is advisable to:
a) Ask 2-3 questions about the job and company to show that you are interested in the position.
b) Present your business card to the employer and say you are interested in the position.
c) Thank the employer for his or her time.
d) All of the above.
 
13. The interview is over, and everything went well:
a) You temporarily stop looking for a job while waiting for an answer from the employer.
b) You get ready to negotiate your salary.
c) You promptly send the employer a letter thanking him or her for taking the time to meet you.
d) You call the employer the next day to ask if you got the job.
 

Note: The masculine pronoun is used only to streamline the text.