Resume Writing Quiz: Entry-level Job-Seeker/New Graduate

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Resume Writing Quiz:
Entry-level Job-Seeker/New Graduate
A Quintessential Careers Quiz

by Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., and Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

New graduates and other younger job-seekers often struggle a bit in developing a strong resume. How confident are you in your resume-writing abilities? Take this quiz and test your resume-writing prowess.

Just complete this form. Click on Submit button when ready to send.

You will receive a set of correct responses via e-mail.

IMPORTANT: To ensure that you receive a set of correct responses to this quiz, please be sure to (a) enter your full e-mail address in the space provided and (b) please enter your email address twice to ensure that we get your correct e-mail address. We cannot provide you with feedback if your e-mail address is incorrect or not supplied. Read our Privacy Policy if you have any concerns about providing your email address to us. If you don't want to take this quiz interactively, print out this page and mark your answers. Then go to our detailed Entry-level Job-Seeker/New Graduate Resume Writing Quiz Answer Guide, which includes explanations to each question (including resources to get more information). And don't forget to check our Entry-level Job-Seeker/New Graduate Resume Writing Quiz Scoring Guide to see where you stand on your knowledge of resume writing.

Your name:

Your email address:

Re-enter your email address:

Directions: Please choose the best answer to the following questions.

Given that employers screen resumes for between 2.5 and 20 seconds, a resume should show the employer at a glance what you want to do and what you're good at. What's a good way to sharpen the focus of your resume and provide the reader with this vital information?
An Objective Statement
A Summary or Profile Section
A small, tasteful graphic
All of the above

When describing work experience, paragraph-style job descriptions are preferred over bulleted lists.
True
False

Should you list your GPA on your resume?
Yes, if it's above 3.5
Not under any circumstances
Yes, it's always expected
Yes, if your overall GPA and/or GPA in your major is over 3.0

Within your professional history, the most important element to highlight is:
Duties and responsibilities from past jobs
Skills
Names of supervisors
Accomplishments

When listing your Education, list in this order:
Name of college, city/state of college, major, graduation date, degree name
Name of degree in name of major, name of college, city/state of college, graduation date
Name of college, name of major, GPA, name of minor, span of dates of attendance
Dates of attendance, name of college, degree name, GPA, major

It's perfectly acceptable to use personal pronouns (I, me, my) on a resume.
True
False

When listing your job history, list in this order:
Dates of employment first, followed by name of employer, city/state of employer, title/position
Name of employer first, followed by city/state of employer, title/position dates of employment
Name of employer first, followed by street address and phone number of employer, supervisor's name, position/title, reason for leaving, salary
Title/position first, followed by name of employer, city/state of employer, dates of employment

What types of words are most important to include in your resume?
Action verbs and job-specific keywords
Colorful adjectives that describe you as a person
Multi-syllabic words that make you sound sophisticated
As much use as possible of the verb "to be"

Students with very little experience, especially minimal experience in their chosen field, should consider this resume technique:
Skillful exploitation of transferable and applicable skills
Use of a chrono-functional resume
Descriptions of class projects and coursework that are relevant to the chosen field
All of the above

Unpaid experience, such as you may have gained from internships, sports, volunteer work and extracurricular activities, should be:
separated from paid experience
left off your resume altogether
incorporated with your paid experience
listed only on page 2 of your resume

Students who have or are pursuing a four-year degree and also have an associate's degree from a community college should include the associate's degree on their resumes.
True
False

It's important to list references on a resume.
True
False

Students who belong to a greek organization should be sure to mention their fraternity or sorority by name on their resumes.
True
False

You should list hobbies and interests on your resume to make you more "human."
True
False

You should be sure to list your high-school education on your resume.
True
False

Knowing that a prospective employer might try to reach you in your dorm room after you've sent out your resume, what kind of greeting should you have on your answering machine or voicemail?
A humorous greeting that enables the employer to see what a fun person you are
A musical greeting that gives the employer a glimpse into your cultural tastes
A greeting in which your roommate and several other people who live on your floor chime in so the employer can see how personable and popular you are
A professional greeting that tells the employer you are serious about job-hunting

Your Objective statement should be as general as possible so it won't limit your job choices.
True
False

You should list all your coursework, or at least coursework in your major, on your resume.
True
False

It's an unbreakable rule that a new graduate's resume must be limited to one page.
True
False

One or two typos or misspellings on a resume won't hurt if you're well qualified for the job.
True
False

Like this quiz? Consider taking the companion Quintessential Careers Resume Strategy Quiz. And don't forget to check out our entire collection of Tests and Quizzes for Job-Seekers.

Questions about some of the terminology used in this quiz? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.

Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., creative director and associate publisher of Quintessential Careers, is an educator, author, and blogger who provides content for Quintessential Careers, edits QuintZine, an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and blogs about storytelling in the job search at A Storied Career. Katharine, who earned her PhD in organizational behavior from Union Institute & University, Cincinnati, OH, is author of Dynamic Cover Letters for New Graduates and A Foot in the Door: Networking Your Way into the Hidden Job Market (both published by Ten Speed Press), as well as Top Notch Executive Resumes (Career Press); and with Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., Dynamic Cover Letters, Write Your Way to a Higher GPA (Ten Speed), and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Study Skills (Alpha). Visit her personal Website or reach her by e-mail at kathy(at)quintcareers.com.

Dr. Randall S. Hansen is founder of Quintessential Careers, one of the oldest and most comprehensive career development sites on the Web, as well CEO of EmpoweringSites.com. He is also founder of MyCollegeSuccessStory.com and EnhanceMyVocabulary.com. He is publisher of Quintessential Careers Press, including the Quintessential Careers electronic newsletter, QuintZine. Dr. Hansen is also a published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds of articles. He's often quoted in the media and conducts empowering workshops around the country. Finally, Dr. Hansen is also an educator, having taught at the college level for more than 15 years. Visit his personal Website or reach him by email at randall(at)quintcareers.com.

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Resume Writing Quiz: Entry-level Job-Seeker/New Graduate A Quintessential Careers Quiz

Resume Writing Quiz:
Entry-level Job-Seeker/New Graduate
A Quintessential Careers Quiz