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jingle can make the information even easier to remember. The more creative and silly the sentence, the
easier it is to remember. Take, for example, the nine planets listed in order according to their distance
from the sun:
Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune
The first letters of these words are: M V E M J S U N .
An acronym using these letters would be difficult to remember. But if you create a sentence using the
letters in order, you will remember the sequence better. For example: My Very Educated Mother Just
Served Us Nine Pizzas.
• Visualize. Visualization refers to creating or recalling mental pictures related to what you are learning.
Have you ever tried to remember something while taking a test and visualized the page the information
was on? This is your visual memory at work. Approximately 90 percent of your memory is stored visually
in pictures, so trying to visualize what you want to remember is a powerful study tool.
Table 17.6 helps you evaluate your study skills.
Become a Master at Taking Tests
Taking a formal test is like playing a game. The object is to get as many points as possible in the time you are
allowed. Tests are evaluations of what you know and what you can do with what you know. Here are the rules
of the test-taking game:
Rule 1: Act As If You Will Succeed. Thought is powerful. When you think negative thoughts, your stress
level rises. Your confidence level may drop, which often leads to feelings of failure. When this happens,
think about success. Smile and take deep, slow breaths. Close your eyes, and imagine getting the test
back with a good grade written at the top.
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Fun Self-Test—Do You Have Good Study Habits?
Answer “yes” or “no” to the following questions:
1. Do you usually spend too much time studying for the amount you are learning?
2. Do you spend hours cramming the night before an exam?
3. Do you find it easy to balance your social life with your study schedule?
4. Do you prefer to study with sound (TV or music) around you?
5. Can you sit for long periods and study for several hours without getting distracted?
6. Do you always borrow notes/materials from your friends before the exam?
7. Do you review your class notes periodically throughout the semester while preparing for
tests?
8. Is it easy for you to recall what you studied at the beginning of the semester?
9. Do you need to change your reading/learning style in response to the difficulty level of the
course?
10. Do you normally write your papers or prepare for your presentations the night before they
are due?
11. Do you feel comfortable contacting the instructor and asking questions or for help whenever
you need it?
12. Do you prefer to study lying on a bed or couch rather than sitting at a desk or table?10
See the scoring guidelines at the end of this chapter to obtain your score.
Table 17.6
Rule 2: Arrive Ahead of Time. Being on time or early for a test sets your mind at ease. You will have a
better chance of getting your favorite seat, relaxing, and preparing yourself mentally for the game ahead.
Rule 3: Bring the Essential Testing Tools. Don’t forget to bring the necessary testing tools along with
you, including extra pens, sharpened pencils, erasers, a calculator, laptop, dictionary, and other items you
may need.
Rule 4: Ignore Panic Pushers. Some people become nervous before a test and hit the panic button,
afraid they don’t know the material. Panic pushers are people who ask you questions about the material
they are about to be tested on. If you know the answers, you will feel confident; however, if you don’t, you
may panic and lose your confidence. Instead of talking with a panic pusher before a test, spend your time
concentrating on what you know, not on what you don’t know.
Rule 5: Preview the Playing Field. Here’s how to do a preview:
◦ Listen to instructions, and read directions carefully.
◦ Determine the point spread. Look at the total number of questions and the point value of each.
Decide how much time you can spend on each question and still finish the test on time.
◦ Budget your time. If you budget your time and stick to your time limits, you will always complete the
test in the amount of time given.
◦ Use the test as an information tool. Be on the lookout for clues that answer other questions.
Frequently, instructors will test you on a single topic in more than one way.
Rule 6: Write in the Margin. Before you begin the test, write key terms, formulas, names, dates, and
other information in the margin so you won’t forget them.
Rule 7: Complete the Easy Questions First. Answering easy questions first helps build your confidence.
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If you come across a tough question, mark it so you can come back to it later. Avoid spending so much
time on a challenging question that you might run out of time to answer the questions you do know.
Rule 8: Know If There Is a Guessing Penalty. Chances are your tests will carry no penalty for guessing. If
your time is about to run out and there is no penalty, take a wild guess. On the other hand, if your test
carries a penalty for guessing, choose your answers wisely, and leave blank the answers you do not know.
Rule 9: Avoid Changing Your Answers. Have you ever chosen an answer, changed it, and learned later
that your first choice was correct? Research indicates that three out of four times, your first choice is
correct; therefore, you should avoid changing an answer unless you are absolutely sure the answer is
wrong.
Rule 10: Write Clearly and Neatly. If you are handwriting your test (versus using a computer), imagine
your instructor reading your writing. Is it easy to read or difficult? The easier your test is for the instructor
to read, the better your chances of getting a higher grade.
Here are some websites to help you learn more about taking tests:
Essay tests and a checklist for essay tests
http://www.calpoly.edu/~sas/asc/ael/tests.essay.html
Checklist for essay tests
http://www.mtsu.edu/~studskl/essay.html
General test taking
http://www.calpoly.edu/~sas/asc/ael/tests.general.html
Post-test analysis
http://www.calpoly.edu/~sas/asc/ael/tests.post.test.analysis.html
17.5 Get Your Career Off on the Right Track
Mark this section of the text with a permanent bookmark because you are going to want to refer back to it
many times during the remainder of your college career. Yes, we are going to give you a road map to find,
keep, and advance in that job that is perfect for you.
Think Positively
To be successful in life and in a career, you need to be positive. Positive thinking is making a conscious effort to
think with an optimistic attitude and to anticipate positive outcomes. Positive behavior means purposely acting
with energy and enthusiasm. When you think and behave positively, you guide your mind toward your goals
and generate matching mental and physical energy.
Positive thinking and behavior are often deciding factors in landing top jobs: your first job, a promotion, a
change of jobs—whatever career step you are targeting. That’s because the subconscious is literal; it accepts
what you regard as fact. Follow these steps to form the habit of positive thinking and to boost your success:
1. Deliberately motivate yourself every day. Think of yourself as successful, and expect positive outcomes
for everything you attempt.
2. Project energy and enthusiasm. Employers hire people who project positive energy and enthusiasm.
Develop the habit of speaking, moving, and acting with these qualities.
3. Practice this positive-expectation mindset until it becomes a habit. Applicants who project
enthusiasm and positive behavior generate a positive chemistry that rubs off. Hiring decisions are
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influenced largely by this positive energy. The habit will help you reach your peak potential.
4. Dwell on past successes. Focusingon past successes to remind yourself of your abilities helps in
attaining goals. For example, no one is ever born knowing how to ride a bicycle or how to use a computer
software program. Through training, practice, and trial and error, you master new abilities. During the
trial-and-error phases of development, remind yourself of past successes; look at mistakes as part of the
natural learning curve. Continue until you achieve the result you want, and remind yourself that you have
succeeded in the past and can do so again. You fail only when you quit trying!11
Exhibit 17.5 Aligning one’s lifestyle interests with one’s career trajectory is essential to long-term career satisfaction. If the idea of working in
a big city captivates the imagination, it can become a guide to the types of jobs to pursue. If one is motivated to work with people or animals,
then charity organizations or zoos might be a good place to look. What jobs do you visualize yourself doing, and how can that vision guide your
career search? (Credit: Rich Bowen/ Flickr/ Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))
Take a Good Look at Yourself
Once you’ve developed a positive, “can do” attitude, the next step is to better understand yourself. Ask
yourself two basic questions: “Who am I?” and “What can I do?”
Who Am I? This question is the start of self-assessment, examining your likes and dislikes and basic values. You
may want to ask yourself the following questions:
• Do I want to help society?
• Do I want to help make the world a better place?
• Do I want to help other people directly?
• Is it important for me to be seen as part of a big corporation? Or do I prefer to be part of a smaller
organization?
• Do I prefer working indoors or outdoors?
• Do I like to meet new people, or do I want to work alone?
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Are you assertive? Assess your assertiveness by taking the quiz in Table 17.7.
What Can I Do? After determining what your values are, take the second step in career planning by asking,
“What can I do?” This question is the start of skill assessment, evaluating your key abilities and characteristics
for dealing successfully with problems, tasks, and interactions with other people. Many skills—for instance, the
ability to speak clearly and strongly—are valuable in many occupations.
Be sure to consider the work experience you already have, including part-time jobs while going to school,
summer jobs, volunteer jobs, and internships. These jobs teach you skills and make you more attractive to
potential employers. It’s never too early or too late to take a part-time job in your chosen field. For instance,
someone with an interest in accounting would do well to try a part-time job with a CPA (certified public
accountant) firm.
Fun Self-Test—How Assertive Are You?
Rate your level of agreement with the following statements using the scale below:
Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree
1. I don’t easily agree to work for others.
2. There are some people who make jokes about the way I communicate and put me down
repeatedly.
3. I speak up without fear of what others will think of me.
4. I rarely have to repeat my thoughts to make people understand.
5. I sound like I am asking a question when I am making a statement.
6. I’m more reluctant to speak up on the job than in other situations.
7. I can always think of something to say when faced with rude remarks.
8. I tend to suffer in silence when unfairly criticized or insulted.
9. I tend to respond aggressively when criticized unfairly.
10. People don’t listen when I am speaking.
11. If I say “no,” I feel guilty.
12. When I have a conflict with someone, the results seem to always go their way.
13. When I speak, people listen.12
See the scoring guidelines at the end of this chapter to obtain your score.
Table 17.7
In addition to examining your job-related skills, you should also look at your leisure activities. Some possible
questions: Am I good at golf? Do I enjoy sailing? Tennis? Racquetball? In some businesses, transactions are
made during leisure hours. In that case, being able to play a skillful, or at least adequate, game of golf or
tennis may be an asset.
It’s hard to like your job if you don’t like the field that you’re in. Most career counselors agree that finding
work you’re passionate about is one of the critical factors behind career success. That’s why so many career
counselors love all those diagnostic tools that measure your personality traits, skill levels, professional
interests, and job potential.
The internet is virtually exploding with tests and assessments that you can take. Try, for example,
http://www.self-directed-search.com. This test is based on the theory that people and work environments
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	Chapter 17. Your Career in Business
	17.5. Get Your Career Off on the Right Track*