eChaser: August 2010 / p2

SPJ national update: Is Andrew Breitbart an unethical opportunist or a paragon of reporting? Is Shirley Sherrod a racist? News at 6 and 10. ... A provision in the new financial-regulation law that limits public access to documents collected by the Securities and Exchange Commission is stoking a debate over disclosure. While the SEC says the provision will foster cooperation from the industry and aid examiners in pursuing wrongdoers, some outside lawyers say that applying the restriction too widely could make it harder to keep tabs on an agency that has flubbed big cases such as Bernard Madoff’s multibillion-dollar fraud. More here and here. ... No, we should not save journalism by raising taxes and creating an American BBC.

SPJ national update II: Where is citizen journalism taking us? ... Political appointees at the Department of Homeland Security reviewed — and sometimes even passed on to the White House for review — FOIA requests that they considered politically sensitive, according to the Associated Press. The practice went on for at least a year, after a July 2009 directive requiring “a wide range of information to be vetted by political appointees for ‘awareness purposes.’ ” More here. ... University of Iowa journalists launch investigative news outlet. ... College newspaper staff keeps fired adviser by naming him permanent guest speaker.

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GUEST COLUMN

Deborah Walker, CCMC

alphaadvantage.com

“So why should we hire you?”

Undoubtedly this is the most feared interview question, but it’s also one of the most common. It pays to be ready to answer it, as it is an invitation to sell yourself. No one is going to hire you until he or she is sold on you. This is your chance to state your value to the prospective employer. There are three steps to selling yourself with confidence.

• Know your product — you.

Every successful salesperson knows her product inside and out. She understands the benefits of each feature. In like manner, you must be able to articulate your transferable skills. First, take inventory of those skills. Make sure the skills you focus on are in demand for the position you seek. Next, recall the times of crisis when you used those skills to solve problems. Finally, ask yourself what your employer got out of your successes on the job. Did you save time or money, increase revenue, improve service or increase productivity? Your success stories carry more weight when you can quantify the results. These success stories make up your selling points.

• Know the challenges of the position.

Before you can tell prospective employers why they should hire you, you must understand their challenges. After all, you couldn’t sell a car unless you knew how it was to be used. Until you know what challenges go with the position, you won’t know which of your selling points to present. Early in the interview, ask, “What challenges do you see as most significant for this position in the first six months?” Note the response carefully. It will contain the hot button issues that you can use to sell you.

• Match your skills to the challenges.

Once you understand the skills needed for the job, simply share your success stories of when you faced similar problems and how you solved them. Be sure to include the all-important benefit your company received. Start off your value statements with phrases like, “I found a significant savings opportunity when ... ” or “My team gained efficiency when I discovered how to ... ” or “My boss achieved his quarterly objective when I ... ”

Remember, even if you don’t get asked, “Why should we hire you?,” it is the point of the whole interview. Job interviews are your chance to sell your talents and expertise. Before your next interview practice good salesmanship and prepare to sell yourself like a pro.

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PEOPLE & PLACES

Dr. Amiso George, APR, has been accepted into PRSA’s prestigious College of Fellows. The College of Fellows is an honorary organization composed of nearly 500 accredited practitioners and educators with at least 20 years experience — the top 2 percent of the profession who are members of PRSA. George will be inducted at the PRSA 2010 International Conference: Powering PRogress, Oct. 16-19 in Washington, D.C. She is the fifth member of Greater Fort Worth PRSA in the College of Fellows, joining Carolyn Bobo, APR; Mary Dulle, APR; Bill Lawrence, APR; and Dr. Doug Newsom, APR. George is an associate professor of strategic communication and adviser of the TCU-PRSSA/Bateman Team in the Schieffer School of Journalism. ...

Of three finalists in the recent Association of Alternative Newsweeklies awards, Fort Worth Weekly scored two first places — Peter Gorman for “Renaissance of the Rails” in feature story, and Gorman, Dan McGraw and SPJ member Jeff Prince for drilling coverage in the public service category. Prince also took second place in features for “Phases and Stages.” In a burst of corporate/colleague joy, FWW editor Gayle Reaves-King declared all of the recognitions “magnifique,” but “the public service award is particularly special.” ...

Star-Telegram expatriate Carol Nuckols has debuted her editing service, Pegasus Editing, code phrase “Your words take wing with Pegasus Editing.” She e-’s: “You’re invited to look at the website and leave a comment on the blog. Feel free to forward this to anyone who might need editing assistance.” ...

Paula LaRocque has a new website, and it has a blog, and thereon she gets all energized about the “great gift” of a Chandor Gardens tour she and husband Paul won at the December JPS charity raffle. “We redeemed our certificate, and I thought you might like to hear how that prize worked out. The blog is self-explanatory. You can share the blog (for that matter, the website as well) if you think the SPJ membership might be interested.” Consider it shared. Click on “Paula’s Blog.” ...

UTA Shorthorn ex Michael Phillips’ and Patrick Cox’s “The House Will Come to Order” gets a handsome play in the July 30 Texas Observer. ... TCU This Week, the newsletter for the university’s faculty and staff, had a nice centerpiece recently on the Schieffer School of Journalism’s Texas Center for Community Journalism and its director, Dr. Tommy Thomason. ...

JODesign project manager Melissa Rogers is trumpeting a new website that will help arts and entertainment lovers better experience what’s going on in the Fort Worth area. Appropriately titled worthgoing.com, the site, Rogers says, will be a “vibrant, interactive, online resource to connect arts and entertainment lovers to events as diverse as museum exhibits and gallery openings; comedy, dance and live music; special events at the Fort Worth Zoo: and even information on TCU athletics.” Users will be able to buy tickets on the site. The launch, scheduled for Sept. 1, will coincide with several “Art Attacks” throughout the community. More from Rogers at 817-335-0100. ...