The Interview: Know Your Audience

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. The Interview: Know Your Audience
2. A Blog: Better Than a Resume?
3. I'll Sleep On It. . .If I Can
4. Kenya Deputizes More Online Security Officers


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1. The Interview: Know Your Audience

"Tell me about yourself," says the interviewer. Coming up with a good answer should be easy enough. After all, who knows you better than you do? But this is the point in the interview when most job candidates kill their chances of landing the position. The problem? Most fail to tailor their message to their audience. The unspoken question underlying the interviewer's statement is "Are you my kind of person?" And a canned speech focused on what you want in a job doesn't give any inkling about whether you can meet his or her organization's needs. But a quick analysis of the interviewer's personality type--based on their body language, appearance, and demeanor--can give you the clues necessary to give, say, an HR representative and the finance manager separate but equally honest representations of what you can bring to the table.

2. A Blog: Better Than a Resume?

One way to make yourself stand out--and put yourself in line for great job opportunities without even applying for them--is to maintain a blog. A blog gives you visibility and allows you to create a personal brand that sets what makes you unique in full relief. A techcareers.com article provides some tips regarding what a good blog should include, such as a section for reader comments and a press section that allows readers to see where the blogger's comments have been quoted by other publications. No matter the format you choose, bloggers advise people thinking of starting a blog to "think hard about whether you can be really objective and truly real, because that's what readers want to see."

3. I'll Sleep On It. . .If I Can

Ever look at ornery or perpetually down-in-the-mouth colleagues and bemoan the fact that they allow their personal problems to seep into their work life? According to a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan, problems at work are likely at the root of their other problems, including a lack of restorative sleep. The decade-long survey, which monitored the sleep habits of 2300 people, showed that people upset by workplace conflict were twice as likely to have trouble dozing off at night.

4. Kenya Deputizes More Online Security Officers

Kenya, like a number of other African nations, has not been able to take advantage of the wave of IT outsourcing contracts that has benefited countries such as China and India because of concerns over information security. Part of the problem is a shortage of workers skilled in information security management. And the cost of sending IT managers to Europe or the U.S. for training is too high for small and medium-size businesses and even the government. But new training programs in Kenya that send experts to train local IT managers on site could help government offices and private firms may soon be better able to close the gaps in their computer systems' barriers.

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