And guess what! Vulcan Media is all growed up, and now we have a Vulcan Media Facebook page! I am going to DOMINATE social media. I can see the plot unfolding now… and I will tell it to my 6 fans!

This video I did recently for the Grand Staff Music Mentorship Program takes aim at that problem, in the hopes of getting those silly little ditties sung once again from the back of the car…

I really do prefer this side of the camera...

It doesn’t happen very often that I am the one in the hot seat during an interview.

Typically, I invite a guest to be on my radio show or in a video, I come up with questions, and then I ask those scripted questions with a few zingers added in on the spot. As a journalist I tend to stay on that side of the line; what I know is how to ask others what they know. From time to time though people ask me to be the interviewee — a commitment I take on with reluctance since I tend to think that journalists are best when they stick with the asking.

Recently I agreed to be on the radio to talk about my most recent trip to Haiti in July/August 2011. The idea was to talk about the state of things a year and a half post-earthquake, to play some interviews I’d done with teachers and others involved in education and revitalization, and to talk a little about the film project I’ve been working on. In the midst of the pre-show planning, the host of the show asked me what I thought about one of the country’s former presidents, who many still believe should be given yet another chance to preside over the country.

Since this was all off-air and I knew this host personally, I didn’t hold back. I told the host what I thought, saying from my heart how I thought Haiti needed a new face, not an old one who had a history of being suspect. The host seemed surprised at my reaction, saying she despised the U.S. government (which I now take to equate to unequivocal support of this Haitian president.) The conversation ended after several minutes of diatribe by me and surprise by her.

The next day I got a call from the host expressing her concern over my opinion of this former leader. Mind you, the purpose of the interview was never political, but the host told me she had been very offended over my stance on this issue, and that she worried about putting someone on the air who had such a poor opinion of this leader. She would never want anything bad said about this person, she said, especially on her own show.  If I wanted to do the show, I would have to not speak of these things.

Mind you again, the purpose of the interview was never political.

Still, I had to tell her that I would not be on the show under these circumstances, as this appeared to be eerily like censorship to me. I had to add that as a journalist myself, I was surprised that she did not believe herself to have the skill to guide an interview in the intended direction, and was dismayed at the lack of effort to screen her guests before she tied up their schedules with interviews that would later be canceled. When I schedule an interview, it’s on the heels of at least enough research to know that the guest will provide me the information I am looking for.

I believe that this is where journalism deviates from the quest for objectivity, in that we can decide who we feature as interviewees, and the topics we will ask them about. We commit this cardinal sin of subjectivity in who and what we put forth, and yet in our golden quest for that clean conscience we still try to maintain the objectivity in HOW it’s put forth. At least that’s how I see it.

That’s why this experience was so disturbing to me — because that quest for keeping a clean “how” was muddied by this host who told me blatantly that I could not speak my mind should the topic come up — which it wouldn’t have…

What do you think? Should interviewers tell guests what they can and can’t mention during the interview and expect them to be ok with that, or should the interviewers simply keep those people off their show?

Did I do the right thing by refusing to do the interview and maintaining my integrity, or is it a missed opportunity in terms of PR for my film?

This is from the Spring 2011 issue of Black Hills Woman magazine:

In December, South Dakotaʼs unemployment rate was listed at 4.6 percent; nearly five percent lower than the national average. For women in the Black Hills that may translate into a relatively easy job hunt, but it doesnʼt exempt you from putting your best foot forward when sending out resumes to prospective employers.

From typos and boring descriptions, to snarky comments about the company youʼre applying to, the bumps in the road between you and that new job are many. The good news is that many are easily avoidable. The following are a few tips — inspired by real Black Hills employers — to help you avoid the most common mistakes in the job hunt.

The Resume

Even with an unemployment rate as low as South Dakotaʼs, human resources managers are often inundated with resumes for each new opening. If yours is peppered with typos, it might just get tossed out without a real look. And even if you do prepare a clean resume, if you send it to the wrong person, or send it via email instead of the asked-for snail mail delivery, itʼs likely to end up in the recycling bin.
No matter your skill set or level of education, hiring managers want to see that you can follow directions and pay attention to detail; thatʼs why they make specific requests in their advertisements for jobs.

Bottom line: donʼt make simple mistakes. Check your resume for typos, address your materials to the right people and place, and send them out in the manner described in the job advertisement. If youʼre not good at recognizing grammar or spelling mistakes, have a trusted friend look it over for you.

Your friends or former colleagues can also be great allies when it comes to preparing a killer resume that stands out from the crowd. As you prepare the section that describes your skill set and achievements, ask your co-workers or friends to throw out some words and phrases that describe you.

“People around you can clearly see your value in ways that you cannot, because they have likely benefited from your leadership qualities, organization skill, and technical proficiency,” says expert resume writer and job hunting coach Laura Smith-Proulx. So as you look for ways to make your past job descriptions stand out, jot down the words that others use to describe you, and include them in your resume.

Donʼt just rely on the old stand-by job descriptions and sales copy that everyone else will use; look for measurable successes and unique personality points that you can relay to your prospective employers.
A few other tips straight from Black Hills employers: List your most recent jobs first, and donʼt include jobs from before college or training school, unless you have no experience at all. A two-page resume is o.k. if the experiences included are relatable to the job youʼre applying for; but they just look like boring filler if theyʼre not.

The Cover Letter

So youʼve just spent all your creative energy creating a great resume, but thereʼs still the cover letter to contend with. Employers say one of their biggest pet peeves is finding the same information they saw in the resume also appear in the cover letter. So even if it takes some time, do what you can to provide fresh and insightful information that directly speaks to the job description and doesnʼt repeat what you included in your resume.

Use the job description as as cue to the companyʼs style, preferences and needs. You can even go so far as to use the same adjectives that are included in the job description.

Hereʼs an example: A few years ago I applied for a job that included the words “rock & roll” to describe the product I would be creating for the company. (And no, it didnʼt have anything to do with the music industry.) Using that cue, I developed a cover letter that not only confirmed I possessed many of the attributes they were looking for, but also incorporated the words “rock & roll” to describe my work style.

Not more than a few days later, the hiring manager called me and specifically told me it was my cover letterʼs specific attention to their needs and style, and my quirky addition of the “rock & roll” line that landed me the interview, and later a job offer.

That lends itself to another point: create a unique cover letter for EVERY job. If you rely on boilerplate language in your cover letters, youʼre not likely to get even the boiler room job. And if the job description names a manager or staff person to direct your inquiries to, address your cover letter to them, and not simply “Dear HR manager.”

Overqualified?

With the scarcity of jobs in many parts of the country, many people are out there applying for jobs that they may feel far overqualified for. While it may be true that youʼre overqualified, donʼt mention it in your interview, cover letter or resume!

Company managers want to hire someone who will be passionate about their job, so leave the judgements about your qualifications to them. If you belittle the company that the manager or owner has worked hard to build up, youʼre probably not going to get the job.

Whether itʼs in the resume, cover letter or interview, do what you can to show investment in the company, and in yourself, and chances are you wonʼt need any of this advice for very long.

Bio: South Dakota freelance writer Nicole Vulcan has learned most of these lessons the hard way, but continues to be employed writing rock & roll articles for Black Hills Woman, USA Today, Travels and more.

Unemployment rate information courtesy South Dakota Department of Labor

In early May 2010, the Haitian Minister of Agriculture accepted a “gift” of 470 tons of hybrid seed from Monsanto, the makers of Agent Orange and the pesticide RoundUp.  The Minister patently refused to accept Genetically-Modified Seeds, but did accept the hybrid ones — which are still treated with chemicals known to be toxic to humans.  We got a text message from the U.S. about the seed donation on May 15, the day the company announced its “fabulous Easter gift” for the Haitian people.  Two days later, on the same day that peasant farmers in the south vowed to burn the Monsanto seeds, I conducted this interview with Limbe farmer Sem Cadet.

Slideshow of my favorite shots from the first trip to Haiti.  I am leaving again in less than two weeks!  If you are interested in finding out more about the project, please visit www.bayofrainbows.com or www.noramise.org.

But in honor of the wonderful people I met in Haiti, whom I will meet again in three weeks, here are a few of my favorite photos from the trip.   Be sure to check out our production company site, www.bayofrainbows.com for essays and more photos.

Kids eating sugarcane, after we built a garden at their school

Delano Cadet, teacher and gardener extraordinaire

Posie and me shooting from a bell tower

Marketplace, Limbe, Haiti

Empty schoolhouse, Massabiel, Haiti

I am leaving for Haiti in one week, to shoot documentary footage on Helping Hands Noramise, a non-profit responding to the huge need for food in the earthquake-ravaged country.  I am overwhelmed at the speed of this process — this going from having a small idea, to making it happen in a big way in less than a week.  It’s going to be a journey I am sure I will never forget.

Since I can only keep up with one blog at a time whilst working on such a tremendous project, check in with me at Raising a Revolutionary for updates on the sitch.

I think the signature line on my email is so appropriate here:

“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”  -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.