Interview Follow-up Letters - Do You Know Their Importance?
March 23, 2008
Interview Follow-up Letters - Do You Know Their Importance?
by: Simone Emmons
You’ve had your interview with a perspective employer. Now what? Do you simply wait for a response or do you take a more proactive stand? The fact is that job searching doesn’t end with the interview. It’s what you do in the days that follow the interview that can shift things in your favor.
Do you know the importance of a follow-up letter? It is the last piece of the overall resume package but it can be the most powerful and persuasive piece of material you can have in your job-hunting arsenal. Not sending one to someone, who has interviewed you for a position, can be the biggest mistake that you can make. It is the one thing that can be used to sell your skills to an employer, one final time before they make a decision. It actually serves two purposes.
1. It thanks the interviewer for taking the time to interview you. This is especially important because they are busy people and it’s a nice way of acknowledging that you value their time.
Investing in Stocks and The Game of Monopoly
March 22, 2008
To begin, you might look at playing the stock market as though you were playing a game of Monopoly. That’s right; for playing the stock market ‘game’ is not unlike playing a game of Monopoly. There are definite comparisons and parallels.
In Monopoly there are a Boardwalk, a Marvin Gardens, Utilities, Railroads, etc. In the stock market you have the same type of properties (stocks), as in the game of Monopoly. For example, a Boardwalk may be a GE; a railroad, a CSX Corp.; Duke Energy, a utility. The rent a player collects in Monopoly could be compared to the dividends collected by a shareholder in the stock market. How much rent collected in Monopoly would depend on the property owned and how many houses are owned on the property. In the stock market game this would translate into which company is owned and how many shares of each company is owned.
To win the game of Monopoly a player will need to own properties (three of the same color) before building houses and, eventually, a hotel to attain that comfortable, worry-free income that the player knows will come. (The game is not won by selling the properties you own to your opponent, even at twice the price paid.) The game is won by building houses on the properties owned and collecting that worry-free rent.
Provident Loans: Finding Opportunities Where Regular Loans Fall Short
March 21, 2008
Provident Loans: Finding Opportunities Where Regular Loans Fall Short
by: Maria Smith
One can get great prices online for a car or home but what if you want to buy a computer, television or just a school uniform? Provident loans are made to measure against fulfilling such requirements. Provident loans basically came up against various pawn shops that had emerged and charged exorbitantly high interest rates for short term loans. And now they have grown to become a significant part of the lending industry.
Provident loans are offered as small unsecured loans for amounts ranging from £50-£500. Unsecured provident loans have small affordable payments which makes repayment easier. Also, repayment for provident loans is fixed. Fixed repayments for provident loans enable the borrowers to remain in control of their finances. With fixed monthly repayments, borrowers can safely plan their budget ahead. There are no other charges for provident loans and the amount remains same till the end of the term. Provident loans provide short term loans at reasonable interest rates. Without the drawback of high interest rates, provident loans become an alternative for those looking for short term loans. Provident loans fail to turn into any financial trap because interest rates are not high.
The Cash Now Question
March 20, 2008
If you have ever been in a bind for cash you know the stress, the weight of not being able to pay your bills. In these desperate times, desperate measures are often taken. Expensive loans, overused credit cards, and a snowball of events quickly complicate your financial position. Once the collectors begin their relentless pursuit of your sanity, the road to financial prosperity seems a million miles away. On the scene arrives your hero, the "Cash Now" guy.
The "Cash Now" guy says he can buy your lawsuit settlement and give you a lump sum for it. Of course, you have to have a structured settlement; you have to be receiving annuity payments, on top of a myriad of other qualifications. So if you are a lawsuit winner with an annuity settlement, is it really as good as it seems? Can cash now ease your financial woes? Maybe, but maybe not, it all depends on your situation.
How to save more money using promotional codes
March 20, 2008
How to save more money using promotional codes
by: John Hasson
Promotional codes are online coupons that qualify the owner for discounts and special offers. The codes can be numeric or alphanumeric. Promotional codes are a marketing tool similar to paper coupons.
Promotional codes are also referred to as key codes, media codes, reference codes, free shipping codes, online coupon codes, etc.
Customers can save money while shopping online by availing these promotional codes that are offered by online merchants to improve repeat business and obtain new customers. Benefits include free shipping, gifts, offers such as buy one and get one free, and discounts.
By making use of promotional codes, online shoppers can save on a range of products and services such as garments, sports goods, stationery, cosmetics, electronics, food and beverage, health products, web hosting, or even travel. The best part of availing offers using promotional codes is that several of these are offered by big brands. Also, on occasions the promotional codes can be used along with other promotional offers, thereby enabling shoppers to enjoy attractive benefits on their purchases.
Trust Factor
March 19, 2008
Trust Factor
by: Charlie Trumpess
Military formations have long sought to lessen the tension between the rigidity of their organisational structures and the need for quick, decisive, imaginative leadership plus flexibility of movement on the battlefield. General George Armstrong Custer’s ego, for example, blinded him to the realities of the situation at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, and it cost many men their lives in consequence. The US Cavalry of the nineteenth century seems to have lacked the organisational checks-and-balances required to halt one man’s dangerous ambitions. But too much centralised control, red tape and restraint can be just as risky as too little.
During Operation Mercury, the German airborne invasion of Crete in May 1941, General Bernard Freyberg, the island’s commander, and his subordinates opted for an outdated static defence in the face of aggressive, highly motivated but lightly armed paratroops. It was largely thanks to Freyberg’s autocratic style of leadership and obsolete military thinking which allowed the Germans to eventually wrestle control of the island away from its Commonwealth defenders, a numerically superior force, and impel a humiliating evacuation.
Cover Letters - An Important Introduction
March 18, 2008
Cover Letters - An Important Introduction
by: Simone Emmons
Your resume can present your skills, education and experience to a possible employer, but your cover letter must encourage the perspective employer enough to consider you from hundreds of candidates competing for a particular job opening.
Your cover letter must be a presentation of your qualifications and abilities and must be presented in a professional yet personalized format that says you are serious about getting hired. It is your first chance to make a good impression and makes the hiring manager want to continue to read your enclosed resume.
Do You Really Need a Cover Letter?
You bet that you do! It is the first chance you have to market yourself to a perspective employer. It is the most important way to introduce yourself and give a brief highlight of why you think you are right for the position.
Think about this, you would never show up at a perspective employer’s door uninvited, therefore your resume should never just show up on the hiring manager’s desk without some kind of introduction. Your cover letter is that introduction. Through it, you introduce yourself, sell your qualifications and show them that you are a strong candidate for the position. You don’t put too much information into it, just enough to make them interested in learning more about you and what you can offer the company in terms of your abilities and experience.
Are You at Risk of Missing a Networking Opportunity?
March 17, 2008
Are You at Risk of Missing a Networking Opportunity?
by: Alan Fairweather
I have a confession to make. The other day I was stocking up
on necessities at my local supermarket when I came face to
face with Duggie, who I haven’t seen for years. We went
through all the - “How are you, what have you been up to,
what’re you doing now” kind of stuff.
Duggie then says - “Alan, can I have one or two of your
business cards in case I need to get in touch and to pass to
other people.”
Now, I’m always nagging other people about never leaving
home without business cards. Don’t even take out the garbage
without a business card in your pocket. And guess what - I
had no business cards to give to Duggie.
He then tells me that he was at a Dinner the previous
evening and he met several new contacts - however, he’d also
forgotten his business cards. Duggie has his own business
and he’s always looking for new clients.
So let me say it again (and I’m also talking to myself) -
Homeowner Loans : A 3D View of Ownership!
March 16, 2008
Homeowner Loans : A 3D View of Ownership!
by: Marsha Claire
Did you ever imagine that your home can prove to be much more than a mere shelter? Something more than just a roof over your head? Well, once you enter the loan world, you sure cannot overlook the value of the asset you own. If you are a homeowner, you have a horizon of opportunities where taking a homeowner loan is considered. A homeowner loan is backed by your home, i.e. it is a secured loan and is so called because you put up your home as collateral or security for the lender, against the amount borrowed. Homeowner loans are straightforward and are available to every homeowner irrespective of your credit history. The money availed through homeowner loans can fund innumerable financial needs and can provide opportunities galore if used well.
Homeowner loans can be modified as per your financial standing. The main attraction of these loans is the low interest rate offered on it. Since your home is a security for the lender, you, as the borrower benefit too by having lower interest rates and flexible repayment options to deal with. The latest report on homeowner loans reveals an interest rate as low as 5.1%. However, in this rather smooth sailing journey, there is one road block: in case you default in your monthly payments, your home or property is liable to confiscation by your creditor. Your creditor holds the claim on your home until complete repayment.
Surviving Office Politics At Your New Job
March 15, 2008
Surviving Office Politics At Your New Job
by: Simone Emmons
Whether you are just starting your first job or your 10th job, you will find that office politics is consistent in all companies. Office politics is something that is inherent in any company you may work for. It’s part of the culture and you won’t be able to avoid it. So just how do you survive office politics and still get to make your talents shine? Simple, you need to market your talents everyday, just as you did during the interview that got you the job.
You basically need to focus on fitting in with the scheme of things around the office. Be friendly and outgoing and offer support to your co-workers and management when possible. Refuse to engage in the sleazier side of office politics and soon management and your peers will take notice of you. You will win their support and respect.
Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn to management. Don’t assume that they should know what you do all day. They have their own agenda and may take notice of some things that you do, but many things may go unnoticed. Your positive attitude and activities will rally support and leave a lasting impression to everyone.
