Infotips » Advice

How to avoid mail order scams

admin — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 14:18:09 +0000

How to avoid mail order scams

(NC)-Concerns about mail order scams are way up there on Canadian consumer complaint lists. Here, according to information on Industry Canadas Consumer Information Gateway website, are some ways to protect yourself when buying things through the mail:

.. Beware of exaggerated or vague claims about products or unusually low prices in advertisements.

.. Keep a complete record of your order, including a copy of the ad (newspaper issue, brochure or T.V. channel that carried the ad), the companys name and address, date of order and a photocopy of all cheques or money orders.

.. A legitimate company should send you a list of customers in your area upon request. You can contact these people to see

if they are satisfied with the company, or contact your local Better Business Bureau to check the reputation of the company.

.. Check the merchandise as soon as it arrives in case it is broken or faulty. Try to return defective or broken items in the original packaging.

For more information on junk mail, and other common consumer concerns, visit ConsumerInformation.ca. Its a Web site created by federal, provincial, territorial governments and their partners specifically to provide Canadians with convenient, one-stop access to hundreds of objective, reliable, current consumer information sources.

- News Canada
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News Canada

Free arbitration service helps unhappy car buyers

admin — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 14:18:12 +0000

Free arbitration service helps unhappy car buyers

(NC)-If you are unhappy with a new car youve just bought, and arent getting satisfaction, try contacting CAMVAP. Its an “arbitration” program that can help you resolve disputes with an automobile manufacturer about the quality of your vehicle or how the manufacturer is interpreting or implementing its new vehicle warranty. Most domestic and imported passenger cars, light trucks, sport utility vehicles, vans and multi-purpose passenger vehicles that are purchased or leased in Canada are covered. The vehicle must be from the current or one of the previous four (4) model years.

CAMVAP was created in 1994 by government and others to help consumers resolve disputes with vehicle manufacturers or distributors in a way that is fair, fast, free, friendly and final. It is currently the largest consumer product arbitration plan in Canada.

Arbitration means that you and the vehicle manufacturer both agree to accept the decision of an impartial person (the arbitrator) who will listen to

both sides of the case, weigh the evidence, and make a decision that is final and binding on both you and the manufacturer.

Choose carefully between going to CAMVAP or going to court. The range of remedies or solutions available to the arbitrator may same as what is available to you by going to court. Make sure you choose the alternative that is best for you and your situation.

You should also check the consumer protection laws in your Province or Territory as they may suggest another course of action.

For more information on CAMVAP and other organizations that can help you with consumer concerns, visit ConsumerInformation.ca . Its a Web site created by federal, provincial, territorial governments and their partners specifically to provide Canadians with convenient, one-stop access to hundreds of objective, reliable, current consumer information sources.

- News Canada
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News Canada

Consumer Advice

admin — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:18:06 +0000

How to stop junk mail and unsolicited telephone calls

(NC)-Concerns about unwanted junk mail and telemarketing are common among Canadian consumers. According to information on Industry Canadas Consumer Information Gateway website The Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) offers a Do Not Mail/Do Not Call Service for people who prefer not to receive mail and telephone solicitations at home. You can write the CDMA and have your name removed from marketing lists held by CDMA members, who account for about 80 per cent of direct response sales in Canada.

Do Not Mail/ Do Not Call Service

The Operation

Integrity

c/o Canadian Marketing Association

607-1 Concorde Gate, Don Mills ON M3C 3N6

For more information on junk mail, and other common consumer concerns, visit ConsumerInformation.ca . Its a Web site created by federal, provincial, territorial governments and their partners specifically to provide Canadians with convenient, one-stop access to hundreds of objective, reliable, current consumer information sources.

- News Canada
About the author:

News Canada

Computer Consulting 101 PC Troubleshooting Advice

admin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:18:06 +0000

While most small businesses really do need to find a good local computer consulting business to take care of their computer problems, there are some computer problems that are simple enough for even a technophobe to handle. At Computer Consulting 101, we’ve found there’s one very simple piece of advice that often doesn’t get communicated to non-technical small business end users: When in doubt, reboot first.

Seriously, while it may sound tremendously simple, end users often overlook it during typical computer panic attacks.

Anytime you’re about to consider an issue a real IT support problem and call your computer consulting vendor, always reboot first.

First, exit out of whatever files and programs that youre working on. Then, run through a Shutdown and Restart sequence to reboot your computer.

If you suspect your computer problem involves something hardware-related, such as with your network card, modem, mouse, keyboard or sound card, you should even go one step further, before calling your computer consulting experts.

Go to your Start menu. Next, shutdown your PC. Then turn the power off for a minute or so… if you’re computer didn’t power itself off on its own. Then finally power your PC back up again and see if the problem resolved itself on its own. Many times a simple reboot is all it takes.

The Bottom Line

While this advice probably sounds very basic, at Computer Consulting 101 we’ve found that a substantial percentage (as many as 10-20% of problems) of trouble calls for IT support become unnecessary after

a reboot. And of course, because you probably pay every single time you pick up the phone, why not conserve your IT budget for those projects that can help your company drive more revenue, improve productivity, reduce overhead, and boost your bottom line. Remember, before you call a computer consulting professional, reboot first… so you can conserve your computer consulting budget for those problems that really require expert assistance.

About the Author

Joshua Feinberg, co-founder of Computer Consulting 101, is a 15-year computer consulting veteran and has appeared in dozens of business and IT trade publications including CRN, VARBusiness, Microsoft Direct Access, TechRepublic, American Express OPEN, Entrepreneur, Inc, SCORE, Small Business Computing, and USA Today. To get Joshua’s proven computer consulting secrets, sign up now for the free training at http://www.computer-consulting-101com

Copyright MMI-MMV, Computer-Consulting-101.com, All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

About the Author

Common Sense Advice for Search Engine Optimization

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:18:07 +0000

Most web surfers start their sessions at a search engine or a web directory. There are a number of different methods you can use to capture their traffic and drive it to your site:

1. Stick to the big names: The two largest directories: Yahoo! (http://www.yahoo.com) and the Open Project Directory (http://www.dmoz.org), and the two largest search engines: Google (http://www.google.com ) and Inktomi (used by MSN search (http://www.msn.com) and AOL (http://www.aol.com)) are likely to deliver 80% of your traffic, so concentrate on those and dont spend too much time on anybody else.

2. Yahoo and the Open Project Directory are administered by humans, so an editor will inspect your site before its added. They receive so many submissions that it can literally take months before your site is reviewed, and nothing (not even paid subscriptions) guarantees that it will be listed. Its worth to keep trying, though, so check back every month or so and, if your site isnt listed, submit it again.

3. Google and Inktomi are robots (software programs) that “crawl” (find and read) millions of sites on the web, and add them to their index. Thats why it is not absolutely necessary to manually submit your site to a search engine, since they may find your site and add it automatically when they find a link to your site on another page.

4. You dont need to submit all the pages on your site. Once the search engine finds your main page (homepage), it will find the other ones by following links. To improve the chances of your secondary pages being found, create a link called ‘site map in your homepage, and have it point to a page that is nothing but a collection of links to all the pages on your site. This way, the search engine will follow the link and “suck in” all your pages. Try putting this link as close to the top of your homepage as possible, since it will have a better chance of being picked up by the search engine.

5. Your site will stand a much better chance of showing up at the top of the search results list if you choose keywords that are as specific as possible. In general, niche sites that use very specific keywords have a better

chance of being at the top of the list than generic sites that use more common keywords. For example, a restaurant that specializes in brick oven pizza (keywords: brick oven pizza) has a better chance of showing up in a prime position than an all-encompassing Italian restaurant (keywords: Italian restaurant).

6. A good search engine ranking is also conditioned by the amount of inbound links to your site that the search engine finds in other websites. A significant amount of links to your page from high ranked, quality sites with content related to yours, will significantly boost your rankings. Try contacting the webmasters of the leading websites for the keywords of your choice and try to get them to link to your site. You can offer a link exchange or place a paid link (advertising) on their pages, if thats an available option.

7. Creating a good page title tag is also key, since its usually the first thing the search engines display in the search results page. Also, you must create a well written, easy to understand ‘Description meta tag, since some search engines will use it to describe your site. The more your title and description match your preferred search keywords, the more likely web users will click into your site. Dont pay too much attention to the Keywords meta tag, since most search engines ignore them nowadays, due to the potential for abuse.

Finally, one last word of advice: dont obsess with search engines, since they are not the only way to generate traffic to your site. Try different approaches, like writing articles and posting them in discussion groups and newsgroups. Also, dont overlook bricks-and-mortar techniques like passing around business cards embedded with your website address, or advertising in traditional media. It is a combination of all these things, and high quality, original content, what will make your site popular.

About the Author

Mario Sanchez publishes The Internet Digest ( http://www.theinternetdigest.net ), an online collection of web design and Internet marketing articles and resources. You can freely reprint his weekly articles in your website, ezine, newsletter or ebook.

Christmas Gifts Advice

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:18:03 +0000

Yes its that time of year again. So whats your plan this year? Where you just going to leave it to the last minute again and compete with the rest of the country for the last few items on the shelves come Christmas Eve? I know that with this little guide you can help save yourself from a lot of stress this Christmas so take a few minutes to read on.

1) Its always best to make a start with a list of people you want to buy presents for. Do not feel pressured into buying big gifts for everyone. As the old saying goes its the thought that counts so you can just buy small gifts for some people. Lots of family members come to an agreement prior to Christmas not to exchange gifts. If money is maybe a bit tight for you this year then maybe you should consider this option.

2) Work out your budget. How much do you want to spend in total this Christmas on gifts. Dont forget things like wrapping paper and cards. Take that figure and divide it into amounts youd like to spend on each person on your list.

3) Be strict with your budget! Ive made this a separate point as its so easy to get carried away when your in the shops and spend much more than you intended on your Christmas presents. I know as Ive been there

myself.

4) To make your Christmas gifts a success its always best to ask the main people you will be spending money on what they would actually like. Likewise make a list of things you would like to receive so you can give people options of things to buy you.

5) Thanks to the advent of the internet you can now buy many of your Christmas presents online. This can save time, effort and money. Certain gifts you might not find on the internet, but its always a good starting point.

6) Now the hardest bit. Going to the shops. Some people may enjoy this, many find the Christmas shopping experience a nightmare. Going early is the keyword. If you dont manage to go earlier in the year than December then at least go early in the morning. Youll beat the main crowds if you can be in the shops when they open then home for lunch.

So all thats left now is just to wrap those gifts and enjoy Christmas. Oh and one last tip. If you can get to the shops in the January sales this is a great time to buy everything for next Christmas.

Merry Christmas

About The Author

Chris Unsworth writes articles for http://www.christmasgiftsadvice.com.

Car Rental Tips and Advice

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:17:59 +0000

Lowest Rates Vs. A Good Bargain

Many people approach Car Rental as a lowest-price-possiblecontest rather than to concentrate on the value of the deal theyeventually would get, in terms of what type of car, whatsincluded (air conditioning, automatic gear shift etc) as wellas what type of service they are buying.

The thing is, Car Rental market is very competitive one andrates differences for comparable quality and service arerelatively small, sometimes as small as $10 to $20. These minuetprice differences are going to vanish in the wind when youconsider the long lines and lost time at the cheapest rentercounter, drop charges for remote destinations, late returnfines, and gasoline inflated rates as well as other servicecharges you didnt think about when you shopped for the “bestdeal”.

Dont get us wrong, we dont like to pay higher prices more thanyou do. We do recommend to shop around and check the variousrates available, especially when its so easy to do it via theInternet at comparison sites.

All we say here you need to consider other things beside theprice and when you compare please make sure you compare applesto apples and not apples to pears.

Things to consider when ordering a rented a car

Who is using the car, are you by yourself on a business trip oryou are traveling with the whole family? How much luggage areyou going to have, does the car you are thinking about is bigenough to have you all plus all your hand luggage and bigsuitcases? If not, consider to change to a mini van or a carwith extra large trunk.

Do you need an Infant seat or a child booster? make sure it ismentioned clearly with your order, usually there is a shortageof these seats and they are provided for extra charge. Check thestate laws for where you are traveling.A new law in Denver forinstance, requires Booster Seats for all 4 and 5 year olds whoare not 55 inches tall.

Do you actually need the car in the town or city at the firstfew days? If not, consider to take a taxi, a bus, a train or thehotel shuttle into the city and when its time for you to go outof town and travel around, then, rent the car from the citylocation and by that save up to 15% on Air-Port charges as wellas on city parking fees.

Are you going to a very warm and humid destination? If yes, itsrecommended to order a car with air conditioning, usually theprice difference is negligible, the problem is that its notavailable in all destinations like in some European countries.

Most major rental car companies allow for unlimited mileage inthe same state, but its a good idea to check their policybefore confirming. Many smaller local independent companiescharge mileage after 100-200 free miles per day.

As mentioned before price is not the only factor to considerwhen choosing a car rental company. If you choose a very small,no-name company, dont expect them to provide you with serviceacross all nation or continent, what would you do if the car isneeded to be replaced or serviced for some reason?

Frequent or Preferred Renter Programs and affiliations

Frequent renter programs, Like airlines and hotels, majorcar rental companies track their customers rental histories andoffer preferential service to loyal customers. Most of the majorcompanies offer frequent renter programs that are similar toairline frequent-flyer programs and hotel frequent-guestprograms.

Preferred renter clubs, Most major car rental companiesalso offer preferred renter programs or clubs (one example isthe Hertz #1 Club). When you belong to one of these clubs, youget preferential treatment, including automatic upgrades whenthose cars are available. You can join these programs at anytime, even if you are a first-time renter with that company.While basic-level club memberships are often free, higher-levelmemberships (as in the Hertz #1 Gold Club, which allows you tobypass the rental counter) generally come with a price tag. Whatmost people dont realize is that its often possible to avoidthe membership fee by simply writing or calling your car rentalcompany and asking them to waive it. They will do it because thecar rental industry is very competitive, and they want yourbusiness

If youre still faced with a steep rate, try getting discountsbased on your affiliations with organizations like AARP, AAA orothers. These discounts are usually not great, but they arebetter than nothing.

In addition, always check for corporate rates if applicable toyour situation.

Car Rental Insurance

Some of the Insurance terms seem to be confusing, lets try toclear them out first.

CDW – Collision Damage Waiver.

LDW – Loss Damage Waiver.

PDW – Physical Damage Waiver.

PAI – Personal Accident Insurance.

PEC – Personal Effects Coverage.

ALI – Additional Liability Insurance.

Many of the Credit Cards have most of these coverage, thereforeits not mandatory to purchase excessive coverage. Its betterto check this issue with

your travel agent, insurance agent andyour credit card company a head of time. Some Car rentalcompanies require that you show proof of insurance.

Also be aware that your personal insurance probably doesntapply to your rental car when traveling overseas. All this issomewhat complicated and at times confusing because there are noindustry standards for terminology and policies vary bylocations.

Important things to check and do before leaving theAir-Port

After a long flight and the waiting in lines for your luggageand afterwards for your keys at the car rental counter, it isunderstandable you just want to take the rented car and driveaway to your hotel, but wait! Here is a list of things you mustcheck first.

Start by making a careful check around the car, look for anysmall dents or scratches, in case you find some, dont be lazy,go back to the office and ask a representative of the rentalcompany to write down all of these dents, ask for a copy of thatreport. Other wise you might be responsible for damages youdidnt perform.

Open the trunk, make sure you have a spare tire, a jack and setof tools, there is noting more irritating than to find out inthe middle of nowhere that you dont have a jack when you needto replace a flat tire.

Many car companies will provide you with an extra key if you askfor one. This can come in handy for some of us who are absentminded.

It is recommended to spend some time to get acquainted with thecars features and switches, make sure you know where the lightsswitches are, how to operate the windshield wipers, the airconditioner and even set your favorite radio stations as well asset your side mirrors. It might be quiet frustrating to fightwith the new switches while driving, when all of a sudden itstarts raining.

Make sure you have a map and its better to spend few moreminutes and plan your driving route.

Last but certainly not least, If you have a lot of luggage,dont park the car in the parking lot and go for lunch, in manycountries, this is an easy target for the thieves, Its betterto buy some sandwiches and beverages in the air-port, or stopsomewhere along the way for refreshing but never leave the carunattended.

In case you are involved in a Car Accident

These are the most important pieces of information to collectfrom the involved parties: full name, mailing address, telephonenumber, insurance details, and drivers license number.

Also try to get the names and contact information of anyone whowitnessed the accident. Make a note of the vehicles make,color, brand and license plate number.

Try to pinpoint the exact time and location of the accident. Ifthe police get involved, ensure that you receive a copy of theirreport. Dont forget to inform your insurance agent immediatelyand notify the car rental company. They will let you know abouttheir accident procedure.

If you purchased insurance through the car rental company, theywill have to make the claim. If there is damage to the rentalcar, there will be much paper work to complete

Make sure any involved parties are ok. Any injuries should betaken care of ASAP.

Call the police and/or ambulance (if necessary), and then callthe car rental agency. Be as cooperative as possible. The carrental agency will have its own policies regarding accidents.

Exchange information with the affected parties. Try to recordeverything on the scene. Your notes should include details ofthe accident, identification of the autos and people involved,and the names and badge numbers of all emergency personnel.

Take pictures if possible. If you are on vacation, you willprobably have a camera handy already.

File an accident report with the police, and report the claim toyour own credit card company or insurance company.

When returning the Car

Make all necessary arrangements to return the car on time, thatincludes looking the location in the map especially if youreturn the car in a foreign city.

Late return charges are high and arbitrary, secondly, if you arelate, you probably wont have the time to fill the car withgasoline yourself and the rental company will charge youexorbitant inflated gasoline rates.

In case you return the car in a city location on Sunday, itmight be that the station will be deserted, it will let you invia automated gate, make sure to take the card and leave it overthe dashboard, this is your recorded time of arrival.

In addition, lock the car, take the keys plus your rentalcontract and insert them into the designated box.

About the author:

_____________________________________________________________

This Resource Box Must Be Included With Your Article Copy!

_____________________________________________________________

Amit Laufer is a Writer, Internet Marketer & Netpreneur. MBA &Bsc. Computers Science. Hobby: Photography & Cars. Married withtwo Children.

Owner Editor of: http://www.car-rental-advice.com/

You Gotta Sell Yourself!

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 18:18:00 +0000

Dont know how to sell yourself? Youll miss out on the bestcareer counseling advice!

It all starts with changing some misconceptions about jobsearch. You see, most of us were given career counseling advicethat an interview or a meeting with a prospective employer meanstalking about your background and work history.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Its not about your past or what you used to do for someoneelse. Its about how you come across right now, in the presentmoment. That means you have to sell yourself so people get apowerful snapshot of you . . . one that makes them sit up andpay attention to you!

And since some of your best job recommendations and referralsare going to come from people you already know and respect, youmust be able to sell them as well.

So how do you do that?

Heres some powerful career counseling advice: prepare acarefully crafted assertive story about you. Then rehearse it.Here are some tips to help you put together this important salespresentation.

1. Make a list of your personal work-related qualities, valuesand accomplishments (not your work history).

2. Select two or three work accomplishments you are particularlyproud of that illustrate your qualities and capabilities.

3. Now put together a short (one or two

minutes) assertive storythat weaves together a picture of you at work–one thatillustrates the most representative of your qualities and values.

So if an employer asks you to tell a little bit about yourself(they all do!) or even if they dont, youre ready with awell-rehearsed story that sells YOU.

For example, you might say

“I have to believe youre always on the lookout for someonewhos loyal, hard-working and can be counted on to get the jobdone. Am I right? It reminds me of a particularly challengingassignment I had. My boss told me I was responsible to meet atight deadline and I had to put together a team to get the jobdone. I recruited some co-workers, set up a task force andachieved my boss goal within 48 hours. The company realized 20%growth in my sector. My boss congratulated me and told me Id beup for a raise.”

You can put yourself way ahead of the pack by selling yourself.Take this solid career counseling advice. All it takes is anassertive story and plenty of practice.

About the author:

Paul Megan writes for EEI, the world-class pioneer inalternative job search techniques and non-traditional careeradvancement strategies . . . since 1985. Grab our stunning FREEREPORT: “How To Lock Up A High-Paying Job In 14 Days (Or Less)!”Click on RSS. http://www.fastest-job-search.com

Real Winners Know How To Lose

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:18:15 +0000

Career Advice: Real Winners Know How to Lose By Ramon Greenwood

The idea of winning is at the very heart of the American workethic. The gospel of our culture tells us winning is not justthe best thing, it is the only thing.

But real winners in the world of work know they cant win themall, nor should they. They have mastered the art of losing,strategically, in their career relationships.

If we insist on winning every single point, we set upunnecessary opposition. Lets face it, nobody likes anyone whoalways wins.

Fact is, it is not necessary to win every point. It is a veryrare situation that has only one right answer. One instancewould be in disarming a live bomb. Another would be brainsurgery. Otherwise, several acceptable options usually exist.

Winning is not a zero sum matter. There does not have to be aloser for every winner. If we win, it is just common sense tomake sure others feel they won, too.

Unless we are absolutely sure we have the only correct answer,or that our organization will be materially injured if we dontprevail, it is wise to let associates win a few. The abilitiesand morale of the entire team will be improved.

But when common sense and facts say ours is clearly the best, oronly acceptable solution, we should fight for it with tooth andclaw.

No One Wins All The Time

Anyway, we cant win all of the time, even if we try. We cannotplay and we cannot win without taking some risks; and we cannottake some risks without losing some of the time. We just need tobe sure we win enough of the big ones.

Thomas Edison recorded some 25,000 failures in his attempt toinvent a storage battery. “Those were not failures,” he said. “Ilearned 24,999

ways not to make a battery.”

R. H. Macy failed seven times before his first store caught on.Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times, but he also hit 714 home runs.

Dr. Harry Levenson, noted psychologist and adviser tomanagement, says that a key characteristic of successfulmanagers is the willingness to take big risks. “Not crazy risks,but big risks,” he says. “They are willing to endure thedistress of fear and uncertainty until the results are known.They stick with their decisions even when there are some downersbefore their ideas begin to pay off.”

If we truly want to build a successful career, and we work in anorganization that demands that we always be right, we are introuble. Such an environment will not allow us room to grow andachieve success. We will either be stifled or we will be introuble for trying new ideas and for making the inevitablemistakes that go with them. We should get out as fast as we can,unless we want to live in a suffocating bureaucracy.

Healthy, growing organizations expect their people to make somemistakes. But not too many!

Winners take common sense risks. They are ready to lose some ofthe time in order to be a big winner in the end. They know howto lose strategically.

XXX

Ramon Greenwood is a former Senior Vice President of AmericanExpress. For information about his E-Book on “bossrelationships” and to subscriber to his f*ee semi-monthlynewsletter contact him at ramon@commonsenseatwork.com

About the author:

Career Advice

admin — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 14:18:00 +0000

I often get asked questions about careers in IT (Information Technology).
After all, Ive been a Vice President of Consulting (twice for two different
companies), Vice President of Development, Senior Technical specialist many
times and now I am a Director Of Technical Services. Ive been working with
computers for 23 years as of 2001 and plan on continuing my education and
career in a positive direction until the day that I die.

So what would I recommend to anyone seeking or currently holding a career in
IT? What are the qualities that make an IT person invaluable to a company?

I think one of the most valuable traits that anyone in any career can foster
is simple communication. This is especially true of IT people, as many of us
tended to get into the field in the first place because we are introverts. I
dont know about you, but when I started with computers over 23 years ago, I
didnt want to talk with anyone. Computers I could understand, but people?
That was a different question.

In college I had a professor named Fredrick. He taught a class in assembly
language – which was very advanced for the school. I excelled in this class
and spent a great deal of time talking to the teacher. When Fredrick started
a new consulting company he needed to get someone on board who could program
but was also very inexpensive. Because I had been communicating with the man
during his class, he offered me a job as a programmer in his new company. I
stayed there for six years, and by the time the company was purchased by a
British conglomerate I was the Vice President of Development.

As I matured I began to open up to people, and after a few years I found
that the more I communicated, the better my career progressed. Dont get me
wrong, communication is not always fun and definitely isnt easy sometimes,
but it is absolutely vital to any kind of career movement.

To advance in your career it is necessary to make sure people understand
your intentions. More importantly, it is critical that they understand that
you understand. You want people (those you supervise as well as your
supervisors) to know your capabilities and how those can aid them and the
company that you all work for.

What you do is talk to your boss regularly. Ensure that he or she fully
understands what you can do and what you want to do (thus greasing the skids
for additional training and promotions). Discuss how your talents can help
the company achieve its goals and how you can help your boss achieve those
goals. Do the same with people who work for you, customers, vendors, and
other co-workers.

Use email to your advantage. Email is just another form of communication,
and its best used to ensure that others are on the same page as you. For
example, its usually a good idea to send an email after a meeting to those
who were in attendance, briefly explaining what was discussed and what
youve committed to produce. As you meet those commitments, you can also use
email to make it known.

If you are a supervisor, you need to let the people who work for you know
not only exactly what is expected of them, but also other details such as
how they fit into the organization, how their efforts contribute to the
bottom line and the goals and objectives of the company, department,
sub-department and group. This allows your people to be more effective,
which in turn allows you to be more effective.

Use performance reviews as a method of letting your

people know where they
are doing well and where they need to improve. This is a very legal, highly
controlled method of communicating with your people (or your boss) and must
be done correctly to be effective. One golden rule of reviews is nothing
should ever be a surprise to the employee. If a person is not doing well, he
must know about it long before the review so he has a chance to correct his
mistakes.

Another rule of mine is that all critical comments must be done in private,
one on one (unless there are legal reasons, such as a reprimand for sexual
harassment, for witnesses). Never give reprimands, no matter how minor, in a
public location. Conversely, its great to give positive remarks and
reinforcement in public – in fact, generally the more public the better.

Remember that communication is very powerful, and used properly it, combined
with your knowledge, talents and abilities, can propel you up the corporate
ladder.

On the other hand, when used improperly you will certainly succeed in
stalling your career. Use communication very poorly and you may find
yourself jobless in short order.

If you use your emails to cover your behind, you will soon find it is
exposed and ready to be kicked. If you try and sling mud at others around
you, its very possible you will find yourself not only covered in mud, but
even tarred and feathered.

For example, I had a boss a number of years ago who thought the main purpose
of email was to ensure that everyone understood whatever had gone wrong was
someone elses fault. I remember on several occasions our department had
failed to provide service to the users, and our boss had us write emails
that went on for pages, patiently explaining how these failures were the
fault of someone else. My god, we all got so tired of protecting our bosses
behind. In fact, when he finally left the company, we felt such a feeling of
relief that it was amusing.

This same man is a great example at how a lack of communication can doom a
person. He tried to build a wall between our department and the rest of the
company. All communications between our group and the outside world had to
be approved by him, and he often insisted on performing the communication
himself. Thus, it became impossible for any of us to do our job – and it
became very difficult for anyone in the department to understand how they
fit into the overall company business.

So to sum it all up, whats my advice? Use communication to your advantage.
Ensure your boss knows that you want to contribute to the success of the
group and, more importantly, that he completely understands how valuable you
can be. Use communication to give positive feedback and to let everyone know
your commitments and understandings, as well as other areas in which you
could be helpful.

Equally important, dont abuse communications. This is a very powerful tool,
and if youve ever been on the wrong end of a public reprimand or the
subject of water-cooler gossip you understand exactly what I mean.

The managers who excel in their career have learned these lessons and apply
daily to their jobs without even thinking. Thats the main tool of the
trade. Simple communication.

About the Author

Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets at
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