Resume/cover letters

DEC. 29—CareerLink Pittsburgh will host “Resumes/ Cover Letters 1: Creating Your Draft” from 9-10:30 a.m. at the Downtown Pittsburgh CareerLink Workshop Center, Regional Enterprise Tower, 22nd floor, 425 Sixth Ave., Downtown. CareerLink will help individuals plan and create their resume and cover letter, which are important job search documents. The workshop is free and open to the public. Registration is requested. For more information, call 412-552-7048 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

(NNPA)—Today, we find the world more transparent with the advent of social media information technology and business real-time networks with mobile communications such as Twitter, Facebook, instant text messages and YouTube video resources. These mechanisms instantly expose public role models, political leadership, mentors and corporate business moguls covering every success and every failure now broadcast making headline news. No longer does the privacy barrier exist between the private and public life for those who serve as mentors to a new generation of future leaders.

From icons like Donald Trump’s $1 billion bankruptcy to Tiger Woods’ personal indiscretions that reportedly weigh heavily on the financial economics of the golf industry, in this regard, answers come from terms like reallionaire or first becoming rich from inside out.

Proverbs survive because of their universality. Take the adage, “One bad apple spoils the barrel.” It teaches us that good people (or good businesses) can be tainted by association with those whose actions are perceived as unscrupulous, even if they themselves don’t employ the same deceitful tactics.

Here’s an example: Because a very small number of e-commerce merchants have abused a practice called “negative renewal option billing,” consumer confidence in the trustworthiness of all online retailers is being undermined. According to a recent Visa Inc. survey, 29 percent of Americans believe they’ve been victimized by this practice. The Federal Trade Commission  concurs, noting that approximately 3.2 million Americans reported these or similar types of unauthorized charges in 2007.

A good friend of mine suggested that I write an article based on the premise of how to get back on track financially after the holidays. I responded by saying, “Wow! That’s a good idea. I never thought of that.” Dumbfounded by my response, my friend said, “All of the financial writers are writing about Christmas blues and holiday hangovers. I can’t believe you never thought about writing on the subject.”

As I began to reflect on ideas to write about helping people bounce back financially from the holidays, I thought to myself, I help people get back on track and get ahead financially “everyday.” Why would my advice be any different because it’s a “holiday?”