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First, let’s look at a few tips.

• PLAN; at a minimum, review the employer web site, know what they do and do some thinking about the role you will be filling and the key points that you want to cover.
• ASK; have a list of questions for the employer, it demonstrates that your head is in the game and you are interested in the position.
• PRACTICE; role play your interview with someone.  This may feel awkward at first but use the practice to get the awkwardness out of the way; if you can’t be comfortable in a mock interview, how do you think you will perform in a real one?
• CONNECT; make a connection with the interviewer, make eye contact, have a firm hand shake and SMILE.  Nothing puts me off more than a candidate that shows up and has a look of “I don’t care” on their face!
• BE POSITIVE; Don’t bad mouth your past employer; no mater HOW bad it was!  The last thing you want to do it to b seen as a complainer.
• VOLUNTEER; I haven’t ever seen this used but this is what I would do; volunteer to work along side someone who is doing your job for a few days (especially easy to do if you don’t have a job now).  That will give your employer some ‘free labor’ and give you both a chance to be sure you want to get into a long-term relationship.

If there was ever a time you had to sell yourself; this is it.  Put on your best suit and march in, head held high with a smile on!

Being SUPER PREPARED for an interview is the first step to ensure you give yourself EVERY possible advantage.

There are several sites on the Internet where you can get free advise on perfecting your interview skills. One tactic you can take is to check out books on how to interview employees! This way you are prepared for what the interviewer may be going to do.

One last suggestion; learn ALL you can and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. View the interview as a test, one that you need to get an A+ on; one that requires some serious study time.

Best of luck in the job search!!!

There are droves of people beating down the doors of companies that are hiring.  Competition for each position is stiffer than most of us can remember.  But don’t give up; pull up your boot straps and GET BETTER!

Give yourself an ‘unfair’ advantage with a great resume.

You would not believe the number of resumes we see here with awful spelling, poor grammar and a general lack of any care.  If someone is not willing to put in the time to prepare an awesome resume, they are probably not going to be an ‘A’ player once they do get hired.

Here are some tips on a great resume;

• Match your past job title and experience to the job your are applying to.  For example; maybe you were an “Admin” at your last job and the job you are applying for is a “Receptionist”, change the job title and description of your last job to emphasis the thing you DID do in your last job that directly apply to the position you are applying for.
• Spend the time to customize the resume to the job you are applying for; don’t use a blanket resume!  This step takes 2 minutes but can significantly increase your chances of getting a call back.
• SELL YOURSELF; what can you say about your experience and attitude that is specific to the job you are applying to?  If you are applying for a CSR position don’t say “Like working with people”, say “Love solving customer problems.”
• Solve the prospective employers problem in your resume.  If the job posting is for a “Technical Support” position, imagine the issues and problems facing your prospective supervisor and address them up front, ex: “I aggressively tackle support issues and see them through to completion.”

In short; spend a few extra minutes up front to convince the reader that you are worth a second look; remember they are drowning in resumes!  What makes your stand out?

There are lot’s of free resume resources on the web; just google “resume tips” and you will get your fill!

There are also several great resources designed to jump start your resume process (I find it easier to start with something that looking at a blank page)!

So, roll up your sleeves and get to work beating out your competition!  Educate yourself and don’t take no for an answer.

Remember the words of Brian Tracy; “”Sometimes your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay with it longer than anyone else.”

Our Hosted Exchange offers your small or medium sized business all the collaboration tools that enterprise grade companies have without the hassle and headache of setup and support. The typical cost of a Microsfoft Exchange server is around $9,000 installed and can cost thousands to support each month! Clearly this places small businesses at a disadvantage to have such a valuable tool until now.

Our Hosted Exchange was built from the ground up to be reliable and stable for our customers. Our servers are located in secure, redundant data centers located on both the east and west coast of the United States to ensure constant operations.

If your small business is ready for the enhanced features of Hosted Exchange and the U.S. based support we provide visit our website for more information. Ask about your 30 day free trial of our services and support!

www.portbridge.com/services/hosted_exchange_nc.html

If you own the old and trusty HP Laserjet 4000 series then I have a solution for you that you wouldn’t believe…USE THE WRONG DRIVER!

Here are the steps for setting up a network printer (let’s assume you have a computer dedicated for this or a server:

1. Setup a new printer and add as usual (either network or locally depends on your situation)
2. When you arrive at the “Select Printer Driver” Select the HP Lasterjet 4 driver

This is an older driver, but it forces the printer to use PCL5e and your PDF’s will work much faster.

We at Portbridge have noticed that there is one common fact about these computers that have this problem, they all have had McAfee Security Suite installed and once removed. This horrible software somehow causes problems with Winsock and other TCP/IP files on the Windows Vista machine.

We have listed the proper steps to properly remove McAfee as to avoid these issues:

1. Go to Control Panel and Select Programs
2. Uninstall ALL McAfee related programs

Now that you have uninstalled all these programs please download the following tool:

http://download.mcafee.com/products/licensed/cust_support_patches/MCPR.exe

1. Download this to your Desktop or wherever you wish.
2. Rick click the downloaded file and select “Run as administrator”

The program will now start removing all the files associated with McAfee. This should PREVENT the issue from ever happening. HOWEVER, if you do run into this program where DHCP won’t start and you can’t get online do the following:

1. Go to: C:\WINDOWS\System32\cmd
2. Rick click on CMD and select “Run as administrator”
3. Enter the following command: Sfc /scannow (This may take a few minutes, go have a snack and a drink)
4. Once this is done enter the following command: netsh winsock reset

When computers first arrived on the scene they were designed to replace humans to perform mundane and useless tasks over and over without fail. Imagine all the hype that computers were going to put people out of jobs! However, this proved not to be true because it opened up the door to new opportunities for people to learn new skills and make more money in a more stable job.

We are faced with something similar today, but it is different I must admit. Our economy is changing and change cannot be stopped. Automotive industries are becoming more mechanized and more efficient in the areas of energy efficiency, costs and wasted material. Because more and more of the process will have robots doing the work it means that less people are needed and the cost to produce the product drops.

The downside? It puts people out of jobs who are otherwise unskilled factory workers and then you see unemployment rates soar. But who is to blame for this? It is not the company that strives for efficiency and greater profit margins…it is the $80,000/year factory worker who imagined that this job would last forever. There was this buffer of comfort that the only thing you needed was a high school diploma and a connection to land a job that would pay beyond your wildest beliefs without having to endear the struggle of going to school to get a higher education.

So here we are today, almost one decade into the new millennium and we are faced with an issue that smacked us in the face almost 70 years ago! How could we let this happen again? The answer is very complex and to blame the unskilled factory workers is selfish because we all know the credit industry and the banking industry is largely to blame for sub-prime mortgages and no doc loans which are scary enough, but to package them and sell them to investors with the promise of ridiculous gains is near criminal.

How do we fix the problem we are in now? That answer varies among those who you talk to but I believe that the answer is clear…new talent and innovation. Think about something deeply for a moment. You have a company (GM for example) who basically went down the tubes and laid off a massive amount of their workforce. However, was it really the factory workers fault that the company screwed up and had to crawl to our nation’s capitol to beg for money like a homeless person with a sign at the stop light? No! Stupid investments, poor management and lack of desire to build quality automobiles and keep up with the demand of the market led too their disaster. So, why don’t we oust those who were once in charge? It makes sense…they were the ones who put the company in the shambles they are in now…why not fire everyone and start over fresh?

There are thousands of people out in the market right now that are highly talented individuals who need employment and have the ability to foster new ideas to promote growth that will increase profits and create new jobs. These talented people may even work for less than the current staff that crippled the company! Think about it…fresh talent with great ideas who will work for less. This means less overhead cost for salaries and new ideas that will bring in more money; therefore, the profit margin is increased! If you are going to lay off 30% of your workforce, replace 50% of your management.

For the workers who are now faced with standing in the unemployment line they have to make tough decisions. These people are now starting to realize that their skills are not marketable and after 15 years as a GM factory worker they are left on the curb with no other skills or tools to succeed. It is now time to learn new skills and venture out into the unknown. It is never too late to go back to school and learn a new skill. Maybe you have always wanted to own your own business? Perhaps you have money saved up and can start a franchise?

There was a story on NPR radio about a woman who was living the high life in New York city and then found herself jobless and no where to go. So, she moves back in with her parents temporarily (she is in her early 30’s) and decides to open a chain pretzel store (Auntie Ann’s). At first she despised the idea and she often cried about it silently to herself in bed. But once the training was over with and her very own store was opened she realized it wasn’t that bad after all. She is now living on her own again and making more money than she would have ever made working for someone else.

There is another plus to that story. She made a “bucket list” of things she wanted to do before she died and she was able to mark two items off. The first was owning her own business and the second was being able to afford to take her parents overseas on a vacation. What she once thought was a nightmare turned out to be the best thing she could have ever done in her life.

So here are my major points to end this:

1. Never take for granted a high paying job that requires little to no education, it usually never lasts
2. If you big businesses are going to axe 30% of your workforce, show respect and intelligence by recognizing that your management is more at fault for letting things slip into the hole they are in and replace them with fresh talent who really want the job.
3. Never discount the value of education…it is priceless because no one is able to take that away
4. Never be afraid to change because if you don’t make the drastic steps to change your life for the better you will always be stuck in the cycle.

Now I end with the best quote I have ever heard in regards to the unknown…because when we change things in our lives we are walking into the unknown.

“Be willing to be uncomfortable. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. It may get tough, but it’s a small price to pay for living a dream.”

1. Migrating all your current data from Windows XP is not easy and will require that you move all of this data onto an external hard drive and then manually move it all back over once the installation is complete. This is due to the fact that there is NO upgrade path from Windows XP, only a clean installation option. There are third party software tools and Microsoft has even released tools to assist in migrating your information over. (downtime ~2hrs per pc) (cost ~$150/external drive + time)

2. Possible hardware upgrades may be needed to utilize windows 7. If you purchased all of your office PC’s in bulk then it is possible that you may have to perform the upgrades on all the computers or possibly replace them (which is very costly). (downtime ~1hr per pc) (cost varies on equipment or new computer purchase)

3. Cost of new licenses can get expensive. $220 for a license for Windows 7 for your business use. If you have 10 computers that is $2,220! That is someones monthly salary and you get nothing in return for it except a new taskbar. (downtime varies with installation speed) (cost $220/license)

4. The cost to train your employees to use the service is monumental if your employees are not comptuer savvy. This cost can rise beyond belief if you have to hire someone to come in and train them. You now have downtime, loss of productivity and the cost to bring someone in to train your staff. The costs keep rising (downtime varies with competency of employees) (cost varies greatly)

5. Reloading all drivers and software is needed and then you have to upgrade all of this. This can be a major killer in the downtime area! Some hardware may no longer work and that means the purchase of new hardware peripherals. (Downtime unknown, depends on situation) (Cost depends on hardware and software upgrades needed.)

We recommend the use of Windows XP Pro until it reaches it EOL (End of Life). This will at least give the newer versions of Windows more time to mature and hopefully the price may come down. This will also give your business more time to prepare for the eventual switchover so it does not come as a surprise to you.

However, there is one thing that people are forgetting about that is a real life concern that all businesses need to be aware of: cyber-terrorism. If your data is connected to a network it is vulnerable. We hear this one liner all the time: “The computer doesn’t have Internet access, so it’s safe”. Talk about security through obscurity that crosses the line of stupidity and enters into insanity. If that Local Area Network (LAN) that it is connected to has a route to the outside Internet, that computer/server is vulnerable.

It doesn’t take long for someone to enter into your network and get on just one computer and from there map out your entire network. Before you know it damage could have already been done and you don’t even know it because you believe you are “safe” because the server doesn’t have Internet access. If one person gets on the network the possibilities are endless as to the damage they can cause. ARP poisoning, viruses, worms, DoS attacks, stolen data, destroyed data…the possibilities are ENDLESS.

This article talks about the cost of compromised data vs. the cost of lost and destroyed data. At first glance you may believe that lost and destroyed data isn’t that costly, you can just re-enter the data and move on. While this is true, there are hidden costs such as the time you pay employees to input the information and what about vital records that are important to your business? Financial records, employee records, logs? It is easy for a small business to say they just don’t care because the data is so small it is meaningless to spend money on to keep safe. So I challenge you to destroy your data. Take your hard drive and smash it against the wall, go swimming with it in the ocean and play Frisbee with the platters to ensure the data on it is hosed. Sounds crazy? Sure it does, your data is LOST and GONE! How important is your data now if you don’t have proper backups and security measures?
So, we now know that there are costs associated with losing data and those are:

1. Employee time to re-enter information
2. Operating downtime
3. Vital records lost
4. Important discussions and emails gone forever
5. Possible Legal ramifications
6. Loss of customer trust

Now let’s talk about compromised data shall we? This type of incident normally doesn’t involve losing any data, but someone now has a copy of your data. Let’s say that take all of your customers information and your prices. No big deal? Think again my friend! If a competitor obtained your customer database and their information, they can now directly market to your customers more effectively taking away your business. Let’s say someone is being malicious and let’s your customers and vendors know they stole your data and provide proof of it? How crunchy are you going to feel when that phone lights up? How about more sensitive data? What if your company stores credit cards, social security, medical, legal and other vital sensitive data on your customers?

Think about the recent hacking into bank databases where someone was able to obtain thousands of credit card numbers and identities. Can you imagine how much money those banks just spent to re-issue cards, alert their customers, pay IT staff overtime and on top of that have the government breathing down your back? What about legal issues, think of the customers who are going to sue. If you store any customer information in a database on your computer system YOU ARE LEGALLY OBLIGATED TO PROTECT THEIR DATA!

Think about the swarm of angry customers who are going to never use you again, bad mouth you and more than likely publicly advertise your incompetence to safeguard their data. When I lived in Florida a company decided to merge their old paper data onto a database, after this was done they simply threw the old paper information (in tact) in the dumpster. Someone taking out the trash noticed the information and within 1 hour that story was on the news. This was a very small business of less than 5 employees, but they soon became a news story and even showed up on some Internet articles. Do you want this type of publicity about your company? Do you want the world to see that you are incompetent and too cheap to properly secure your network and data? Now let’s look at the problems with compromised data:

1. Angry customers
2. Possible (almost guaranteed) law suits
3. Government intervention (depending on type of data)
4. Negative Publicity
5. Cost to hire IT staff or pay overtime to fix problem
6. Cost to notify all customers BY MAIL (Postage rates keep rising!)
7. Cost to purchase equipment to secure data
8. The sense that you could soon be out of business

So, are you willing to play Russian roulette with 4 out of 6 bullets? That is about what you are doing if you are not taking the proper measures to secure your data with a properly setup network and maintaining reliable backups both off and on site.

Smokers, alcoholics, drug addicts…they all say: “That won’t happen to me” when people tell them about what it can do. This we all know is stupid. But when someone asks you about your data again are you going to say: “I’m too small, they won’t target me”, “The information isn’t that important”. This is the same denial addicts resort to. Once again, just imagine losing and/or having all your data compromised? How much sleep are you bound to lose? Are you willing to sink your business because you simply didn’t care enough about it and your customers to protect their information and your data?

© Robert M Parten II
Portbridge Internet Services