When Moms Go Back to Work

I heard on the news the other day that more moms are working throughout their pregnancies and going back to work after the birth of their babies much sooner than they were 40 years ago. In fact, the number of first time moms going back to work within a year of giving birth has nearly quadrupled in that time. That means more and more moms are leaving their newborns in the care of a babysitter.

Finding a good babysitter can make going back to work a little easier. You want to leave your child with someone you can trust and feel comfortable with. AuPairCare offers their Infant Specialized Care Program that provides families of infants with au pairs fully trained in infant safety and caregiving and infant stimulation and development. These au pairs have at least 400 hours of child care experience, as well as being certified in infant CPR and first aid. They also engage the baby in learning activities and teach the baby sign language. Part of their job is to communicate with the parents about baby caregiving, and I'd think that would be a great help for first time parents. Most of us just learned as we went along. We didn't have a fully trained professional there.

brought to you by AuPairCare

Enough for Some Folly Beach SC real estate?

• 12 pounds of hamburger bagged and in the freezer.
• 10 packages of shredded cheese bagged and in the freezer.

and that's just for today. I really believe in buying in large quantities so I can save money. Of course it only works if you have freezer space and hopefully an extra refrigerator, which we do. Sometimes it's not cheaper to buy the larger size, like yesterday when I was looking at either buying a 10-pound bag of flour or the 5-pound bag. Usually the larger bag would cost less per pound, but not there. Sometimes I think they just play around with prices hoping that someone won't notice and will buy the larger item just assuming it's a better deal. At least most of the shelf tags list the cost per ounce, unit, or pound, and that makes it easy to compare. If I actually had to do the math, I might be in trouble.

Still, I like to get the best deal possible - always. If I don't, it really bothers me. I may not be saving enough to buy some folly beach sc real estate, but every little bit helps. For instance, on that flour yesterday? I bought the 5-pound bag at Walmart for $1.82. Then, when I got to Pick 'n Save they had it on sale for $1.29. Thanks for telling me! There are times I would actually go back to the first store and return the more expensive item. Instead, yesterday I just bought two more bags of flour. That'll teach 'em!

Busy Day

Today was a busy day. Besides searching for doggy gifts and attending Maggie's birthday party, I had to go out and buy some groceries. I also got my hair cut. It had been a while but I kept putting it off because I just didn't know what to do with it. I still didn't know what to do with it, but I went anyway and told her to just trim it and shape it. It feels a lot better now. Maybe I'll even take some pictures. No promises, though.

After the haircut I went to Walmart and bought lots of stuff. I got a great deal on hamburger, which I was planning to buy anyway. I usually end up buying the 5 pound roll of ground beef because it's the cheapest, but they had 3 pound rolls of ground chuck marked down because it had to be sold by tomorrow. They were $3.25 each, that's a little over $1 per pound. Now tomorrow I need to get it all packaged up and put into the freezer.

After Walmart, I headed to Walgreens and bought a few things. Remember the Naked Naturals shampoo sample I just tried? They had it on sale buy 1 / get 1 free - plus I had a coupon that came with my samples - so I bought some of that. I really liked the kind they sent me, and it was for color treated hair, which is good, but they were out of everything but the citrus. So I bought that. It smells absolutely amazing! Then I went to Pick 'n Save, grabbed some more groceries and headed home. It was a little frustrating at Pick 'n Save because I had some coupons I had printed from FlatEarth.com to try some free bags of their chips (crisps?) plus they were on sale, and I was supposed to get a register coupon for $4 if I bought 3 bags. I looked everywhere for them but couldn't find them. When I checked out I asked if they really had them, so the cashier called and found out that they were out of them. I guess I should have asked first and saved myself some time. I got a raincheck so I can get them in the next couple of weeks.

When I got home I had to get everything carried in - Cory helped me. Then, while I was getting things put away, I had to get dinner ready. While I was doing that, Jeffrey came home, saw I had been shopping and asked me what I got him. I said, "nectarines, since I got oranges and grapefruits for everyone else, and you don't like those." He was really hoping I bought some bodystockings or something exciting like that. Does Walmart even carry those? Besides, I went for groceries.

Dinner was yummy chicken sandwiches. Then I had to wash dishes. Cory was really supposed to do them, but he was busy practicing his saxophone, and since Solo/Ensemble is this weekend, he really should be practicing. I'll have to make him do them some other time to make up for it. While I was in the kitchen I should have made Jeffrey's lunch for tomorrow, but I didn't think about it, so now I have to get up off the couch and go do that.

I'm really glad it's almost bedtime.

Oysters are Not a Joke

Does anyone know any good oyster jokes? I was supposed to come up with my own oyster joke - something like "What did one oyster say to the other?" Well, what would an oyster say? "My pearl's bigger than yours." "Let's head on over to the oyster bar." Those are about as funny as the joke my brother told us at the dinner table when he was little:

"Why did the cow jump over the moon? Because it was a goat." - Cracks me up every time.

A little internet research didn't produce very many oyster jokes either. There's the one that goes, "an annoying noise annoys an oyster" and that's about it. A little more internet research produces some more important information. Consumption of raw or undercooked oysters can cause serious illness and even death. If you are going to eat Gulf oysters, and a lot of people do, you need to be aware of the dangers. BeOysterAware.com is a website dedicated to educating the oyster consuming public. If you're going to eat the oysters, please be informed and do it safely. The noise you make is up to you.

I Got Naked

A couple years ago, a friend of mine gave me some samples of a natural shampoo she thought I should try. She also gave me a sheet that claimed the ingredients in regular shampoo are really bad for you. I don't remember all the details, and I don't know if I believed it all at the time, but I gave the shampoo a try. The only thing I remember about that shampoo was that the smell was so strong I had trouble breathing, and I did not switch from using my regular shampoo.

Yesterday I received some samples of another natural shampoo to try. I don't really know that shampoo ingredients like DEA, TEA, and Lauryl/Laureth Sulfates, are as bad as some people say, but I believe that using natural ingredients instead has to be better, especially if they work just as well. So, when I received the naked naturals shampoo and conditioner samples, I was ready to give them a try. Not only do they leave out those potentially harmful chemicals, they promise to make your hair stronger and healthier. The secret is a plant protein called Keravis, which is exclusive to the Naked Naturals products. It works at the molecular level, moisturizing the hair follicle and making the hair thicker and stronger.

I used both the shampoo and the conditioner when I took my shower today. I like this a lot better than that last natural shampoo. For one thing, it smells wonderful! There is a lot to be said for not using any synthetic fragrances. The shampoo lathered up nicely and cleaned my hair well. I will be able to wash my hair one more time with the sample I received. I had to use all of the conditioner and really would have liked a little more. I have a lot of hair, and I wasn't quite sure I got the conditioner worked completely through it. Still, my hair is nice and soft today, so it did a good job anyway. I've recently been using natural, plant-based detergents to wash our clothes, and I like the idea of using natural products in my hair and on my skin, too.

Naked Naturals can be purchased at Walgreens or you can Shop Naked and buy them online at the Naked Naturals website.

Remote Network Management

Have you ever wondered who keeps the network running in a big company, or even a small one? It would seem that the more locations they have running on the same network, the more complicated it would be. For instance, the company Jeffrey works for has plants and offices in several different locations all over the state, and they are all on the same network. They have an IT department that is located at the corporate office, and they want to keep a tight rein on every computer connected to that network. I doubt they physically travel to every location in the company every time something needs checked on. They probably use something like Uplogix that lets them handle log management and other routine tasks remotely. That way they can spend their time on more important things.

brought to you by Uplogix

Trace Any IP

I've mentioned before that I love seeing where all the visitors to my blog come from. The Internet makes the world such a small place. There are some neat tools that make it easy to learn all kinds of things about my visitors. That's right, you can't hide! Actually, you can, but I'm not going to tell you how.

A page I haven't used for a while is WhatIsMyIPAddress.com. Here you can look up an IP address and find out details such as:

• Geographic region location (also called geoip location)
• Country, State, and City
• Postal Code
• Area Code
• Latitude & Longitude
• Map of IP address location* with clickable push pin

Sometimes you need to know your IP address, and this is the page to find it. Also, we used to use this for church when people would join our cybercast but not our chat room. The server would give us the IP address of the people who joined the cybercast, and we could look them up and see where they were listening from. Even if they didn't say anything, we could have a good idea who it was listening in, provided it was someone we already knew. Otherwise it was just neat to know that someone in California was listening and maybe someone in England or Alaska. This can also come in handy if your blog, web page, or forum tracks visitor's IP addresses.

If all you have is a visitor's IP, you can find out where they are from and even trace ip to see the route the information traveled through the Internet. Since I didn't have anyone else's IP to trace and the site automatically filled mine in, I just tried tracing my own. It tracked me all the way from Irvine, CA to Tulsa, OK to Denver, CO to a couple places in Wisconsin before finding me right here in Eagle. They even offer a visual representation of the trace on a map. It's really interesting to see how information travels across the Internet, and it's not in a straight line. Is it any wonder I can't keep track of where I've been?

Getaway to Branson

We've never been to Branson. We like Missouri. We used to go to the Ozarks every year, and several of our friends have been to Branson, and they recommend it. One of our favorite things to do every time we went to the Lake of the Ozarks is attend one of the music and variety shows. Branson definitely has shows, and looking to see what else they offer, I see they have theme parks, museums, caves, and golf for Jeffrey, too. It looks like there would be something to do for everyone.

Branson Getaways offers several different vacation packages that include hotel accommodations, tickets to shows and attractions, and savings certificates. If they don't have a vacation package that suits your needs, they will work with you to plan a custom vacation. You could even get a free Branson vacation, because every month they give away a Branson getaway that includes 3 days/2 nights lodging, 2 tickets to a show, a $30 dinner certificate, and a coupon book with $1500 savings.

Direct to You From China

Whenever we need want something, my first thought is to check online to see where we can get it for the best price. Other times we don't really want anything. OK, that's not true. Somebody in this house is always wanting something. I'm the one who is constantly reminding them that they do not need anything. But, whether we need it or not, it's still fun to look. I was browsing this China Wholesale site, Lightinthebox.com today. The first thing that caught my eye was what they call a Vii. It's a Wii clone designed for children. Maybe that means the games are easier? I am not so good at video games, so maybe this would be the one for me? The thing that caught my eye is that they are selling this for $99 with free shipping. That is considerable cheaper than the Wii, and it looks like they have these in stock, unlike the Wii which is extremely hard to get a hold of,

I was also browsing through some MP3 players because Cory's iPod had been acting up. We think it's the battery because it just won't hold a charge. The question is, it is worth buying a new battery, or should we just get him a new MP3 player? He's decided he wants the 80GB Zune, but his dad isn't ready to buy it for him until his birthday in July. So, I was looking here to see if there was something that would get him through until then, that wouldn't cost much more than an iPod battery. Then I'd just adopt it when Cory gets the Zune.

Besides video games and electronics, Lightinthebox.com carries clothing, jewelry, cell phones, toys, and more. They offer wholesale prices and fast shipping, and promise great customer service. If there's something you need want, and you like to save money, you might want to check this site out.

brought to you by Lightinthebox.com

Should I Buy Chinese Products?

My cousin called this morning. It really surprised me because we were talking on Yahoo Messenger when the phone rang. The caller ID gave his new wife's name, and I didn't recognize it. He said he's got VOIP now, and he can talk better than he can type, so he just picked up the phone. It was nice talking to him. It's been a while.

Of course, since I was on the phone, I didn't get much done, but I suppose that's OK. I just need to get busy now. I've got cooking to do and some vacuuming, and basic straightening up. Since the kids are home (teachers' convention), I need to get them to take everything that belongs to them and put it in their own rooms. There's no reason their stuff needs to clutter up the living room, too. What they do in their own rooms, well, I'd like it if they kept them neat, but I've pretty much given up. They may never be neat until the kids move out.

I haven't accomplished much yet, but at least I've been searching cookbooks for recipes. That's got to count for something! I grabbed an opp on PPP, so I was thinking I should get that posted, but it's for a site to buy stuff from China. The prices look good, but I'm not sure I can be positive about buying things from China. That being said, I don't check the stuff I buy in the stores to see where it's made, and I don't refuse to buy things from China. So, I'm still deciding whether I want to write that post. I'm sure it's more politically correct to write about something American like Price Pfister or Harley Davidson.

How do you feel about buying Chinese products? Is getting a good price more important than where it comes from? You know how much I like to save money, so I'm really not sure where I stand on this.

Things Were Jumping into My Cart

After the eye doctor, the kids and I went shopping. I was right about buying more things than I actually needed because I had them with me. Beth was grabbing things off the shelves and throwing them into the cart - mandarin oranges, ravioli (ravaloni), cans of biscuits, some instant ramen noodle stuff to take to work, waffles, fudge bars, and I don't know what else. It sounds like she's really going to eat well, huh? Oh, and 6 boxes of macaroni and cheese. At least she won't waste away to nothing. And if she dares to complain there's nothing to eat, I'm just going to have to strangle her.

After ALDI, we ate lunch at Culver's and then went to Walgreens for milk and other sale items. We ended up with makeup, cold medicine, toothpaste, mouthwash, Twizzlers, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, and who knows what else. Seriously, I think we bought everything but bodybuilding supplements. I don't usually get that much stuff at Walgreens, but they had a lot of things on sale buy one get one free, and they were things we needed anyway. Well, maybe not needed right this second, but needed soon. The makeup was an especially good deal, since it was buy one get one free, and I had printed some of those online coupons I was talking about, so it ended up being almost free. I actually counted the coupons out wrong and could have used one more, and then I think all the makeup - foundation, cover-up, blush, powder, mascara, etc. - would have cost us less than $1. Deal! I'll also get some money back because a couple items are free after rebate. I really can't resist those free after rebate things, whether I need them or not, especially if I have a coupon, too - because then they pay me to buy the product.

I've noticed that when all those things jump into my cart, my job isn't over when I get them home. Everything still has to be put away. How am I supposed to get my blogging done?

Inner Health and Outer Beauty Go Together

I was just thinking this morning how I used to color my hair because I wanted it to be a different color. Now I color it because I don't want to see how much of it is going to come in gray silver. It's the same with skin care. Not that I wanted my face to be a different color, but I try to use moisturizer regularly because I don't want to see any wrinkles. If I do see any, I'm going to blame them on my kids, of course, and not on the fact that I'm probably not using the right formula or Clarifying line. I usually buy whatever I can get the best price on and hopefully doesn't have a fragrance. Why do they have to add fragrance to everything? I buy one brand of skin cleanser and another brand of moisturizer, and I hope they work together and do what I want them to do.

I should pay more attention to my skin care regimen. For instance, Borba skin care teams up what they call Nutraceuticals, specially formulated vitamin and anti-oxidant supplements in naturally flavored drinks, and their Cosmeceuticals, anti-oxidant rich topical skin care. Your skin is nourished from the inside and taken care of on the outside. These products are made to work together. Besides the products, there are several skin care and beauty tip articles that could be helpful. There's even an article here saying that skin care is not just for women. Yes, I knew that, but try and convince my husband. He's currently trying to cover his face by growing a beard. Still, a little moisturizer couldn't hurt. Maybe we could share?

As far as savings and finding the best price goes, right now if you spend $100 or more you can get a $25 free gift; see details here: http://www.borba.com/skincareproducts.aspx.

Must Go Shopping

I'm trying to remember the last time I actually got out of the house and went shopping. It's been a while. We're starting to run out of important things, and I really need to go to the store and buy a thing or two. Luckily I'm the kind of person that stocks up when things are on sale, and it would take a very long time for us to run out of everything. There is still food in the house, and we can still eat. It may not be exactly what they want to eat, but at least it's food. Besides, as I mentioned yesterday, Beth doesn't like anything anyway, so, as long as we have peanut butter in the house, she's good. She does like macaroni and cheese, too - so I do need to get some of that. Cory still has a good supply of ramen noodles, so he's not complaining yet. What I really need is some fresh produce - apples, bananas, carrots, celery, lettuce - stuff like that.

I was thinking I should go to the store today. I was even checking the ads, sorting coupons, and trying to find some online coupons to use last night. Then this morning I decided to just wait until tomorrow. The kids have eye doctor appointments in the morning. Since I have to be out anyway, I'm just going to wait and go after their appointments. No sense in going out two days in a row if I don't have to, and we'll be close to ALDI. I've been keeping a running list of the stuff we're getting low on, and I can get most of it there. I love that store, and I don't get there very often because it's not close.

I'm sure the kids will love being dragged to the store, but there's nothing they can do about it! Maybe I'll bribe them by taking them to lunch after? I'll probably end up buying more stuff than we actually need because they're with me, but hopefully that means they will actually eat it without complaining. I mean, hopefully that means she will actually eat it without complaining. Cory eats most anything. After all, he is a growing teenage boy.

Next week I'll probably go to the grocery store since they have double coupons on Wednesday. I love me some double coupons!

Cory's Getting an Academic Letter

We got a letter from the school recently. They're having a ceremony to award academic letters to the students who have earned them. It's nice that you don't have to be a sports star to earn a school letter, that they recognize high academic achievement, too. After all, that's why these kids are going to school - to get an education. We were watching Coach Carter this weekend and just shaking our heads at the fact that even the parents didn't get it. They'd rather have their boys play basketball than get an education and do well in school?

I'm going to have to miss the letter awards because it's the third Tuesday of the month. That means I've got a Library Board meeting at the same time, so Jeffrey will have to take him. Right now I'm supposed to be typing up the minute's from last month's meeting. Every month I say I'm going to get it done right away, but every month I wait until the last minute. Then I'm looking over my notes trying to figure out what I wrote and what it means. What is that? Share a Mizuno golf? What does that have to do with the library? Oh wait - I think it's Mystery book. That was it, that share a mystery book night that I missed.

Wish me luck. Hopefully these minutes will be halfway readable.

Thinking About Buying a New Car?

I don't know about you, but I hate buying a new(to us) vehicle. I think the part that bothers me the most is the way the car salesmen are so high pressure. They want you to make a decision to buy the car right there on the spot. That just makes no sense to me. We're talking a major purchase here, not something you should rush into or be pressured into. We once had a salesman try so hard to get us to buy a van that he kept lowering the monthly payment, not telling us what the actual purchase price was or how long we would have to be paying. All the while he was telling us that he could only do this tonight. Tomorrow would be too late. We walked out. It just didn't feel right.

I just found out about CARCHEX today, and I think they could help us avoid the pressure and stress of buying a new, or used, vehicle the next time we start looking. They provide a FREE Car Buying Concierge service to help consumers find the car they want at the best possible price. The concierge works closely with the consumer to understand exactly what the consumer wants. Then he works as a car buying agent to negotiate with multiple dealers to get the best price, trade-in, and even financing options available. I like the idea of having someone on my side, someone who understands the car buying business.

It sounds like all the headaches of buying a new car are a thing of the past with CARCHEX. Did I mention it is FREE to consumers? If you're thinking about buying a new car, you'll probably want to check this out.

I'm Glad We Live in a Small Town

The other morning Jeffrey walked out the door while I was still getting ready. I hate that - he can get up after me and still be ready to go for our walk before I am, but that's another story. He had barely walked out the door, when he walked back in and tossed Beth's car keys into the house. Yes, she had come home from work the night before, dropped her keys on the driveway outside her car, and left them there overnight. Real good. It's a good thing we live in a very small town so we don't have to worry about criminals roaming the neighborhood looking for an easy house to break into (her house key was on there too) or a car to steal. She certainly was trying to make it easy for them, wasn't she?

I'm also glad that we live in a small town, so that I can walk by myself in the mornings without worrying about carrying some kind of self defense products, just in case. Of course, I used to take the dog, when we had one, and now I have my husband to protect me. Still, in today's society, with all the bad things you hear about all the time, it might not hurt to look into getting some pepper spray or some kind of self defense alarm, and be prepared to use them. With the dropping the keys on the ground and not even being aware of it, I think Beth needs some kind of awareness training or at least some self-defense tips. She's a teenager. She doesn't believe anything bad will happen to her. I think the best thing is to be aware that bad things can happen and have some kind of plan for what you would do if it does.

Rank That Really Means Something

If you've been anywhere in the blogosphere recently, I'm sure you've read plenty of posts about the big G and dropping PageRank. I've written a few of them myself. It's easy to get frustrated when you see your pretty PR 4 drop to a big fat ZERO overnight. Nothing changed - people are still visiting, and the blog is still being read, but somebody decided you didn't deserve that PR. Real fair, huh?

IZEA recently launched IZEARanks.com, a tool to rank bloggers based on real traffic and influence and not somebody's arbitrary idea of what should and should not be allowed on a blog. After all, it's your blog and you should be able to do what you want with it, right? IZEARanks uses a small piece of javascript that you insert into your code to collect a report on actual traffic to your blog. You can choose to display your actual visitors and pageviews, or just your RealRank. I've chosen to let people see my visitors and pageviews along with my RealRank:

Now, you're thinking that's nice, but what do those numbers mean? You really don't know how your blog ranks with other blogs just by looking at your own numbers, but you can compare your blog with up to 10 other blogs, and IZEARanks.com will show you. I compared my blog with three other ones, though I'm not telling you which ones, and here's how I rank for the last week:

I would have added a few more blogs into the mix, but they weren't in the system yet. To get a really clear picture, we need as many blogs as possible to sign up with IZEARanks. It's really simple to sign up, then add the code they give you to your blog's code, and you're ready to start tracking your RealRank. Note that this code is not the same code that is used by PayPerPost - just in case you were worrying that adding this code would bring down the wrath of the big G on you. Another reason to sign up now? If you think your blog has what it takes, you could win $1000. That's right, each week in February IZEA is giving away $1000 to the blog with the #1 RealRank (see the site for official rules). I obviously don't have a chance to win the $1000, but your blog might. There's only one way to find out. Sign up for IZEARanks now.

Let LifeLock Protect Your Identity

Would you put your social security number on your website for the whole world to see? Me either, but the CEO of life lock has his plastered right on the front page, and on the side of a truck in their commercial. That's how confident he is that his identity is safe and protected. LifeLock is the most advanced Identity Theft protection available, and they guarantee that protection up to one million dollars.

I've seen shows about identity theft, and how having your identity stolen can ruin your life. Without help from LifeLock, it can be practically impossible to restore your credit or even convince creditors that you did not rack up all that debt. With LifeLock, if identity theft does occur, they help you get your good name back, but first they do everything possible to ensure identity theft does not happen in the first place.

I have been lucky a few times in the past when someone somehow got a hold of one of my credit card numbers - 3 different cards 3 different times. Each time the bank or credit card company noticed unusual charges and called us. Once someone was using my Visa debit card number in Italy! The bank could not contact us so they froze the account, and they did not hold us responsible for the two charges that went through. I feel that the bank and credit card companies are looking out for me when it comes to that kind of stuff, but there's more to identity theft, and LifeLock takes care of that.

They request fraud alerts with all the major credit bureaus, so that if anyone tries to open a new card or line of credit in your name, creditors must verify your identity. If they cannot verify that you are the person applying for credit, then no credit is issued. LifeLock also requests your credit reports from all the major credit bureaus, stops those pre-approved credit offers that clog your mailbox, and they keep everything current so you don't have to remember to do it. As I read all the things they do, I realize I'm not as safe as I want to believe. I also didn't realize that kids are having their identities stolen by the thousands, and they don't find out about it until they graduate high school and apply for a student loan or a job. LifeLock protects them, too.

Another Cable?

Did I tell you we now have Surround Sound in our living room? Jeffrey had to buy a new stereo to go with his new big screen TV. Even though I kept telling him that what we had was fine, he still thought he needed the new speakers, and while he was at it, the new stereo amp too. In his defense, the stereo we were using is getting really old, and we've had to have it repaired once already, and it cost about the same to buy the speakers themselves or the speakers with the amp. The old stereo gets a new life downstairs in the new exercise room, so it's all good.

Then, the other night, Jeffrey came home and immediately scooted the TV and stand out from the wall and started messing around. When I asked him what he was doing, he said he just bought a new cable to help it all sound better. I have no idea what kind of cable he needed. I thought he already had every kind of speaker cables, patch cables, mic cables, and all other cables known to man. How he could actually need another one is beyond me. The stereo sounds good, though.

Tuglink Job Referral Network

I didn't participate in Give Me Five Monday this week because BeccA asked for five hints, tips, tricks or advice about resumes and succeeding in a job hunt. I read quite a few of them, and there was some really helpful information, but I didn't feel like I had anything to add. Do you know how long it has been since I have had to look for a job? With the kids getting older and most likely going out on their own before too long, I may need some of that help and advice myself before too long.

That's something I love so much about the Internet. It seems that no matter what you want to do, there is someone to help you. You've noticed that, right? Here's something that can be very helpful - TugLink.com. It's a job referral network that aims to help job seekers get a shot at their dream job. It's unique in that it connects job seekers with company insiders who can give them an extra tug or helping hand. Job seekers set up their profiles, list their qualifications, add a list of their dream jobs, and even post jobs they are interested in that they have seen elsewhere. When a company insider sees someone they think will be a good match with their company, they can refer that person to the company and help that person get an interview. It's free to register, so get started on the road to your dream job today. That's my one tip.

To learn more, read the Press Release:

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TugLink.com kicks off another year of helping people start a new career by increasing their chances of landing job interviews this New Year. As its name implies, the web site 'links' job-hunters with company insiders who provide a 'tug', or a helping hand, by referring the right candidates to their employers. Many resources exist today to inform job-seekers about open positions and teach them how to ace the interview process. Getting invited to that coveted job interview, however, remains a key challenge for many candidates.

TugLink is not yet another job board. It is not a traditional social network either. TugLink.com is a job referral network which works as a virtual job wish list whose main and only goal is to connect job candidates with company insiders. These days, information on thousands of vacancies can be easily found on the Internet. As a result, employers are flooded with resumes and even qualified candidates have trouble trying to stand out from the crowd.

TugLink's goal is exactly to reduce this disconnect and provide the missing link to job-seekers. After a quick, no-cost registration on the web site, members set up a Candidate Profile and create their Job Wish List. Here, job-seekers indicate what kind of employment they are looking for in general. For example, 'a full-time Marketing position with a financial services company in the Chicago area'.

Also, job-seekers can post specific jobs that they are interested in. Say, one wants a better job and finds a great career opportunity on a job board like Monster.com or on an admired employer's web site. It can be, for instance, 'a Product Manager at Citibank in New York City' or 'a Software Engineer at Google in Mountain View, California'. TugLink members include description of desired jobs in their Wish List and may get contacted by the target companies' employees registered on TugLink.com. If they see a good match, Insiders refer the right candidate to their company which in most cases results in a job interview.

TugLink.com helps job-seekers get a shot at their dream job; the rest is up to the candidates.

About TugLink Inc.
Launched in late 2007, TugLink was started with the goal of making job search and recruitment a much more effective, satisfying and less costly process both for job hunters and employers. TugLink.com is the first job referral network which connects businesses with potential new hires leveraging the effectiveness of employee referrals. For more information, visit http://www.TugLink.com and watch a short video at http://www.YouTube.com/TugLink

Press Contacts:
Kevin Alemans
(888) 243-4609

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