First I wanted to wish you all a wonderful end of  ‘09 and an even better 2010.  It’s been a difficult year for many of us, but we cannot let our fears get the better of us.

Anne Fisher’s  article from the Job Seeker Weekly gave me a boost and I thought I’d share with you.

Peace and best of luck in your search!

By Anne Fisher, Fortune Magazine

Seasonal hiring is well under way, but it’s not too late to get a temporary job – or a job opportunity that turns into a full-time gig!

Many companies are still hiring in December and January to replace people they took on earlier who didn’t work out. Other companies have drafted out their new year business plans and are looking for qualified candidates now.

No matter which sectors you target, employers can afford to be pickier than ever because there are so many applicants for each available opening.

To maximize your advantage, here are four assets to take with you during your interviews:

1. Flexibility. This year even more than in the past, it’s essential that you be available to work whenever you’re needed, including nights, and weekends. If you aren’t willing to take on inconvenient hours, the person behind you in line for the job will be.

2. Enthusiasm. You need to show a genuine upbeat attitude because interviewers want you to pass that along to customers and co-workers.

3. Knowledge. Study up on each company and its products or services, especially if the job requires you to deal directly with customers.

Around the holidays, with the crowds and the stress, customers tend to get impatient, and if you can’t answer their questions, they get even more irritated than at other times of the year. Job interviewers are well aware of this, so go in knowing your stuff.

4. Experience. As with any other job interview, applying for a job you’ve done before gives you a real leg up. If not, look back over your work history and try to find something similar. That part-time job waiting tables, for instance, might have taught you a thing or two about mollifying dissatisfied customers, so be ready to talk a bit about that.

If your goal is to stay on after the holiday season and beyond, say so during the interview. It’s important to express your interest in a full-time position up front, to give the employer a chance to evaluate your performance in that light.

Then do a great job and be proactive. Ask for extra work, and keep an eye out for what you can do that’s above and beyond the job description.

This is probably a little more of a ramble than usual.  I felt the need to write about this and get feedback from others who may or may not be in a similar situation.

I was a fairly active member of a wahm community that I liked a lot.   More of a lurker since the kids went back to school, but before lurkdom I would read and comment on member posts and blogs, search out members when I wanted to shop, and so on.  It is a supportive group for the most part, and I liked being a part of it.   Recent group changes have changed my feelings on it.

I tend to keep religion out of business for the most part.  I don’t scream about my path from the rooftops, but I don’t hide or pretend to be something I’m not either.  I tend to stay away from groups with religious undertones because the focus tends to stray from business to religion.   I personally believe that the two should not necessarily mix, but there is something comforting about the common bond.  But what if a group starts one way and becomes another?

When I joined, the group was not religion-based, just wahm-based.  Over time, however, the change became clear and became part of the group description and mission.  While I enjoyed my time there, I could not in good faith remain a part of it.  I was not excluded or made to feel unwelcome; I felt somewhat like a fraud for being there.  I did not feel comfortable in a group that gave me a  label that did not fit.

Before anyone sees this as an attack on religion-focused groups, let me assure you that it is not.  This is about my take on the subject.  If one chooses to make religion a factor in how one advertises, so be it.  I’m fine with that.  I have issue with someone refusing to do business with a potential client or customer because of religion, but that’s another story.  It’s a question of character for me.  I will continue to be the person that I am and treat my fellow man as I wish to be treated.  I will continue to network and shop with other independent business owners, both on and offline.  I will market my business as I have in the past.  I will not knowingly participate in these activities under a label that does not reflect my true beliefs.

If leaving the group affects my relationships with the wonderful women I met there, then it will happen. I would rather lose contact with them than live a lie and lose respect for myself.

This crook is using the name and address of a legitimate corporation in order to find suckers.  Honeywell is everything the scammer says it is, complete with biographical information copied directly from the company site.  There is no legitimate position anywhere that requires receiving payments from clients and keeping 10% or more off the top.

Here’s the message, complete with grammatical errors.  The red flags are italicized.

WORK AT HOME APPLY NOW (PART TIME/FULL TIME)

Re: Management Placement

From:

“Mr. Gu Shu” <icbc2@w266sl11d.homepage.t-online.de>

Dear Friend,

This is a Management Placement on behalf of a customer Mr. Kim Woo Choong. Our client needs to urgently relocate his funds due to the economic crises and he is looking for an experienced business person or company that can receive and profitably invest the monies in excess of Thirty Nine Million US Dollars outside Asia. The sum will be paid from our bank; visit our bank website at Website: http://www.icbc-ltd.com

For more information contact: Mr. Gu Shu [Secretary to Board].Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (Asia) Limited ICBC Tower 3 Garden Road, Central Hong Kong. Most importantly, you will be required to:

[1]. Act as the original beneficiary of the funds.
[2]. Receive the funds into a business/private bank account.
[3]. Invest/Manage the funds profitably.

NOTE: The Client is willing to pay 5% for your role as the beneficiary partner to the funds when the money is confirmed to your designated bank account. Also a subsequent 10% as “Management Commission” will be paid for your advised investment services. If you prefer to be re-contacted for more express information, please send us your response to: mr.gushu44@yahoo.com

We expect your correspondence and our response will be swift.

Best Regards,
Mr. Gu Shu [Secretary]
Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (Asia) Limited.

Here’s the WHOIS info -

omain Name ………………… icbc-ltd.com
Name Server ………………… tns1.icbc.com.cn
cns2.icbc.com.cn
Registrant ID ………………. hc956371309-cn
Registrant Name …………….. yao lu
Registrant Organization ……… Industrial and commercial bank of china
Registrant Address ………….. haidian district beisihuan west road No.65,room 820
Registrant City …………….. beijingshi
Registrant Province/State ……. beijing
Registrant Postal Code ………. 100080
Registrant Country Code ……… CN
Registrant Phone Number ……… +86.01082610575 - 8201
Registrant Fax ……………… +86.01082888687 -
Registrant Email ……………. 
Administrative ID …………… hc956371309-cn
Administrative Name …………. yao lu
Administrative Organization ….. Industrial and commercial bank of china
Administrative Address ………. haidian district beisihuan west road No.65,room 820
Administrative City …………. beijingshi
Administrative Province/State … beijing
Administrative Postal Code …… 100080
Administrative Country Code ….. CN
Administrative Phone Number ….. +86.01082610575 - 8201
Administrative Fax ………….. +86.01082888687 -
Administrative Email ………… 

Shaklee Independent Distributor

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I’m still working on it, but wanted to share.

Summer vacation is insane for me.  The kids are home and require more attention than they would like.  Hubby takes time off and makes road trip plans.  Extended family and friends drop by unexpectedly, and other call repeatedly (you know who you are).

I’ve been any and everywhere it seems but here.  The kids’ return to school next week will be a big help – my day will be mine again!

I can’t speak for all telecommuting parents, but for me, having the kids nearby is both a blessing and curse.   I still wouldn’t change it.  Well, except to occasionally wish for year-round school schedules.

What about you – would you change anything about your telecommuting schedule?

It’s time for another cup of coffee.

Why sneaky?  Because Careercenter.org is another name from our old ‘buddies’ Legit Jobs At Home (LJAH).  LJAH is well known for posting job ads and directing those who respond to join their paid site in order to apply.

Here’s the latest message they sent me.

~~~

Job: Verification / Monitors $14.00/hr

Many Languages Needed: Korean, Vietnamese, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, English, French, etc..

You can help Veri-Log fight telemarketing fraud and make money from home using your computer.

As a Verification /Monitor, you would listen to recordings of sales calls to determine if the sale was valid or if there is evidence of sales fraud or undue customer confusion. Must listen to calls / recordings one after another.

This is a telecommute position. Pay: $14.00-$15.00/hr. You work from your home using your computer and Internet access. We supply all needed training and software Apply with us today, just send an emal for more information. Must be able to start immediatley.

Compensation: $14.00-$15.00/hr

Apply: http://456list.com/listing_details/verification___monitors/2

Carlisie Welch HR
-eoe-

~~~

Domain information on 56list.com -
Created:      2009-06-15
NS History:        2 changes  on 3 unique name servers over 0 year.
IP History:     3 changes on 3 unique name servers over 0 years.
Organisation Name…. Deborah Odom
Organisation Address. 15360 braile
Organisation Address.
Organisation Address. detroit
Organisation Address. 48223
Organisation Address. mi
Organisation Address. UNITED STATES

IP Address:       216.39.57.104

“Deborah Odom” owns about 3 other domains

For careercentersite.org -
Created:     2009-04-22
Last Updated On:21-Jun-2009

IP Address:       68.180.151.74
NS History:     1 change on 2 unique name servers over 0 year.
IP History:     2 changes on 3 unique name servers over 0 years.

It’s the same old thing.  You receive an unsolicited email from an employer who spotted your resume on a job search site.  The message seems ok, but lacks details.  You think something may be off, but you’re not quite sure, so you return the the message and ask for details.  With help from Bobbear.co.uk, let me save you some time.

I received this email this morning from IDS Solutions Inc.  I knew that it was a scam right from the get go because -

1) the return address did not match the contact email.
2) this part time gig has a $2,300 monthly salary
3) The HR Manager, Rob Richie, includes EDS Inc. in his signature when the company is called IDS.

~~~

Hello.

My name is Rob Ritchie. I’m the human resources department manager of the IDS Solutions company.
Our firm has an opening in our United States department for a Sales Executive Representative position.

This is a part-time/home based position.

Salary : $2300 per month

Requirements :

•              not less than 18 years old.
•              internet access to reply promptly to e-mails messages
•              availability by phone.
•              MS Word, MS Excel, PDF qualification
•              absolute absence of criminal offenses or convictions.
•              experience in the financial issues is welcome.

If you are interested, please reply to : bestcowag@googlemail.com

Best regards
Rob Ritchie
HR manager
EDS inc.

~~~~

A quick Google search later led to Bobbear.co.uk’s report.  I cannot improve on this one, so here’s the link – http://www.bobbear.co.uk/ids-solutions-inc.html

As expected, another Russian money laundering scam from a repeat scammer.

When are they going to realize that we’re getting smarter every day and spreading the word about them?  It makes me wonder what good they could do if they put that energy to legal use.

Be safe!

I responded to a job post for an Academic Exchange Coordinator position on June 2 expecting it to be a scam.  Oh man, is it ever!  These crooks are not only looking to hit up job seekers, but have no qualms about ruining the reputation of a legitimate organization in the process.

Without an interview or a review of my references or resume, Victor Carabut of PAX LLC, not PAX the non-profit academic exchange organization, sent me a copy of an coordinator agreement to complete.  Before receiving an official job offer, I am supposed to share my social security number and banking information; but sharing a driver’s licence number and/or passport info are optional.

In the ad, my duties would entail meeting students at the airport and transporting them to their host’s home.  In the email, I do that, but also receive payment for academic services.   I’d be paid $500 a month plus 3% of the program fee.

This guy used the legitimate organization’s logo and address on this agreement, but changed the phone and fax numbers to suit his needs.  The website he mentions in the email, paxllc.net, is a clone.  I ran a WHOIS search and found the administrative contact using the legit address but different phone and fax numbers.  “Heidi Guerrero,” I see you!

PAX LLC
Heidi Guerrero
+1.2815062758 fax: +1.8008566733
14 Willett Avenue
New York NY 10573
us

DNS:
ns3.cnmsn.com
ns4.cnmsn.com

http://whois.domaintools.com/paxllc.net

Here’s a little more interesting information.  The contact number used on the clone site (347-826-4983 ) has been used by scammers before.  Ever heard of Intaro Safe Business Group or UNIS Holding Group?  Only potential victims and fraudwatchers have.  Thanks Bobbear.co.uk for sharing!

http://www.bobbear.co.uk/intaro-safe-business-group.html
http://www.bobbear.co.uk/unis-holding-group-inc.html

I’ve contacted Pax.org and forwarded the email, link, and copy of the agreement.

This isn’t new, unfortunately.  Scammers frequently clone a legitimate business in order to catch potential victims off guard.  Victims think they have found a legit position and stop digging for information.  By the time they realize they’ve been scammed, the crooks have made off with the victim’s funds, identities, and self-esteem.

Never let a familiar company name keep you from doing the research.  Don’t stop with the URL the contact person shares.  As always, if any of you have been contacted by these crooks, please share.

Just thought I’d send a little love to our northern neighbors.