Free credit report Tip

At some point in time or another I'm sure that you have asked yourself, "how do I get a copy of my credit report and what will it cost me to get one?" Depending upon the circumstances, you are entitled to get a copy absolutely for free. But, in other cases, you may have to pay a small fee, which usually runs under ten dollars. The fee varies from state to state. You can start by finding out which credit reporting agencies reported your information by simply going to your nearest local credit reporting agencies most often used. Go to your local county records office to obtain information on any lien or bankruptcies that you may have had, or by writing one or all three of the main credit bureaus. Here are sample circumstances that would entitle you to a free copy of your credit file.
• When you apply for any type of credit and have been denied because of some negative information in your file, you can request a copy of your report within 30 or sometimes 60 days of being denied. Any creditor that denied you credit will provide you with the name of the credit bureau that reported your information that led to the denial of your credit. The bureau must provide you a free copy after you send in your written request.
• States such as New Jersey, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maryland, Georgia, and Colorado will give you a free annual copy once every year if you happen to live in one of those states. If you live in other then the states mentioned, you could still request a free copy from Experian Credit Reporting.
• Also, if you are under any type of Public Assistance and or if you think that fraud is involved in your negative report you can still obtain a free copy, just make sure that you provide an affidavit along with your request, stating that the information that you have provided are true and accurate. Even if you are not denied credit you can still obtain a free copy of your report from Experian Credit Bureau for your record.
Due to the privacy act, all credit report requested must be in writing. The process normally takes about one to three weeks after you have requested your file. To avoid any delay in receiving your report you may want to make sure that the items listed below are accurate. You must include all this information when requesting for your report:
• Your full name
• Your current address
• Your former addresses and dates of residency
• Date of birth
• Social Security Number
• Phone numbers
• Spouse's name if you are married or divorced
Make sure that you include a letter that tells the credit bureaus why you are requesting your report. One of the reasons may be that you’ve either been denied credit and you want to know why, or because you are requesting your free annual copy. Whatever the reasons are, just remember that you need to enclose it with your request. Important too, double-check that all the information that you provide is accurate and that there are no mistakes. Check for correct spelling and completeness. There are some possibilities that someone else has some of the same information as you. To make the process of obtaining your report quick and easy, follow the rules above. Send your written request to one or all three of these main Credit Bureaus listed below:
1. Equifax, Post office box 105873
Atlanta, GA 30348 (800) 685-1111
2. Experian/TRW, P.O.B 949
Allen, TX 75013, (800) 392-1122
3. Trans Union, PO Box 390
Springfield, PA 19064, (800) 851-2674

How to Give a Gift

It is amazing how much thought someone will put into picking out the perfect present yet uses very little imagination on how to give it. In many ways, the presentation of a gift is just as important as the item itself. Imagine buying someone a gold ring and leaving it on the kitchen counter with a note that says "thought you might like this." Or contrast that with the gift of a ring hidden inside a rosebud that will "magically" appear as the rose blossoms in the sunlight.

The next time you are giving a gift, consider presenting it in a creative or meaningful way.

On one Saturday morning while my wife was sleeping in late I ran a string all through the house, beginning at the location where I hid her gift. The string went through cabinets, under seat cushions, in the bathtub, behind the sofa and throughout all the rooms in the house. Had I been thinking ahead, I would have attached small gifts all along the string as a teaser for the big present at the end. After I ran the string through our home, I brought the other end of the string to my wife in bed and explained that I had bought a present for her and it was at the other end. I had never seen her get out of bed so quickly on a Saturday morning.

Another way in which I like to give presents to my wife is by having her find them. I will write about 7 or so clues which lead from one written clue to the next until the final clue leads to the hidden gift.

If you want to go all out on the "treasure hunt" theme, you can give your spouse a tape in the "Mission Impossible" style giving them their assignment to locate the missing gift. Depending on the time you have and equipment available, you can even include videotaped clues which definitely would add to the overall excitement of the quest.

There are dozens and dozens of ways in which you can transform the presentation of even an ordinary gift into a truly romantic occasion. Just "think" about it.

One Simple Move

Here's how to get her laughing, liking you, and alleviate any tension with one simple move.


The Beginning...

One thing you must know is that physical contact between the two of you is crucial. Touch her all the time and make it seem natural and she won't think anything of it. But she will begin to like it and get closer to you because your touch activates her female hormones. So touch is one of the most powerful tools you have.


The Move...

Ok, this move is awesome -- I use it all the time. Whenever the two of you are sitting down anywhere, just take your hand and put it on her leg or knee.

This is where it all starts to happen. Now what you want to do is make a face and expression like "oh man, I hope she doesn't notice" like you're acting goofy on purpose, because you are. But the key is not to look at her during this whole process.

Now what she's going to do is look at you. Trust me, she'll look. And that is when you want to keep your head straight forward and just move your eyes to look at her. When she sees you doing that, then turn your head toward her and when you make eye contact act surprised like you've been caught, because in reality you have.

Now you want to say something like "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I'm such an idiot" in a playful 'you caught me' tone. Then remove your hand and grab hers and put it in the same spot but on your leg, and just say "There we go... I apologize" and just look straight forward again like nothing ever happened.

Trust me you'll get a reaction. She might push your arm or hit your arm and laugh or even squeeze your leg when you put her hand there -- that means you're doing good buddy. She's liking the teasing and playing.

You can end it there or add to when you put her hand on your leg. After looking forward, then look down at her hand and act shocked, in that playful tone again. "What is this? What are you trying to do?" or just do your own variation.


The Results...

What this does is it lets you get to touch her in a couple of different places on her body without her being uncomfortable because of the joking atmosphere, while at the same time you're getting her into you and liking your fun personality. It also gets her used to the two of you touching so that when you're touching and teasing later on, it won't seem hard or awkward -- wondering when to touch her because it won't be the first time. It'll seem normal to her and she'll feel comfortable touching you.

Try it out and let me know how it works for you. And if you have your own variations that work well too, let me know.

How to Dress Like a Soap Star

Occasionally I watch soap operas.

Not because I like them. In fact, I hate them. They're horrible, painful to watch, and total chick shows. If ever something was written and designed specifically for women, it's the soaps.

So why do I torture myself like this? Why do I watch these God-awful things?

A quest for knowledge, of course. Clothing-specific knowledge to be exact.

Keep in mind that these soaps are designed specifically for women... so the men on these shows, in addition to being good-looking, are always extremely well-dressed. Even in their casual attire, they're "dressed to impress."

The colors, the styles, how it all fits together... you can never go wrong if you follow the styles displayed in the soaps.

Now, as I mentioned, they're horrible horrible horrible and painful to watch. So what's the easiest way to go about doing your "research?" Personally I like to tape the shows. Then I can watch them whenever I have a chance and make prolific use of the fast-forward button. I can go through 3 or 4 hours of soaps in about 30 minutes.

Other suggestions:

- Turn the sound off. Don't torture yourself unnecessarily.

- Take notes. You'll never remember it all.

- Find one of two characters that you can identify with or who you think always look good, and pay specific attention to what they wear.

- Note the colors and which colors seem to go together well. Also note the feelings you get when you see these colors and color combinations (what's tough, what's sexy, what's fun, what's happy, what's relaxed, etc.).

- And finally, don't get addicted to the soaps. That's just sa

Hot Tips on Resume Writing

1. What IS a resume anyway?
Remember: a Resume is a self-promotional document that presents you in the best possible light, for the purpose of getting invited to a job interview.
It's not an official personnel document. It's not a job application. It's not a "career obituary"! And it's not a confessional.

2. What should the resume content be about?
It's not just about past jobs! It's about YOU, and how you performed and what you accomplished in those past jobs--especially those accomplishments that are most relevant to the work you want to do next. A good resume predicts how you might perform in that desired future job.

3. What's the fastest way to improve a resume?
Remove everything that starts with "responsibilities included" and replace it with on-the-job accomplishments
4. What is the most common resume mistake made by job hunters?
Leaving out their Job Objective! If you don't show a sense of direction, employers won't be interested. Having a clearly stated goal doesn't have to confine you if it's stated well.

5. What's the first step in writing a resume?
Decide on a job target (or "job objective") that can be stated in about 5 or 6 words. Anything beyond that is probably "fluff" and indicates a lack of clarity and direction.

6. How do you decide whether to use a Chronological resume or a Functional one? The Chronological format is widely preferred by employers, and works well if you're staying in the same field (especially if you've been upwardly-mobile). Only use a Functional format if you're changing fields, and you're sure a skills-oriented format would show off your transferable skills to better advantage; and be sure to include a clear chronological work history!

7. What if you don't have any experience in the kind of work you want to do?
Get some! Find a place that will let you do some volunteer work right away. You only need a brief, concentrated period of volunteer training (for example, 1 day a week for a month) to have at least SOME experience to put on your resume.
Also, look at some of the volunteer work you've done in the past and see if any of THAT helps document some skills you'll need for your new job.

8. What do you do if you have gaps in your work experience?
You could start by looking at it differently.
General Rule: Tell what you WERE doing, as gracefully as possible--rather than leave a gap.
If you were doing anything valuable (even if unpaid) during those so-called "gaps" you could just insert THAT into the work-history section of your resume to fill the hole. Here are some examples:

1993-95 Full-time parent -- or
1992-94 Maternity leave and family management -- or
Travel and study -- or Full-time student -- or
Parenting plus community service
9. What if you have several different job objectives you're working on at the same time? Or you haven't narrowed it down yet to just one job target? Then write a different resume for each different job target. A targeted resume is MUCH, much stronger than a generic resume.

10. What if you have a fragmented, scrambled-up work history, with lots of short-term jobs?To minimize the job-hopper image, combine several similar jobs into one "chunk," for example:

1993-1995 Secretary/Receptionist; Jones Bakery, Micro Corp., Carter Jewelers -- or
1993-95 Waiter/Busboy; McDougal's Restaurant, Burger King, Traders Coffee Shop.
Also you can just drop some of the less important, briefest jobs.
But don't drop a job, even when it lasted a short time, if that was where you acquired important skills or experience.

11. What's the best way to impress an employer?
Fill your resume with "PAR" statements. PAR stands for Problem-Action-Results; in other words, first you state the problem that existed in your workplace, then you describe what you did about it, and finally you point out the beneficial results.

Here's an example: "Transformed a disorganized, inefficient warehouse into a smooth-running operation by totally redesigning the layout; this saved the company thousands of dollars in recovered stock."

Another example: "Improved an engineering company's obsolete filing system by developing a simple but sophisticated functional-coding system. This saved time and money by recovering valuable, previously lost, project records."

12. What if your job title doesn't reflect your actual level of responsibility?
When you list it on the resume, either replace it with a more appropriate job title (say "Office Manager" instead of "Administrative Assistant" if that's more realistic) OR use their job title AND your fairer one together, i.e. "Administrative Assistant (Office Manager)"
13. How can you avoid age discrimination?
If you're over 40 or 50 or 60, remember that you don't have to present your entire work history! You can simply label THAT part of your resume "Recent Work History" or "Relevant Work History" and then describe only the last 10 or 15 years of your experience. Below your 10-15 year work history, you could add a paragraph headed "Prior relevant experience" and simply refer to any additional important (but ancient) jobs without mentioning dates.

14. What if you never had any "real" paid jobs -- just self-employment or odd jobs? Give yourself credit, and create an accurate, fair job-title for yourself. For example:

A&S Hauling & Cleaning (Self-employed) -- or
Household Repairman, Self-employed -- or
Child-Care, Self-employed
Be sure to add "Customer references available on request" and then be prepared to provide some very good references of people you worked for.

15. How far back should you go in your Work History?
Far enough; and not too far! About 10 or 15 years is usually enough - unless your "juiciest" work experience is from farther back.

16. How can a student list summer jobs?
Students can make their resume look neater by listing seasonal jobs very simply, such as "Spring 1996" or "Summer 1996" rather than 6/96 to 9/96. (The word "Spring" can be in very tiny letters, say 8-point in size.)

17. What if you don't quite have your degree or credentials yet?
You can say something like:

Eligible for U.S. credentials -- or
Graduate studies in Instructional Design, in progress -- or
Master's Degree anticipated December 1997
18. What if you worked for only one employer for 20 or 30 years?
Then list separately each different position you held there, so your job progression within the company is more obvious.

19. What about listing hobbies and interests?
Don't include hobbies on a resume unless the activity is somehow relevant to your job objective, or clearly reveals a characteristic that supports your job objective. For example, a hobby of Sky Diving (adventure, courage) might seem relevant to some job objectives (Security Guard?) but not to others.

20. What about revealing race or religion?
Don't include ethnic or religious affiliations (inviting pre-interview discrimination) UNLESS you can see that including them will support your job objective. Get an opinion from a respected friend or colleague about when to reveal, and when to conceal, your affiliations.

21. What if your name is Robin Williams?
Don't mystify the reader about your gender; they'll go nuts until they know whether you're male or female. So if your name is Lee or Robin or Pat or anything else not clearly male or female, use a Mr. or Ms. prefix.

22. What if you got your degree from a different country?
You can say "Degree equivalent to U.S. Bachelor's Degree in Economics-Teheran, Iran."

23. What about fancy-schmancy paper?
Employers tell me they HATE parchment paper and pretentious brochure-folded resume "presentations." They think they're phony, and toss them right out. Use plain white or ivory, in a quality appropriate for your job objective. Never use colored paper unless there's a very good reason for it (like, you're an artist) because if it gets photo-copied the results will be murky.

24. Should you fold your resume?
Don't fold a laser-printed resume right along a line of text. The "ink" could flake off along the fold.