When Hiring A Telecommuter

This topic relates to the computer field more than any other. This is an article I wrote last week, that I felt I should add.

Everywhere you may find guides on finding a Telecommute job. It is unfortunate though for the business that wishes to hire a remote professional there is very little help. For some companies hiring a remote professional could be of high importance. There is certain information that you must verify before hiring anyone to work for you in your business. These same rules apply when hiring someone to work on a telecommuting basis.

In the interview process you need to make sure they have a complete understanding of the job they are applying for. Requesting a resume and verifying the information on it. This will do several things, it will allow you to verify their credentials. You can verify their employment and match the experience they have against what you need. You will also need references, this can say a lot towards the character of a candidate.

After verifying they have the skill set and integrity for the job. Next you will want to know they can complete the job properly. A successful telecommuter will have a complete home office in a quite environment. Essential items in a successful home office are a dedicated phone line, a fax machine, a printer, and a backup system in place for their computing environment. In todays day and age any successful telecommuter will have a broadband connection for Internet browsing. A dial up connection just will not offer the speed you need for working.

After choosing a candidate for working remotely you will need certain documents that will protect you and your company. A Non Disclosure agreement basically states that any person in communication with your business will not divulge sensitive information. These agreements are readily found all over the Internet in a blanket form. You can easily edit it to match your specific situation. You may also wish to have an employee sign a Non Compete agreement. I am not a fan of Non Compete but it may be essential in your situation. Often in a Non Disclosure agreement there is a Non Compete clause that has a specified time limit. Non Compete essentially means that any individual will not enter into a business that matches yours and compete for customers for a certain amount of time. Another essential document you need is a copy of any individuals Drivers License or ID.

One of the final things you will need to decide is what kind of employee you will have. You may be paying them as a contractor where they pay the taxes. Or you may decide to hire them as an employee where you are holding taxes back. Also How will you pay them? By check, through Paypal, by Direct Deposit or by bank transfer.

Hiring a telecommuter can bring productivity to your operation and projects. However it is not something you should do lightly. By collecting all of the information you need and knowing what venture you are about to undertake you protect yourself. If things work the way they should you have gained a valuable employee. On the other hand if things do not occur in a positive way, you have protected yourself.

Force Word 2007 to Single Space

The newer Office 2007-2008 package that has been released this year overall is a good product. However it has brought some changes, many of them unwelcome to the customer. In particular on of the new changes is the default Style Set in Word 2007. This has caused some interesting changes. For some reason Microsoft would have us believe that a double spaced document is more pleasing and easier to read.

Without going into a debate on that topic lets just say that this will be an unwelcome change to many people. As an everyday user you will also be very discouraged when trying to go to the help menu because there is no actual information as to how to single space the document. When you actually use the tool-bar and try to choose single spacing or changing the spacing number from 1.5/2 to 1 this still will not work.

An Internet Search unless you know what to look for will also discourage you. After all, you just want to be able to type your document and be left alone. Finally you might find the solution buried in the depths of Microsoft KB articles. Luckily someone has already done the ground work. Word 2007 does allow you to change the default Style you are using back to the comfortable Word 2003 format.

You will close any open document you have. Then you will click the home tab. This tab is located at the top of the screen when you are in Word 2007. When this menu has been opened, you want to Change Styles. This button is located in the Styles Group. At this point use your mouse to click on the Styles set. In this box you want to look for Word 2003. This is the style that you want to use. Make sure the button that says choose this as the default style is checked. Once you click Word 2003 this menu will close out.

At this point you should be able to type your document with the single spacing that you remembered well. The original Knowledge Base article for this fix is located at

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/921174

This document also gives you some other brief information regarding parallels between the Styles in Word 2007 and Word 2003 depending on the language version you are using of the program. In addition it is always a good idea to bookmark this page. You can use the search box to find other Microsoft related issues.

Common Mistakes Made By Web Companies

One of the biggest mistakes made with any online company, is not following through with the services and products they offer on their website. For instance, when you provide a software, its a simple notion that you have to provide documentation for the software that matches its performance. This also means the software has to perform just like you say it will. The same applies for any service you provide. A mistake that is made time and time again by many companies is not updating the content of their website, or the documentation of their products.

When customers purchase a product from a web company, it is the same as any other binding contract. Companies that do not follow through are obliged to refund any purchases they do not honor. For a dose of common sense, realize this is a direct violation of any business model.