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Turn on the radio, and in less than 30 minutes you can probably find at least one one-hit wonder. A one-hit wonder is a band who managed to get only one single song impressed into the hearts and minds of the people. The hit may have driven a torrent of album sales through the roof but they could never live up to their single hit and soon faded into obscurity.

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Even though it may sound derogatory, a one-hit wonder band managed to get the timing perfect to connect with thousands of people. The song is fondly remembered; and while they may lack the longevity factor, there are thousands of no-hit bands who would willingly trade places with them for just a moment of glory.

The Falling ‘Stars’ in Your Company

While we hold a special place in our society and our hearts for the musical one-hit-wonders, the same can’t be said of employees who have the same traits.

Even office has them; for one brief moment, they shined. Maybe they closed a huge deal that took the company to the next level; or solved the customer’s problems with a unique approach that earned them the respect of their peers. But too often, these employees ride on their one success and don’t consistently deliver good results.

They, too, may be respected for their contribution, but in business, results are expected consistently.

This is especially problematic in the IT department. You may have a superstar IT worker who created the perfect infrastructure for your company; perhaps they wrote the technical manual that has become the internal bible for your software or services. But after their big success, nothing else special has been seen.

The Ropes to Know in IT

IT is a tricky department. The landscape changes almost daily. The flood of new technologies, cutting-edge products, and latest threats are non-stop. It’s just not the place for someone to rest on their laurels.

If you are looking for workers who are more than a one-hit wonder take a look at IT recruiting services. They can help you find a consistent hit-maker; someone who is well-versed in the cutting-edge technology and delivers results.

You may be looking for temporary staff augmentation or permanent hires—either way IT recruiting can help. They provide candidates with a wealth of knowledge and experiences in specific vertical industries. You spend less time training new workers and more time getting results.

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So the next time you hear familiar one-hit wonders on the radio, take the time to enjoy their song and be glad that they are on the radio and not in your company.

FLINT, Michigan A free workshop aims to answer questions about child growth and development for parents, grandparents and childcare providers.

The Parents Helping Parents program is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 25 at Peace Presbyterian Church in Flint, 1521 N. Elms Rd.

Judy Apgar, a retired professor from Saginaw Valley State University and is a Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteer with the Weiss Advocacy Center, will host the program.

According to a press release on the event, Apgar “will talk about the growth and development of a child from Prebirth to Adolescence and how parents can cope with the issues that come up in each of these stages to help improve the quality of their children’s lives.”

For more information, please visit the Weiss Advocacy Center website at

Faxing is still one of the primary ways that companies exchange important documents and information. One of the main reasons that faxing is still used is to get documents with signatures and handwritten changes from one person to another.

You can still purchase stand-alone fax machines or you can purchase multifunction machines that fax, copy, scan and print. While having a hard copy of a fax is convenient, online faxing seems to fit more into the digital age. Online faxing with Metrofax not only helps you transfer executed documents, it can also save you time.

On the Road

When you need to send that important fax of a document to a client or the home office, the last place you want to be is on the road. Online faxing helps break that tether that requires you to be near a physical fax machine to send a document.

With online faxing, you can send and receive documents while you are on the road using your cellular phone or mobile computing device. It saves you the hassle of having to find an office supply store with a fax service.

Storing Your Documents

One of the great things about online faxing is that you can quickly and easily store documents in digital folders. It makes it easier to store documents in an organized filing system, which also allows for quick retrieval.

The ability to store faxed documents in digital folders also saves on the time needed to print documents. When you use online faxing, you can access the information in the document without having to hunt down a printer and wait for the document to print.

Document Creation

Using online faxing makes it easier to alter documents and fax them back for approval. You can also fax documents you create much quicker when you cut out the extra steps of having to print the document, create a cover sheet, dial the fax machine and send the fax.

Confirmation

Anyone who has ever sent a fax using a fax machine or multifunction device knows how frustrating it can be to have to wait until the document sends before receiving a confirmation page. With online faxing, you no longer have to wait for the document to buffer and then send before getting confirmation. You can either get an instant confirmation after your fax is sent, or you can arrange to have the confirmation emailed to you so that you can review it when you have time.

Online faxing is the more efficient way to send and receive faxed documents. It can save you time and allows you to get on to the more important tasks of your workday.

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Marcellus oil in the Marcellus Shale provided almost 50,000 people with jobs in 2011. This number is only for jobs in Pennsylvania, not including the thousands of jobs in New York, Ohio, and other states that overlap with this broad oil- and gas-rich shale. Jobs are available with no experience and little education.

Entry Level Positions on an Oil Rig

There are at least seven positions on the average Marcellus oil rig, ranging from cleaner and floor hand to rig manager. All positions except for the manager require heavy lifting and all-weather work.

There are three entry level positions on an oil rig: a cleaner, a lease hand, and a floor hand. All three positions involve keeping the rig and pad site clean and performing whatever unskilled labor is necessary.

A lease hand is also responsible for driving vehicles to transport equipment and waste, as well as loading and unloading trucks. While a lease hand can be promoted to a floor hand, a floor hand is also an entry level position that involves basic maintenance of the site and performing any other unskilled labor necessary.

Skilled Positions on a Rig

A motor hand is usually a promoted floor hand. This job requires some skill in assisting the Derrick hand with maintaining the rig’s motors. The Derrick hand is in charge of guiding and steadying the drill pipe in addition to maintaining all systems and fluids needed for drilling. The motor hand and Derrick hand also train new employees and are often required to travel.

The driller is the person who runs the whole drilling rig. He positions the rig to begin drilling and dismantles the rig once drilling is complete. The driller has the responsibility of planning the work of all members of the rig, as well as ensuring that they are properly trained and understand all safety procedures. He also operates the pumps and other equipment, and records the rig’s operation. He is responsible for the rig and all workers.

Qualifications

Almost all of the requirements for an entry level job in oil and gas can be learned on the job or with short seminars or classes. Energy companies and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) both provides tips and regulations in dealing with natural hazards or working around heavy equipment. Generally, a driver’s license, first aid training, and basic training on drilling and rig safety is enough for an entry-level position at an oil rig or other industry field.

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While workers can take classes, most jobs in Marcellus oil only require a fourth grade education. Expertise is desired in certain positions, such as a Motor Hand or Derrick Hand, which are responsible for the maintainance and operation of the rig’s motors. Many times these positions are filled by promoted workers who have worked at the rig, meaning that wherever you start, you have the chance to raise your wage and work experience even more.

Perhaps you’ve heard that some of the large electronic retailers have struggled with sales in the last couple of years. The most basic reason for this is that with better quality of television sets, DVD players and cameras, consumers no longer feel the need to replace or upgrade their purchases on an annual basis. Retailers in essence are victims of improved craftsmanship and sales lag as a result. Fortunately for retailers, television does not contract adware or spyware, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the unit. Meanwhile, when computers contract malware, owners often give up and buy a new one as they used to do with TV. There is absolutely no reason not to just fix the computer yourself.

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Remove Suspicious Toolbars

Uninstall any toolbar you are unfamiliar with, using Zugo LTD for instance. An unfamiliar toolbar could be a gateway for spyware to make its way into your system where your financial information can be stolen. Not to mention a computer that runs as slow as the days when you had a dial-up Internet connection. Computers should not run this slow, and you should not buy a new one if it does. There are many free programs available that will allow you to cut and quarantine harmful adware, spyware and trojan viruses that are solely designed to kill your computer and steal your personal information.

Be Careful with What You Download

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It’s also important to recognize and understand how these elements invade your computer in the first place. Indeed, it is time for you as a user to accept some responsibility for these programs coming in because they didn’t get there on their own. Most of the time, the user gets lured into downloading or accepting harmful malware. Usually, the user downloads a game, and when the game works, everything seems fine. However, most games can include malware or viruses piggybacking that game download.

Likewise, free music downloads are rarely free. Many of the most populated music download sites contain a sea of harmful malware which will ruin your computer if left unattended. Typically, these programs will slow your computer down, revealing a dead giveaway to their existence. It’s important to recognize that some of the more advanced viruses will do nothing conspicuous to hurt your computer. Instead, viruses will sit tight and relay information back to someone who can make use of it by advertising to your likes or stealing your passwords.

Clean Your Computer

Monitor your computer the same way your check your credit reports or the oil in your car, except with even more diligence. Download two to three reliable sweepers for malware and viruses. Run these programs on a weekly, if not, a daily basis. The many benefits of such diligence include increased speed for your computer and elimination of search history from your system, leaving less online footprint. In terms of cost, these programs are usually free, and by running them, you will find you can have the same computer for years to come instead of looking to buy a new one next year.