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Networking Know-How: How to Get Through to the Busiest of People When you are job hunting, sometimes the most frustrating part is just getting your foot through the door to let the right people know that you are out there and available for work. Companies can be like members-only clubs; they tend to be a little distrustful of cold callers and most executives advise their assistants to run interference for them on the phone so they do not get stuck having a protracted conversation with someone they just aren’t interested in doing business with. The thing is that to get an interview, these people can be the very same people you need to talk to. How do you get these busy people to clear some time off in their busy schedule to speak to you? First things first – you have to get the right attitude. If you want busy people to make time to talk to you, you have to present yourself in a way that makes them feel like you are worth the time investment. The trick here is that you have to do this by phone, and often, you have to first convince an operator or personal assistant that your call is one worth putting through to the boss. Your phone etiquette and vocal confidence will be the key here. Consider you basic phone manners first. Instead of launching right into what you want, respond to the greeting of the person who answers the phone with a hello of your own. Animate your voice and always remember that simply saying “please” and “thank you” can go a long way. Be the kind of caller that you would want to talk to if your job was answering the phone all day. People will respond to your positive attitude with a positive attitude of their own. Next, consider your confidence level on the phone. Do you tend to get tongue-tied and stumble over your words? That kind of delivery from you will set all the warning bells ringing on the other end of the phone, and you will find the person with whom you wish to speak always “out of the office.” Instead, work on sounding like you are confident that it is a forgone conclusion that you will get to speak that busy person you want to talk to. Be confident that what you have to say is something that is worth hearing. It may help to write out a framework of what you will say and practice a few times so you sound relaxed and composed when you make that call. Once your attitude is right to make the call, you can then employ a few tricks of the trade for getting through to those busy people. Instead of giving away too much up front, start your call by asking if the person with whom you need to speak is in. If the answer is yes, then you can remove on potential “excuse” for not putting your call through. If your call can’t be taken at that time, skip the message. Let the PA or operator know that you will call back again. That way you have a legitimate reason to keep calling. Of course, you might have to keep calling and calling, and that assistant might start knowing the sound of your voice. If you keep speaking to the same person, it’s time to open up with some person details. Let them know your name, why you’re calling, and if someone referred you, who that person is. Developing that personal relationship can help you get your call through to the boss. Last but not least, don’t give up. Busy people are, well, busy, and not necessarily avoiding your call. Persistence pays off, so keep on calling until you get through.

Promotions and Freebie Help from Kraft Foods Are you a Kraft junkie? Do you live for the rich, creamy luscious taste of classic Kraft Macaroni and Cheese? If you are a fan of Kraft Foods, did you know that you could get your hands on Kraft freebies? If you are interested in getting free samples, coupons and other promotions from Kraft foods, here is some information on how you can find promotions and freebies from Kraft Foods. Why Kraft Foods is a Good Company to Get to Know Better Kraft Foods is an excellent place to get your start as a freebie hunter. That is because Kraft Foods is known to put a lot of effort to keeping their brand names in the public eye. Kraft Foods also has many devotees that really follow the brand, and the company makes an effort to connect and stay connected to its consumers. If you are a Kraft Foods fan, you will find that they are a very accessible company when it comes to finding free offers and receiving free services and food product samples. Here are some tips on how you can find Kraft Food promotions and freebies. How You Too Can Get Kraft Food Promotional Freebies If you are interested in accessing free Kraft Foods freebies, here are some ways that you can get your hands on some free Kraft goodies. First, get to know the official Kraft Foods website. The official Kraft Foods website keeps its own promotions page. The promotions page is where you can find the details on the latest free offers, sweepstakes contests, promotions and offers. If you live in Canada, make sure that you consult the Canadian version of the Kraft Foods promotions webpage. For those of you in the United States military, check out the special Kraft Foods Military website for the latest special offers. This promotional Kraft Foods webpage is the best place to find all the latest deals and steals, and of course, freebies. How to Find Other Kraft Foods Promotions Although the Kraft Foods promotions page should be your first stop in finding freebies, not all the promotions available will always be listed on this page. Did you know that you could find many more Kraft Foods promotions simply by subscribing to their popular Food and Family Magazine? It is true. The good news is that the Kraft Works Food and Family Magazine is a totally free publication. This publication is published and distributed quarterly. It is filled with recipes and great coupons, and sometimes, free offers. You can sign up for the Food and Family Magazine directly on the Kraft Foods webpage. Did you know that Kraft Foods is now also publishing a new free online publication, titled Meal and Fitness Plan? This is a free and totally customizable lifestyle publication that can help you lead your best life by eating the best foods for you. How to Find the Availability of the Kraft Foods Offers Sometimes it can be difficult to find the availability of Kraft Food offers. This is mostly due to the fact that the Kraft Foods Corporations maintains many different sites, including a US site, a US Military site and a Canadian site. Make sure that you are checking the right site for you, and that you check the site frequently and periodically in order to get the best deals. The offers and promotions may last from a few days to several months, so make sure that you search the page often. Are There Any Risks to Getting Kraft Foods Freebies? Be aware that when you request free Kraft Foods freebies, you will be placed on mailing lists. You may also receive email offers, so be prepared for an inflow of messages to your inbox.

Copyright Music Infringement Copyright Music Infringement is Not Preferred Method for Music Lovers In recent years, copyright music infringement has seen an unprecedented leap in scope and scale. This is largely due to online services that allowed unchecked file sharing among their subscribers. While this abuse of copyright is not by any means limited to music, this is where the most profound effects of file sharing have been observed. Industry giants of file sharing are cropping up left and right with the demise of the pioneer for illicit file sharing, Napster. The Recording Industry Association of America (or RIAA) has made copyright music infringement their primary cause to fight. They estimate that peer-to-peer file sharing takes around 4.2 billion dollars each year worldwide from the coffers of the music industry. I really cannot blame them that is a fairly large chunk of change. The problem with their estimates however is the assumption that people would actually buy every piece of music they download or that they aren't buying the music they would have bought at any rate. While I by no means condone copyright music infringement or any other copyright infringement I do believe they are overestimating the damage to the industry that is being done by these file-sharing programs. One of the primary arguments that the RIAA is using in order to, hopefully, discourage people from not supporting their favorite groups and artists by buying their recordings, is the fact that new and struggling bands are less likely to continue making music because it will no longer be profitable. The bulk of musician's incomes are the result of royalties, which depend entirely on the sales of their albums. The RIAA is using the legal system to back them up by taking the fight to court. Recent claims made by the RIAA include one rather controversial claim that people ripping CDs they have bought and paid for does not constitute fair use because CDs are not "unusually subject to damage" and that if they do become damaged they can be replaced affordably. This assertion has raised more than a few eyebrows and is giving rise to opponents of the RIAA who claim that the lawsuits and crackdowns against those presumed guilty of copyright music infringement are actually hurting music sales and the profits of the music industry. During the height of Napster popularity (the hallmark by which all file sharing seems to be compared) CD sales were at their highest rate ever. People were exposed to music and groups they otherwise may not have heard without file sharing. As a result of enjoying the music by these groups people went out and actually bought the CDs of the music they enjoyed. It's ironic that the very lawsuits designed to stop copyright music infringement have actually managed to stifle file sharing enough that CD sales are dropping noticeably around the world. Opponents and critics also challenge that rather than being a source of copyright music infringement, peer 2 peer networks offer unprecedented exposure for new artists and their music. Another argument against the RIAA is that the real reason for the lawsuits against file sharer is because they want to keep the prices for CDs over inflated while keeping the actual royalties coming to the artists relatively low. The copyright music infringement claims made by the RIAA have become suspect. The music industry is currently working on ways where fans can legally download music. This will mean that fans have access to the music they love from their PCs and directly to their music playing devices without resorting to illegal copyright music infringement. The truth is that most people want to do the right thing and given viable alternative will elect to do so.