Business News Online

When you go on a job interview, it is absolutely essential that you send a thank you note to the potential employer. This is usually a simple handwritten note of thanks for them taking the time to interview you and consider you for the position. It is also an opportunity for the employer to see your name again, and that is always a good thing. Here are several tips for interview thank you notes that you can use the next time you apply for a job:

First and foremost, it is important that you take the time to write the note by hand. Sending a thank you note that is not handwritten comes across as rushed and insincere. Even worse is to send a thank you email. While email may be a great way to communicate quickly and efficiently, it is not the avenue for a thank you note. If you are rushed and want to make certain that you get it to them quickly, then hand deliver the note instead.

When you address the thank you note, make sure you address it to the person that did the interview.

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Film and television production might be a world unto itself, but like any business, its success — or, for that matter, solvency — is a factor of cash flow and product cycles. Just as a pharmaceutical company or a toy maker has to research and develop products before they manufacture them, film and TV producers have to find projects and fine-tune screenplays before committing the exponentially larger sums required to shoot them.

Which is why film and TV producers in Ontario are in a state of giddy anticipation: the Ontario Media Development Corp. will shortly launch a development rebate that will return a percentage of a production company’s R&D outlay. Details and the launch date remain sketchy, but the Liberal government’s intentions are not: a line item in the March 2009 budget, the $10-million pilot program will “refund a portion of the costs associated with intellectual property development to Ontario-based companies in the screen-based industries.” It will be the first rebate of its kind in Canada.

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Looking for Financial Resolutions that you can Actually Stick to this Year?

If anyone knows how hard it is to stick to resolutions, it’s me. If I had a dollar for every time that I vowed that I was going to… stop talking about how real Sasquatch is, or… stop farting in the company of my dog and blaming it on him – then I’d be rich.

Giving a one-size-fits-all personal finance resolution list is incredibly unrealistic, and just downright arrogant. That’s why I wanted to provide a list of 10 financial landmarks that you can set out to achieve in 2010 to enhance your financial well being and build a good foundation for the future.

My challenge to you is to pick 3 of the 10 to focus on in 2010 and share what they are in the comments. Cross more than three off the list? You’re an all star. Have all of these crossed off your list already? Then what is next for you? Share with us!

1. Start up an IRA

An IRA is ESSENTIAL to any retirement strategy. If you don’t

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The global economy that was headed for an abyss at the start of 2009 now appears in recovery, but remains fragile and scarred by the worst crisis in decades.

The year began with major economies on the brink of disaster in what turned into the steepest global slump since the Great Depression, before a modest second-half comeback in most of the world.

US gross domestic product (GDP) sank at a horrific 6.4 annual per cent pace in the first quarter, dragged down by a housing market collapse that hammered the financial sector and the rest of the economy. Jobs were being lost at pace of 700,000 per month.

The eurozone saw a 2.5 per cent GDP slide – a potential 10 per cent annualised drop – in the first quarter that was the worst on record and offered the prospect of economic meltdown.

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US house prices rose in October for the fifth month in a row, according to a leading index.

Prices were 0.4% higher than they were in September on a seasonally-adjusted basis, the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Home Price index said.

And confidence among US consumers has shown a larger-than-expected rise.

Improved optimism over the jobs market saw consumer confidence hit a three-month high in December, according the Confidence Board.

Modest recovery

The recovery in the housing market continues to be uneven, with only 11 of the 20 cities tracked showing house price gains. On a yearly basis, prices were 7.3% lower.

The index records the prices of homes in 20 of the largest cities in the US.

On a non-seasonally-adjusted basis, prices were flat and the index committee was cautious about the possibility of a “second dip” back into recession.

“All in all, this report should be described as flat,” said David Blitzer, chairman of the index committee at Standard & Poor’s.

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Creditors and investors usually prefer business partners with good to excellent credit history. This is the reason why businesses who haven’t established a credit history are finding it difficult to deal with lenders and investors.

If you are just a new entrepreneur, you don’t have to worry because all businesses the chance to build its credit history any time. Below are steps on how to start building your credit history:

Register with a Business Credit Bureau

Having your company registered with a business credit bureau is the first important step you need to do to build a credit history. The country has two (2) major business credit reporting agencies – Dun & Bradstreet and Experian.

Here is how you can apply for business credit from D & B:

1. Visit their official website or you can also call their toll free helpline at 1-800-234-3867.

2. You have to make sure that you have all the necessary information about your company such as your company name, address and contact numbers of your business. Read more…