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Hub You - 20 Top Tips To Writing Effective Surveys
Where contract and temp work was once the province of the labourer pool, more and more firms are seeking consultants and contract workers for positions that call for professional qualifications, including internal and external audit jobs. Because these positions don’t carry the same degree of security and often offer fewer benefits, they often command higher salaries, and offer a greater deal of flexibility to those who take the positions.Working as a temp or contractor in an internal audit job offers a number of advantages to both the temp worker and the employers. For employers, choosing to employ contract workers means being able to access a pool of skilled workers, hire someone for specific jobs or oversight, and not have to make a long-term financial commitment to a position that may only be needed temporarily. Likewise, the temporary job market appeals to workers who may not be in a position to take permanent positions yet, like students in the early stages of gaining professional qualifications, foreign nationals working on a visa, or those who are between positions, as well as to a growing number of professionals who prefer the flexibility offered by taking contract positions.Doing contract work as an auditor is generally more long term than in the industrial sector, with contract terms ranging from three months to two years. During that time, a salary may be paid by the employing company, or it may be paid by the recruiting or temping firm who retain the title and responsibilities of employer for all purposes. Often, you’ll be paid a pro rata salary based on the number of months that you’ll be employed, and may have the advantage of certain benefits, including holiday pay and sick time.The advantages of a contract job in auditing• FlexibilityContract audit jobs allow a modicum of flexibility. You decide when, for whom and for how long you want to work, though you’ll be expected to fulfill the terms of your contract once you sign one.• Better PayContract work often carries a premium salary. First, the employer is paying less into benefits like insurance, and therefore can pay more into a salary. Secondly, the positions advertised on a contract basis often have high priority tasks for which the company
It is good practice to maintain a consistency in the format used for responses. Keep in mind that when analysing the data radio buttons are easier to analyse than check boxes that offer the respondent multiple responses. Do not use a check box if a radio response would do.
16. Give the respondent an idea of how much time the survey will take.
Respondent drop out can occur if the survey appears to be a stream of never ending questions. It is good practice to give an indication as to how long the survey is likely to take so the respondents can choose the best time to complete the survey.
17. Inform the respondents of the survey end date
Encourage respondents to complete the survey as soon as possible but advice respondents as to the surveys end date so that they have the opportunity to schedule the necessary time.
18. Pilot the survey
Before publishing a live survey publish a small pilot survey to check for questions that are ambiguous or confusing and to ensure that the survey is aesthetically pleasing.
Preparing For Disaster Recovery
Disasters can happen any time and anywhere. Chemical spillage from overturned truck, power outages, brownouts or surges, windstorms, tornadoes and earthquakes can affect your business adversely. Prepare your employees and clients to respond to any possible disaster in advance by providing training and safety information. No business should operate without a disaster plan or back-up systems. Develop risk or contingency management plans, considering, human resources, physical resources and business continuity.Building a Plan:• Keep phone lists of key employees and customers handy with copies of the same to key staff members.• Designate and provide one remote number on your office voice mail system to record messages for employees.• Have programmed call forwarding for main business lines. If you cannot get to office, call in and reprogram phones to ring elsewhere.• Install emergency lights that turn on in case of power outage.• Make sure the employees can leave the premises without a key and do not get locked in.• Use UL-listed surge protectors and battery back-up systems to protect sensitive equipment and help prevent computer crash due to power blackout.• Keep NOAA Weather Radio with a tone alert feature for early severe weather warning so protective actions can be taken.• Stock a minimum supply of goods, material or equipment for business continuity, even through disaster.• Protect valuable property and equipments with insurance.• In case of unexpected confinement at your business, keep emergency supplies like first aid kit, tools, flashlights, food and water to tide over crisis.Reducing Potential Damage to Property:• Prevent or reduce damage in your work area by taking a few precautions.
• Bolt tall bookcases or display cases to wall studs.
• Keep large objects secured on lower shelves to prevent fall and resulting injury.
• Fasten breakable objects with hook and loop fasteners on stands.
• Keep drawers and cabinets latched to prevent flying open and spilling contents.
• Secure framed pictures and mirrors to the wall with closed screw eyes.
• Install flexible connectors to appliances fuelled by natural gas.
• Have shutters to close windows against severe storms or hur
Writing surveys is easy; or is it? The truth is that writing surveys is easy but writing effective surveys is more difficult. The following are twenty tips that if followed will help you write more effective surveys.
1. What is the purpose of the survey?
Surveys are conducted for many reasons. By phrasing the questions and structuring the answers surveys can be used in a multitude of ways and for a variety of reasons. When compiling a survey don’t loose sight of its purpose.
2. Title the survey
The survey title is a golden opportunity to instantly summarise a survey's objective and grab the attention of invited respondents. Respondents are going to invest time in completing the survey so make them feel that their investment is worthwhile.
3. Do not make the survey any longer than it needs to be
Every question that is asked should be asked for a reason. Focus on ‘need to know’ questions and minimise ‘nice to know’ information.
4. Use plain English, avoid jargon and acronyms, maintain consistency and don’t ask questions that may result in ambiguous answers
Care must be taken in wording a question. If a question is not clear then there is every chance that respondents may interpret the question differently to that intended by the publisher making any analysis of the data meaningless or at the very least misleading.
5. Avoid long questions
Try to use short sentences wherever possible. Long questions tend to cause respondents discomfort and can lead to a higher level of incidents where respondents abandon a survey.
6. Ask one question at a time
Avoid confusing the respondent with a question like ‘Do you like football and tennis?’
7. Avoid influencing the answer
It is important not to load the question. ‘Should irresponsible shop keepers who sell tobacco to children be prosecuted?’ is unlikely to have any value.
8. Ensure that the answer format used allows the respondent to answer the question being asked
Allow the respondent to answer how they really feel or they may be less inclined to complete the survey. As a last resort consider the benefit of including a “Don’t know”, “Can’t say” or similar response option.
9. At the same time that you compile the survey consider, when the survey is complete, how the compiled data is going be analysed
If a question is asked that allows a free text open ended response appreciate that such information is likely to be difficult to score and/or summarised. Consider grouping answers. For example “How long have you worked here?” - ‘less than 1 year’, ‘between 1 and 3 years’ and ‘more than 3’.
10. Ensure that the questionnaire flows
When asking questions group the questions into clear categories as this makes the task of completing the survey easier for the participants.
11. Target your respondents
In some cases you will want to target a specific group, in others a cross section. If you can’t easily control the respondents consider including questions/answers that will allow you to filter out respondents who don’t fit your target profile.
12. Allow the respondent to expand or make comments
Allowing the respondent to make additional comments will increase their satisfaction level and will also give valuable feedback on the specific questions and/or the survey as a whole. Remember though for a large sample collection it may be difficult to analyse free text open ended responses.
13. If the survey you are conducting is to be confidential ensure that your pledge is upheld
If you have assured the respondents that the survey is confidential ensure that the individual data is not to be shared with anyone and the information is not going to be used for any other purpose. Confidentiality must be maintained at all times and any identifying information destroyed after the survey is complete.
14. Weigh up the benefits of allowing respondents to be anonymous or identifiable
If your respondents are to be anonymous then appreciate that you will be unable to follow up or match “pre” or “post” surveys. However in some cases allowing people to remain anonymous will allow people to respond without possible peer pressure.
15. Give careful consideration to the best response format
It is good practice to maintain a consistency in the format used for responses. Keep in mind that when analysing the data radio buttons are easier to analyse than check boxes that offer the respondent multiple responses. Do not use a check box if a radio response would do.
16. Give the respondent an idea of how much time the survey will take.
Respondent drop out can occur if the survey appears to be a stream of never ending questions. It is good practice to give an indication as to how long the survey is likely to take so the respondents can choose the best time to complete the survey.
17. Inform the respondents of the survey end date
Encourage respondents to complete the survey as soon as possible but advice respondents as to the surveys end date so that they have the opportunity to schedule the necessary time.
18. Pilot the survey
Before publishing a live survey publish a small pilot survey to check for questions that are ambiguous or confusing and to ensure that the survey is aesthetically pleasing.
Increase Business By Being Nice
I have been reading articles on increasing sales using search engine optimisation as well as writing them for a very long time and I have not seen many which point out the best way to increase sales.The answer is obvious yet often overlooked; you just have to be as good to your customers as you would expect any other site owner to treat you.The World Wide Web is vast and the choices are many, it doesn't matter what you want you have probably got a choice of 30,000 to 3,000,000 sites to pick from.
Our customers will become repeat customers if they are provided a personal service that exceeds their expectations.The Internet has been a boom for many people, businesses have sprung up and their owners have managed to make a living from them, some more than others.The Internet has also taken away the contact we used to have with shop assistants, we no longer see shopping as a personal experience and I think this is a real shame.
You can't ask questions, you can't see the goods you are buying and you don't get a feel for the person you are dealing with.It is down to us, the seller, the owner, the customer service manager to provide a personal service to these people who entrust us with their hard earned cash to provide not only value for money but also a service that will leave them with a warm glow in their heart and a need to return to us for further purchases.We will also get the benefit of the most valued advertising; FREE word of mouth recommendations are invaluable and must never be underestimated.
One person shows off their newly acquired goods and says how fabulous your site is to 2 or 3 people and then those people tell 2 or 3 people so on and on it goes.
Before soon you have loyal customer base.Remember that it takes a long time to build a solid reputation but only one mistake to destroy it.
It takes a lot of hard work and sometimes you have to swallow your pride and say " the customer is always right", we all know that is not always the case but even an awkward customer has mellow moments and friends (well most of them do).e="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">
4. Use plain English, avoid jargon and acronyms, maintain consistency and don’t ask questions that may result in ambiguous answers
Care must be taken in wording a question. If a question is not clear then there is every chance that respondents may interpret the question differently to that intended by the publisher making any analysis of the data meaningless or at the very least misleading.
5. Avoid long questions
Try to use short sentences wherever possible. Long questions tend to cause respondents discomfort and can lead to a higher level of incidents where respondents abandon a survey.
6. Ask one question at a time
Avoid confusing the respondent with a question like ‘Do you like football and tennis?’
7. Avoid influencing the answer
It is important not to load the question. ‘Should irresponsible shop keepers who sell tobacco to children be prosecuted?’ is unlikely to have any value.
8. Ensure that the answer format used allows the respondent to answer the question being asked
Allow the respondent to answer how they really feel or they may be less inclined to complete the survey. As a last resort consider the benefit of including a “Don’t know”, “Can’t say” or similar response option.
9. At the same time that you compile the survey consider, when the survey is complete, how the compiled data is going be analysed
If a question is asked that allows a free text open ended response appreciate that such information is likely to be difficult to score and/or summarised. Consider grouping answers. For example “How long have you worked here?” - ‘less than 1 year’, ‘between 1 and 3 years’ and ‘more than 3’.
10. Ensure that the questionnaire flows
When asking questions group the questions into clear categories as this makes the task of completing the survey easier for the participants.
11. Target your respondents
In some cases you will want to target a specific group, in others a cross section. If you can’t easily control the respondents consider including questions/answers that will allow you to filter out respondents who don’t fit your target profile.
12. Allow the respondent to expand or make comments
Allowing the respondent to make additional comments will increase their satisfaction level and will also give valuable feedback on the specific questions and/or the survey as a whole. Remember though for a large sample collection it may be difficult to analyse free text open ended responses.
13. If the survey you are conducting is to be confidential ensure that your pledge is upheld
If you have assured the respondents that the survey is confidential ensure that the individual data is not to be shared with anyone and the information is not going to be used for any other purpose. Confidentiality must be maintained at all times and any identifying information destroyed after the survey is complete.
14. Weigh up the benefits of allowing respondents to be anonymous or identifiable
If your respondents are to be anonymous then appreciate that you will be unable to follow up or match “pre” or “post” surveys. However in some cases allowing people to remain anonymous will allow people to respond without possible peer pressure.
15. Give careful consideration to the best response format
It is good practice to maintain a consistency in the format used for responses. Keep in mind that when analysing the data radio buttons are easier to analyse than check boxes that offer the respondent multiple responses. Do not use a check box if a radio response would do.
16. Give the respondent an idea of how much time the survey will take.
Respondent drop out can occur if the survey appears to be a stream of never ending questions. It is good practice to give an indication as to how long the survey is likely to take so the respondents can choose the best time to complete the survey.
17. Inform the respondents of the survey end date
Encourage respondents to complete the survey as soon as possible but advice respondents as to the surveys end date so that they have the opportunity to schedule the necessary time.
18. Pilot the survey
Before publishing a live survey publish a small pilot survey to check for questions that are ambiguous or confusing and to ensure that the survey is aesthetically pleasing.
Event Management as a Career Option
Event management in India is still in its nascent stage. It is just ten years old as a profession. Event management is a process which involves market research, planning, marketing, execution and evaluation of an event. It involves procurement management, resource management, crowd management, attendees’ management, risk management, information and finance management.Event management from a distance looks like a glamorous profession but infact it is not. It involves horribly long working hours and lot of hard work and dedication. Event professionals are required to organize events like wedding, concerts, parties, trade shows, exhibitions etc.Any person who has good communication skills, enjoy interacting with people, can work for very long hours and has a very strong networking can become an event professional for events which are not corporate (like Meetings, Incentives, Conference, Exhibitions). For non corporate events there is no minimum qualification required to become an event professional.However when an event is used as a marketing tool to promote a brand or enhance its image or increase sales then it becomes necessary that the event is organized by certified event professionals or people who are qualified enough to understand sales and marketing.
There are many event management schools in India which provide courses in event management. These courses are generally certificates, diplomas or sometimes degrees. They also assist students in job placement. However majority of event professionals in India are not certified.Certified event professionals are basically for corporate events. They are trained to use events as a powerful marketing tool to promote a company's products/services. But most of them end up organizing events which are not corporate like weddings, parties, stage shows etc. As such they don’t get the opportunity to utilize the skills for which they got the training in the first place. Moreover certified event professionals have not been able to differentiate themselves from the uncertified one so far (by organizing events with high degree of professionalism) therefore the relevance of the event management courses in India is still under the scanner. Either the course material is not up to the mark or it is not imparted and implemented thorougRGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">
8. Ensure that the answer format used allows the respondent to answer the question being asked
Allow the respondent to answer how they really feel or they may be less inclined to complete the survey. As a last resort consider the benefit of including a “Don’t know”, “Can’t say” or similar response option.
9. At the same time that you compile the survey consider, when the survey is complete, how the compiled data is going be analysed
If a question is asked that allows a free text open ended response appreciate that such information is likely to be difficult to score and/or summarised. Consider grouping answers. For example “How long have you worked here?” - ‘less than 1 year’, ‘between 1 and 3 years’ and ‘more than 3’.
10. Ensure that the questionnaire flows
When asking questions group the questions into clear categories as this makes the task of completing the survey easier for the participants.
11. Target your respondents
In some cases you will want to target a specific group, in others a cross section. If you can’t easily control the respondents consider including questions/answers that will allow you to filter out respondents who don’t fit your target profile.
12. Allow the respondent to expand or make comments
Allowing the respondent to make additional comments will increase their satisfaction level and will also give valuable feedback on the specific questions and/or the survey as a whole. Remember though for a large sample collection it may be difficult to analyse free text open ended responses.
13. If the survey you are conducting is to be confidential ensure that your pledge is upheld
If you have assured the respondents that the survey is confidential ensure that the individual data is not to be shared with anyone and the information is not going to be used for any other purpose. Confidentiality must be maintained at all times and any identifying information destroyed after the survey is complete.
14. Weigh up the benefits of allowing respondents to be anonymous or identifiable
If your respondents are to be anonymous then appreciate that you will be unable to follow up or match “pre” or “post” surveys. However in some cases allowing people to remain anonymous will allow people to respond without possible peer pressure.
15. Give careful consideration to the best response format
It is good practice to maintain a consistency in the format used for responses. Keep in mind that when analysing the data radio buttons are easier to analyse than check boxes that offer the respondent multiple responses. Do not use a check box if a radio response would do.
16. Give the respondent an idea of how much time the survey will take.
Respondent drop out can occur if the survey appears to be a stream of never ending questions. It is good practice to give an indication as to how long the survey is likely to take so the respondents can choose the best time to complete the survey.
17. Inform the respondents of the survey end date
Encourage respondents to complete the survey as soon as possible but advice respondents as to the surveys end date so that they have the opportunity to schedule the necessary time.
18. Pilot the survey
Before publishing a live survey publish a small pilot survey to check for questions that are ambiguous or confusing and to ensure that the survey is aesthetically pleasing.
Offshore IT Developers - Tips for Succeeding Onshore in the U.S.
Let me start out by saying that it is not my intention to be inflammatory in any way in this article. The purpose of the article is to share my impressions as to how a newly onshored software developer can succeed in the U.S. These impressions are based on many years of hiring offshore software developers to work onshore.I've worked with many developers that had never worked in the U.S. prior to joining my company. Typically, these are developers from India. Most of these developers were very frightened and unsure of themselves, and it is understandable. I try to imagine what it would be like for me to go to work half-way around the world, trying to take in a new culture while trying to suceed in my new job. Some outsourcing firms do a fairly good job of preparing their workers for the U.S. Others don't.Some of these developers turned out to be the best I've ever worked with. I'm going to be honest here about what it takes to succeed in your first onshore gig.- BE AGGRESSIVE. This is the most important thing that I look for when interviewing someone. When I started out in this business, everything was about technical know-how. Over the years, I've learned that it is just as important, if not more so, to be aggressive. What do I mean by aggressive? I mean that you are willing to give 100%, and most importantly, you are willing to express unhappiness with someone who is not doing so. Yell at people. Argue. If you don't agree with the design of a solution, make your point known, loud and clear. Expect people that you are working with to get things done. There are some really lousy developers that were born and raised here in the U.S. Don't let the fact that you are "on their turf" diswade you from confronting them. This kind of aggressiveness will get you noticed in a good way. The best developer that I have ever worked with (and I mean EVER) came to the U.S. from India 5 years ago. And he's good because he's smart AND aggressive. Being timid will result in failure most of the time, no matter how smart you are.- SOLVE PROBLEMS. Don't wait for someone to give you a solution to a problem. You need to try to fix something that isn't working instead of going to the lead or manager at the first sign that there is a problem, exply control the respondents consider including questions/answers that will allow you to filter out respondents who don’t fit your target profile.
12. Allow the respondent to expand or make comments
Allowing the respondent to make additional comments will increase their satisfaction level and will also give valuable feedback on the specific questions and/or the survey as a whole. Remember though for a large sample collection it may be difficult to analyse free text open ended responses.
13. If the survey you are conducting is to be confidential ensure that your pledge is upheld
If you have assured the respondents that the survey is confidential ensure that the individual data is not to be shared with anyone and the information is not going to be used for any other purpose. Confidentiality must be maintained at all times and any identifying information destroyed after the survey is complete.
14. Weigh up the benefits of allowing respondents to be anonymous or identifiable
If your respondents are to be anonymous then appreciate that you will be unable to follow up or match “pre” or “post” surveys. However in some cases allowing people to remain anonymous will allow people to respond without possible peer pressure.
15. Give careful consideration to the best response format
It is good practice to maintain a consistency in the format used for responses. Keep in mind that when analysing the data radio buttons are easier to analyse than check boxes that offer the respondent multiple responses. Do not use a check box if a radio response would do.
16. Give the respondent an idea of how much time the survey will take.
Respondent drop out can occur if the survey appears to be a stream of never ending questions. It is good practice to give an indication as to how long the survey is likely to take so the respondents can choose the best time to complete the survey.
17. Inform the respondents of the survey end date
Encourage respondents to complete the survey as soon as possible but advice respondents as to the surveys end date so that they have the opportunity to schedule the necessary time.
18. Pilot the survey
Before publishing a live survey publish a small pilot survey to check for questions that are ambiguous or confusing and to ensure that the survey is aesthetically pleasing.
Free Marketing Tip #4: Share Your Knowledge
If you're a small business owner or an independent professional offering a service,
you very likely know a lot about whatever it is you do. For example, if you're a chiropractor,
you know a lot about health and wellness. If you're an accountant, you know a lot about
financial matters. If you're a coach you know a lot about helping people accomplish their goals
and achieve success in whatever aspect of their life or business you coach them in.Sharing what you know is an excellent way to market yourself and your services.And the best part is, in most cases it won't cost you a dime. So, for those who are on a tight budget, it is ideal.This is not giving away your services for free, but rather introducing yourself, your
services and your business to people who could benefit.There are all kinds of ways you can use this small business marketing technique to start
attracting new clients to your business.Here are 10 ideas to get you started:(1) Identify a topic you know a lot about, related to your business, and that you think
would be helpful and valuable to your ideal clients.(2) Put together an outline on this topic, that you can use to create an oral presentation,
or a written report.(3) Get out and speak on this topic to groups of your ideal clients.(4) Teach teleseminars on this topic to groups of your ideal clients.(5) Publish and distribute a Free Special Report on this topic.(6) Publish and distribute a Free Ebook on this topic.(7) Publish and distribute a Free E-Course on this topic.(8) Publish a regular ezine or e-newsletter on this topic and related topics.(9) Create and distribute a free audio course on this topic.(10) Include some form of promotion, or special offer with your free content.All of these small business marketing techniques are a great way to introduce yourself and your
content to potential clients. They get you and your business out into the marketplace, for little
or no cost, and can start attracting the kind of clients who are most interested in what you have to offer.(C) Copyright 2006 Debbie LaChusa, 10stepmarketinge best response format
It is good practice to maintain a consistency in the format used for responses. Keep in mind that when analysing the data radio buttons are easier to analyse than check boxes that offer the respondent multiple responses. Do not use a check box if a radio response would do.
16. Give the respondent an idea of how much time the survey will take.
Respondent drop out can occur if the survey appears to be a stream of never ending questions. It is good practice to give an indication as to how long the survey is likely to take so the respondents can choose the best time to complete the survey.
17. Inform the respondents of the survey end date
Encourage respondents to complete the survey as soon as possible but advice respondents as to the surveys end date so that they have the opportunity to schedule the necessary time.
18. Pilot the survey
Before publishing a live survey publish a small pilot survey to check for questions that are ambiguous or confusing and to ensure that the survey is aesthetically pleasing.
19. Before publishing the survey proof read the survey several times
Check and check again that the survey is grammatically correct and makes sense. If possible get someone else to proof read the survey before you publish, if no one else is available then take a break before checking again.
20. Remember to say thank you
To complete surveys respondents need to invest their time and should be thanked either in a covering letter, at the end of completing the survey or in a follow up letter. You may even want to consider incentives such as a prize draw or reward.
For more information please visit http://www.SurveyGalaxy.com
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