Are all those enticing frequent flier miles really worth it for the consumer? The answer is… it’s a mixed bag. According to Congressman Alan Grayson, there should be Federal oversight of loyalty programs in the United States. Congressman Grayson tells us loyalty programs are susceptible to changing terms and conditions which can rob consumers of value. Grayson’s actions have re-invigorated an important debate around loyalty points… are they really worth it? The answer is that loyalty points can be worth it, but you’ve got to understand how the game works as a consumer. It’s key to know how points benefit you, how they benefit businesses, and to know some do’s and don’ts as a consumer. Here’s why loyalty programs are...
Glassdoor is a brilliant site that allows current and former employees to post anonymous reviews about their employer. The site is based on transparency and honesty from its member base... which is why their list of 25 “Top Companies for Culture & Values” is so disappointing. It’s disappointing, because Glassdoor excluded LinkedIn from their list - the company that consistently gets the best rankings from employees. Don’t believe me? See for yourself here. LinkedIn is Seen by Glassdoor as a Competitor Based purely on user reviews and scores in Glassdoor, LinkedIn (4.6 out of 5) absolutely belongs on their Top 25 list. Twitter (4.5), Facebook (4.3) and Google (4.4) all made the list with lower overall scores, and a cursory...
My wife and I recently sold almost all of our earthly possessions on Kijiji, and reduced what we had down to two wooden shipping pallets. Since we are a family of five, there was a lot of stuff to sell. Couches, coffee tables, beds, toys, kitchenware, a blender... In total we made about 40 transactions on Kijiji and recouped about $6,000 en route to Abbotsford, BC from Ottawa, ON (which is a journey that spans two-thirds across the second largest country on the world). Selling everything saved us about $8,000 in moving costs, and we are now having a lot of fun picking out new things for our life on the westcoast. Moving this way was hard, but honestly, I’m...
Towards the end of university I got interviewed for almost every internship I applied for after I added a very basic section to my resume. This feature caught the eye of my internship advisor as she proofed my resume, and seemingly every hiring manager who laid eyes on it afterwards. “Little known facts about Jeff Graham,” my advisor said with a quizzical, but entertained, look on her face. “This is awesome!” She said as she scanned the list. “Is it ok with you if I recommend this to other students?” A “Little Known Facts About You List” is Catnip for Hiring Managers Each time I’ve used this “Little Known Facts” list, it’s either been the first or last line of...
Yesterday I sold my freezer to a very rough looking guy that we’ll call Andrew. Andrew had a biker t-shirt on, dirty shorts, flip-flops and sported a long goatee. I had the distinct impression he hadn’t showered in a while, and he didn’t seem to particularly care how he looked. Based on his appearance, I figured he must either be in a trade or do something illegal, because there was no way a guy like him could pull of a white collar office job. “I work in IT security” he says to me, as my mouth gapes slightly in disbelief. Incredulous, I start asking him some pointed questions about IT, because surely this guy was lying to me. He proceeded...
