Tired of getting texts from unknown numbers talking about the upcoming election? Here are a few great tips to help keep your sanity until November is over.
Looking for work? 5 mistakes that will hurt your chances of getting hired
Social media is a place where we can loosen up a little. You can post jokes, silly pictures, or whatever on Instagram, X, Facebook and more. Unlike most social media sites, our sponsor, LinkedIn, is pretty buttoned-up.
You always need to put your best foot forward. After all, it’s where you connect with coworkers and find new careers. That means you should avoid being too personal since that can damage your credibility.
But that’s just one of many common LinkedIn flubs. You may be guilty of a few more subtle errors without knowing it. Avoid these LinkedIn mistakes — they might hurt you in the long run.
Error No. 1: The net you’re casting is too wide
Filmmakers design blockbusters to appeal to a broad audience. They want as many warm bodies in the seats as possible, so they avoid plotlines that may alienate audience members. The plot is all very general: The good guy fights the bad guy, the bad guy loses, they all live happily ever after, and so on.
Your LinkedIn profile doesn’t have to follow general guidelines like that. You want to appeal to niche audiences.
Tailor your LinkedIn page to show people you’re a respectable professional in your industry. If you’re too vague and don’t include personal details, you may have general appeal … but lack individual distinction.
Bottom line: When job hunting, you want to stand out. Emphasize the experiences that make you different. Cast too wide a net, and the best fish will slip away.
Error No. 2: You say ‘yes’ to every friend request
You may get overly excited by the influx of friend invites when new to LinkedIn. You may think a surplus of connections shows recruiters you’re social and have a vast network. However, if they go through your contacts and find obvious scam accounts, that could be a strike against you.
Indiscriminate connections can be tempting, but inflating your numbers makes it more difficult for recruiters to understand who you are. They want to understand what drives you, which helps them determine if you’re a good fit for a role.
For example, if you’re a journalist and have 100 friends in the construction industry, they may wonder what’s going on. Are you considering a career shift? Are you more interested in carpentry than fact-checking?
Haven't logged into LinkedIn lately? 5 reasons you really should be using it
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How much do you know about LinkedIn? Sure, you probably understand it’s a social network for professionals, but it’s so much more.
Unlike most social networks that are used to share the latest vacation pictures, LinkedIn was designed for more important reasons. It can help you make connections, share work experience and find or post jobs.
Drowning in numbers? Your favorite AI chatbot has your back if you’re brainstorming or need to jazz up a presentation. Plug in a list of numbers or any other data and prompt, “Analyze this information. Explain any trends or insights you find.” Uploading a pic also works.
The Microsoft Windows Defender scam
Scammers pose as Microsoft to trick you into calling fake support numbers. Here’s how to protect yourself.
🇨🇳 Numbers speak: Since DeepSeek was unveiled, OpenAI, which has attracted roughly $15 billion in funding, and Anthropic, with nearly $3 billion behind it, both have seen their valuations dip by up to 20%. DeepSeek led to a massive sell-off in AI tech stocks, with Nvidia losing nearly $600 billion in market value in a single day.
Best way to stop spam texts for good
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“Official notice from USPS. Your delivery is on hold.” I wonder why …
“Hi, how are you?” Who could this be?
I wasted 36 hours trying to do it myself
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So many of the calls, emails, messages and DMs I get are about privacy and security. I can’t remember the last time I had a full day where no one asked me some version of “How do I get all this info about me off the internet?”
You have to be smarter than cyber spies: EndpointLock encrypts your keystrokes when you enter usernames, account numbers and passwords so no one can copy and steal them. It’s genius. Hit this link for 10% off.
Steer clear: Willow, a company that fronts bill money to customers, left over 240,000 private records in a non-password-protected database. It included customers’ names, numbers, transaction amounts, bank account details and partial credit card numbers. This is why I never recommend hot, new finance apps.
One bad click is all it takes: Hackers have so many ways to weasel into your system. EndpointLock encrypts your keystrokes when you enter usernames, account numbers and passwords so no one can copy and steal them. It’s genius. Hit this link for 10% off.
📈 Turn your text into visuals: Napkin.ai turns words into flowcharts, infographics and diagrams. Just paste your text and click the lightning icon to generate a few options. Pick one you like, make tweaks and hit Export. FYI, all their plans are free while it’s in beta, but you may have to deal with some bugs. Triple-check numbers if you’re using this for work.
Check your 401(k): A whopping one in five Americans has an inactive 401(k) account. The average value? $55,400! If you left a job and never dealt with your account, call your former human resources department and ask if you have an inactive account. You can also try this site.Stop hackers in their tracks: EndpointLock encrypts your keystrokes when you enter usernames, account numbers and passwords so no one can copy and steal them. It’s genius, really. Hit this link for 10% off.
Look at these numbers! General Motors is calling it quits on its Cruise robo-taxi project. All told, they invested $10 billion in self-driving tech, including $3.48 billion in 2023. Btw, GM was recently fined $500,000 for lying to feds about a crash that happened last year … one of the many reasons I still won’t ride in a robo-taxi.
600 million attacks every single day
Microsoft just dropped its annual Digital Defense Report, and the numbers are staggering. Here’s the scoop, in this short podcast.
When your expert witness uses an AI chatbot
In a recent real estate lawsuit, one expert had to admit they used Microsoft’s CoPilot chatbot to come up with their numbers — and it all fell apart.
What we can learn from iPhone 16 sale numbers
The new AI features were supposed to make this phone a winner. But that’s not how it’s playing out. Here’s why.
So much data left exposed for anyone to see
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Another day, another monumental data breach. Just because they’re getting more common doesn’t mean you can tune it out. In fact, it’s time to get even more serious about your private information and what’s posted online.
Master Excel with these 5 genius tricks
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You can’t keep track of everything on paper. Excel can play a significant role in your daily workload. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro user, there’s much to learn — like these five useful Excel tricks.
Want to become an Excel expert? It’s a good strategy for small business owners who want to grow this year. After all, you’ll generate tons of data. Speaking of which, here’s how to stop third parties from selling your data.