Oct 31 2011

Do not make the same blunder that most folks make when assembling a resume

Here’s a catalogue of the typical mistakes people make when putting together a resume. Ensure that you are not making them as well:

ONE- Making A Resume Too Short or Too Long

Many people try and squeeze their experiences onto one page, because they've heard resumes should not be longer. By doing this, work seekers may remove galvanizing accomplishments. Other candidates ramble on about irrelevant or redundant experiences. There is not any rule about appropriate resume length.

TWO- Being Too Concentrated on Job Commitments

Your resume shouldn't be a boring list of job obligations and duties. One of the most elementary resume tips is to go past showing what was needed and demonstrate how you definitely made a difference at every company, providing specific examples. When developing your achievements, ask yourself:

How did you perform the job better than others?

What were the issues or challenges faced? How did you conquer them? What were the results? How did the company benefit from your performance?

Did you receive any awards, special recognitions or promotions as a result?

THREE- Employing a Functional Resume When You Have a Good Career History

It irks hiring managers not to see the career progression and impact you made at every position. Unless you have an emergency, for example nearly no work history or exaggerated job-hopping, avoid the functional resume format.

FOUR- . Not Including an Outline Section That Makes an Initial Hard Sell

This is one of the job seeker’s best tools. Candidates who've done their homework will know the abilities and competencies necessary to the position. The career outline should demonstrate the skill level and experiences without delay related to the position being sought.

As part of your resume preparation, examine job openings to establish what’s important to companies. Next, write a list of your matching skills, experience and education. Incorporate these points into your summary.

FIVE- . Referring to Your References

Companies know you have pro references. Use this statement only to signal the end of a long resume or to round out the resume layout.

SIX- . Not Including Keywords

With so many corporations using technology to store resumes, work seekers should sprinkle relevant keywords all though their resumes. Decide keywords by reading job descriptions that interest you, and include the words you see frequently in your resume.

SEVEN- . Typos

One typo can land your resume in the rubbish. Proofread and show your resume to several friends to have them proofread it also. This document is a reflection of you and will be perfect.

EIGHT- . Employing a Flamboyant or General Objective Statement

Many candidates lose their readers at the start. Statements such as “a challenging position enabling me to make a contribution to organizational goals while offering a possibility for expansion and advancement” are overused, too general and waste valuable space. If you are on a vocation track, replace the resume objective with a tag line saying what you do or your experience.

NINE- . Putting Irrelevant Information

Many of us include their interests, but they ought to include only those associated with the job. For instance, if a candidate is making an application for a position as a skiing coach, he should list cross-country skiing as a pursuit. Personal info, eg birthday, conjugal standing, height and weight, typically should not be on the resume unless you're an entertainment professional or job searcher outside the US. Actually listing some of this info could accidentally lead to discrimination in the process.

TEN- . Using Personal Pronouns and Articles

A resume is a sort of business communication, so it should be brief and drafted in a telegraphic style. There shouldn’t be any mentions of “I” or “me,” and only minimum use of articles.

Sep 14 2011

Property Law Aids In Determining Who is Responsible in a Trip and Fall Injury on Somebody's Property

Slip and fall accidents might seem like innocuous and common-or-garden misfortunes that warrant no special attention but these common accidents are usually avoidable and account for over fifteen thousand deaths every year in US. Much more slip and fall accidents still lead straight to serious injuries; in the event of a slip and fall accident that causes a death or a grim physical injury the victim or the victim’s family may be entitled to compensation from any one accountable for the unsafe condition that was the cause of fall loosely or directly.

About 75 percent of all slip and fall accidents happen due to dangerous conditions that are the legal responsibility of another individual or entity. These threatening scenarios may be as easy as an untended-to spill of food or liquid or as elemental and inherent as poor engineering design or property maintenance. Property owners, entrepreneurs and those involved in all levels of building design and construction have legally outlined standards and needs to provide a moderately safe conditions and to post alerts of risks where need be. The failure to measure up to these needs is grounds for liability in a slip and fall case under grounds responsibility law. A slip and fall attorney is an expert in grounds culpability law and is the perfect pro to work with anybody filing a slip and fall accident claim.

Grounds culpability and slip and fall accidents fall under the umbrella of civil laws as torts. A tort is just outlined as a wrong involving a break of civic duty that was owed to another individual who was hurt as a result. If the legal wordiness surrounding such an allegedly straightforward case seems frightening, then rest assured that all slip and fall accident lawyers are well capable in both the jargon and the definitions and can simply explain anything puzzling to their customer at any point.

Most slip and fall accidents happen in homes, on local streets and in smaller enterprises, where local property owners are liable because of their (deliberately or unknowingly committed) negligence. Laxity can be proven if it can be clearly demonstrated that the property owner owed a civic “duty of care” to the injured person but did not uphold that duty and so the failure caused the slip and fall accident. If a slip and fall victim was negligent at the time of the event that will reduce the property owner’s culpability given the circumstances.

A victim of such an accident considering filing a slip and fall court action should carefully consider their own culpability before moving forward with a claim. Contact a slip and fall lawyer to check the situation if you've been wounded in a fall to help calculate your fault and estimate the potential neglectfulness of the property owner. A slip-and-fall lawyer should be well placed to tell you quickly whether or not your case stands a chance in the courtroom.

To help your barrister build a robust case, seek medical attention and a pro prognosis for your wounds right after the fall. At the scene take a few photos to spot clearly the threatening conditions that led on to the decline and report the situation to the management of the property for further documentation.

If you are undecided who might be held responsible it is critical to remember that not only property owners and managers can be held liable but in a few cases service providers, parent companies and even governmental entities could be responsible; providing you a source from which to recover damages for the expenses of doctor's bills, lost wages, earning reductions and pain and suffering.

Sep 11 2011

If your employer is making it difficult for you to take your maternity leave what can you do?

Discrimination based primarily on pregnancy isn't legal under both the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the Federal Title VII laws

This includes discrimination based totally on pregnancy, birth, or related medical problems.

Even discrimination based on the “potential” for pregnancy is unlawful. As an example, in a particular case a producing company wouldn't allow girls to work certain roles because if they were pregnant there could be harm to their fetus. This was illegal discrimination. In addition it is unlawful for an employer to ask a prospective employee whether she is or will fall pregnant.

Accommodating Pregnancy and Maternity Leave

Bosses have a considerable number of responsibilities to workers who get pregnant. For example, if a lady conceives, and with the information of her doctor asks for a position that's less tiring or dangerous, the employer must transfer her to another position if it has one, or can make one without being “unduly burdened.” Fundamentally, if it's not too much difficulty for the employer to deal with the woman’s wants he should do it.

Pregnancy Family Medical Leave

Fed Title VII Law doesn't explicitly require companies to assign Pregnancy leave, although it does forbid Pregnancy discrimination. But the Fed. Law does need companies to grant medical leaves, which are applicable to expecting moms.

The California FEHA specifically gives pregnant workers the privilege to take a leave of absence for a fair period of time, not to exceed four months. The employer does not have to pay his employee in this time.

A “reasonable period” is thought of as the time period where the girl is “disabled” due to her pregnancy, birth, or related conditions. “Disabled” in this context basically means she won't work. In a Pregnancy leave, a woman might also use any vacation time she has accumulated.

Bosses can require any employee who plans to take a pregnancy leave to give the employer reasonable notice of the date the leave will start and how long it is anticipated to last. Asking for that notice isn't considered parental leave discrimination.

Employers generally can't force a pregnant employee to go on pregnancy family medical leave. It is there if the lady wants it. Nonetheless if the employer can show the lady absolutely cannot do her job, or is “disabled” by the pregnancy, he may be allowed to make her take a leave of absence. This is , however , an exceedingly tricky situation for the employer, because it is likely the pregnancy can somehow be homed, meaning the girl should be allowed to stay.

Sep 10 2011

Are you in peril as a pedestrian walking around the streets of your city?

Pedestrian accidents can be one of the most things that a voter has to deal with. Because of the very nature of the accident it may lead to permanent injury, brain damage or perhaps death for the victim. The real truth of the affair is that the vast majority of pedestrian related accidents are down to driver neglect, either by failing to concentrate or thru being under the influence of drink or drugs.

So what can a person do if they are hit?

A talented accident attorney can help in some ways and can offer a free consultation service whereby the victim, or the victim’s family, can meet with the barrister to chat about the possibilities of the case. From this the lawyer will be able to ascertain as to whether the victim has a case to say anything. They will also answer any questions or ease any worries that the injured party or their folks have and will put them at ease.

In most cases the fault lies directly with the driver and not the pedestrian and in these examples the case is reasonably straight forward. However there could be circumstances where the accident has occurred due to malfunctioning traffic lights or even badly designed intersections. Then claims need to be filed against the transportation office who deal with the upkeep of the roads. This may prove a little tricky.

In the state of California, accident lawyers will pursue 3 areas of enquiry so as to secure compensation for their clients and they are as follows:

one) Securing the evidence

The first part of the enquiry that a pedestrian accident counsel will do is to try and collect all the information together in order that they can build a watertight case for their client. They will do this by doing interviews with witnesses to the accident and when necessary bringing in a gang of experts such as crash investigators and mechanics to be exceedingly sure of exactly what occurred.

two) Apportioning blame

The second part of the claim is that after building a water tight case that may be presented in a court of law, the solicitor desires to discover who's going to pay out for the accident. In the case of a pedestrian accident, then either individual drivers, an executive body/entity or the vehicle manufacturer themselves will be footing the bill. In several instances the insurer of the negligent driver will payout the compensation. Nevertheless if there had been revealed to be a road design defect that at last caused the accident then a claim needs to be filed with the transport office who deals with that road. If on the other hand, there was a mechanical error with the vehicle that was the cause of accident, then a claim might be filed with the auto manufacturers themselves.

three) Seeking alternative techniques

If an accident barrister encounters any issues then they'll seek alternative methods of recovering damages for their client. For instance, if the driver who caused the accident did not hold insurance then the attorney will find other ways of getting compensation for the client.

The speed of the compensation can rely on who is at fault. For instance, drivers ‘ insurance corporations tend to pay out fairly swiftly and frequently cases won’t need to go to court. However if a vehicle manufacturer has a legal action claim against them, they can nearly always go to court and the lawyers for the car manufacturer will fight until the bitter end. This eventually means that the lawyer representing the victim will have to have the monetary backing in place so they can fight the opposing team of counsels that represent the giant car company.

Pedestrian accidents themselves can be very traumatic for the victims and the families concerned, but rest assured that by choosing the right Riverside accident lawyers you may receive the full and fair compensation that you deserve and ultimately it might mean that you and your family can put this experience behind you and push on.

Sep 09 2011

Only big rig owners know the excitement of driving a van down a winding back country road

People concerned in truck accidents frequently experience serious and devastating damage both to their vehicle and to their body, which can often be life-altering, financially catastrophic and psychologically and emotionally horrifying. The combination of the size and speed of even the smallest truck involved in any collision creates a severe impact that smaller autos and human bodies aren't able to bear.

Most trucks on the road are a part of the fleet of a huge business or firm, and an individual victim filing a claim against the big and financially endowed companies will require the assistance of a seasoned, qualified and devoted truck accident attorney to receive just compensation for their damages.

Though most people do not gather information regarding truck accident claims until they have been the subjects of such an accident, it is vital to realize there is a statute of restrictions restricting the quantity of time injured parties have to file a court action against a wagon or trucking company. Injury claims due to truck accidents can be filed if the accident resulted in what is sometimes known as a fair injury to the driver or passengers of the littler auto involved. Even if it would appear that there's little actual damage after a wagon accident, it is important to grasp that tiny injuries can lead to much bigger issues at a later time. taking action as quickly as possible and getting a full medical appraisal of the damage is done is vital after any truck accident.

Quantifiable physical wounds aren't the sole consequences of a wagon accident. The justice system is increasingly spotting emotional injury as a lingering damage which results from vehicular collisions. In reality it's been proved that physical injuries take more than twice the length to cure when the victim is simultaneously experiencing emotional trauma and for this reason, anyone involved in a wagon accident should visit a social worker, counselor or psychological consultant in addition to a medical expert to determine the extent of the emotional injury they have suffered.

In summation, all truck accidents are serious and not to be regarded lightly. When coping with a legal action against any huge trucking company it's important to be fitted out with a seasoned and skilled legal team.

Sep 08 2011

How to Cope with a Wrongful Death Claim When Grieving the Loss of a Family Member

Nobody would say that any sum of money could fill the gaping hole in the lives of the family and friends of the victim of a wrongful death. Their presence can not ever be revived and it might be wrong to say otherwise. But the family of anyone who was lost from the grievous misconduct of another individual may need to seek justice by punishing those responsible thru a wrongful death legal action. Justice may come in the shape of time expended in jail or through money compensation to aid in easing the intensive and longstanding finance hardships due to the passing.

Emotionally overburdened, the grieving family is often thrown into a far more difficult existence after the loss of their loved one. Children will be raised without the emotional support and steerage of one of their mother and father while spouses find themselves single parents with nobody to assist them in the day-to-day activities of running a household.

The decedent might have been the primary breadwinner for the family or a substantial co-contributor and in the midst of their emotional turmoil families find themselves partly or absolutely without revenue to survive on. Likewise, whose individual may have been the first caretaker of children , parents or their spouse and the loss of their role as caretaker can add to the money deficiency by made the necessity and cost of paid care.

Understanding Wrongful Death

Wrongful death is the legal term to have of the life of a person as a consequence of the conscious or slipshod act or acts of someone else or persons. Laxity, deliberate malpractice and heedless actions in circumstances like car accidents, medical malpractice and accidents on personal property may be the grounds for a wrongful death claim if somebody dies as a result.

Wrongful death laws were initially made to provide financial assistance for orphans, widows and widowers and to help folks to exercise a reasonable quantity of care to prevent fatal injuries. Wrongful death charges are civil charges, not criminal charges meaning that somebody on trial for manslaughter may also be sued separately for the same atrocious action in a wrongful death claim.

The actions that end up in death may be unintended or conscious. A driver who causes an accident that leads to a fatality could be considered unintentionally responsible and held liable for carelessness while a participant in a physical altercation who fatally strikes the victim’s head can be considered intentionally liable even if the other person concerned dies hours after the fight.

Wrongful death actions can be filed against individuals, businesses or corporations and in a number of cases state or local govts. Lawsuits must prove that the defendant’s behaviour or omissions were either the direct basis of the wounds which lead to death or had made an organic, straightforward series of events and circumstances that led clearly to the injury.

Legally, surviving beneficiaries are the only people allowed to sue for wrongful death. In faster terms this means that any immediate member of the family who was partly or entirely dependent on the victim may file a suit unless the guilty party is a member of their own family.

About Wrongful death Compensation

A wrongful death solicitor can be a useful comfort in the surviving family member’s time of need. It is stunningly complex to figure out the amount of compensation due in a wrongful death suit, because no human being is equivalent to a particular monetary sum. The laws surrounding wrongful death claims provide standards of measure to help the victim’s family and their wrongful death lawyers work out the various facets of their loss.

These measurements include the financial losses of property and money due to the accident, the estimated life time of lost revenue the victim would have provided, costs of any doctor's bills paid and sustained as a result of the person’s lethal injury and the additional costs of day care and domestic help needed after the loss. Discomfort and suffering, each of the loved one before their death and of the survivors is also worked out in money terms for compensation. The help of a wrongful death counsel is essential in this situation.

L. A. wrongful death lawyers are remarkably skillful and practiced in combining all the varying sides of potential compensation into an acceptable total both for the surviving family members and in the eyes of a jury.

Sep 02 2011

What are Liability and Negligence According to the Law and How Can They Relate to Accidents?

Accident attorneys are well versed in the 3 basic theoretical principals of personal injury law but most other people aren't. If you have been injured in an accident due to another person and are considering taking legal action thru an individual injury legal action to be useful to discover more about the concepts behind the method. Actually anyone that has fallen victim to the negligent or antagonistic behavior of another person or entity and suffered physical harm as a consequence should understand these basic concepts to aid their decision-making process.

Defining Injuries

Physical harm can be legally qualified as a injury when the damage was caused unintentionally by someone else’s failure to operate with a reasonable care. Reasonable care is a legal term making reference to each individual’s duty to exercise common sense in regards to their safety and the safeness of others in all situations. The standards of reasonable care are rather flexible and are often determined on a case by case basis. Injuries fall under civil laws which are dissimilar from criminal laws. Civil tort laws govern personal injury cases. A tort is generally accepted to be a civil wrongdoing rather than a criminal action that can be recognised by the law and the court as reasonable grounds for the victim to sue those responsible for damages either by themselves or with the aid of a professional personal injury attorney.

Understanding Culpability

Legal culpability essentially means that under the eyes of the law and individual or business is considered responsible in some demeanour for the situation causing damages. Personal injury can be caused by many alternative situations and hazards and in every circumstance those accused of responsibility can be discovered guilty of responsibility under 3 unproven models: strict responsibility, negligent liability or intentional tort liability. Every voter has a duty to uphold a “duty of care” when taking part in activities or maintaining property that have got the potential to be dangerous. A breach of this duty of care and a failure to measure up to one’s social and legal responsibility and can lead to legal culpability.

The Theory of Strict Responsibility

A suspect whose actions were free from carelessness or maliciousness but still were a proximate root of the plaintiff’s injuries will be found guilty of stringent culpability. Product defects, manufacturing problems and hazardous premises as well as deadly individual behaviour can all be considered grounds for strict culpability in a personal injury legal action.

The Idea of Failure

Negligence is the most typical kind of legal liability found in injury legal actions. Accident lawyers create laxity by proving the suspect had a duty of care, breached their duty of care and that the breach led on to or caused the plaintiff’s personal injuries. The accident attorney will also have to create evidence of the personal injury and the resulting finance and other damages.

The Theory of Intentional Tort

A conscious tort is a wrong-doing done with an awareness of the implications of the action. Physical violence, slander and libel as well as defamation can be considered deliberate torts. The awareness and successive wrongdoing may or may not be considered noxious, but if maliciousness can be shown beyond a fair doubt the victim, or plaintiff, may win not just proper compensation for financial damages springing from the tort but punishing damages as well.

The Very Next Step in an Accident Court action

A chat with an accident lawyer Riverside can help illuminate you further on the subtleties of the three theoretical principals of responsibility. Whether you have been in an accident were might have cause an accident a discussion with professional legal counsel is a mandatory part of the legal process.

Aug 29 2011

Motorbike Accident Statistics and How to Stay Safe on a Bike

Bike accidents typically result in grave or fatal injuries to the rider. Many of those accidents are fatal, or result in brain damage and permanent incapacity as well as, loss of wages, tremendous medical bills and the physical and emotional trouble as a result. In most cases, motorbike accidents occur due to the failure of other motorists to see the motorbike concerned.

It may surprise you to learn in most motorcycle accidents the rider of the motorcycle is not the reason for their collision. Additionally, fatal motorbike accidents occur more frequently than deadly vehicle accidents, according to the U. S. Dep. of Transportation’s Death Research Reporting System. In reality there are 4 times more motorcycle accident fatalities than passenger car accident deaths, at roughly 75 deadly bike crashes per 100,000 registered motorcycles as compared to roughly 18.5 passenger auto accidents per 100,000 registered vehicles. In the U. S. , between 4,000 and five thousand bike deaths happen each year. Just about seventy five % of multiple automobile accidents concerning motorcycles are due to automobile driver’s failing to recognise bikes right-of-way.

The following are a few stats on motorbike wrecks:

– Only twenty five percent or less of motorbike accidents are single-vehicle accidents involving a motorcycle colliding with a fixed geographic object.
– 75% of single-vehicle bike accidents stem from motorcycle rider inaccuracy.
– Intersections are the most common location for motorcycle accidents.
– 80% of all fatal motorbike accidents occur off roads and roads.
– Only 33% of fatally hurt motorcyclists did not possess a legal license to drive a bike.
– sixty percent of motorcycle deaths occur at night and on the weekends.
– Most bike accidents, like car accidents, occur on short local trips.
– 96% of bike riders involved in accidents are male.
– Individuals between 16 and twenty-four years old are the likeliest to be involved in a motorcycle accident.
– 50% of lethal accidents are result of some type of the booze abuse.
– 60 percent of motorcyclists involved in motorbike accidents weren't wearing had protection dinner at the top of the accident.
– 73% of motorcyclists involved in accidents were wearing no eye protection at the time.
– Less than ten percent of motorcycle riders concerned in accidents have insurance.
– 92% of all accidents involving motorcyclists involve a writer who had no formal coaching on a motorcycle.
– Only 2 percent of motorcycle accidents stem from roadway defects, 1 percent cause by animal involvements and three percent are caused by vehicular failure.

The statistics indicate that most accidents spring from a mixture of auto driver negligence and motorcycle failure. If you've been in a bike accident, contact a motorcycle accident attorney immediately to find out more about your rights and options.

Aug 27 2011

Reasons which explain why rollover automobile accidents happen

So what are the chances of having a rollover accident? Well it is true that rollover accidents in the state of California are on the rise with over 4,000 fatal injuries yearly. However this is fueled by an increase in the quantity of vehicles on the road over the last couple of years. It's also worth bearing in mind that California has the highest population of any state at approximately 35,000,000. This population increases dramatically in the summer months with holiday makers visiting attractions like Disneyland, Hollywood, San Diego Zoo, and San Francisco. So sadly accidents are going to be inevitable.

Often rollover accidents tend to involve singular cars. This sort of accident takes place when an auto loses its grip on the road, particularly in wet or icy conditions when coming round a corner or bend. The vehicle then begins to slide. During the slide, gravity or motion (especially on higher sided vehicles like SUV’s) may cause the automobile to trip and therefore to roll over. If you've been involved in a rollover accident then there could be other considerations that have caused the roll over and this is what a seasoned L. A. accident lawyer will find.

In numerous cases, things like defective roads or defective automobile parts or tires may well be to blame for your accident. In these examples, it is highly humdrum for the automobile manufacturer or the govt department who is answerable for the roads to pin the blame on your failing to keep control of your vehicle. This can be difficult to prove, but there are some great accident lawyers in Los Angeles who have got a team of folks they can call on. These people such as crash investigators, mechanics, road design engineers and metallurgists will examine the crash scene and indeed scrutinize your auto meticulously to find out what the real cause of the accident was.

The accident attorney who you select for the job could need to take on some pretty stiff opposition in the shape of the car manufacturers and govt. departments, each of whom have bottomless pits of cash and resources to battle claims like these. In the case of the car makers, they spend plenty of money on safety testing, so their counsels will fight each step of the way.

Things that your accident lawyer may have to do to help your case are interviewing eye witnesses, having a look at police reports of the accident, arranging for the accident investigators and car inspectors to do their part of the job and eventually organizing for medical doctors to have a look at the limit of your wounds.

With the challenging jobs ahead, it is particularly important that your L. A. accident lawyer is best for the job. So it's a smart move to make your choice smartly. In order to counter the vehicle manufacturer and government strategies, your attorney should be tenacious, devoted and be well placed to think outside the box. They should also have the financial resources important to take on that type of case. If they have all these qualities, coupled with previous experience in similar cases then there's no reason that explains why your appointed accident lawyer can't get you the result you deserve.

Aug 14 2011

The Correct Way to Address Sexual Harassment at Work

If you think you have been sexually stressed and you don't know what to do, you can always ask for help from a sexual harassment lawyer. Though you may feel humiliated, shy or scared, it is always much better to tell someone. If you can't say it to someone you personally know like a pal or a relation, then a barrister would be someone neutral who can hear you. They will tell you what to do and they are going to be the one to defend you. You've got to be open to them and tell them everything if you'd like them to look after you well. That's their job, to protect people who are victims of sexual harassment.

There are so many victims of sexual harassment and so many cases that are reported to the police or with the proper officials but there are still many unreported cases. It’s hard to visualize how many examples of sexual harassment cases there essentially are in the office. To prevent more cases from happening, it's really important for people to report these cases so they'll receive help.

Folks say that their office or office is their second home because they occasionally spend a little more time there than at their homes. Since it is their 2nd home, they feel that they are safe there but sometimes, unlucky things do happen. One case of this is sexual harassment in the workplace.

The problem is the rules and laws that cover harassment in the office alter by state and can often be puzzling. When employees try and take these matters in to their own hands and try to decode the laws themselves, that's when they can get into trouble. Hiring a sexual harassment counsel and letting them help you on what to do can both save your job and save your case. You are going to need to follow your company’s procedures for reporting harassment at work, but you also want to know that your company’s policies comply with the law. Only a counsel can tell you this.

A sexual harassment lawyer will always be a source of knowledge and comfort to those who have faced this kind of discrimination. And many lawyers will work on a contingency basis which means that you will not owe them anything unless they win your case for you.

Most staff just want to keep their roles and to go to work every day in an agreeable office environment. Fortunately the law is on your side and protects you from a work day freed from harassment and discrimination. If you are running across issues at work, make certain to take the proper steps to guard yourself.