You may find it beneficial to have an alternate “job search office” such as your local library or employment centre, where you can research, read, and write without distractions you may encounter at home. Many are equipped with computers that you can use for Internet job search as well as resume and cover letter preparation, which can be a great benefit if you don’t have a home computer or must share it with other family members. If you plan to use this type of service on a regular basis, you’ll need some type of portfolio or briefcase to hold your job search material, including your resume in printed form and on a diskette, your calendar, and a notebook for jotting down leads and ideas. Most facilities do not allow you to receive telephone calls, so be sure that potential employers can reach you by voice mail, pager or cell phone.

Of course, you’ll need a calendar for marking down job interviews and other important meetings. You’ll also need a system for keeping track of your job applications. This information may be needed to confirm your eligibility for unemployment insurance or social assistance, and will help you to follow up on your applications.

Your Contacts

During your job search, you will probably communicate with hundreds, if not thousands, of people, but in order to make effective use of network you develop, you’ll need a way to keep track of all your contacts.

The simplest method is a card file system, with a card for each contact. Each card should include contact’s name, title, organization, address, telephone number, fax, and email address, source of lead, and dates and details of any conversations, correspondence, or interviews. You may find it helpful to set up a “recipe box” with a set of dividers labeled with days of week and a set numbered 1-31 for days of month. You can file each card under date you wish to contact that person. For example, you may speak with someone on 10th who suggests that you call him or her in two weeks. After noting information on index card, file it in section for 25th where it will serve as a reminder for you to follow up.

There are wonderful software programs available that can help you with organizing your job search contacts. WinWay Resume, for example, has a section for storing contact information that you can merge with your cover letter. ACT! allows you to schedule tasks and reminders as well as perform mail merges. If you don’t wish to buy or learn a new software package, email address books in Outlook, Outlook Express or in free Web-based email packages are also an excellent way to keep track of your contacts. However, unless you have unrestricted access to a computer, or a portable system such as a Palm Pilot, you won’t be always able to access information. The key features of any organizational system are ease of recording and ease of retrieval. If using an electronic system will make your job search more complicated and time-consuming, don’t use it.

Job searching can be overwhelming, but when you organize your schedule, workspace, and contacts effectively, you’ll be able to stay on track and find your new job more quickly.

Locate and secure deceased person's assets and then sensibly manage them during probate process, which commonly takes about a year. Depending on contents of will, and financial condition of estate, this may involve deciding whether to sell real estate or securities owned by deceased person.

Handle day-to-day details, such as terminating leases, credit cards and other outstanding contracts, and notifying banks and government agencies—for example, Social Security Administration, post office, Medicare and Department of Veterans Affairs—of death. Set up an estate bank account to hold money that is owed to deceased person—for example, paychecks and stock dividends.

Pay continuing expenses—for example, mortgage payments, utility bills and homeowner's insurance premiums. Pay any debts that estate is legally required to pay.

The executor must also notify creditors of probate proceeding. State law will define required method of notice. Creditors have a certain amount of time—usually about four to six months—to file a claim for payment of any bills or other obligations you have not voluntarily paid. The executor decides whether a claim is valid. Pay income taxes. Federal tax returns must be filed for year in which person died. Pay estate taxes if necessary. It is unlikely, but state and federal estate tax returns may be required. Only very large estates owe federal estate tax; for deaths in 2001, if someone leaves less than $675,000 worth of property, no federal estate tax is due. (And any amount of property left to a surviving spouse who is a U.S. citizen is estate tax-free.) This exempt amount is set to rise until it hits $3.5 million in 2009, and federal estate tax is scheduled to be repealed in 2010. However, tax will reappear in 2011 unless Congress extends repeal.

Most states do not collect estate taxes of their own, but take a piece of federal taxes due, if any. Some states impose inheritance tax; rates depend on who inherits property. Check with your states' taxing authority. Supervise distribution of property—such as cash, personal belongings and real estate—to people or organizations named in will. When debts and taxes have been paid and all property distributed to beneficiaries, ask probate court to formally close estate. Being an executor involves lots of details and handling many mundane tasks. So, some may think that being meticulous is most important attribute to look for when naming executor of your will. However, I think trust is really characteristic you want for your executor.

Others choose someone who stands to inherit a substantial amount of their property. Naturally, a person with an interest in outcome is likely to be conscientious in managing your affairs after your death. When you consider alternative, that executors are only paid a small percentage of estate (the exact amount is state regulated) you will want to choose someone who will honor their fiduciary responsibility and is willing to do job.

Ref: Guiding those Left Behind in Pennsylvania, Amelia E. Pohl, Esq. And Harold N. Fliegelman, Esq., and Nolo’s Encyclopedia of Everyday Law, edited by attorneys Shae Irving, Kathleen Michon & Beth McKenna