CONTENTS:

• Deborah Kluge
• HrGOpher

Kluge is an independent consultant in grant writing, requests for proposals and government contract preparation. Her Web site offers a wealth of free information and links to researchers. This site is so comprehensive, it would take this entire issue to describe everything it offers.

Start on the FAQ page:

http://www.proposalwriter.com/faq.html

There you’ll find the answer to your many (and I mean many) proposal writing questions. The FAQs are neatly categorized at the top of the page to make navigation easier. Kluge covers the basics of different grant types, researching funders and writing proposals. If you are thinking of starting your own researchconsulting firm or already have one, check out her FAQs about getting a grant for your business.

In the sidebar of every page, there are lots of other goodies, including proposal pointers, a checklist, and government and international grant information plus links. The two pages of grant resources have some interesting links.

Finally, there is a search engine for grant information. There was no background about how search results are generated. The results are a mixed bag and provided mainly by SearchKing (look for a review next month!). The Internet Prospector thanks Maryrose Larkin at Portland State University for submitting this helpful site.

http://proposalwriter.searchking.com/

HRGOPHER

Are you responsible for supervising and/or hiring and terminating staff? Need a form for reviewing performance? Coping with absenteeism, harassment, discontentment or other performance issues? Trying to decide what to ask interviewees? Entertaining the notion of providing a reference for a departing employee? Not sure what your and your employee’s legal responsibilities and liabilities might be?

You are likely to find the answer at HrGOpher. The site’s front page has a sidebar full of HR dilemmas. Choose an issue, then explore the links. The links have no accompanying explanation and some had the same title, so you will have to dig a bit to find what you need. The Forms page was an exception, as it has an option to see the forms list with descriptions.

I found some very helpful links in the categories I explored. For example, there is an easy to follow performance review document called an Employee Development Worksheet on the Forms page. The Individual Development Plan is perfect for creating a personalized employee training plan. The Performance and Reviews category offered links to some interesting sites and articles. So does the Recruiting and Staffing category.

On the other hand, some categories were not as good for research purposes. The salary surveys were a big disappointment -- I have better bookmarks! Ergonomics did not provide the expected links to information about the topic. Some categories consisted mainly of links to consultant Web pages, which may or may not be worth a researcher’s time. Overall, this can be a very useful site for researchers with supervision responsibilities. While sometimes frustrating to sift through the various links, there usually was a kernel of wisdom worth finding.

http://www.HrGOpher.com

Chris Mildner

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