Today's Number: 700 - Jobs being cut by Bausch & Lomb Inc., about 5.8 percent of its work force, amid slowing demand for contact lenses and laser eye surgery equipment.

        Today's Career Talk: Advantage Human Resourcing, a Norwalk, Conn., employment services company, suggests that January is the best month to look for a job. But first, workers should create a Me Inc. Marketing Plan. “What is your unique proposition? How will you benefit an employer? Write down your valuable assets. Memorize and believe them,” the company suggests. Above all, be persistent. “Searching for a new job is hard work and it can be challenging to maintain self-motivation,” company officials say. “Schedule time each day to network, send out resumes and make follow-up telephone calls.”

        Today's Money Tip: Think of a total market index fund like this: You bet on every horse in the race. The stronger, front-runner horse gets a little bigger wager, but dark-horse gives a bigger payoff. Someone in the race is going to win, and you are guaranteed to get some payout if you stay in the race long enough. Total market indexes average about 10 percent returns over the long run.

        Today's Company: Trasys, LLC

        TRAVELING TECHIES: In a l Trasys supplies temporary staffing in the information technology (IT) realm. The company also can provide permanent IT services to mid-size and large companies that choose to outsource. Typically, Trasys professionals work on-site for projects lasting several months to more than a year. Services include network implementation, application development, help desk and Web-related consulting.

        CINCINNATI HOME PAGE: Trasys was founded in Cincinnati by CEO Joe Rimsky in 1998. David Noonan, former executive director of Main Street Ventures, is president. Trasys has offices in Blue Ash and Indianapolis and service centers in Louisville; Dallas; Denver; New Haven, Conn.; and Portland, Maine.

        TAKING OFF: Trasys was just named the nation's third-fastest-growing IT services firm over the past three years by The Purple Squirrel, an industry trade magazine. Trasys has grown almost 2,000 percent in the past three years and has 110 full-time employees and a database of 40,000 consultants available for assignments.

        Send tips and questions to Bill Ferguson at bferguson@enquirer.com

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