Work
Give me the tools. Investigative tools, online resources, databases, equipment.
How to find the sitemap of a website
Why would you need to view the sitemap? Not all pages of a website are accessible from the menu. Sometimes there are hidden pages that are still public, often containing information you may need in your investigation. Here’s an article showing 8 ways to find a sitemap:
https://seosly.com/how-to-find-sitemap-of-website/
TikTok investigations
TikTok can be a goldmine of publicly accessible information. I’ve confirmed addresses, vehicles, friends and more just by trawling through a subject’s video uploads. You can see a user’s interactions, likes, comments and potential associates. Here’s an article showing some ways to use TikTok in your investigations:
https://pursuitmag.com/why-tiktok-is-crucial-in-online-investigations-and-how-to-use-it/
Lifestyle
Tell me a story. Investigator stories, news, books to read, podcasts, things to watch, lighthearted moments.
Top tips for working from home
I've been working from home since 2013. Here are my top 4 tips.
1. Stop work at 5pm, on the dot. No emails, no phone calls, try and stop yourself from thinking about work. Everything can wait until tomorrow. I violated this rule for years and consequently was never quite on or off in my own home.
2. Use headphones for focused work. If you don't have the space for a nice, quiet, separate home office, create space in your head. No more neighbourhood noise, kids coming and going, general household sounds to remind you of all the chores you need to do.
3. Have a favourite place you can go, in the neighbourhood, just to get out of the house. For me it's a local cafe. I don't go there every day, but you do need somewhere to stop you getting cabin fever and to feel more creative.
4. Have a piece of exercise equipment in your office. Might as well do something you can't do at work, which is exercise while working. Whether it's a kettle-bell to swing for a couple of minutes just to get the blood pumping. Or a chin up bar. (These are both in my home office). Or even an exercise cycle you can use while reading an article or taking a phone call.
Learn
Teach me something. Learning resources, articles, books to read, podcasts.
A crash course in interviewing
Interviewing is one of the most important skills a private investigator can develop. It takes time, and I would suggest sitting in on interviews done by an experienced investigator. There's nothing quite like watching an expert at work.
In this Pursuit Magazine article Christopher Borba briefly explains how an interview should be conducted.
• Planning (write out what you need to find out)
• Starting the interview (build rapport)
• The questions (use open ended questions first)
• Documenting the interview
Another great question to ask at the end: “Is there anything at all that I may not have asked you about, but that could be helpful to us or relevant to the case?”
https://pursuitmag.com/a-crash-course-in-interviewing/
End.