Austin's Thoughts

Teen Job Options: Starting a Business

2008-07-03T09:36:37-04:00

I wrote this column about stating a business for About.com. If you are still looking for something to do this summer, think about starting a business. It's a great way to stay busy, earn money, and learn something. And hey, if Celeste and I can do it, you can to!

Here are some quick tips from the column:

Find a problem and fix it

Think small to get started

Don't let yourself get overwhelmed by the obstacles

Keep it up

Spread the word

Be safe

Make money

Enjoy

Summer job shortage squeezing retailers

2008-07-02T11:24:53-04:00

Bloomberg has a great story about the summer job shortage hurting retailers. Lauren Coleman-Lochner and Heather Burke write, "The financial pressures of adults are finally catching up with American teenagers. Since summer jobs dried up, gasoline prices topped $4 a gallon and parents ran out of spare cash, teens have had to cool it on spending for clothes..

Spending by 13- to 17-year-olds is important because in at least the past two years it has been rising faster than total apparel sales. The adolescent demographic accounted for $27 billion, or 14 percent, of the $192.7 billion of clothing purchases in the 12 months through April, according to market- research firm NPD Group Inc....

and Retailers dependent on that group are feeling the pinch."

Not only is it important for businesses to hire teens to give them experience, but it also makes business sense. We work with many restaurants and retailers who are worried about losing teenage dollars - myfirstpaycheck.com is a great place to advertise for employees and customers.

Teen Jobs from an HR Executive

2008-06-27T16:22:34-04:00

I stumbled across a very good article written by Marlene Prost for The Human Resource Executive Online.

She writes, "Organizations may end up hurting themselves in the long run if the slumping teen job market -- with the exception of hospitality and tourism -- continues to lag. The tendency to hire immigrants, college-age students and older adults leaves little room for teenagers, who need those summer jobs to learn how to become good employees."

It's interesting to see that HR executives understand the importance of teenage employment, we just wish others were as forward thinking as Marlene. And we hope that Marlene knows how much myfirstpaycheck.com can help her.

She asks, So Why Hire Teens?" and answers, "The teen work crisis isn't just depriving kids of pocket money; it's hurting society, because teenagers are not learning how to work, some experts say.

"A lot of my clients express frustration that they're more babysitters than employers" for workers in their 20s, Stamer says. "[These workers] lack a work ethic. They don't know how to be a good employee. They haven't had jobs and [learned to be] accountable."

Teens need jobs to learn the value of work, she says. They need mentors and feedback on performance.

"The vast majority [of teenagers and younger adults] don't wake up one day and understand what it is to be an employee, to learn to be counted on, to be accountable, to do well or not. ... The workers we're not hiring will come into the work force, whether you're hiring them at 16 or 30."

HR also can benefit from teen employment in several ways.

* Identify and keep the best. "I try to convince my clients to give a performance evaluation at the end, to show where [the teens] could develop, where they performed well. If they were good ... provide a financial incentive [next year], a premium," Mathews says.

* Adapt to the millennial mind. The millennials, born after 1977, are more interested in flexible hours and a work/life balance than salary and benefits, Grasz says.

To attract the best young workers, schedule around school hours and consider offering transportation, Mathews suggests. "The employer needs to get creative. It's not a never-ending supply, especially of good workers."

* Create summer internships. On a broad level, some cities such as Boston, run large programs that help businesses create paid summer internships.

On a smaller scale, Stamer says she personally hires a few students every summer in her law firm.

"I do it for two-fold reasons: If I do my job right, I get valuable service at less rate. These people are going on and build the world I live in. I'm building a safety net for services I need in the future."

What Teens Want!

2008-06-25T11:36:24-04:00

Who knows! But I'm speaking at a conference with the same title about how to reach teens online with

Michael Berkley, CEO, SplashCast Media
Kate Connally, Vice President, AddictingGames
Geoff Cook, CEO, MyYearbook.com
Austin Lavin, Co-Founder and CEO, Myfirstpaycheck.com
Brian Liebler, Director, Interactive and Social Media, Alloy Media and Marketing
Moderated by: Barry Janoff, Executive Editor/Sports, Brandweek

Should be fun, but I would really really love if I could get my email working again. I'm really sorry about the inconvenience but if you need to reach me, write a comment or shoot me an email here

Cool Jobs

2008-06-24T13:06:59-04:00

Sandy Banks wrote a column in the LATimes about her daughter's job search. Her daughter is having a hard time finding a job, but Sandy thinks that one of the reasons is that her daughter's expectations are too high.

But she also writes, "But two weeks of pounding the pavement -- or at least occasionally scrolling through "help wanted" ads on Craigslist -- have produced not a single employment offer for my 17-year-old daughter . . . the one with the expensive tastes and empty wallet."

As (hopefully) any myfirstpaycheck.com reader would tell you - that's not how you're going to find a job!

You have to

1. Be Brave. Even in this economy, there are plenty of employers out there looking for the affordable, enthusiastic, and energetic help that teenagers provide, but you have to go out and ask for it. Don't be afraid to apply for jobs.

2. Be Polite. You are applying for a job; dress up, make eye contact, shake hands, and avoid using slang. First impressions matter - make sure you are remembered for your application and not your attitude.

3. Be Prepared. Bring a resume and a cover letter whenever you apply for a job. Having a good resume is essential. It shows that you are serious about the position, and that you are mature and responsible. If you need help writing a resume, myfirstpaycheck.com provides a dynamic free resume for teens
that is very helpful.

4. Be Persistent. It would be nice if you were immediately offered every job that you ever applied for, unfortunately this is not the case for anybody. Persistence pays off; send a thank you note to interviewers, follow-up if you do not hear about the job after a week, and keep applying.

5. Be Creative. Look for work in places other than the mall. The weakening economy means that people are going to be looking to cut costs in areas such as lawn and child care. Get a few friends together and start a landscaping or a babysitting business. Working for yourself is a great way to earn money and develop skills that will help you find your next job.

But Sandy also has a good tip for parents. She writes, "
Employers hate it when Mom does the work to get the job, he said.

"It's the kiss of death if Mom walks into Starbucks dragging the kid by the hand," he said. "If they don't look serious, they're not going to get a second look. The interview is over before it's begun."

What should parents do? "Make sure you're clear that there are plenty of opportunities out there, but that getting a job takes persistence." Tell them, "You keep going back, even if they don't call you. You let them know you really want to work.""

Best Summer Job

2008-06-23T11:02:12-04:00

Here is a column Jeff Seidel wrote for the Detroit Free Press about some of his summer jobs.

What was/is your favorite summer job?

Two great shout outs for myfirstpaycheck.com

2008-06-21T10:58:45-04:00

It's all about getting links right?

I wanted to pass on two particularly good pieces - one from 19-year-old Shannon Lilly who graciously let me guest post on his blog Infectedbybugs.com.

And the other, Top New Job Search Sites

, from one of my favorite job search experts Alison Doyle.

Pretty neat huh?

Teens spend a lot of time online... d'uh

2008-06-20T13:03:42-04:00

A lot of people are now reporting on the The Tween & Teen Lifestyle Report that just came out and found, "In contrast, the time youth spend online continues to grow. During a typical week, teens spend an average of 12.5 hours, up from 10.7 hours last year. 'Tweens spend an average of 6.5 hours online, compared to 5.2 hours last year."

It also found, "Among online activities, sending and receiving email is at the top of the activity list, followed by instant messaging and playing a simple game. Popular Web sites among teens include YouTube, Facebook, Google and MySpace, while 'tweens named sites such as Webkinz, Nick, YouTube and Disney."

I don't think this is particularly interesting, except if it gets more decision makers to realize how much of tweens and teens lives are spent online.

Someday hopefully myfirstpaycheck.com will be on of the post popular sites for tweens and teens too, but we're getting closer everyday.

If you're trying to reach tweens and teens online and are trying to figure out how to do it - we can help, feel free to shoot me an email.

And we're back

2008-06-20T10:57:04-04:00

After a couple hours down, myfirstpaycheck.com is back up and running!

Woo-hoo

We'll be right back!

2008-06-18T17:48:14-04:00

Myfirstpaycheck.com is hosted by paetec who is experiencing some server issues this afternoon. Unfortunately it means that we're out of commission, but Paetec has assured us they're doing everything possible to get us up and running soon.

We're sorry for the outage but appreciate your patience!