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Austin's Thoughts

Austin's Thoughts
The CEO of myfirstpaycheck.com describes the adventures of getting his website of job posting for teens off the ground, with observations and advice about employment as well.

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Another fun job posting site
2008-04-05 08:14:00
I came across StartUpers! a fun site that helps start-ups fill their employment needs... check out their cool design. As myfirstpaycheck.com grows we are starting to look for strategic partners to help us get to the next level. Please contact us if interested, or else check Startupers! where we will probably post soon.
More About: Site

Good advice from Keppie Careers - A Head Above the Rest
2008-04-02 00:52:00
I got a nice email from Miriam Salpeter the other day about myfirstpaycheck.com and our resume advice. She wrote, "I like the point about quantifying (how many children, how many lawns, etc.), but I do think that you are advising your customers to list jobs instead of focusing on skills and accomplishments. Even early in our careers, I think there is a lot of room for job seekers to figure out how to market not only WHAT they have done, but WHY it was important. It is a different way of thinking about a resume." Good Point! While we advise our readers to be specific, I don't think we go far enough to stress the importance of why your experience is important. Thanks, Miriam.
More About: Advice , Careers , Rest , Head

Student Summers: Jobs vs. Internships Round 1
2008-03-31 23:34:00
I argue that it's not necessary for college students to intern during their first or second summer of college. This is going to be the start of a fun debate between me and Willy from OneDayOneJob.com, keep reading! What do you think?read more | digg story
More About: Jobs , Student , Internships , Round

Seth Godin's Internship Program
2008-03-29 23:55:00
Seth Godin recently announced on his blog that he was looking for interns, I read right over it but Brandon Laughridge decided that it was the internship for him. What did he do? Started an advertising campaign, obviously. Brandon created http://www.sethsfavoriteintern.com/ and has done pretty much everything else he can think of to show Seth that he is the best candidate. As my buddy Willy wrote on his great site, Brandon's efforts are a great example of the showing off necessary in a job application. Willy wrote, "instead of telling a company that you’re qualified, show them that you’re qualified. You can fake a resume, but you can’t fake something like a Search Marketing and Social Media campaign. If Brandon put on his resume that he was able to convince bloggers to write about him, it wouldn’t sound very impressive. If he aggregates all the posts about him on his site and makes it easy for Seth Godin to find them, that is impressive." I think it's...
More About: Program , Internship

Seth Godin's Internship Program
2008-03-29 23:55:00
Seth Godin recently announced on his blog that he was looking for interns, I read right over it but Brandon Laughridge decided that it was the internship for him. What did he do? Started an advertising campaign, obviously. Brandon created http://www.sethsfavoriteintern.com/ and has done pretty much everything else he can think of to show Seth that he is the best candidate. As my buddy Willy wrote on his great site, Brandon's efforts are a great example of the showing off necessary in a job application. Willy wrote, "instead of telling a company that you???re qualified, show them that you???re qualified. You can fake a resume, but you can???t fake something like a Search Marketing and Social Media campaign. If Brandon put on his resume that he was able to convince bloggers to write about him, it wouldn???t sound very impressive. If he aggregates all the posts about him on his site and makes it easy for Seth Godin to find them, that is impressive." I think it's...
More About: Seth Godin , Program , Internship

Why Teens Aren't Finding Jobs, and Why Employers Are Paying
2008-03-28 22:15:00
An article about the declining number of teenagers in the workforce, and some of the possible factors behind it. Interesting piece, but it starts, "What do Warren Buffett, Walt Disney and Ross Perot all have in common? Besides being iconic American businessmen, all three have "newspaper carrier" on their boyhood r??sum??s. But don't bother looking for leaders of tomorrow's corporate America to be walking down your block at dawn: Your newspaper carrier today is most likely an adult in a car. As recently as 1990, nearly 70% of newspaper carriers in the U.S. were teens. But that number dropped to 18% in 2004, and more declines are likely, according to Robert Rubrecht, director of circulation and marketing at the Newspaper Association of America."It's an evolutionary process," he says." A terrible example of the declining number of teens working, but interesting stuff at the end about private/public partnerships in Bostonread more | digg story
More About: Teens , Jobs , Employers

Why Teens Aren't Finding Jobs, and Why Employers Are Paying
2008-03-28 22:15:00
An article about the declining number of teenagers in the workforce, and some of the possible factors behind it. Interesting piece, but it starts, "What do Warren Buffett, Walt Disney and Ross Perot all have in common? Besides being iconic American businessmen, all three have "newspaper carrier" on their boyhood résumés. But don't bother looking for leaders of tomorrow's corporate America to be walking down your block at dawn: Your newspaper carrier today is most likely an adult in a car. As recently as 1990, nearly 70% of newspaper carriers in the U.S. were teens. But that number dropped to 18% in 2004, and more declines are likely, according to Robert Rubrecht, director of circulation and marketing at the Newspaper Association of America."It's an evolutionary process," he says." A terrible example of the declining number of teens working, but interesting stuff at the end about private/public partnerships in Bostonread more | digg story
More About: Teens , Jobs , Employers

Who'd Win March Madness Based on Salary?
2008-03-28 16:05:00
If 2008 NCAA tournament scores were determined by the median salary of its graduates, this is how the March Madness brackets would shake out. A funny way to pick your brackets, from PayScale.com. We use a one of their widgets on our resources page, http://www.myfirstpaycheck.com/resources. html, what do you think?read more | digg story
More About: Salary

Great advice on video
2008-03-20 15:04:00
Chris | Live Tech Support | Video Help | Add to iTunes This is great advice from Chris Pirillo, Celeste is working on a some videos herself, keep checking myfirstpaycheck.com!
More About: Advice , Great

The Five Things Your Teen Needs to Know About Taxes
2008-03-17 19:43:00
Important Tax advice for teens. Here are the five most significant things you can explain to your teenager to help him understand income taxes according to Denise Witmer. Make your teen aware that if he works(earns income), he will have to pay taxes - minor or not. Your teen needs to understand certain paperwork and tax forms. Your teen may need to file if he/she has unearned income. Your teenager needs to know that the money she brings in babysitting and mowing lawns is considered earned income by the United States government. Your teen needs to know how tax money is used by the government. These are great tips. When you do receive your first paycheck, make sure you go over it with your parents (and probably your boss) to make sure you know what everything means, and where the funds are going. read more | digg story
More About: Taxes , Things

How immigration policies are making it easier for Teens to find jobs this s
2008-03-14 14:55:00
The link is explained in Kate Zezima's article in The New York Times. She writes, " In an effort to win support for a comprehensive immigration overhaul, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and its allies have blocked voting on legislation that would allow employers to rehire foreign seasonal nonagricultural workers independent of a 1991 quota. As a result, the government is limited to issuing the 66,000 seasonal work visas set when the visa program, known as H-2B, became law — 33,000 for winter workers and 33,000 for summer workers. Last year, more than 120,000 foreign workers entered the country on H-2B visas. For Cape Cod, the impact has been devastating. Employers will receive only 15 of the 5,000 visas they had requested, according to the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce." Many vacation towns rely on foreign workers because they can work the whole summer, are affordable, and are happy to work in a beach or resort - those are all qualities teens have too. If you ar...
More About: Teens , Jobs , Immigration , Find , Policies

How immigration policies are making it easier for Teens to find jobs this s
2008-03-14 14:55:00
The link is explained in Kate Zezima's article in The New York Times. She writes, " In an effort to win support for a comprehensive immigration overhaul, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and its allies have blocked voting on legislation that would allow employers to rehire foreign seasonal nonagricultural workers independent of a 1991 quota. As a result, the government is limited to issuing the 66,000 seasonal work visas set when the visa program, known as H-2B, became law ??? 33,000 for winter workers and 33,000 for summer workers. Last year, more than 120,000 foreign workers entered the country on H-2B visas. For Cape Cod, the impact has been devastating. Employers will receive only 15 of the 5,000 visas they had requested, according to the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce." Many vacation towns rely on foreign workers because they can work the whole summer, are affordable, and are happy to work in a beach or resort - those are all qualities teens have too. If you ar...
More About: Teens , Jobs , Immigration , Find , Policies

HB 2196, the Youth Employment Incentive Tax Credit.
2008-03-12 15:09:00
We are proud to join The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce is urging lawmakers to approve HB 2196, a Pennsylvania state tax credit for businesses that employ disadvantaged youth. Rep. Josh Shapiro (D - Montgomery County) introduced this terrific bill that would encourage business to hire young adults from under privileged households. Under this measure, if a business hires a young adult who comes from a household with income that does not exceed 235% of the federal poverty level, that business would be eligible for tax credits equal to 70% of the employment expenses incurred. Introduced by Rep. Josh Shapiro (D - Montgomery County), the bill sets aside $20 million for these tax credits. Putting young people to work is important. We want our teens to have the valuable skills and life experiences earned from working, and it's great to see Rep. Josh Shapiro and the state focus on how they can help. This is not a hand out, but a working solution. Please contact your...
More About: Credit , Youth , Employment , Tax credit , The Youth

Little negative effect seen from Pa.'s higher minimum wage
2008-03-06 00:40:00
From Philly.com, "When Pennsylvania boosted the minimum wage twice in 2007, restaurants, retailers and other business interests groaned. A report issued this week by the state’s Minimum Wage Advisory Board shows why they were worried. Businesses in the leisure, hospitality and retail trade sectors employed two-thirds of all of those making minimum wage in 2007. Business owners complained that increasing the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.15 per hour would raise their costs, forcing them to cut workers. The increase directly affected 132,800 Pennsylvania workers, or about 4 percent who earn an hourly wage, the advisory board said. It cited census statistics showing a less than 1 percent decline in employment in retail trade and manufacturing shortly after the two wage hikes. However, employment in leisure and hospitality rose by less than 1 percent during the same time period. So call it a wash. Any worry that Pennsylvani...
More About: Effect , Negative , Higher

Little negative effect seen from Pa.'s higher minimum wage
2008-03-06 00:40:00
From Philly.com, "When Pennsylvania boosted the minimum wage twice in 2007, restaurants, retailers and other business interests groaned. A report issued this week by the state???s Minimum Wage Advisory Board shows why they were worried. Businesses in the leisure, hospitality and retail trade sectors employed two-thirds of all of those making minimum wage in 2007. Business owners complained that increasing the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.15 per hour would raise their costs, forcing them to cut workers. The increase directly affected 132,800 Pennsylvania workers, or about 4 percent who earn an hourly wage, the advisory board said. It cited census statistics showing a less than 1 percent decline in employment in retail trade and manufacturing shortly after the two wage hikes. However, employment in leisure and hospitality rose by less than 1 percent during the same time period. So call it a wash. Any worry that Pennsy...
More About: Effect , Negative , Higher

myfirstpaycheck.com | finding jobs for Philly Teens
2008-03-04 14:25:00
Mike Armstrong wrote in today's Inquirer, "The United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania says 70,000 people ages 16 to 24 in Philadelphia and its four western suburban counties do not have a job. The Philadelphia Youth Network, through the WorkReady program, placed about 8,000 young people in work settings last year, but turned away at least 3,000 who applied because there were no jobs for them."I hear that today's teens don't want to work, here's at least 3,000 kids who applied for jobs and didn't get them. And many more, applied and couldn't find jobs outside of WorkReady.Teens make great employees. They might require a little more training and support, but they are loyal, affordable, and great advertisers.Myfirstpaycheck.com | Job Advice for Teens connects teens and the business community that is seeking part-time employees with the teens who want to work.Myfirstpaycheck.com | Jobs for Teens also provides tools such as job advice for teens and a great resume builder for teens...
More About: Philly

Rich Karlgaard's advice on first jobs
2008-02-27 23:20:00
Rich Karlgaard, publisher of Forbes.com, posted a nice column that I stumbled upon today with practical advice for those starting out on careers. Like almost all of us, Karlgaard had no idea what he wanted to be when he 'grew up,' and ended up working as a security guard after graduating from college. But he figured it out, and did well for himself. And I wanted to pass on some tidbits that users of myfirstpaycheck.com | jobs for teens could benefit from. 1. Fall in love with reading. Karlgaard writes, "It doesn't matter what the writing is. What's key is that the kids claim it as their own." 2. Find a mentor. He suggests that the mentor doesn't have to be the boss, or even know that you have chosen them, but what's important is to pick "mentors because they had something I needed to learn. " 3. Think like an owner. Karlgaard writes that it's easy to pick up destructive habits such as downsizing your view of the world on the bottom of the totem ...
More About: Advice , Rich , Jobs

A cool new site for those a little older
2008-02-25 20:48:00
A friend of mine recently created this great site, One Day, One Job | A blog about entry-level jobs It's a neat idea, http://www.onedayonejob.com/ is a place for young adults looking for full-time, entry-level employment to go to learn more about new companies and the positions they are posting. It's casual, well-written, and generally entertaining, and it helps readers become more informed job searchers. It also changes everyday, so there is always something new to see. Good luck Willy!
More About: Cool , Site , New Site

More media coverage!
2008-02-25 17:54:00
Check out these two great stories published about MyFirstPaycheck | Jobs for Teens last week! This article in the Main Line Times was on the front page and looked awesome, and this one by Danielle Builta, was published in the local Quad Cities paper, pretty cool huh! Every mention helps and we're thrilled that people are as excited about the positive impact MyFirstPaycheck | Jobs for Teens has had on teen employment as we are. MyFirstPaycheck | Jobs for Teens has already helped many teens find jobs, are you one of them?
More About: Media , Coverage

More media coverage!
2008-02-25 17:54:00
Check out these two great stories published about myfirstpaycheck.com last week! This article in the Main Line Times was on the front page and looked awesome, and this one by Danielle Builta, was published in the local Quad Cities paper, pretty cool huh! Every mention helps and we're thrilled that people are as excited about the positive impact myfirstpaycheck.com has had on teen employment as we are. Myfirstpaycheck.com has already helped many teens find jobs, are you one of them?
More About: Media , Coverage

“Corporate Idol”
2008-02-14 15:29:00
Here is a fun article in the Times about a great contest that McDonald's is running. They have created an "American Idol" knock-off for it's employees. McDonald’s put out a casting call to its 1.6 million restaurant workers worldwide and was overwhelmed by the response. Video auditions came in from 3,600 singing workers across the globe, all vying for a chance to win the $25,000 prize. 14 finalists get to compete in a final showdown in April at a McDonald’s convention in Orlando. This is a great example of the little (and not so little) things that employers can do to make things fun. Companies can't buy advertising like this article in the Times or on this blog, and I guarantee that all 1.6 million McDonald's employees told their friends and families something positive about McDonald's after participating. Happy employees are your best advertising, and happy teenage employees are even better. Find them here.

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