Austin's Thoughts

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

???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 at MyFirstPaycheck | Jobs for Teens.
More About: Corporate

Myfirstpaycheck.com crippling newspapers?
2008-02-14 00:28:00
Alan Mutter, a Media-technology consultant, wrote about MyFirstPaycheck | Jobs for Teens in his recent white paper about the newspaper industry. He used MyFirstPaycheck | Jobs for Teens as an example of how the 'help wanted' market is  developing to meet niches. This is not good for newspapers, but very good for us. I'd like to point out that I'm a huge newspaper person, and am not celebrating the end of newspapers. Rather, I am highlighting this white paper (and our mention in it) to illustrate the little things that newspapers could be doing now to change their fortunes. If there are any newspapermen who are interested in chatting about Alan's paper, or teen viewers, shoot me an email. I'm looking at you Brian Tierney.Alan wrote, "MyFirstPaycheck.Com not only helps teens find their first jobs but also shows them how to write a resume and tells them what to expect in an interview. If you are retiring from the Navy, you can post your skills and career goals at ...
More About: Newspapers

Myfirstpaycheck.com crippling newspapers?
2008-02-14 00:28:00
Alan Mutter, a Media-technology consultant, wrote about myfirstpaycheck.com in his recent white paper about the newspaper industry. He used myfirstpaycheck.com as an example of how the 'help wanted' market is  developing to meet niches. This is not good for newspapers, but very good for us. I'd like to point out that I'm a huge newspaper person, and am not celebrating the end of newspapers. Rather, I am highlighting this white paper (and our mention in it) to illustrate the little things that newspapers could be doing now to change their fortunes. If there are any newspapermen who are interested in chatting about Alan's paper, or teen viewers, shoot me an email. I'm looking at you Brian Tierney.Alan wrote, "MyFirstPaycheck.Com not only helps teens find their first jobs but also shows them how to write a resume and tells them what to expect in an interview. If you are retiring from the Navy, you can post your skills and career goals at NavyLeague.Org, where empl...
More About: Newspapers

Philly Startup Leaders
2008-02-11 20:12:00
Woo-hoo Philly Startup Leaders ! This is a great group started by Blake Janelle and a few of us other young local entrepreneurs who are interested in helping each other out, and creating a better community for tech companies and start ups, like MyFirstPaycheck | Jobs for Teens here in Philadelphia. I've been working with Blake and others on this for a few months, and I'm very excited about our progress, and our potential. Please let me know if you are interested in getting involved.

Philly Startup Leaders
2008-02-11 20:12:00
Woo-hoo Philly Startup Leaders ! This is a great group started by Blake Janelle and a few of us other young local entrepreneurs who are interested in helping each other out, and creating a better community for tech companies and start ups here in Philadelphia. I've been working with Blake and others on this for a few months, and I'm very excited about our progress, and our potential. Please let me know if you are interested in getting involved.

Why are teens working less?
2008-02-04 21:35:00
From a MarketWatch Article by Ruth Mantell - "New data indicates that last year's labor-force participation rate for 16- to 19-year-olds hit 41.3% -- down from a peak of 57.9% in 1979, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Experts cite increasing competition for jobs, as well as low wages and high pressure for college admittance as factors keeping kids out of the labor pool." The article continues, "In 2006, the typical earnings of more than half of working older teenagers were less than $200 per week, according to BLS. With wages like these, even parents see that extracurricular activities such as sports and clubs can be better options to help kids prepare for their future, Goodman says." I think that teens can participate in sports and clubs and hold down jobs, and I think that there are a lot of benefits from working.. but there is something to be said about the decision between making a choice between playing a sport and making less than $200 a week. Although most teen...
More About: Teens , Working

Where are the snow shovelers?
2008-02-01 23:41:00
It hasn't snowed yet here in Philadelphia, but when it does, are you going to be ready to shovel? Florence Shay writes, "What happened to all the youngsters carrying snow shovels who would ring the bell to ask whether you wanted your driveway cleared?  I haven't seen one in years.  Did the snow-blower make the entrepreneur obsolete?  I'd love to see a team of young shovelers when the snow is less that 4" deep.  True, my husband goes out with the shovel (snow blowers are for sissies) and does the job, feeling empowered by his success." Here's an article in the Sun-Times about snow shoveling. Neil Steinberg writes, about the likelihood of teens asking to shovel his driveway, "In my dreams. The odds of something like that actually happening are about the same as Jessica Alba stopping by to read the meter. All the youngsters in my -- well, it isn't so leafy of late -- snowy suburban paradise are so stuffed with cash from their over-indulgen...
More About: Snow , Hove

A Stimulus Plan With a Long-Term Payoff
2008-01-30 18:38:00
A neat column from Courtland Milloy. He writes, "A recent study by the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute found that poverty in the nation's capital is at its highest level in nearly a decade. One in five D.C. residents is poor. That adds up to 110,000 people. Among major U.S. cities, the District has one of the biggest income gaps between rich and poor. The incomes of the city's lowest-wage workers have stagnated, while salaries of top earners have soared. As the number of jobs has increased, employment of African American residents and people with no more than a high school diploma has declined. The employment rate for those groups is at a nearly 30-year low. Paying youngsters to behave may strike some as a misuse of money, but we're about to spend billions to keep America from having a panic attack. Apparently money can calm the nerves. And as everybody knows, the fastest way to put money back into the economy is to put it in the hands of a teenager. And keep the shoe stores and c...
More About: Long , Plan , Term

Thanks Metro!
2008-01-29 18:58:00
Job site caters to young
More About: Metro

Henry Frankievich '11 Creates Resume Builder for Web Site
2008-01-28 22:57:00
Woo-hoo Henry !read more | digg story
More About: Site , Resume , Web site , Builder

The search for summer lovin' replaced by the search for a jo
2008-01-28 16:55:00
Article in the DP about the stresses college students but on themselves to find internships earlier and earlier. It's great to see new listing services out there, but I think that the DP could have mentioned that many internships (particularly those given to 1st or 2nd year students) are unpaid, and college kids often still work part-time jobs that they find on myfirstpaycheck.com over the summer as well. read more | digg story
More About: Summer , Search

Job Searching
2008-01-26 15:26:00
Yesterday, I applied for a job to be a cashier. It's a job that was posted on myfirstpaycheck.com, and a job that any teen could do.I want to make sure that I don't forget about this basic act of applying, and I'm glad I took this 'refreasher course.' One thing I remembered, have 3 references ready when applying for a job. Know their phone numbers, addresses, and get their permission. Almost everybody asks for references and if you put a little thought into it before hand, it's easy to think of 3 people who you aren't related to you who will say good things about you if needed.
More About: Searching

One Teen's Campaign To Restore Voting Rights
2008-01-22 02:32:00
Sarah Boltuck's senior year at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda was transformed by a rejection letter -- not from a college, but from the Montgomery County Board of Elections. Another great story about a teenager changing the status quo...read more | digg story
More About: Rights , Campaign , Voting , Restore

Good advice for me and you
2008-01-14 17:22:00
I just found this advice from Jim Spanfeller, President and CEO of Forbes.com, in an interview with David Mammano, founder of The Next Step Magazine who should probably partner with us :) Spanfeller responded to the question, "What’s your advice to teens who want to run a company?" "Play team sports. Or be the editor or publisher of your school paper. Or be the director of the school play. In other words, just get involved with a group that needs to have leadership, and then try to provide that leadership. Know you’ll make mistakes along the way, and there are times when you’ll be chastised by your peers and be a bit humiliated. That’s part of the learning process, and the great thing you can take from that is how to deal and move on." Couldn't have said it better myself.
More About: Advice , Good

Hiring your first employee
2008-01-11 17:53:00
An entrepreneur looks for advice on a critical growth step: hiring a staffer. Hiring a staffer is something that we're thinking about closely at myfirstpaycheck.com, but it's also important for potential job applicants to think about what their future employer needs. read more | digg story
More About: Employee

Getting a job is now childplay
2008-01-03 23:08:00
A great article about myfirstpaycheck.com and interview with Austin Lavin, CEO of myfirstpaycheck.com Woo-hoo!read more | digg story

Blogging's a Low-Cost, High Return Marketing Tool
2008-01-02 06:36:00
Although small businesses with blogs are still a distinct minority, blogging can be a low-cost way to market and boost a small company's brand. This summarizes what I'm trying to do with this blog, especially this part, "transparency is a popular reason for blogging, particularly for companies that want to be identified as mission-oriented or socially responsible." do you think it's working?read more | digg story
More About: Marketing , Tool , Cost , High , Return

happY emploYees are BillBoards
2007-12-31 00:56:00
I say this all the time, but it's good to know that other people agree with me. :) According to Outlaw Consulting, a qualitative research firm based in San Francisco.  When Gen Y Trendsetters are asked to explain why they love their favorite stores, they talk a lot about the employees. Their perception of the workers’ job satisfaction has a huge impact on their feelings about the brand. One Trendsetter noted that after seeing a large  “We’re Hiring” sign outside In N Out that listed all of the employee benefits—high wage, paid vacations, etc.—she felt proud to be eating at the restaurant. And several panelists say their love for American Apparel or Trader Joe’s stems from the fact that they have friends who work there and love their jobs. These companies have created a powerful kind of advertising through their employees. Those that find a way to not only ensure happy employees, but to  covertly spread the message about it, will win the respect and loy...
More About: Employees , Happy , Billboards

Floorwalkers - Forbes.com
2007-12-24 07:29:00
How America's biggest companies hire and motivate their retail sales employees, from the man who's worked at most of them. A Forbes .com bookreview of Floorwalkers, an in depth look at service and retail jobs in America. It sounds like an interesting read. Have you read it? What are your thoughts? read more | digg story

Letter to the Editor
2007-12-21 16:09:00
A revised version of my last post was printed as letter to the editor in today's Inquirer. You can find it here. Since it was published I've received a lot of supportive emails, and one from a person who disagrees with me. They said, "Training cannot instill work ethic and attitude developed over the short lifetime of today's youth. It is disgraceful commentary on this generation." There are many disgraceful things going on right now. Some happen because of young people, and many others happen because of older generations. But, it bothers me that a few people can have bad experiences in the mall and come to the conclusion that young people are worthless. I can point to countless examples of young people doing amazing things. Let's talk about some of them. And in the meantime, let's make sure younger people are trained right. Customer services is not a skill you're born with.
More About: Letter , Editor , Letter to the Editor

Service Gap irks boomers
2007-12-20 16:32:00
A lazily written article about poor service from twenty-something employers called the 'service gap' on Philly.com. Older people like to complain that young people are poor workers, especially in the service industry. This isn't a new complaint, old people have probably been complaining about the lack of respect they receive from younger people since there's been more then one generation. But this article on Philly.com makes broad generalizations and fails to consider that this 'service gap' might not be true. I believe the comment by Sarah Collier, a 20-year-old Arcadia University junior who has worked in retail sales, was right on. She said, that she believed her peers' customer-service skills depended on their background and training, not their age. How many of us have had bad experiences with older employees? Has teens how many of us have been disrespected or ignored because we are younger? The most interesting aspect of this entire story is the fact that "Many [e...
More About: Service , Boomers

Head Strong | Summer jobs teach the basics of business
2007-12-19 16:43:00
A great column by Michael Smerconish about the importance of teenage employment, his experiences and the unfortunate declining number of teens working part-time, or summer jobs. While from last labor day, people are already starting to think of next summer (or they should be), because time is going to fly after New Year's. According to the column: "I think it could also explain why we are graduating large numbers of high school seniors who are ill-equipped for employment. A recent survey canvassed more than 400 human resources executives and found that 70 percent of respondents reported that recently hired high school graduates lacked so-called applied skills such as professionalism and work ethic - things measured as punctuality, working productively with others, and time management. Professionalism? Work ethic? Working productively with others? Time management? Working is a great way of learning these traits, but hopefully columns like this don't discourage employers from ...
More About: Business , Summer , Jobs , Head , Basics

Slate Magazine - How Do You Become Santa Claus?
2007-12-18 17:43:00
A fun story on another possible seasonal job, and how to get it. Have you ever worked as a mall santa before?read more | digg story
More About: Magazine , Santa Claus , Santa , Slate

Great No-Degree Jobs - Forbes.com
2007-12-12 22:55:00
You don't have to go to college to make a decent living.... but you should! While many of these are full time jobs, they might help users of myfirstpaycheck.com and other part-time job seekers get some ideas for possible part-time job opportunities available out there. read more | digg story
More About: Jobs , Great , Forbes , Degree

Students don't mind having this hectic day on their plates.
2007-12-10 15:37:00
A description of a day in the life of a student at Burlington County Institute of Technology in Westampton, a high school for kids eager to get into the kitchen. A great alternative to traditional school if you have a very clear you know what you want to do. There are so many options out there, the possibilities are really endless. read more | digg story
More About: Students , Mind , Hectic

First/Worst Jobs
2007-12-06 16:58:00
One of the great perks of running myfirstpaycheck.com is hearing everybody's stories about their first jobs, some good, some bad, some terrible, but generally all a worthwhile experience.Here is a story from AP about the Presidential candidates first jobs. Mike Huckabee scrubbed window at J.C. Penney, Mitt Romney worked in a sewage pipe on an Idaho ranch, and Hillary Rodham Clinton spooned the guts out of fish in Alaska as a post-grad. And you thought your first jobs were bad? These guys all did ok...
More About: Jobs

Internships: The Best Places to Start
2007-12-03 04:51:00
More than just resume-padding, these summer opportunities have become great tools for students and employers to find that perfect fit... Getting an internship used to mean a 10-week exercise in photocopying, sorting mail, filing, and fetching sandwiches. If you were lucky, there might be a company-wide picnic thrown in. Forget that image. What happened to the days when internships were something put on your résumé—one that usually went to other employers? The answer is simple: Demand is high for entry-level workers, especially the cream of the crop. These days, employers are looking for an edge—any way to get their hands on prime candidates early, particularly in industries such as accounting and investment banking where there is intense competition for top students with specific skills or majors. And not to put too much pressure on you, but just as the demand for entry-level workers is changing the nature of internships, it's also changing their scheduling... students sho...
More About: Internships , Places , Start

More resume tips, this one with pictures
2007-11-30 16:01:00
A good supplementary source to myfirstpaycheck.com for resume advice...read more | digg story
More About: Pictures , Tips , Resume

Looking back you never forget the person who helped you get your first job
2007-11-27 15:34:00
A lot has been said about City Council’s recent approval of a bill introduced by Councilman W. Wilson Goode Jr. on Mayor-elect Michael Nutter’s behalf to encourage the hiring of ex-offenders. This is a great policy and business owners should heed the call to hire these ex-offenders. However, local business owners should also use this holiday season (a time of increased part-time employment) to hire Philadelphia teens. Every employer from retailer to restaurant is currently looking for part-time help. These are not necessarily the type of jobs that ex-offenders need to build a more stable life -- rather these are the jobs that teach young people about the importance of working, and keep them busy and productive.As one of the co-founders of myfirstpaycheck.com, an employment site for high school and college students, I often hear adults complain that teenagers these days are not interested in working, but it is just not true – every day our site is overwhelmed by local teenagers...
More About: Back , Person , Looking Back

Seven Businesses You Can Start Tomorrow - Forbes.com
2007-11-24 23:00:00
No skills? No pedigree? No problem. Seven businesses that you can start if you can't find a job on myfirstpaycheck.com.read more | digg story
More About: Forbes , Start , Tomorrow , Businesses , Sine