Austin's ThoughtsAustin's ThoughtsThe 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. Articles
What employers are thinking
2008-06-09 18:34:00 I wanted to share this good advice I found from allbusiness.com. It's important to know what employers are thinking when applying for a job. Think about what they are looking for, and how you can help them fill those needs. What do you think? Do you have any other advice for employers? Interviewing Prospective Employees The reason you are interviewing is because you have a need in your business that can only be met by hiring another employee. Your objective when interviewing prospective employees should always be to hire the best possible candidate for the job. Ideas for making this process go smoothly include: Create a job description that identifies the most important qualifications your ideal candidate should possess. Include salary and benefit information. Collect résumés of prospective employees through such avenues as employment agencies, trade journals, newspapers, the Internet, and through networking. Go through the résumés and select the ... More About: Thinking , Employers
Another very cool job site
2008-06-06 19:50:00 Cool Works® is about you finding a seasonal job or career in some of the greatest places on Earth. Some of the listings are careers, many are jobs that would be great for teens looking for something to do this summer or for a year or two between school. We're big fans of CoolWorks here at myfirstpaycheck.com. If you are looking for a summer job in Yellowstone, Yosemite, or another national park - it's a great place to go. How's your summer job search going? More About: Cool , Site
myfirstpaycheck.com updates
2008-06-03 15:37:00 Hey Hey - Sorry that we've been a little quiet recently, but we've switched offices and have been working hard on getting a more reliable internet connection. We've also been working hard on selling job postings so that we can provide more information to our job seekers, know anyone looking for employees? Send them to myfirstpaycheck.com or have them email me today. Thanks! More About: Updates
Job advice for teens from teens
2008-05-30 20:43:00 I hope it's as nice where you are as it is here in Philadelphia.... a great day to apply for jobs. One of the neat interactive things we do at myfirstpaycheck.com - jobs for teens is provide a forum for teens to give each other job advice through our survey. I recently posted a punch of new responses from teens like you - what do you think? I think these teens make some great points, first impressions are important and you have to network with friends and family! How's your job search going? More About: Advice , Teens
Job Market Has Room For Teenagers
2008-05-30 05:12:00 MidwestBusiness.com has an interesting article about summer employment for teens. Unlike many other sources, they write, "While teenagers may experience increased competition for coveted jobs this summer, the economic slowdown is not expected to significantly reduce the number of seasonal jobs filled by 16- to 19-year-olds between May and July. In fact, some seasonal positions may go unfilled as teens avoid areas requiring heavy labor.Between 1.5 million and 1.6 million 16- to 19-year-olds will be added to payrolls this summer, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That is down significantly from a recent high of 2.02 million teenagers – who found summer positions in 1999 – but is only slightly lower than the average number of teen jobs added the previous four summers (1.674 million)."There is hope!The article suggests (Just like we do!) that the bigger problem is "inexperienced job-search techniques" and suggests (Just like we do!) ... More About: Market , Room , Teenagers
5 Places Teens Should Look for Summer Employment After Memorial Day
2008-05-28 16:04:00 Due to their lack of experience, teens often encounter challenges while searching for summer jobs. With the school year about to end, many are finding that it’s too late to apply for some summer positions. To help our peers, we put together a list of five places where teens should look for the perfect summer job. 1. Golf Courses. Golf courses are everywhere and have a huge need for seasonal employment. Caddying, landscaping and working in the gift shop or restaurant are some opportunities available to teens.2. Offices. Whether it’s helping to answer phones, filing or doing paperwork, there is always a lot going on in an office for a smart and responsible teen to do. Working in an office also provides teens with the chance to learn about being in a professional workplace.3. Museums and Other Cultural Institutions. Summer is the time for big shows and large crowds. Museums are always looking ... More About: Teens , Places , Employment , Memorial Day
Toughest Summer Job This Year Is Finding One
2008-05-25 16:42:00 Well done article about the state of summer employment for teens (although I wish they would have mentioned myfirstpaycheck.com.) I believe that that plenty of teens want to work but face increasing difficulties landing jobs. The article states two big difficulties that teens face are connections/lack of connections and access to transportation, but I think they should have also added lack of understanding how to apply for a job. Many teens don't know how to begin applying for a job - let alone compete in a tightening labor market - and that's why we created myfirstpaycheck.com to give teens the tools they make the job search process a little easier. read more | digg story More About: Summer , Year
Top 10 summer jobs for teens
2008-05-22 16:27:00 I think this is just a press release from CareerBuilder that CNN published but they have some good basic, although not creative, ideas. I would share it but they write, "Copyright CareerBuilder.com 2008. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority" and really there is nothing that interesting in it. Anybody would come up with these 10 jobs - and everybody is going to be applying for these jobs. Where else should teens look? More About: Teens , Summer , Jobs
Subscribe to our new mailing list!
2008-05-21 01:09:00 Do you want to know more about myfirstpaycheck.com? Feel free to read our blogs, follow us twitter, or sign up for our mailing list below Name: Email: Zip Code: More About: List , Subscribe
Job Boards for Teens
2008-05-21 00:38:00 When Celeste and I first started myfirstpaycheck.com we used a very simplistic job board but always envisioned (and have been working) on creating our own. Unfortunately, we've suffered some major setbacks in development due to some poor hiring choices so we're exploring some temporary options. One choice would be to use SimplyHired's Job-A-Matic. What do you think? We might customize and incorporate into our site. Thoughts and suggestions as always are appreciated. More About: Teens
Finding a Summer Job or Internship
2008-05-19 17:40:00 A fan of myfirstpaycheck.com just sent this article by Mary L. Gavin for Education.com to our attention that she thought we should share because it was a great overview on the summer job and internship experience, and we agree! But think they should have highlighted our great resume builder. More About: Summer , Internship
creative summer jobs
2008-05-16 16:32:00 We always encourage kids to be creative when applying for summer jobs, find opportunities that will allow them to take advantage of their skills, and even possibly starting their own companies - but this article in the WSJ highlights 7 young people who took this to an entirely new level. It just goes to show you that the possibilities for summer jobs are endless More About: Creative , Summer , Jobs
From Intern to Employee
2008-05-15 23:47:00 One of the great things about our site is that we managed to keep it so flexible. So while, our name seems to imply that we only allow job postings, feel feel to post (and search) for internships and volunteer opportunities as well. That being said, I wanted to pass on this article by Tara Weiss on Forbes.com with advice on how to take advantage of a summer internship and turn int into a job offer. Basically, "Treat it as a 10-to-12-week job interview," says Alex Taylor, a vice president of university relations at Bank of America.And while this was written for internships, all of the advice is applicable to any entry level job. Especially this one, Don't be shy about asking questions, especially if you need clarification on an assignment. No one wants to be a pest, but it's best to get it right the first time. More About: Employee , Intern
5 TIPS TO HELP TEENS FIND SUMMER JOBS
2008-05-12 21:20:00 Teens often encounter challenges while searching for summer jobs due to their lack of experience in the job world. To help their peers, the teenage job experts at Myfirstpaycheck.com put together five tips to make the job search a little easier. 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 fo... More About: Teens , Summer , Jobs , Tips , Find
Persistence pays off
2008-05-05 01:52:00 In any economy, but particularly now when jobs are a little harder to come by - persistence and follow ups pay off. 3 basic follow up tips to help you stand out from the competition * Send a thank you note to the interviewer within 48 hours* Follow the interviewer's directions completely regarding follow-up to the interview* Call the employer to reiterate your interest in the position if you haven't heard about the employment decision, but wait at least a week after the interview. More About: Pays , Persistence
A first job, from a dad's perspective
2008-05-03 22:52:00 Stewart Allyn wrote a nice post on his blog a few days ago about his son's first job. Stew's 16-year-old son got a job as a hockey referee, and Stew seems to be pretty happy about his son entering the workforce. Stew writes, "Becoming a referee has taught him many valuable lessons in both life and in his chosen sport." It seems like it's worked out well for both him and his son, and If you are still looking for a spring/summer job - maybe you can look into being a referee too. Hockey season is over but is your local little league/soccer league looking for refs? More About: Perspective
Summer job seeking advice for employees and employers
2008-05-02 16:11:00 John Tesh posts some good tips so we'll forgive him for not mentioning myfirstpaycheck.com in his list of job boards for teens. He also writes, "Encourage your teen to spend the majority of his time networking not just looking for jobs on his laptop. Why? Because 90% of job openings are not advertised and 90% of job candidates only apply for advertised work opportunities." I'm not sure where he gets these numbers from, but I believe them. One of the things I spend most of my time on is convincing businesses to post their job openings on myfirstpaycheck.com. Unfortunately, many companies don't put in a lot of effort into hiring and managing part-time employees, but would you rather put a sign in your store window and hire the first kid who comes in or put a sign in your window and spend 5 minutes and $20 to post on myfirstpaycheck.com allowing you to collect many more applicants and promoting your company to a valuable customer base at the same time? The more tim... More About: Advice , Summer , Employees , Seeking , Employers
Summer jobs pay off
2008-04-28 16:09:00 Fran Hendrick wrote the following great piece about The Cincinnati Enquirer about the benefits of summer jobs. Fran writes, a "real job" can benefit teens by helping them develop the ability to say, "This is who I am, and this is what I can do," working alongside others gives teens a sense of their own competence, The "real world" experience of a job, where their parents cannot intervene on their behalf if they fail to meet expectations, teaches teens a "no excuses" work ethic, collecting a paycheck helps teens understand financial realities, on-the-job experience teaches teamwork, and having a job can clarify for your teen what he doesn't want to do as a career - as much as clarifying what he does want. These are all great pieces of advice that every teenager, parent, and potential employer should remember this summer. Thanks Fran! read more | digg story More About: Summer , Jobs
Growing pains
2008-04-28 14:30:00 After we started myfirstpaycheck.com, we quickly learned that there is a big need a job information and job listings for teens - especially right now with the hunt for summer jobs in full swing. So to meet the growing demand nationwide we've been working hard on updating our site. Our 'beta' version should be live soon but we've encountered a few glitches when going live. Please let me know if you have experienced a problem on myfirstpaycheck.com and please come back soon to see what we've done. We plan on being the number one place for teens to go to find summer jobs, and we'll get there. As always, please let us know if you have any suggestion or advice More About: Growing , Growing Pains
Web site founder honored by SBA
2008-04-23 15:30:00 Shawn Boyer turned an idea he had as a lawyer into an online success. A Henrico County businessman who at times wasn't sure he could make payroll was named the National Small Business Person of the Year yesterday. SnagAJob.com President and Chief Executive Shawn Boyer was honored at a Small Business Administration luncheon in Washington. Congrats Shawn! You are an inspiration to myfirstpycheck.com and all other small businesses out there.read more | digg story More About: Founder , Site , Web site
On the Internet, It’s All About ‘My’
2008-04-21 15:43:00 People generally feel pretty strongly about the domain name, myfirstpaycheck.com - they either love it or hate it. We've spent a lot of time thinking about it (I actually bought it when I was 16) and the 'lovers' far outweigh the 'haters' so we're sticking with it, but it's an interesting issue to revisit every once in a while. This Sunday, The New York Times published an article about 'My' Domain names, David Browne wrote, "the Web is awash in sites that begin with that most personal of pronouns, and not simply MySpace. A few quick clicks will connect you to MyCoke and My IBM — even MyClick, a mobile-phone marketing company. Collectively, they amount to a new world of Web sites designed to imply a one-on-one connection with a corporation or large business." They don't mention myfirstpaycheck.com, but they could have. The article continues, "The rise of sites with the “my” prefix is an outgrowth of an increasingly customized world of technology, such as the iPod... More About: Internet , The Internet
Email Correspondance
2008-04-18 18:21:00 Unfortunately, myfirstpaycheck.com doesn't yet have jobs listings nationwide so there are lots of teens (and their parents) who email us asking for us to find them jobs. We're happy to help and flattered that people come to us to find their first job. Below is a sample of what we get, what do you think? Hi, My name is Amy. I am seventeen years old and I live in Hampton, VA. I was directed to your web site from about.com and I am writing because my area was not listed. Where I live the only jobs for sixteen and seventeen year olds are in fast food restaurants or a supermarket, so as you can see there's not much to choose from. A lot of the retail stores and telemarketing corporations moved the ages up from seventeen to eighteen because of ... More About: Email
Myfirstpaycheck.com- Austin Lavin and Alexis Glick interview
2008-04-17 18:44:00 Austin Lavin, CEO of myfirstpaycheck.com discusses how the site he co-founded with his 17-year-old sister helps teens find job, volunteer and internship opportunities and helps businesses find young employees and customers. Woo-hoo us!read more | digg story More About: Interview , Austin
Summer jobs may be at risk for teens - The Boston Globe
2008-04-16 15:36:00 The sour economy is threatening local summer job programs for city teenagers, a decades-old safety net designed to keep youth off the streets and prevent violence during the bloodiest months of the year. This is bad news for a great program, and this quote "A lot of work sites are telling us, 'We can't take as many,' " because entry-level positions that were in the past filled by high school students are being snapped up by college students, said Aaron Tanimoto, the agency's program director. "You can see how the economy is bumping everybody down," isn't good for high school students anywhere. But people are still posting jobs on myfirstpaycheck.com, and businesses are still hiring. Make a resume, get creative, and go out and find that summer job.read more | digg story More About: Teens , Boston , Summer , Jobs , Globe
myfirstpaycheck.com in the news!
2008-04-14 15:03:00 Frankie Darcell from Mix 92.3 in Detroit interviewed me about teens jobs on her radio show on Friday. Frankie Darcell is mother, lecturer, businesswoman, author, talk show host and one of metropolitan Detroit's most prominent radio personalities. She has been spokeswoman for women tackling real issues, while combining lively listener interaction along with Detroit's strongest songs, for a great ride home, when she worked for WJLB FM 98. She is very concerned about the lack of jobs in Michigan, and is looking for ways to help. She realized that myfirstpaycheck.com is a great resource for teens (and business owners) and we really appreciated the shout-out, thanks again Frankie!Our great resume builder was also written about on Jim Stroud's site, The Recruiters Lounge, a blog that explores the wacky world of employment with articles, podcasts, comics, videos and more. It looks great. We always appreciate a nic... More About: News , In the News , The News
14 Easy-to-Start Summer Business Ideas
2008-04-09 14:58:00 I found this list of 14 summer businesses on YoungEntrepreneur.com and wanted to share because I think they have some really good suggestions. While we are always trying to get more job listings on myfirstpaycheck.com, sometimes you just can't find something that you're looking for, but it doesn't mean give up. If you are looking for something to do this summer, maybe you can start your own business. The pay and hours will probably be even better than a retail or restaurant job. 1) Lawn Care / Landscaping It’s a perfect seasonal business that can pay well and make you enough money to cover your expenses during the year. The startup costs are relatively low and you get to work outdoors. It can also be a repeat customer business for the next year. 2) Cleaning Service People are always using the summer to clean out their garage and other rooms in the house. Offer your services to help customers organize themselves and haul away the garbage. 3) Dog Walker If you love dogs and the ... More About: Ideas , Business , Summer , Business Ideas , Start
14 Easy-to-Start Summer Business Ideas
2008-04-09 14:58:00 I found this list of 14 summer businesses on YoungEntrepreneur.com and wanted to share because I think they have some really good suggestions. While we are always trying to get more job listings on myfirstpaycheck.com, sometimes you just can't find something that you're looking for, but it doesn't mean give up. If you are looking for something to do this summer, maybe you can start your own business. The pay and hours will probably be even better than a retail or restaurant job. 1) Lawn Care / Landscaping It???s a perfect seasonal business that can pay well and make you enough money to cover your expenses during the year. The startup costs are relatively low and you get to work outdoors. It can also be a repeat customer business for the next year. 2) Cleaning Service People are always using the summer to clean out their garage and other rooms in the house. Offer your services to help customers organize themselves and haul away the garbage. 3) Dog Walker If you love dogs and the ... More About: Ideas , Business , Summer , Business Ideas , Start
Jobs for teens harder to find
2008-04-07 18:05:00 Interesting article about the summer jobs search for teens in Jackson, Michigan where it seems to be harder to get jobs now because of the economy. I think the most important thing to take away from this article is this advice from Michael Neece, chief strategy officer at Pongoresume.com who said that Teens tend to limit themselves to just retail and fast-food jobs. He added, more white-collar businesses, such as public relations and architectural firms, are looking for young interns eager to work in the industries. Neese goes on to say, ``Teens are often reluctant to contact these types of firms,'' Neece said. ``The reality is that they do have the skills. It's just that they don't even know they have them.'' Neece also suggests young people look outside the local area for seasonal work if possible. They can also look into volunteer work or an unpaid internship to build experience if they can't land a paid job. ``They have more options than they realize,'' Neece said .... More About: Jobs , Find
Jobs for teens harder to find
2008-04-07 18:05:00 Interesting article about the summer jobs search for teens in Jackson, Michigan where it seems to be harder to get jobs now because of the economy. I think the most important thing to take away from this article is this advice from Michael Neece, chief strategy officer at Pongoresume.com who said that Teens tend to limit themselves to just retail and fast-food jobs. He added, more white-collar businesses, such as public relations and architectural firms, are looking for young interns eager to work in the industries. Neese goes on to say, ``Teens are often reluctant to contact these types of firms,'' Neece said. ``The reality is that they do have the skills. It's just that they don't even know they have them.'' Neece also suggests young people look outside the local area for seasonal work if possible. They can also look into volunteer work or an unpaid internship to build experience if they can't land a paid job. ``They have more options than they realize,'' Neece said .... More About: Jobs , Find
Another fun job posting site
More articles from this author: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 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
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