First Jobs    



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Your first job will probably be a summer job.
Even Summer Jobs Require a Resume'

One of the first skills you need (for everyday life as well as business) is remembering people's names. When someone introduces themselves and tells you their name, pause and repeat it to yourself, then tell them yours. People are impressed when you remember their names. When you talk to someone on the phone or in person, get their name and write it down, if the conversation is important. Because if you ever have to call back, you'll have a record of whom you talked to. Especially if you need something to take care of a problem, or you need to make an appointment.

On April 24, 2008 Annabelle declared she wanted to be a millionaire. I said that most people become millionaires by going into business for themselves. After much thought decided she decided to sell water. She started to make a sign but needed help with the words "water" and "sale." Next she wanted to know if 50 cents would be a good price. "Probably not," I replied, "since anyone can get their water for free at their house. How about 5 cents?" So, we set up her playhouse in the front yard, and put out a sign saying, "Water for Sale, 5 cents." Next, she waved her fairy princess wand, and shouted "water for sale, who wants to buy some water?" Later I asked her how to make change from a dime, a quarter or $1 bill. "I don't know," was her answer. Fortunately, or unfortunately, after about 10 minutes only one car had driven past, no neighbors had come by, and her mother called her in. After we pointed out all the problems of selling water outside a house with no customers, she broke down and cried. We'd spoiled her fun. However, we pointed out that although most businesses fail, the most successful businessmen never give up, and they learned important lessons from the their failures - lessons that made their next business a success.

Note: The easiest way for you to become a millionaire is to inherit the money. But that means your mom and I would have to die. You don't want that do you?

Success

There's a great book on how to be successful in life, and it's especially important in your job: Eat That Frog! Here's a summary

Entrepreneurship

An entrepreneur is someone who starts their own business. Usually, friends and relatives loan them money to get started, and expect to be repaid after a certain amount of time (usually a year) including the interest (If they loan you $100 at 10% interest, they get $110 back). However, if you sell stock in your company, the people who buy your stock own a part of your company and expect to be paid with profits. If your company doesn't have any profits, then they don't get any money from you, and they will try and sell their stock to someone else.

How do you create a profitable business and become a successful entrepreneur?

Practice Running a Business

  • ABC's of a Lemonade Business
  • Lemonade Stand Tips
  • Lemonade Game
  • Business Games for Kids

    Books on how to become a millionaire:

  • The Millionaire Next Door
  • All The Money in the World; How the Forbes 400 Make - And Spend - Their Fortunes
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

    What do you want to be when you grow up?

    My school yearbook says I wanted to be a soldier, a clown, an architect, an interior decorator, a pilot, a computer engineer.

    How to Choose a Job

    A good job is one you enjoy. What do you enjoy? A better job is one you enjoy that pays well. An even better job is one you enjoy, pays well, and allows you to live anywhere in the world you want.

    A medical degree (either a doctor or nurse) will allow you a great deal of freedom. A pharmacist is another. A law degree is limited because you'll have to stay in the US and will have to pass a state exam to practice. Some skills, such as heating, air conditioning, and plumbing will always be in demand. A school teacher is another possibility. You don't get paid much, but you get summers off.

    I've heard people say, "Do what you love and the money will follow" but if that were true the world would be filled with rich poets and actors wouldn't be waiting tables. A Career counselor says, "Do what you love, and you'll probably starve" or "Do what you love and you'll be probably be doing volunteer work." Non-profits and the arts don't pay well because there are dozens of people applying for the jobs. Simple economics - supply and demand. http://www.martynemko.com/articles/do-what-you-love-and-starve_id1380

    The three things that make a job worthwhile are:

  • Empowerment - authority to make meaningful decisions and see that your job makes a difference
  • Advancement - the job allows you to learn new skills and you are given new opportunities for growth
  • Friendship - you have colleagues who you trust and you can work together with

    Three Contact Rule

    Fairfax: I posted my résumé online and immediately received a call from a hiring manager. I expressed my interest in the open position, and she stated I appeared to be a good candidate and would follow up to schedule an interview. One week later, I've left a voice mail stating my continued interest but have not received a call for the interview. Should I let it go or call again? Levit: I believe in what I call the "three contact rule." You contact the person whose attention you're trying to get three times within a six-week period -- either by e-mail or phone, although I recommend you start with e-mail. If they don't get back to you after that time, invest your time elsewhere.

    On-Line Job Search

    People become addicted to the online searches. The big three sites are Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com and Yahoo HotJobs.com. Craigslist is also a popular option, as are those like Indeed.com and SimplyHired.com, which aggregate big and small jobs sites. But, budget your time. It's too easy to spend hours trolling job sites instead of doing the harder work of calling and meeting people. But that's the only way you're going to get a job offer. And you can't just talk to Human Resources or the recruiter, you need to meet with the person you'll be working for.

    Many companies don’t even glance at all the résumés they receive, but have programs that search for keywords to weed out the ones they don’t want, so use the phrases that appear in the job posting. If you apply for a job that says you should have ‘strong media relationship skills,’ use that phrase in your résumé and cover letter. That may get the résumé to the top in a keyword search. But make sure your résumé doesn’t simply list job descriptions, but focuses in on what you’ve achieved.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/27/business/yourmoney/27shortcuts.html?em

    Network

  • First Job Advice

    Your First Job

    Your first job will almost certainly be one that you don't enjoy. But look at it from the employer's point of view. He or she wants to higher people with skills, and because you're young, you won't have learned many skills.

    When you're 12, you might be qualified to babysit, wash dishes or cars, mow lawns, walk dogs, or take inventory; at 14 or 16 you could be a sales clerk or waitress.

    However, if you develop some skills first, your first job could be more interesting - a lifeguard, or something to do with computers, perhaps.

    Your most important ability at your first job will be coming to work every day on time. You're also expected to be trustworthy. Don't steal and don't goof off. Making a good impression will help if you want to use your boss as a reference for your next job. Reputation matters.

    Eighty-seven percent of restaurant-host and counter-attendant jobs were categorized as "bad," meaning they paid less than the median wage in 1979, adjusted for inflation, and had neither employer-sponsored health insurance nor a retirement plan. That translates to a wage today of $16.50 an hour or $34,320 per year for a full-time, full-year worker, according to the report.

    http://finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/article/103850/The-10-Worst-Jobs-in-America?mod=weekend

    I'd put toll booth operators as a bad job, toilet cleaners, housekeepers, garbage collectors, chicken, cow, and pig killers near the top of the list, no matter how good the pay, they have to be mind-numbing jobs

    Any assembly line job - meat processing - repetitive motion injury.

    My First Jobs

  • Dishwasher at a pizza place, where my best friend worked (14)
  • Wingrunner at Desert Soaring. It paid for my sailplane lessons (14-15)
  • Inventory - We counted all the items on the shelf at drugstores, cigar stores, and put their price into big calculators. No price - keystone the code on the item - double the wholesale price. My first girlfriend in highschool got me the job. My first official real job, since Steve Ciliax paid Social Security taxes for all the employees (15-17) part time
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