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Article:
Work at Finding Summer Work
(long version: about 400 words)
By Hannah McMunn
We have already heard that jobs for kids will be scarce this summer, and that there will be increased competition for them. Under these circumstances, the best way for us kids to find work, is to work at finding it. Don’t assume that work opportunities will find us.
Make a plan and write it down. State your objective(s) for seeking work. This year for me, it will be earning money for my Roth IRA. For you, it might be earning money for college; or attending a music camp; or taking a student exchange trip to France (that was my objective last year). Make your objective compelling.
Next, add a list of the jobs you can do well and safely. If you have prior experience doing any of the jobs in your list, describe that experience. For example: under lawn mowing state “I helped my Dad mow our yard last year;” or under babysitting state “I am a certified baby sitter and I know CPR.”
Then add a list of persons you will contact for work, for example, “all my local relatives; my neighbors within four blocks; friends of my parents”.
Once your plan is written down, take it to your parent(s) or guardian(s) and ask for help perfecting your plan. Your parent(s)/guardians(s) may be so impressed by your plan – and your sincerity to find work – that they will begin to think how they can provide work opportunities for you.
After your plan is “perfected”, convert your written plan into an advertising flyer, and distribute it. Just don’t place it in a person’s door; try to hand it to him or her personally. That gives you an opportunity to talk about your objectives and work experience. And make eye contact while you are doing so. You may end up with a job before that conversation is over.
When you find work, make a special effort to do a good job. After your job is completed, ask your employer if you did the work to his or her satisfaction; and if not, how you could have done it better. If you need to make some improvements, do them -- for free. The best advertising is a satisfied customer.
Working to find work teaches us kids the importance of strategic planning, communications, advertising, marketing, and customer relations. These are skills that not only will help us find work this summer, but for a lifetime.
*Hannah was 16 when this article was written during the spring of 2011.
© 2011, IRAKids.com. All rights reserved.
Article:
Work at Finding Summer Work
(short version: about 245 words)
By Hannah McMunn
We have already heard that jobs for kids will be scarce this summer, and that there will be increased competition for them. Under these circumstances, the best way for us kids to find work, is to work at finding it. Don’t assume that work opportunities will find us.
Make a plan and write it down. State your objective for seeking work and make it compelling. Next, add a list of the jobs you can do well and safely, and describe any experience you already have had doing them. Add a list of persons you will contact for work.
Once your plan is written down, take it to your parent(s) or guardian(s) and ask for help perfecting your plan. Seeing your sincerity, they may help provide work opportunities for you.
After your plan is “perfected”, convert your written plan into an advertising flyer, and distribute it. Hand it to persons; don’t just put it in their door. That gives you an opportunity to talk about your objectives and work experience. You may end up with a job before that conversation is over.
And when you find work, make a special effort to do a good job. After all, the best advertising for work is a satisfied customer.
Working to find work teaches us kids about strategic planning, communications, advertising, marketing, and customer relations. These are skills that not only will help us find work this summer, but for a lifetime.
*Hannah was 16 when this article was written during the spring of 2011.
© 2011, IRAKids.com. All rights reserved.
Work at Finding Summer Work, by Hannah McMunn, provides advice to kids on finding summer jobs. Written when Hannah was 16, she describes to her peers a series of logical steps for developing a plan to find work, preparing a flyer for distribution to a defined list of contacts, and the benefits of delivering the flyer directly to individuals on that list rather than placing the flyer in their doors. She emphasizes that working to find summer jobs “teaches us kids about strategic planning, communications, advertising, marketing, and customer relations. These are skills that not only will help us find work this summer, but for a lifetime.” (This article is provided courtesy of IRAKids.com.)
These articles may be reused freely for educational purposes and may even be reprinted in other print publications (e.g., credit union newsletters) to encourage and help kids find summer jobs. These articles may not be sold or included in a publication that is to be sold. These articles may not be loaded on other websites, but the abstract may be used and/or the articles may be summarized on other websites. In all cases, the author and the IRAKids.com website must be credited with authorship, and links should be provided back to the IRAKids.com website. For other uses of this article, please contact IRAKids.com.
For additional articles on Roth IRAs for Kids, which may be reused according to the “Guidelines” noted above, please see Articles by Hannah on Roth IRAs -- for Free Reuse Elsewhere.