Job Guides
Finding Quality Paper Route Jobs For 14 Year Olds
Finding Quality Paper Route Jobs For 14 Year Olds
When I was a kid having a paper route was a precursor to getting your first real job. My paper route started at age 13 and continued until I got my first part-time job at 16. My paper route money paid for my first car, which say unused in the driveway until I got my license. Good times, and a good job for a young kid just starting out.
Here’s a guide to finding quality paper route jobs for 14 year olds.
1. Contact Your Local Paper
Many regional papers now contract their paper delivery routes out to small businesses or older individuals who deliver the papers to their customers. Contact your paper to find out how they deliver their papers and who to get in touch with to find a paper route job for your teenager.
2. Talk To Your Teenager
In my case, I couldn’t wait to get my first paper route. The summer after my 8th grade year I spent early mornings bundling and throwing papers to the neighbors, napped all afternoon, then ran wild at night on my bicycle, fishing and carrying on until it was time for bed.
You may be looking for a paper route job for your 14 year old as a character building exercise, a way for him or her to make money, or even as punishment. Whatever the reason, you have to talk to them ahead of time and get them ready for their new job. Now’s the time to make sure they have decent clothes for the job interview, too, and to make sure their bike is in good working order.
3. Talk to the Paper Delivery Guy & Set Up an Interview
It’s unlikely that your kid will interview for the paper delivery job at the newspaper office. You’ll have to talk to the person in charge of paper delivery and set up an interview. Make sure you know what your kid is expected to wear for the interview and what time they need to show up.
4. Prepare Your Kid for the Interview
Talk to you son or daughter about the responsibilities that come with a paper route job. Make sure they know what to do if they’re sick or can’t make it to their route, and what they’ll be doing with the money they earn.
Finding a paper route for 14 year olds isn’t as hard as it used to be. Now that most papers are delivered by a private contractor, all you have to do is contact that person and set up an interview.
How to Become a Boxer
How to Become a Boxer
Maybe your biggest dream has always been to fight like your favorite professional boxer or perhaps you want another outlet for your competitive nature. Either way, becoming a boxer is thrilling, exciting and will test your limits beyond anything you have ever experienced before. Tie on those boxing gloves and get ready to work out every muscle in your body. Most of all, as you prepare to follow the workouts of the greats like Ali and Evander Holyfield, follow these steps to become a boxer in your own rite and have a great time challenging yourself in the process.
1. Think like a boxer. The first and most important step in becoming a boxer is thinking like one. Ali didn’t spend his afternoons on the couch and neither will you if you’re serious about the sport. Scout out your local boxing ring and spend whatever time you can there each day or week. Many times you can get connected with a coach who sees you boxing, and other times you can find one through other resources in your area. It’s important to find someone you can trust and will help you achieve your goals as a professional/amateur competitive fighter and encourage you along the way.
2. Participate in boxing events. Every boxing club or gym will give you access to boxing events, otherwise known as “smokers” or “white collar nights”. Although training typically takes six to nine months before your first fight, you can get in-the-know and prepare for one through these resources, by talking to other amateur boxers and learning about events from your coach.
3. Get licensed. Get familiar with USA Boxing. This is the governing body of amateur boxing in the United States and will determine when and how you can fight. You’ll want to make sure to get licensed (which is a prerequisite before participating in any amateur fight) which isn’t difficult but just takes filling out some paperwork and paying the filing fees.
4. Know your division. Depending on your age, this will determine what division you are fighting in. A regular amateur is for ages 18-34, Junior qualifies people ages 17 and under and the Master division is for ages 35 and up. It’s also important to know the weight requirements for your division so be sure to thoroughly read the qualifications before getting set to compete.
5. Win your first tournament. As you win that first local tournament, you will begin to move up the ranks and that’s when the fun really begins. You will begin to compete against other winners in your competition level, which will then continue on to the U.S. Amateur Championships.
If you’re just starting out, it may seem like you have quite a few “to-do” things on your list to tackle before you’ll be ready for your first fight. Although it can be tedious, you’ll find that fighting is an addictive sport and well worth the time and effort it took to get there.
Author Bio: Heather J. writes on behalf of BoxFitUK.com, your source for Rival Boxing gear!
How to Buy Small Business Insurance
How to Buy Small Business Insurance
Owning and operating a small business is hard work. Some problem is always cropping up. Making sure the business runs smoothly, efficiently, and profitably is totally up to you. There is no one to fall back on, no one else to blame. You make the decisions, and either suffer the consequences or reap the rewards. Carrying the right amount, and the correct type, of insurance is absolutely necessary–it’s a backup plan that won’t fail you. Following are a few tips on how to properly insure your small business.
Necessary Coverage
Depending on the size of your company, certain kinds of insurance will be necessary–you have to carry them. They consist of Medicare, workman’s compensation, Social Security, and unemployment insurance. A few states also require a business to provide disability insurance, which will partially cover an employee’s injuries if they are hurt on the job. For companies that use vehicles to do business, special business auto insurance is required. If your small business provides a professional service, such as a doctor or dentist, you must carry malpractice insurance. If your business is a sole proprietorship you won’t need to be concerned about workman’s comp or unemployment insurance, but there are other types of insurance you may need to consider carrying in order to be fully protected.
Liability Insurance
Liability insurance covers employees that are injured on the job and are unable to work. The insurance coverage will provide a worker with an income while they’re laid up and partially cover their associated medical expenses. It will also help with the rehabilitation process, should it be required. In a similar vein, the same sort of coverage will apply if someone becomes incapacitated due to a job related sickness or disease. You can get business liability insurance through a private or state run provider.
Criminal Liability Insurance
In order to protect your business from an intentional act of sabotage by a disgruntled employee you may want to consider carrying criminal liability insurance. It’s not out of the realm of possibility for someone to become disenchanted with you or your business due to a perceived wrong and take their frustrations out on something you own. This type of insurance will make sure you’re covered for a willful destructive act.
Business Disability Insurance
Carrying added coverage, like business disability insurance, while not mandatory, is a good idea in order to protect you and your business. This type of insurance will provide coverage for you in the event you are unable to work for an extended period of time. Without it, your business probably wouldn’t survive–especially if you’re a sole proprietor. In that case you would be out of business–you would go belly up in no time. However, if you have adequate business disability insurance you will have protection, and the business should continue to prosper.
Business Owner’s Insurance
Business owner’s insurance is a type of coverage that will provide protection in the event you are named in a lawsuit for one reason or another. It will provide separation between your business and personal assets and can also help pay for attorney’s fees. It all depends on the amount of coverage you sign up for.
Professional Liability Insurance
If your business provides professional services, such as the services provided by a doctor or dentist, or many other areas of the medical community, you will need professional liability insurance. Frequently called errors and omissions insurance, or malpractice insurance, professional liability insurance will protect you against charges of negligence or any mistakes you may inadvertently make.
Product Liability Insurance
Another type of insurance to consider is called product liability insurance, which will protect you in the event of a problem arising with a product you make. If a problem develops in the manufacture of that product, or in any area of your business in which you may be considered liable, product liability insurance can provide financial protection and allow you to solve the problem.
This guest post about how to buy small business insurance was written by Bailey Harris. Bailey writes for www.businessinsurance.org.
How to Become a Pharmacist
Becoming a Pharmacist
As more and more retailers add pharmacies to their services, job opportunities for pharmacists are also increasing. Grocery chains and big box retail stores like Target and Walmart now employ as many pharmacists as traditional chains and hospitals. The new emphasis on speed in retail pharmacy has also added fuel to the fire, and an aging population and boom in new births mean that there will be even more jobs for pharmacists in the future.
Becoming a pharmacist used to be the quick way into a job in medicine, though changes in pharmacy procedure mean that pharmacists are less like “doctors” and more like retail workers. Today, a career in pharmacy is one of the best ways to ensure that you can work in any part of the country (or part of the world) you live in.
How to Become a Pharmacist
Because there are many different ways to work as a pharmacist (retail, hospital, private practice pharmacy service, etc.), coming up with an “average salary” for pharmacists is complicated. According to Salary.com, the average income for a pharmacist is about $100,000 a year. The salary earned by a pharmacist depends as much on the type of pharmacy they work in as any other factor. Here’s a quick guide to pharmacist’s salaries:
Retail Pharmacy – Retail pharmacists work for big name retailers or chain drugstores. Their salary depends on where they live, and ranges anywhere from a low of $70,000 (in low-income parts of the country) up to well over $130,000 in bigger urban areas. Retail pharmacists have less of a say in the daily operations of their pharmacy and must adhere to fairly strict retail rules for pharmacists on top of restrictions placed on pharmacists by federal law. Many retail chains offers pharmacists a “signing bonus” of several thousand dollars when they start their job, to compensate for the slightly lower pay.
Private Pharmacy – Pharmacists who open their own shops can earn more cash but have to deal with the headaches involved in running a small business on top of the trials and tribulations faced by pharmacists in general. People who run their own pharmacies earn anywhere from $100,000 up to $300-400,000 depending on the market they work in and deals they make with local doctors, hospitals, and medical clinics.
Hospital Pharmacy – Pharmacists who work in hospitals or large private practices earn money similar to first-year doctors. These salaries depend on pharmacy experience and the wealth of the local population more than anything else. Pharmacists working in hospitals or clinics earn between $120,000 and $300,000 depending on factors like experience, certification, and the median income in their community.
Training to Become a Pharmacist
Pharmacists attend school nearly as long as doctors. An expansion in the scope of pharmacy and new drugs appearing on the market mean that pharmacists must get continuing education as part of their commitment to their customers.
In 1992, a major change to educational requirements for pharmacists means that pharmacists now train for even longer before receiving their license to practice pharmacy. A Doctor of Pharmacy degree (also known as a Pharm.D.) is required before you can begin work as a pharmacist. This degree must come from a specific list of accredited college or pharmacy school entities. Before the year 1992, pharmacists only had to have a Bachelor of Science degree from any college or university–this is no longer the case. This degree requires at least six years of school, and in some cases requires as much as eight years of coursework and training.
In fact, to get into the best Pharm.D. programs, you’ll probably have to have a bachelor’s degree (in science or pre-med) as well as a few years of postgraduate training in the medical field. Some schools require only an associate’s degree or pre-med certification, but these are rapidly disappearing in favor of schools that require work towards a postgraduate degree.
Prospective pharmacists will have to pass a test called the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (or PCAT) before they can enter pharmacy school. Pharm.D. programs last a total of four years, for a total of six years of post-secondary education or postgraduate education.
What this means for people who want to become pharmacists is that getting your Pharm.D. degree is more expensive than ever. According to the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, pharmacy school now costs:
- Between $14-82,000 for public pharmacy training in the state where the student has residency
- Between $40-131,000 for public pharmacy school for non-residents
- Between $75-180,000 for private pharmacy school
The cost of earning a pharmacy education means that competition for the best jobs is fierce, and people are less and less inclined to start their own pharmacy practice, preferring to sign up with a retailer that offers high signup bonuses and long-term benefits.
Careers as a Pharmacist
Before you can begin applying for work as a pharmacist, you have to meet certain job requirements.
Most Pharm.D. programs require you to work in an internship setting at a local pharmacy before you graduate with your pharmacy degree. Just to get in the door for an internship, you have to earn what is called an “intern pharmacist license” that requires testing and a background check and drug screen.
Every state in America requires a license in the form of an exam to practice as a pharmacist. Some states actually require two exams in order to get your license. These are the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam (NAPLEX) which is a test of pharmacy knowledge and retail skill, as well as the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (MPJE) which tests a student’s understanding of the laws regarding pharmaceutical operations.
Once you are properly licensed, you can find jobs at pharmacies simply by walking in the door of retailers and local pharmacies and inquiring about work. Because many pharmacy jobs are at retail stores like CVS or Walgreen’s, applying for these jobs is very similar to applying for a part-time job as a checker or janitor. It seems strange, but most pharmacists get their first jobs by simply walking into a retail pharmacy and filling out an application.
Work as a pharmacist is steady and can offer some of the best compensation in any retail environment. As a pharmacist, you’ll be helping people take medication properly and assisting their doctors in providing medical care.
How to Become a Personal Trainer
How to Become a Personal Trainer
Jobs in personal training are hybrids–some combination of businessman and exercise professional. Personal trainers prescribe exercise programs for their clients but must also maintain their small business. There are very few personal trainers who don’t also manage their own careers.
Personal trainers meet clients, set exercise and training goals (as well as weight loss goals), prescribe specific exercise and sometimes dietary programs, and instruct and participate with their clients in these exercises and fitness programs. Most personal trainers work independently of gyms and fitness centers, though some are employed as part of a gym’s staff.
Work as a personal trainer is limited to a trainer’s ability to take on new clients. They are contractors, signing agreements with clients one on one and must compete with other trainers for business.
Personal Trainer Salaries – How Much Do Personal Trainers Make?
There are three basic factors that influence how much a personal trainer earns:
Location-A personal trainer in Los Angeles will make more money than a personal trainer in Mississippi. The average income of the area where a trainer works is the single biggest factor in how much they can charge and how much clients are willing to pay for their services.
Experience-No one wants to hire an expensive personal trainer who hasn’t ever worked in the field before. Experience in personal training equals a higher salary. Having ten or twenty years experience as a personal trainer implies that you’re not only a great trainer, but you also have an excellent mind for business, and clients are looking for that experience, especially if you’re charging higher than the average rate.
Certifications-Personal trainers get certified in different fields in order to offer more services and to prove to their clients that they are experts. If a trainer only has one or two certifications, they can expect to earn less money than a trainer with several certifications in exercise and training.
Because the amount of money earned by trainers varies so drastically, it’s impossible to give a simple average range of salaries. Here are some personal trainer salaries reported by Personal Training Magazine based on these trainer’s location, experience, and certifications.
A personal trainer in Dallas with 7 years experience and three certifications earns between $70,000 and $80,000 a year depending on her client load.
A personal trainer in New York City with five years experience and two training certifications reports earning $95,000 a year with an average number of clients.
A personal trainer in Duluth, Minnesota with just one year experience and three certifications earns $45,000-$50,000 a year depending on the number of clients he works with.
Trainers who work for gyms earn a basic hourly wage plus a percentage of a client’s fee based on their experience and their number of certifications. At one national gym chain, trainers earn a $7 per hour fee plus 10% of the client’s fee for each certification they have. With fees around $60 an hour, a trainer with three certifications will earn $25 an hour, working 4-6 hours a day usually 7 days per week. That’s about $54,000 before taxes.
Personal Trainer Certification and Training
Because the money you earn as a trainer depends partially on your own training and expertise, earning more certifications makes the most financial sense. What kind of training and certification exists for personal trainers?
To become a personal trainer, you have to have at least a high school diploma. Your work towards certification will be much easier if you get an undergraduate degree in either Diet & Exercise or a related field, though this is not required. Personal trainers must also take CPR training, and learn how to use an automated external defibrillator. Certification exists for both of these requirements.
Other than that, the only thing required to earn different certificates in personal training are exams, given at specific times of year by different governing bodies.
Exams in personal training include questions and quizzes on nutrition, health screening, exercise protocols, exercise prescription, and work with special populations such as the elderly, disabled, or mentally retarded.
Official personal training certification is offered through two different bodies–trainers can earn either an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) certificate or a certificate by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
Most gyms and clients these days don’t want to work with personal trainers who lack certifications that are officially recognized by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies–there are fifteen such certifications available to personal trainers, two of which (the ACSM and NSCA certifications mentioned above) are the most common and most recognized in the world. There is even one recognized certification offered through distance education, meaning you can train to become a personal trainer through online courses. This is a relatively new phenomenon, but since its accredited through the NCCA, it is acceptable for work as a personal trainer.
Finding Work as a Personal Trainer
There are two basic varieties of trainer–you are either an independent contractor booking your own clients and running your own business or you work for a gym or fitness group. Finding work in either field requires a different set of skills.
If you want to work independently, training in business is a good idea. Getting an undergraduate degree in management or another business field will help you advertise to clients and book work and keep your business organized. Finding clients as an independent personal trainer takes perseverance and networking, though getting your first client will sometimes lead to many more clients thanks to word of mouth.
If you’d rather work for a gym, hospital, or fitness center, you’ll have an easier time finding jobs but you probably won’t make nearly as much money. Simply apply for jobs at gyms or other groups hiring personal trainers. You’ll make an hourly wage, but you’ll have to pay the gym or fitness center a percentage of your client’s fees. Think of it as “renting space” in a gym.
Work as a personal trainer can be as rewarding as any job related to health–you get to see your clients meeting their goals, losing weight, and growing stronger. It can also be a difficult job, especially if you plan on earning lots of certification and working independently.
How to Become a Doctor
How to Become a Doctor
Every parent hopes their kid becomes a doctor–doctors always have work, they make excellent money, and they provide a valuable service to whatever community they choose to work in. A career as a doctor is seen as secure and stable. Doctors practice in many different fields, in hospitals as well as private practice, and even in less traditional health care environments like military service or in schools or at universities.
As long as the population continues to increase (and people continue to live longer lives) there will always be a huge demand for work in the medical field. According to the US Department of Labor, work as a doctor is one of the fastest growing fields in the world, and more jobs for doctors should keep appearing until at least the year 2018. New technology combined with an older and fast-growing population means there’s always a demand for trained doctors.
How Much Do Doctors Make?
The amount of money you make as a doctor is most directly affected by the field of medicine you practice in. Here’s a guide to various doctor specializations and their range of annual salaries in the United States:
Family Practice: $120,000-$300,000
General Surgery: $200,000-$500,000
Pediatrics: $135,000-$300,000
Obstetrics & Gynecology: $200,00-$450,000
Neurology: $180,000-$325,000
Psychiatry: $120,000-$300,000
Emergency Medicine: $192,000-$295,000
These average salaries come from reports by the Department of Labor and are meant as a guide only. Some doctors working in these fields will make far more and some a little bit less.
So why the difference in pay between specializations? A number of factors contribute to higher pay for certain specialties. For the most part, doctors who earn more money went to school for longer than doctors who make less. More school means more expenses related to training, and these positions often require continued education.
Another factor in a doctor’s salary is how much they charge patients. Doctors who run a family practice don’t make nearly as much cash as surgeons because a surgeon’s services are more intricate and less common than a run-of-the-mill annual checkup performed by a family doctor.
A final (and major) factor in the amount of money a doctor makes is the amount of malpractice insurance a doctor has to have to protect himself from lawsuits. Your family doctor doesn’t need as much protection as a brain surgeon, since brain surgery is a difficult field and one in which patients are more likely to die or be injured than your neighborhood doc. Doctors who have to carry a lot of insurance will naturally charge more for their services, leading to a higher salary.
The most lucrative position in all of medicine is orthopedic surgery. According to research done at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, this is because there are so few students waiting to fill jobs in these positions (and thus fewer orthopedic surgeons in the country) and because orthopedic surgery is a dangerous field in terms of malpractice insurance. If you’re looking to make big bucks, you should consider a career as an orthopedic surgeon. Average salary for this job is well over $500,000 a year, and surgeons just starting out in this field are making an average of $250,000.
How Long Do Doctors Go to School?
The short answers is that doctors go to school forever. The best doctors never stop learning about new medicines, new technology, and new ways to treat patients.
But if we’re talking about just their basic education, the answer depends (once again) on the specialty. Some doctors get by with the basic four years of “pre-med,” four years of medical school, then four to six years in “residency” at a hospital. IN other words, your basic run of the mill “doctor” has to attend at least twelve to fourteen years learning their trade.
In pre-med, future doctors learn the basics of biology and chemistry, do volunteer work and basic clinical work at hospitals and clinics, learn how to do proper research, and fulfill other basic course requirements as preparation for attending medical school. During medical school, doctors begin to specialize in a specific field while learning anatomy, biochemistry, pharmacology, genetics, ethics, and other advanced medical courses. At the end of medical school, a doctor will be awarded with a title such as MD or DO, though doctors still must undergo testing to get their medical license.
Residency is like graduate school for doctors. Residency is for students of medicine who have passed medical school and been certified and are ready to begin their careers as doctors. These students practice medicine under supervision usually in a hospital setting. Sometimes after a residency is completed, doctors will work on a fellowship, especially if they are interested in a specialty that requires extra study.
Finding Careers as a Doctor
Luckily for people who have received their certification or have experience working as a doctor, there is really no end to job opportunities. Doctors are in high demand in every state in the country and all over the world. There are even plenty of “temporary” jobs for doctors who are having trouble finding permanent work–these jobs are known as locum tenens positions and are open as long as a hospital or practice hasn’t found a permanent employee.
Doctors find work through many avenues: job postings on websites, word of mouth from friends who are doctors, and even regular old classified ads posted at job sites aimed at doctors. Sites like mdsearch.com have tens of thousands of job openings posted for potential candidates in everything from psychiatry to emergency medicine. If you have an MD, you should have trouble finding work.
A life as a doctor can be rewarding both personally and financially. My own pediatrician worked in my hometown for 54 years, treating three and even four generations of the same family and making good money while he did it. If you’re trained as a medical doctor, in any field, you’ll never be without work opportunities. Just make sure you’re prepared for the long hours and difficult course of study it will take to earn you that white coat.
How to Become a Model
How to Become a Model
The word “model” brings to mind a gorgeous woman, thin as a rail, wearing the finest high-fashion clothes and stomping her way confidently down a runway. But fashion models, also known as runway models, are hardly the only types of working models. There are “editorial models” who display clothing and looks for articles in fashion magazines, “catalog models” who wear clothes for sale displays in catalogs, “print models” who take photographs for print advertising, and dozens of different subcategories of modeling. The type of modeling a person does depends on their body type, experience, and “look.”
Interested in becoming a model? This quick guide to the career of a model will help explain what it takes to become a model and the ins and outs of the modeling industry.
Model Salaries – How Much Do Models Get Paid?
The modeling industry is famously very secretive about model salaries. Models are like actors–they work for agencies which help book jobs and advertise the model’s services. Many models hardly ever “see” their money; after travel expenses, hotel room fees, and meals (yes, models do have to eat) there’s little left over for young and inexperienced models. Their biggest “salary” is getting exposure from being in a top of the line magazine, runway show, or photo shoot.
A model’s salary also depends on the type of modeling they do and their name recognition. If Tyra Banks does a thirty-minute photo shoot, she’s guaranteed to make more money than Jane Smith who’s never worked as a model before.
Despite all the unknowns, a good range of pay for an inexperienced model on a magazine shoot (with a top notch magazine) is between $250 and $500 an hour. Lesser known magazines will pay less than half that figure. Different modeling agencies pay different rates.
As for runway shows, the salary goes up. It is more difficult to “land” a job on a runway show, so the pay is more exclusive. A model just starting out who manages to book a runway show can expect about $300-$500 an hour.
The days of the billionaire supermodel are long gone, but there are still a handful of “top models” making millions of dollars a year doing little more than looking pretty. Gisele Bundchen is the top-earning model these days, with $33 million in salary in the last year. The second-highest paid model is Kate Moss, whose $9 million in income is nothing to sneeze at.
How do they do it? In Gisele Bundchen’s case, she works her butt off. She’s part of 20 different campaigns and her name is licensed to a German shoe manufacturer. Kate Moss has a similarly full schedule, though some of her campaigns are ending thanks to that old enemy of the modeling business: getting older.
What Kind of Training Does a Model Need?
Modeling doesn’t require formalized education or training of any kind. Experience modeling is its own school. Modeling agencies are looking for specific things when they hire models, and each agency has their own set of criteria.
There are any number of “modeling classes” and “modeling schools” around the country designed to teach models how to walk, how to wear high fashion clothing, and other aspects of the modeling career. These classes are not necessary–modeling agencies will train a new hire to walk and look the way that agency wants anyway, so wasting time and money on modeling classes isn’t advised.
Successful models are those that can take criticism and listen to advice from their agency about how to walk, how to act, and how to pose and be photographed. Every modeling agency has their own way of training models and their own set of standards to teach, so becoming a model is more about being willing to change and adapt to the agency that hires you.
That doesn’t mean that models shouldn’t prepare. Taking classes in “interviewing” or even dance will help develop the skills necessary to make a modeling agency stand up and take notice. Regular exercise keeps the body toned and in shape–well-developed legs will help a model stay on their feet for the 18-20 hours a day it sometimes takes to get a job done. Learning how to behave in an interview will help an aspiring model land more jobs.
Finding Model Jobs
Models get hired by agencies in different ways. There are dozens of online modeling sites where wannabe models upload photographs and other information about themselves hoping to attract the attention of modeling agents and casting directors, but for the most part the work available at these sites is on the cheap side–shopping mall fashion shows and bit parts in B-list horror movies.
The only guaranteed way to find work as a model is to walk into the office of a modeling agency and get yourself noticed. This is called “the old-fashioned way,” and it is still the best way for a young model to get a job.
Before you plunk down $30 on an eBook that promises to teach you “how to get discovered,” realize that most models did it the hard way first. Taking modeling jobs for no pay in crappy shows that had about a 1% chance of getting them noticed by a modeling agency. Other people hit the streets of LA and New York, talking to casting directors and modeling agents, handing out portfolio shots to anyone who would look at them.
Getting work as a model is similar to finding work as an actor. In the beginning, you may have to take low-paying work in roles you don’t like in an attempt to be discovered by someone high up enough to give you a job as a runway model. Models work their way up over time, and must be confident and smart, not just sexy and sassy.
Becoming a model is a long and difficult road. The pay is often low and the jobs difficult. These days, “supermodels” who don’t get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day simply don’t exist. In the year 2011, you have to work hard to become a model, and you shouldn’t expect to be the next Christie Brinkley. They just don’t make models like that anymore.
How to Screw Up a Business Card
Is there anything worse than a bad business card? Business cards can be “bad” for lots of different reasons, but does the particular reason for a business card’s awfulness really matter?
A bad business card means less interest in you and your business and makes you and your interests look sloppy and disinterested. Since a business card is a relatively easy thing to put together, making a mistake or putting out a terrible, unattractive, or misprinted business card says a lot about your skills.
Here are some of the most common ways that people screw up their business cards.
Leave Important Information Off
How many times have you been handed a business card that didn’t give sufficient information? Business cards that lack critical information are worthless, wastes of money and time, and the most likely cards to be ignored or thrown away.
Your business card should have your name, the name of your business, your contact information (including physical and web address), and maybe a business logo if you have an attractive one to add.
Make sure your business card contains a phone number where you or someone at your place of business can be reached during normal business hours. It should also have a valid email address, if you want to be contacted by potential customers via email.
Add Too Much Information
Even worse than a business card without vital pieces of contact info are those overly busy, tacky looking business cards so stuffed with information and details that you can’t make heads or tails of the card itself.
There’s no real need to put a “mission statement” or multiple phone numbers and email addresses on your business card. A recent trend in business cards has been to put not just one person’s name, but the names of the entire executive staff. Who cares what your bosses name and his bosses name are . . . this is your business card. A good website URL can clear up any questions your customers may have about the names and roles of the businessmen above you in the pecking order.
Too much information makes it look like you and your business are unorganized or heavy-handed, and cards that are stuffed with too many details are just as likely to be tossed out with yesterday’s garbage as cards that have too little information and too few details.
Print Incorrect Details
Putting incorrect information on your business card isn’t as big of a problem as handing out a business card with a bad design—if you catch the error and reprint the cards before handing them out. Sure, it adds cost and is wasteful to have to reprint business cards, but if you catch the mistakes in time, you can avoid embarrassing yourself and your business.
Now that everyone has an email address and website URL on their business card, it is easier than ever to put bad information on business cards. It can be hard to “spell check” a URL or email address, and a single incorrect symbol, number, or letter in an email address or URL can frustrate your potential customers and have them wondering about the legitimacy of your business.
That’s why your business card should be checked top to bottom, gone over with a fine tooth comb by more than one person to check for mistakes. Type in the URL of your website symbol by symbol directly from your business card the same way your customers will. Otherwise you run the risk of handing out bad info.
Get Too Gimmicky
There are sometimes good reasons for business card gimmicks, but most of the time a straightforward business card is best. Gimmicky business cards work best in small runs—print ten or twenty unusual cards to keep around the office for special clients or customers you think would get a kick out of these goofy cards. You should always have a more traditional business card to back up a business card built around a gimmick.
A business card gimmick can help certain people remember you or your business, but they often make it more difficult for a customer to keep track of your card. I knew a guy who had a business card designed that contained tiny seeds that (if watered) grew little watercress seedlings out of the top of the card. A nice gimmick, but pretty difficult to keep in a business card organizer wouldn’t you say?
Print Too Few Cards
One of the classic business card mistakes is simply not printing enough business cards. If you’ve spent lots of time and effort putting together your business card, running out during a meeting or on a lengthy business trip is a real amateur mistake, and is basically an invitation to your competition to step in and hand out their own cards in your place.
If you find that you usually print too few business cards, there’s a simple way to avoid this mistake in the future. Find a business card printer that charges less per card. Simplify your design to reduce costs and print three times as many cards as you think you’ll need. There’s just no reason to not have a business card every time you need one.
If you want your customers to question the ability of you or your business to get the job done, go ahead and make any of the above mistakes. Business cards can be designed and printed from pretty much any computer these days, and any idiot can use a business card template or printing service to put together a solid business card.
Avoid the above mistakes to avoid losing business and looking like a fool. Printing good business cards is easy enough if you approach the task with a little care.
A good way to make sure you have a GOOD business card is to have criteria or standards for your company. Look at this page for an example of guidelines for business cards.
How to Get a Job on a Paper Route
How to Get a Job on a Paper Route
Once upon a time, a kid’s first job was having a paper route. Times have changed, and many newspapers distribute their papers with adults driving around in cars, but the paper route used to be the domain of kids. My own first job was a paper route–I’d wake up at 4:30 in the morning, bundle my papers, and jump on my bike to distribute newspapers in a twenty-block radius. You could make enough money with a paper route in the summer to support a decent comic book habit all year long.
Luckily, not every newspaper is against using kids for paper routes these days. Here’s a quick guide to getting a job on a paper route.
1. Contact your city newspaper and ask who you need to talk to about getting a paper route. If you’re lucky enough to live in a city with more than one newspaper, you have more than one opportunity to run a paper route. When you talk to the paper, make sure the schedule is something you can work with. If you have a commitment that would interrupt or otherwise affect your paper route, you’ll have to choose between the two. Some papers have morning routes and afternoon routes, so you may have more than one option.
2. If you can’t get a job right away, you can contact the paper or a paper carrier and ask to get a job as a substitute. Many paper carriers are contract workers and aren’t employed directly by the newspaper. These people are responsible for finding their own substitute workers.
3. You need a reliable means of transportation to run your paper route, either a bicycle or a car. Make sure your bike is serviced and reliable, with wheels that are full of air and unlikely to break. Remember that you’ll need to deliver papers even if the weather is bad, so make sure your bike or car can run in rain or snow. If your bike or car breaks down, you’ll still have the responsibility of delivering papers, so be prepared to deliver on foot if you have to.
4. Now that you’ve got your paper route and a reliable vehicle, there are some things to keep in mind. Bring plenty of water and a light snack just in case your route runs long. Delivering papers can be thirsty work, especially if you’re delivering them as a summer job, and you may not have time to stop and get a drink or a snack. Also, keep in mind that you are responsible for hiring and training a substitute paper delivery person in case you are sick or unable to deliver papers.
A paper route is a huge responsibility–people get very angry when they don’t get their newspaper, and they expect it to be in their driveway or on their porch every morning. You can make a good deal of money delivering papers, but it is also a difficult job that requires commitment. Good luck.