First Jobs and Life Lessons (Pt. 1)

First Jobs and Life Lessons (Pt. 1) Forbes.com recently published an interesting article, 8 Lessons We Learned From Our First Jobs, where it shared the many different things people learned from their very first jobs. The story offered insight from Next Avenue readers, a PBS website catering to Americas 50+ population. As I read the many things people have learned from their first jobs, I realized that, although younger than those polled, I too have learned some of the same things from my first role. Yet, some of the lessons listed I found to be opposite in my life, even though Ive heard older generations say workers will learn these things at their first jobs.Now, were all aware that there are some major differences (in terms of thinking) between Baby Boomers and millennials, but as I read each lesson and compared it to my own and those of others I knew, I began to wonder if the similarities and d ifferences arent so much about age as they are about the evolution of our workforce.So many things have changed over the years, especially with the addition of technology and social media. And although how and where we work has evolved, some aspects of the workplace and/or working and professional life in general remain the same.For example, interviews arent just conducted face-to-face anymore now we have video interviewing. Yet, the general rule of thumb is still that interviewees should dress professionally for an interviewwhether it is in person or online.So, below are the eight lessons people learned from the Forbes article and my opinion on if they are still relevant lessons that can be applied today or if they are areas where our workforce has evolved.1. A bad first job can focus your career goals.The article explains that several readers learned pretty quickly from their first jobs that they wanted to do something else.I partially agree with this lesson. For myself and frucht wein people I know, our first jobs had nothing to do with our career goalsthey were just quick ways of making money. My first job welches as a bagger and cart pusher for Kroger. I knew pushing carts had nothing to do with my career goalsI knew Kroger in general had nothing to do with my career goals. It didnt take me working at my first job to realize or focus my career goals the role didnt serve that purpose. Most people I know simply worked at their first jobs as a way to begin making money.Now, thats not to say that a first job cannot help focus a persons career goals. Although not the norm (because first jobs are usually low paying), a first job can give someone a new experience and show him/her that he/she ultimately wants to continue in that line of work or industry. Contrastingly, a first job can be so unbearable that it confirms to a person that he or she would never ultimately work in XYZ industry.2. Start working early.The article quotes Joseph McManus, of North Andover, M ass.who began work in 1957 at 10-years-old delivering newspapersas saying, I recommend you go to work as early in life as possible in order to encounter the feedback from boss and client expectations, experience the rigors of a full schedule and the rewards of realizing early in life that you can earn your way.I disagree with Josephs lesson. My first job was at 15 and a half and I wish I would have waited instead of being so eager to start working. As I continued to work throughout high school, I missed many family trips, gatherings and even worked on Thanksgiving and Christmas day my senior year of high school. When I look back on that, I realize my little wages of $7-10/hour at the time wasnt worth memories with my family and friends.I do think working when youre younger is good and teaches you valuable lessons, but I also believe children and teens still need to be just that, and not miss out on parts of their childhood being so eager to work or working excessively.3. Low pay is better than no pay.Some jobs our readers held first paid almost nothing, like $1 per hour for cleaning a school after hours, $1.25 per hour for typing reports or a whopping $1.89 per hour for a nurse starting out in a pediatric hospital unit, the article says.This lesson I think mostno matter the agewould agree with when it comes to a first job. If you were like me, before your first job your income was $0 so, anything aboveeven if minimum wage (which at the time at Kroger was $7)is a step above.4. No job is too menial.Many of the Next Avenue readers started with some tough jobs in fields that are under-appreciated and often underpaid.I think this lesson is still relevant today. In my case, pushing carts and bagging groceries seemed menial at the time, but all of us know just how helpful it is to have someone packaging your goods at the grocery store, or to not have to wander around the parking lot looking for a cart because theyre all aligned inside the store.Whether its cleaning t he bathrooms, dropping off mail or tweeting from the company Twitter account eight hours per day, no job is too menial because something always needs to be done and needs someone to do it.As you stay tuned for part 2 of this article, take a trip down memory lane to your first job. What were some of the biggest lessons it taught you?

TV Sweeps Tips for Higher News Channel Viewership

TV Sweeps Tips for Higher News Channel ViewershipTV Sweeps Tips for Higher News Channel ViewershipTV sweeps periods bring a combination of excitement and anxiety to most people who work in television. Its the time that Nielsen ratings are taken at stations and the networks. Those measurements determine what is broadcast and can change TV careers forever. TV Sweeps Periods In most local DMA areas, Nielsen ratings are taken in February, May, July, and November. Each of these rating periods (also called sweeps) are conducted over four weeks. Depending on the size of the DMA, the ratings are recorded electronically or by paper diary. Nielsen selects a small number of families whose TV viewing patterns will be used to reflect those of the local area or of the entire nation. Nielsen will release overnights, which are the previous days ratings results based on the numbers it gets electronically. Thats why you can get a snapshot of the ratings of network shows like American Idol the day after it is broadcast. The overnight ratings dont take into account the viewers who fill out diaries of what they watched and mail them to Nielsen. Those numbers usually take about a month to tabulate and release. The reason TV sweeps periods create tension in the TV industry is that they are a report card of the programs viewers like best and which ones they ignore. From a newsroom at a small affiliate station all the way up to the top jobs at the networks, the ratings can lead to firings, promotions or TV show cancellations. Boost Your Content During TV Sweeps You can fruchtfleisch your calendar for the four rating months and know those will be the times youll see the best programming. TV executives are all competing to grab your attention. During prime-time, youll see special guests, cliffhanger episodes and other devices used to get mora people to watch a show. Local TV stations follow the same pattern with their newscasts, producing investigative reports and special feature s that are broadcast specifically during a TV sweeps period to boost their audience. A common way to boost content is through a tie-in to another program. If a character in a popular prime-time show is the victim of date rape, you can produce a local news report on date rape to air in that nights newscast. This technique can also be found on the network morning shows, which might preview the date rape episode, interview a date rape victim and talk to a date rape expert all as a way of capitalizing on the storyline in the prime time show. Sharpen Your Promotion During TV Sweeps All your efforts to produce better content during TV sweeps periods will be wasted if theyre not promoted correctly. Your advertising is a critical parte of building your audience. Of the six types of media advertising, topical promotion is the most important during TV sweeps. Your message needs to be both compelling and simple Watch us tonight. Using the date rape example, it is critical that during the prime-time program featuring that topic there appears a topical promotion for that nights newscast touting the local date rape story. You want to drive the prime time audience straight to the newscast. Thats a good method to get viewers to sample a newscast that isnt number one in the DMA. Youre telling people who may otherwise switch to the market-leading station they usually watch to give your station a try because of this important story. Other Ways to Improve Your Ratings During TV Sweeps TV executives are masters at manipulating audiences during TV sweeps. They have tricks beyond focusing on content or promotion. Expect to see some stations and occasionally the networks unveil lavish watch and win sweepstakes or another type of media contest. Prizes are awarded if a viewer stays glued to the TV and calls in with a secret phrase at the appointed time. The TV executives are counting on some of these people to also be Nielsen families, who will have their viewing habits recor ded. A station or network wouldnt be able to produce a commercial saying, If you are a Nielsen family during this TV sweeps period, remember that youre watching Channel 4. Nielsen doesnt allow such blatant attempts to skew their results. Some stations may skirt the line by putting out ads that say, If anyone asks, tell them youre watching Channel 4. That may seem like a lot of effort directed at just a handful of families in the DMA, but remember that if even just a few of them change what they report to Nielsen, it can have a huge impact on the ratings. All of this may seem silly, especially to people who work in industries outside media, but when TV careers are on the line based on the viewing habits of a handful of people, every effort has to be made to drive up the numbers. A TV sales department then uses the higher ratings to boost their ad rates to bring in more money by selling TV advertising.