This week I am thrilled to highlight Carole Bhalla, the creator of TeenJobsNJ.com and a Chatham mom who has been following Macaroni Kid for the past eight years (since her oldest was a baby!). As she says: "It was the first local site that provided a guide for parents on the different events around town. I remember thinking that I wish I had thought of it!" Now Carole has indeed had her own great idea that similarly fills a void in our area: an online environment for teens to find a job: TeenJobsNJ.com.
TeenJobsNJ is basically a local "Help Wanted" and "Position Wanted" website for teens. Teens or parents can register and browse job postings for free. If teens want to offer a service (such as “babysitting”), they can post for $5 for 90 days. If an employer wants to post a job they also pay $5 for 90 days. I talked to Carole about the new site and her "Purpose":
How did you decide to start TeenJobsNJ?
TeenJobsNJ.com was born out of frustration during the summer my son turned 14. Once he finished 8th grade there were no more camps available to him. I grew frustrated seeing my son waste his time on his phone and decided that he needed a job. The local recreation camp hires teen counselors, but they had already received over 100 applications. When I started searching for jobs I found nothing legitimate or local. My husband grew up in Millburn and used a Youth Services program that matched local teens with jobs. Realizing that there was nothing like that here I decided to do it myself.
A lot of women (and men too) have great ideas for businesses, but never get passed the idea stage. How did you go from the idea of TeenJobsNJ to implementing your plan?
I've always wanted to work for myself and I did independent consulting for many years. I knew I wanted to start something on my own but needed to come up with an idea. Once I started talking about it to friends and family I knew I had to take the next step.
What, if any are some of the unexpected hurdles you’ve encountered so far in implementing TeenJobsNJ / what are some of the unexpected rewards?
An unexpected hurdle is trying to find the time to do everything myself, including marketing. Marketing and getting the word out is all consuming! The unexpected rewards are the positive responses I receive from new people I meet after I explain my business. I see real excitement in them and I find that truly rewarding.
What other websites would you like to see specifically for teenagers and parents of teens?
I would like to see more information about volunteering for teens and how to tackle the college application process.
Will people be able to leave reviews/comments about a Job Poster or an Employer (the way Uber does)?
I would like to add this feature in the future.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I hope that my business will make a difference in the community, for the teens and parents as well as the employers. If I can help some people, that's what it's about.
Thanks Carole! Check out TeenJobsNJ.com by clicking here!
