Game Plan For Success

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The new book by Career Coach Matt Crevin – Get In The Game – is on sale now! Buy it here.

As is the case with most endeavors, there is rarely one magic bullet, one piece of advice or one thing to share in terms of what would help others break into the sports industry. For the most part it is a series of events that must take place and an action plan put in place (and implemented) that will help secure the job of anyone’s dreams.

There is so much that goes into an effective career search for any dream job that is very tough to narrow it down to one suggestion.  Here is what I would suggest to anyone:

It is one answer broken down into several parts

Have a game plan:

Successful teams as well as businesses have strategies in place to achieve goals, in both the short and the long-term. Job searching and networking is no different.

  • Combine your passion with a specific technical aptitude to find your niche.
  • Make sure you position yourself and your message to the specific market(s) you are going after.
  • Surround yourself with people you can learn from and be available to return the favor in the years ahead.
  • Continually build an industry specific network and leverage your network effectively to eventually have your own “advisory board” that you can rely on and utilize for years to come.

A big key is to be seen. Like successful marketing plans and branding strategies there needs to be a differentiation aspect to you as a person and a professional. What is it that seperates YOU from EVERYONE else??? A skill, a degree, an experience? Whatever it is, it must be not only improved on daily, but also perfected.

If you really pushed me to provide one thing that would ensure anyone to have a successful career search…BE AUTHENTIC

What does that mean?

It means to go about your career search with passion, integrity and professionalism but first and foremost be yourself and let that be your guiding principle. Too many people try too hard to be someone they are not and get caught eventually.

Why not show your true colors and be genuine right from the start. It will help you differentiate yourself and also it will set realistic expectations because at the end of the day, people hire people.  Sure you need all the traditional information to support your case (resume, cover letter, (positioning statement) but when given the opportunity to meet/interview with someone, be authentic!

The new book by Career Coach Matt Crevin – Get In The Game – is on sale now! Buy it here.

How To Win In Your Job Interview

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Whether I am on college campuses or talking on the phone with coaching clients, I’m asked for advice on how to break into the sports industry all the time. I really enjoy when some little bit of advice really resonates for someone and makes a difference in his or her search –

The consistently best bit of advice I offer, that has come back to me time and again, is this:

When it gets to that part of the live interview with your future boss where they ask, “well, do you have any questions for me?”, say yes, and ask:

“How do I help YOU get a great review next year?”

This bit of advice has helped more people in more interviews than any other bit of advice I’ve shared over the years.

Why?

Well, the interview process lends itself to self-absorption. We spend so much of the time talking about ourselves that we forget that we sound like one of those people who only talks about themselves.

People typically ask all sorts of questions about the job and reporting structure and how it fits in with the company’s five-year plan and so on. We get so obsessed with the details of the job that we forget about the work.

Working together and being a good addition to the team means being concerned with how you are making the team successful. And that means being concerned with how much you are helping to make your boss successful.

Asking this question shows that you have empathy. It shows that you have an interest in your boss’ career and future success. It shows that you are not just a self-absorbed “what’s-in-it-for-me” kind of person. And it shows that you know you are there to “give” as much as you are there to “get”.

The “get a great review” question is an easy tip to implement in your job search: it’s easy to do, easy to understand, and it’s easy to measure.

And that makes it my best bit of career advice ever.

Are you ready to get in the game?

The new book by Career Coach Matt Crevin – Get In The Game – is on sale now! Buy it here.

Meet Marco Cerino

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This week on Beyond The Game our Sports Insider Series features Marco Cerino, Sales Representative for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Marco begin his career launching a sports network at the University of Penn which helped open a role with Comcast.  Afterwards, Marco  moved to the Federal Hockey League as a part of the player personnel, and then moved into a larger League with the Cape Cod Blue Fins. Eventually Marco scored an interview with the Philadelphia Eagles organization joining the sales department selling premium seat ticket packages.

Beyond The Game is a weekly sports talk broadcast that can be heard online or various outlets across North America.  Join us each Tuesday night at 9PM EST and go BEYOND THE GAME!  Listener Call In Lines:  (866) 417-4359 or (646) 716-8609.

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Meet Brittany Gilman

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This week on Beyond The Game our Sports Insider Series features Brittany Gilman, President and CEO of BG Sports.

Brittany got her start working at USC as a graduate strength assistant for a year and later she decided to take her talents elsewhere, moving onto a graduate apprenticeship at Auburn. Brittany was  able to score an internship in Santa Monica with a sports marketing agency and eventually she moved onto starting her own sports marketing company. Now President and CEO of BG Sports providing leading marketing and PR services for a wide range of professional athletes.

Beyond The Game is a weekly sports talk broadcast that can be heard online or various outlets across North America.  Join us each Tuesday night at 9PM EST and go BEYOND THE GAME!  Listener Call In Lines:  (866) 417-4359 or (646) 716-8609.

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Meet Tony Khing

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This week on Beyond The Game our Sports Insider Series features Tony Khing, experienced media/communications executive in the sports industry including 10 years with the San Jose Sharks.

Tony got his start with a sports publishing house in San Francisco writing media content for the Sharks and eventually moved to the San Jose Sharks organization.

Beyond The Game is a weekly sports talk broadcast that can be heard online or various outlets across North America.  Join us each Tuesday night at 9PM EST and go BEYOND THE GAME!  Listener Call In Lines:  (866) 417-4359 or (646) 716-8609.

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Informational Interviews

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HOW THEY CAN BE A BIG PART OF YOUR STRATEGY

An informational interview is not a job interview.  Therefore, your expectations should be genuine and your objective should be to gain insights and information into the profession, not to be offered a job.  Since you scheduled the meeting, you will want to be prepared to conduct the meeting and have a set of questions to ask. You will want to bring a copy of your resume and be prepared to share it with them if they ask. Do not provide them with a resume if they do not ask for one.  Arrive early, dress professionally, and be prepared.

Format

As you enter the meeting, you will want to do your best to stay on track:

Introduction – Introduce yourself and graciously thank them for meeting you. Some small talk might be appropriate to break the ice.

Tell Them Why You Wanted To See Them – Be honest and let them know that you want to know more about the industry and their role (as well as periphery roles they may be familiar with).  Everyone likes to talk about themselves and this a good chance to ask some good open ended questions about how they started in the sports industry and what steps, series of events and actions they took to get to where they are now.

Tell Them About Yourself – This is a chance to mildly sell yourself by sharing your story (your Positioning statement).  Be mindful of the 4 C’s of communication at this stage:

Be CLEAR

Be CONFIDENT

Be CONCISE

Have a CALL TO ACTION

Ask Questions – Make sure you are prepared for your meeting and that you have a list of questions to ask.  Have a pen and paper, and take good notes.

Ask For Referrals – Because he/she has met with you, you have now earned the right to ask your new contact if they are open to connecting you with any appropriate contacts of theirs.  As he or she provides you with names, ask them if you can mention their name as the one who recommended that you contact them.

Thank Them – Being careful not to abuse their time, graciously thank them for their time, and ask if they would mind if you stayed in touch with them.  (a nice CALL TO ACTION)

Follow-up – Send a thank you letter to them and personalize it from the notes you took at the meeting.  Continue to stay in contact with them (even a short note) every three to four months.

The insight you can gain from these meetings can been invaluable, and can yield great results from proper follow-up after the meetings.  Start the process of being an active networker within the profession.   Remember, ultimately the job will go to the candidate who is prepared and who effectively executes the basics of the job interview process. In all you do, you will want to EXECUTE FOR SUCCESS!

The new book by Career Coach Matt Crevin – Get In The Game – is on sale now! Buy it here.

Meet Dave Rahn

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This week on Beyond The Game our Sports Insider Series features Dave Rahn, Road Manager for Sheryl Crow, Lionel Richie and former NFL Operations Director.

Dave is a man of many hats, who else has won three Super Bowl rings and has rubbed elbows with Sheryl Crow and Barbara Streisand all in a matter of 16 years.  Listen now as Dave gives out tons of inside information of everything needed to be handled going into the Super Bowl weekend.

Beyond The Game is a weekly sports talk broadcast that can be heard online or various outlets across North America.  Join us each Tuesday night at 9PM EST and go BEYOND THE GAME!  Listener Call In Lines:  (866) 417-4359 or (646) 716-8609.

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Meet Jake Vernon

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This week on Beyond The Game our Sports Insider Series features Jake Vernon, President of Get Real Sport Sales.

Jake started his own company; Get Real Sport Sales after beginning his career with a minor league baseball team, then with the Indiana Pacers.  Jake made his mark with a 12 year stint as the VP of Ticket Sales for the Pacers. Get Real Sport Sales specializes in providing professional and collegiate sports teams with an experienced and highly trained sales staff.

Beyond The Game is a weekly sports talk broadcast that can be heard online or various outlets across North America.  Join us each Tuesday night at 9PM EST and go BEYOND THE GAME!  Listener Call In Lines:  (866) 417-4359 or (646) 716-8609.

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Use Your Resources

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As we move into 2013, many of us are looking for work or for new employment opportunities.  This time of year leaves brings feelings of renewed energy and motivation to better our lives and increase the heat in job searching and other pursuits.  That being said, I thought it would be a good time to pass on a few things I have learned from my own job search thus far.

Job search websites have become the number one way in which new jobs are listed.  Navigating these websites can be exhausting and tricky, but there are numerous databases specifically aimed at helping those looking for jobs in sports that are very easy to use.  One website I’ve found particularly useful is workinsports.com.  Creating an account on the website is free.  After selecting your desired sector of the sports industry (I chose Sports Management/Operations/Analyst) you can receive emails when jobs are posted in your field at your desired frequency.  I find this feature extremely convenient.

This is just one example of a useful job search website relative to finding a job or career in the sports industry.  Other useful databases for sports jobs include athletestobusiness.com, jobsinsports.com, and teamworkonline.com.  I’d recommend checking out all of the listed website to see as many job openings as possible.

When it comes to finding job openings in sports, USE YOUR RESOURCES.  Hopefully these sites will help, but make sure to have a good cover letter and résumé ready to send to these teams.  You can’t get a job in sports until you start submitting those applications!  Good luck, and until next time, take care!

Jacob Kemmerer

More on Jacob: The Journey Begins / Jacob Joins VOTB / @kemmerer11

Meet Alicia Mora

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This week on Beyond The Game our Sports Insider Series features Alicia Mora, sports, brand & entertainment marketing specialist with Peter A. Mayer Advertising.

Alicia is a woman on a mission. Starting in LA on Behind The Music she worked her way through the business and found her way into the sports world as a producer for Beyond The Glory. After working a busy six years at Nike, Alicia landed as a Senior Project Manager for Peter Mayer in New Orleans.

Beyond The Game is a weekly sports talk broadcast that can be heard online or various outlets across North America.  Join us each Tuesday night at 9PM EST and go BEYOND THE GAME!  Listener Call In Lines:  (866) 417-4359 or (646) 716-8609.

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