Follow-up on Internships and Jobs after You Apply

When you start sending out your resume and references to apply for internships or jobs, follow-up on the information you send. One of the things that people too often put in their cover letter is a statement such as "I look forward to hearing from you" or "I hope to hear from you soon." Hope is an important thing to have, but not when you're looking for a job, especially in this economic market. You need to be proactive and take control of your job search. Instead of one of those statements, write something more along the lines of "I will call you to follow-up next week." After you do that, though, you have to actually follow-up. Don't be shy about putting this statement. It's awkward at first when you start making those follow-up phone calls. It can seem like you're bugging someone, but the hiring manager is looking for good people who are proactive. When you call, you can simply state that you're calling to make sure they got your resume, let them know that you're very interested in the position, and ask if they've set dates for their interview schedule. It's important to become comfortable with this and do it. Here's a true story of an example of why it's important.

I was meeting with one of the managers at a local minor league baseball team this week and we were talking about his subject. He had an interesting story to relate. He was coaching basketball at a mid-major university a couple of years ago and one of the assistant coaches left. They received 65 resume packets from coaches wanting to fill the empty position. Some of them, he said, were really intricately created packets with video, details of their accomplishments, etc. Of those 65, only 3 of them followed-up with the head coach after they sent their resume. The only people the coach interviewed were the three who followed-up with him because they expressed a true interest and desire in the job.

Not So Obvious Opportunities

As students, there are a lot of opportunities to get experience and increase your network that might not be so obvious. I am a big proponent of working events that aren't full blown, several month long internships. You can gain a lot of experience from events that may only be a week or even a few days. Students should do some research and see what events are happening in the area where they live or where they may have family that they can stay with during spring break or winter break. It's generally pretty easy to volunteer for these events. Students can sign up as a general volunteer or even take the next step up. In that next step, students contact the organization, let them know that they will be in the area, send in their resume, and ask if they can volunteer to work the event for one of their areas.

For example, if a student lives in Atlanta, he could volunteer to work the ACC Basketball Tournament. Check the ACC website to find the name(s) of the person in charge of the tournament. Send that person a well-written cover letter and resume well in advance of the tournament. Let him/her know you're going to be in the area and that you're available to volunteer. If you can't volunteer through the ACC, check with the Atlanta Sports Council to see if they need volunteers, whether serving as a greeter at a host hotel or working transportation or some other area.

These types of events give you great insight into how different events and their specific pieces work. It also introduces you to new people from whom you can learn a lot just by being around them and having conversations with them. Give it a try. This is how I started my relationship with the ING New York City Marathon. Eight years later I'm still working with them.

Passion (again)

I've written about this before, but wanted to hit on it again. I've had a couple of students (not many) stop by my office lately to ask about future careers and the first or second question that has popped out of their mouths was about salaries in sports. I'm honest with them and tell them that it won't come in the early years, but it could come around year ten or so if they work hard. What I also tell them, though, is that they will love what they do.

I come from a very blue collar family. My parents went to work at jobs they didn't enjoy because that's what they needed to do to support the family. They didn't pursue their dreams. My aunts and uncles were the same way. Because of this, I knew very early on that I had to love whatever I did for a living. (Again, that's why I jump around so much. When I stop enjoying it or stop being challenged by it, I won't do it and be miserable.) I saw my parents pretty much hate their jobs and I vowed I would never do that. They went everyday and often worked overtime, but they didn't enjoy it.

The thing that I want to address is the idea that you need to do something you love, something for which you have passion. Money be damned. (See older blog on the difference between drive and passion.) Yes, we all need money to live and we all want to make a lot of money and be comfortable, but it's also important to love what you do. If you have a passion for sports and the sports business you're going to enjoy going to work, even if you have to make some sacrifices in the early years.

My friend Nick came and spoke in one of my classes recently. He hit on a very true point (and a funny one when he delivered it). The vast majority of people don't grow up rooting for companies. They don't come to school and say, "Wow! Did you see the decision that Staples made last week? How cool was that? What do you think that's going to mean long term for the company?" His point was that people don't grow up saying things like that about businesses. They grow up talking about sports and decisions that sports teams make. If you work in the sports industry you get to be a part of that. It's different even from being a fan. You're a part of the business, and that's even more fun than being a fan. You get to be a contributor. Consider that when you start to think about your future career.

Learn to Think for Yourself

If there is one thing that has bothered me more than any other in my first semester of teaching it is the fact that too many of my students don't want to think for themselves. They want me (and others) to tell them what to do and what to think. I've had students who I advise come into my office to schedule classes and not know what classes they need to graduate. OK, maybe no one has shown them how to tell. I accepted that for this semester and then spent the time to walk them through the graduation audit report so that they know. After that, though, came things I didn't understand. I have upper level students tell me that they've never had to think about what they want to take because their adviser would pick out their classes for them. (A few students also told one of the other professors about me that "She makes us pick out our own classes!" Go figure.) I've tried to explain that although that would be much easier for me because I could quickly run through and do that for each person without them even having to be in my office, it isn't what's best for them. Also, if I picked out their classes, I'd have them in requirement classes I like, things like Russian Lit and Middle Eastern History. I gave them a hall pass for this semester, but told them I expect them to come in next time with at least an idea of what they need/want to take.

My favorite story came from a fellow professor who had a student come in and ask for a catalog. A fellow student (maybe her boyfriend) had to come up with the classes he thought he wanted to take before meeting with his adviser (me). His girlfriend told the professor that I had made the statement that I wasn't their mom. I would help them and direct them and guide them, but not do for them, which I did say to students. The funny part to me, though, is that I was trying to get students to think for themselves and he turned to his girlfriend to do it for him, still not thinking for himself!

I often get asked, too, if I will find internships for them. The answer I give them is that I will help them find an internship. I will go to the ends of the earth to help them find an internship that fits their interests and needs, help them prepare their resume and cover letter, do mock interviews, you name it, but I will not hand hold or babysit. At some point they have to be able to do for themselves.

I've had this posting drafted for over a month. I'm prompted to post it after a conversation with a professor in my division who has been teaching for nearly 30 years noted the same thing today about his students. One of the most important things you can take away from your education is the ability to think for yourself. Your professors aren't here to do everything for you. They're here to help you learn to think for yourself so that you can go out and achieve your dreams.

Recommendation Letters

Several weeks ago, a student I've taught in one class came in and asked if I'd write him a recommendation letter for grad school if one of his others from his summer internship manager didn't come through. I said I would. Well, late last week (the 22nd, I think), he came back and asked if I'd write the letter, and then proceeded to tell me that the deadline for submission of his materials was February 1st. It's a trite phrase, but lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on someone else's part.

If you're going to have someone write you a recommendation letter for graduate school, here are some things that I would consider basic etiquette for you to do. Even if they know you pretty well, these are some basic courtesies that will probably make them think that much more highly of your level of professionalism.

1) Don't wait until the last minute. Give them plenty of time.

2) Provide them with a copy of your resume so they can see what you've done. They may not know everything you've done. With my student, I know he did one internship last summer, but other than that, I've no idea. I'm not even sure if he is a double major or works a job in addition to going to school and being an athlete or what exactly his career goals are...no clue.

3) I almost always give the student a copy of the letter, but if there is a form from the university that asks if the student can see it, I appreciate the fact when a student checks "no" ahead of time. This student filled out the form in front of me, checked "yes" and said, "I'm sure I'll see it anyway." I hadn't told him I'd give him a copy. When I write letters I put them in an envelope and sign the flap so that the school knows the student didn't forge or alter the letter. It's pretty common practice. This schools instructions even stated to do that. He for sure wasn't going to see that copy. It was pretty ballsy, I thought, to assume that he would get a copy. He didn't ask for one. If you don't specifically ask for one, don't automatically expect to get one.

4) I would have appreciated if he had taken even 5 minutes to talk to me a little bit. I would have been interested to hear (and would have asked) why he wanted to get into that program, what he thinks he might want to do in the future, what other experience he had is sports, etc. He just rushed in, asked if I'd write the letter, and then dashed out. He returned the next day to give me the form that went with the letter.

I was able to write a positive letter, but it wasn't nearly as detailed and specific as it could have been.

I'd be interested to know what else other people may ask/expect/require from students who ask for recommendation letters. I know some people make the student write the first draft and then edit from there. That's always a possibility, too.

Continuous Learning

"In times of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists." --Eric Hoffer

I'm routinely amazed when I see speakers at seminars or guest speakers in classes and look around to see that most of the audience (particularly students), aren't taking notes. I realize that not everyone is interested in every speaker, but I've been in rooms with incredibly successful people in the sports industry and seen no one taking notes on what they said. I guess my view is that there's got to be something I can learn from this person, even if it's something very basic. If they've gotten to a relatively high level in a sports organization they know something worth passing on, and maybe it's something that will help me in my career. I certainly don't know it all and know that I have tons to learn. Maybe my philosophy goes along with my being an information junkie--wanting to know things just for the sake of knowing them. I don't know if people are bored of if they think they have nothing else to learn. Continuous learning is not only an advantage, I believe it's a necessity with the speed that things change today.

I'm teaching a very informal class that helps students find out what they want to do, helps them develop interview skills, create a resume and cover letter, learn about networking, etc. There are no tests. I don't "make" them take notes. I have a guest speaker coming in tomorrow who has worked for NFL Films, the New York Giants, and the NFL Management Council. He's not much older than the students. He's going to present six things that he wishes he would have known/done as an undergrad just a few years ago that would have been beneficial to his career. It will be interesting to see how many students view this as a learning opportunity rather than just an opportunity to not have a regular class session.

Technology

If you're looking for an area of sports where it will be relatively easy to find an internship or job, compared to traditional areas of sports, I have one word for you: technology. Especially as it relates to marketing, if you know how to take technology and use it in the capacity of marketing, you've got what Willy Wonka would call the Golden Ticket. Look at all the positions that are listed for database marketing/database administration and CRM (Customer Relationship Management). When you start thinking about content management, SEO (search engine optimization), SEM (search engine marketing), the use of YouTube, Twitter, text messaging/SMS, the third screen (phones/PDAs are the third screen--TV is the first screen, computers are the second), Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, PageFlakes, Flickr, etc., and countless other technologies--existing and not yet developed--there are some great opportunities out there.  There are opportunities in the phigital realm (phigital = the combination of the physical and digital world).

Think about the Obama campaign and their use of technology.  YouTube and viral video.  A custom created iPhone app.  Text messaging to announce Joe Biden as the VP candidate.  YouTube weekly address to the nation.  All of these, and more, are great uses of technology that can carry over to business.  I remember reading several of the articles during the campaign and thinking that companies who haven't, yet, are now going to jump all over the use of this type of technology to promote their companies.  The Obama campaign proved many things, and one of them was that technology can be used very effectively to communicate a message.  If I were a sports organization, I'd be looking heavily for someone who could bring new marketing outlets like these to my company and effectively use them.

If you're currently a student, your classes may not even cover a lot of this.  Some of these things may be ones with which you're somewhat familiar just because they're a common part of your generation.  Regardless though, you will probably need to learn some in depth aspects about the technologies.  You may need to read books and pursue online training. For any applicable parts, I highly recommend Lynda.com for online training.  I've been using that site for a couple of years and am a huge fan of it.  Books, blogs, and online articles are abundant on these topics.  Seek them out.  Like many of these technologies, the cost of learning about them is free because you can easily go to the Internet to learn about them.  Take advantage of the information out there and make technology one of your areas of expertise.  I'd be willing to bet that it will pay off.