The Work in Sports Podcast - Insider Advice for Sports Careers

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Where Do You Fit in the Sports Industry? Work In Sports Podcast Jun 15, 2020

Show notes

Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged Learning for WorkInSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast.A couple of housekeeping notes before we get into today’s sports career-focused question -- want to welcome the newest member of the Work In Sports team, Laura Wilhelm! Laura just recently joined us as an account executive, and she’ll be working directly with me to help sell some of our products focused on helping others advance in their career. We have our sports career game plan, focused on the strategies and tactics necessary to get hired in the sports industry. We also have our student game plan, which is similarly focused on career and professional development, but for any industry. And we’ve also developed an entire suite of new tools to help sports employers hire the right staff more efficiently. As I know from going through the hiring process with Laura -- hiring is tough -- talent acquisition managers tell me all the time, we get tons of applicants, but most are not qualified. Well, we took that advice to heart and thought, how can we help sports employers find the most qualified candidates more efficiently. And we’ve done it. Laura will be reaching out to sports employers and helping introduce them to these new tools that can really help them hire more efficiently and effectively -- so welcome Laura, and if any of these products sound interesting to you, your organization, or for your school or university -- reach out and I’ll connect you with laura! Or you can talk to me - it’s not like I won’t talk to you -- I’m a talker, that won’t change. I just need help and laura is a boss. Ok, today’s topic -- Lots of people with time on their hands have been asking me -- how do I find out where I fit in the industry?Here’s a specific version of this question from Bart in Minnesota --“Hey Brian, big fan of the podcast thanks for your continued help and guidance. I’m a college sophomore and I love sports, but I have no idea what to do for my career path. Can you help me understand the future of the sports world, and where I may fit in it?”Jeez, Bart, that’s a heavy responsibility. First off, you don’t meet many Barts nowadays -- I had a great friend in high school named Bart, but I don’t think I know too many others. Bart Scott? I don’t know him, but that’s the only other Bart I can think of. Ok, back on topic -- Finding your fit in the industry is an important topic -- I started a few months back trying to make one of those cool diagrams, not an infographic, more of a choose your own adventure - based on sports careers.Like one of those -- do you like to talk to people -- yes or no -- follow that path, then different questions from there, with the idea it would land you in a category or bucks that could help you explore this area. It got too hard. I may resurface that idea later...but really when you start to break down all the possibilities, it’s like an ice cream headache waiting to happen.This is the advice I believe in wholeheartedly -- this is a personal decision, that is ultimately up to you, BUT I’ll help guide some. The first idea -- go to our site WorkInSports.com and enter in keyword searches for terms. NOT job terms, rather entry-level terms. Search for the word “associate” -- this will return a myriad of potential opportunities that are entry-level or close to it. I just did the search and came back with 1,852 sports jobs out of nearly 12k on our site.As I look through the openings I see:Associate Product ManagerAssociate ArtistAdvertising Operations AssociateProduction AssociateHR associatePro Tennis Operations AssociateSocial Media AssociateThe list goes on… read these job descriptions, and see what stands out to you. When I was coming up I knew I wanted to work in Sports TV, so I could lean that direction in my job search. For you, if you are unsure, you need to get where I was, and the best way to do that is by exposing yourself to the opportunities that are out there.

Sean Halbmaier: PGA Tour Director of Advanced Advertising – Work In Sports Podcast Jun 11, 2020

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Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning for WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast…I find there is a certain spirit that I look for in my guests. Not everyone wants to, or is comfortable coming on a show like this and sharing their journey, with tidbits of wisdom and advice thrown in -- but that’s exactly what we need! We need guests willing to share more than what we can read on their resume or LinkedIn profile, we need guests who are willing to go there. People that will share their bigger thoughts, advice, nuggets of change through their journey and dig into more than just their career moves...but rather their how and why.Every once in a while I ask our private Facebook group -- which if you haven’t joined yet, you should - just search for the Work In Sports podcast on Facebook and join the fun. Anyway, every once in awhile I will post a question, asking our audience who their favorite guest was of all time. While there is a wide range of responses, there are also about 10 episodes that I could tell you beforehand would be the most popular. They aren’t the biggest names, they are the ones willing to go there and share their deepest insights, motivations, change moments and share...really really share. These are the moments that inspire me, those are the episodes that drive me deeper and further, for all of you listening. But how do you find more of these people? How do you find those willing and able to share real insight? I used to send out 20 invites a week -- randomly selected, barely researched, and my success rate was about 10%. For 2020 I changed my process and the results have been incredible. Twitter.I’m being totally serious. Over the last 3 months, I’ve seen about 10 new podcasts launch which are focused on sports career advice -- so maybe I shouldn't share my secret formula - but what the hell. I start on LinkedIn, I research companies, people, and roles -- because in my mind, it often starts with some experience and credibility. I read I research, and then I go to twitter and look at their personal accounts.You see on twitter, I think you tend to find out a little more about someone’s spirit, passion, and enthusiasm. Sometimes you also find out they are a horrible person, and you are glad you didn’t ask them to be a guest -- that has happened. So I’ll give you an example of what I mean, using today’s guest Sean Halbmaier from the PGA Tour. I was searching for people at the PGA Tour - I like to make sure I cover different sports teams and leagues - it’s spring-summer, a good time for golf talk. I see Sean, with a pretty cool title -- director of advanced advertising. If I asked myself, self, what does a director of advanced advertising do? I would have no answer! That makes it interesting! I want to dig into new areas!So, then I head over to twitter and look for sean. His pinned tweet is an article he wrote breaking down his first 10 years in the sports industry -- ok good start, someone willing to share and give back!Then I see: 3 skills to acquire to be valuable to your employer… Always be learning. Be Curious Be vocal. Have an opinion.Ok, now we got someone with a willingness to share guidance and advice.Next:This is why walled gardens are so insanely effective for marketers. They have your identity via login (the license), but they also have the full “wallet” of essentials based on your activity on their platforms.Ok, I have no idea what that means -- but I see a willingness to get into the weeds of his role, and a passion for explaining what he does.This is the ultimate mix!After all that, I make the invite and cross my fingers. Thankfully, Sean, and about 90% of the people I reach out to when I do this level of research and intentional booking -- said yes, and we are all lucky for it. Here is Sean Halbmaier - Director of Advanced Advertising for the PGA Tour! Let’s talk about revenue optimization!!Questions for Sean Halbmaier,

What To Do if Your Organization is Staying Silent Through Protests – Work In Sports Podcast Jun 08, 2020

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Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast.I have some pretty big news before we get into today’s sports industry question -- We have completely overhauled our site WorkInSports.com!Background -- since 1999 we’ve been the leader for jobs in the sports industry, but as times change we have to be agile and adjust our approach. That’s one of the benefits of being a small, family-run, company - we can make decisions and act on them quickly, not a lot of red tape. You may not know this - but WorkInSports is 10 people. That’s right, we’re not some huge media conglomerate, we are 10 scrappy people trying to change sports employment.Another cool stat about our business -- we added Jesus Guzman last year at this time to our staff as a front end developer, Jesus is awesome and has been instrumental in this relaunch, but my point for bringing this up… of the ten people on staff, Jesus is the rookie with 1 year on the WIS team. I am the next newest employee and I’ve been here for seven years. The rest of the staff has been with Work In Sports for 14 years plus. That is unheard of! But again, good people, good environment, good products… people stick around.Ok, so what is the big news -- I’ll get off my tangent and get back to the news -- we set out with a mission to be less of a list of jobs and more of an interaction hub between sports employers and sports job seekers - more connectivity, more interaction. And we are there. For a while, free members will still see the old site. All paid members and employers will see the new product. Couple of highlights to feature:Our matching technology is way ramped up - upload resume. When we post new jobs, active search through the databaseWhen you see a job you like, give it a thumbs up Sports selectFor employers, we have a ton of new tools -- all geared toward helping you find the right candidates efficiently. No more pushing through 1,000 resumes of unqualified people. We have THE sports resumes, and when you post a job with us, we will actively match your needed skills against our database of candidates.There are many other tools for employers we have developed I won’t get into them all here. But if you are an employer and want a new way to find the most talented people for your roles -- reach out to me, and we’ll schedule a demo of the new products -- bclappworkinsports.com.We’re excited -- and we are in active beta right now, so if you play around and have feedback - share it with us so s we can continually improve. And remember a premium membership with WorkInSports.com is more valuable than ever… and it keeps me employed! So check it out!Ok, on to today’s sports career-focused question… “Hey Brian, this is William from Chicago, I know yours is not a political podcast but I respect your opinion and wanted to talk about what is currently happening in the world today. The company I work for in the sports industry, who I love to work for, has been completely silent about the George Floyd murder, the protests and the support of the black community -- this really, really bothers me. But I don’t know what to do about it. Any ideas how I can speak up respectfully, and not lose my job?”William - this is an intense question and I want to give it the respect it deserves. First I’d like to start with a story about voice. Last year in January interviewed Vincent Pierson who at the time was the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for Minor League Baseball. It is one of my favorite podcasts to date, and Vincent and I have remained in touch afterward. He’s incredible. The FIELD program was an initiative that Vincent was highly involved in, and showed great progress toward diversity and inclusion for Minor League Baseball. I’ll read directly from their site to explain what the FIELD program is: Minor League Baseball's 'Fostering Inclusion through Education and Leadership Development' (FIELD) Program was created under the...

Josh Walker: President, Sports Innovation Lab – Work In Sports Podcast Jun 03, 2020

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Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning for WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast.Recovery starts with innovation. I read this the other day and thought, this sounds a lot like what my grandmother used to tell me when she’d cobble some new fandangled way of plowing her garden fields with a series of hoes tied on to the back of her 1940’s era tractor. Never short for an analogy or cliche she’d look at me and repeat “necessity is the mother of all invention”That saying has always stuck in my mind, when there is need there are creative solutions. Never before have we faced more need, and never before have innovative minds been more in demand. As teams and leagues and organizations look to pivot and change their revenue models and adapt to our new world -- the innovative people in every organization are the ones leading the way to the future. That is not hyperbolic or overly dramatic. We need innovation. We need a new way to look at our games, our stadiums, our fans, our revenue streams, our products our marketing -- everything needs a fresh set of eyes. I booked today's guest, Josh Walker, President of Sports Innovation Lab because multiple people in my sphere of influence pinged me in April and said “did you read this article on how the sports industry will recover, it’s fascinating”The article was pushed at me from multiple angles from people I respect with excitement and fervor I couldn’t deny, so I read it and immediately thought -- who wrote this! I need them for this show!The crazy thing is… Josh, the scribe responsible for the forward-thinking piece, developed the concept of recovery before there was a need for recovery. See Josh is the kind of futurist we need more of in sports, the ones who can utilize data and research and intuition to see what the industry needs to be, rather than what it is. Josh is the President of Sports innovation Lab who, along with his co-founders, former NFL linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski and former olympian and 4-time gold medal winner Angela Ruggiero developed a fluid fan concept that sees sports in a way that earns the fans loyalty rather than expects it. You’ll see what I mean.. Here’s Josh -- get ready for some incredible, in your face, honest...and some exciting ideas on how to mold our future of sports.Here’s Josh…Questions for Josh Walker, President, Sports Innovation Lab1: There is so much I want to get into regarding your background and sports innovation lab, but let’s start with some of the big stuff. You wrote an article on LinkedIn back in April about what recovery may look like for the sports industry – and it is fascinating.There is a lot to unpack so let’s take it slow.You state early in the article that “This crisis will fundamentally reshape how the sports industry operates and generates revenue.” In a broad way I think we can all see that things will change – but specifically, how do you see this current situation reshaping the way the sports industry operates?2: We often think of sports as having two main experiential avenues: in person at the event in a stadium, or at home through the broadcast media. This runs relatively parallel to the revenue streams… you’ve got your media deals and you’ve got your tickets, sponsorships etc.But you and your team are embracing a new concept of the “fluid fan” – can you explain what that is?3: Did you have this fluid fan concept hypothesized and researched prior to COVID, or was this an example of where the situation met opportunity?Follow: So in a way, you saw the changing landscape of the sports industry prior to this current pandemic – why was this shift to a fluid fan necessary with or without COVID?4: You’ve established what the fluid fan is and why they represent the future –but how does an organization begin to understand their fluid fan behavior, because, by its very definition, everyone is different, and needs to be approached differently, right?

Job Recovery in the Sports Industry – Work In Sports Podcast Jun 01, 2020

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Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning for WorkInSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast. After a few decades of living in cities, I now live out in the country a bit. I have 4 acres of land, the grass is green, I have woods and a stream for my kids to play in. It can be a bubble. We can tune out the world - the hate, the racism, the unrest, the divisiveness - should we choose. But we can’t. I can’t. We all play a role, and we can’t just opt-out. Silence is being complicit. I know you didn’t come here for this discussion, there are other reasons you are here. But I want all of the people in our audience, our return listeners, our subscribers, who have gotten to know me over time - to know that I support and love them.I have cried over and over again watching the videos that have become all too common in our society. It isn’t just George Floyd or Eric Garner or Philado Castile, it’s the multitude of other horrific examples of police brutality against Black Americans that have happened without cameras rolling. There are systemic issues that allow for heavily armed white men to enter a state building in Michigan, protesting the fact they have to wear a mask while carrying automatic weapons - and being treated civilly and with calm respect, while an unarmed, handcuffed black man gets murdered on the street over an alleged counterfeit $20 bill. How does this happen? This is a problem. We can’t ignore it, and as a middle-aged white man I can’t sit here in my bubble pretending this environment is fair and just. It is not. I have many friends who are honorable, respectful, caring police officers, who got into police work to make a positive difference. We can’t make sweeping generalizations against all police, that does not help. That is the exact same problem that got us here -- racial profiling is generalizing a group of people… doing the same to all police isn’t the proper response. But we can be angry. We should be angry. And the best thing we can, from this perspective, is to listen, love, and vote. That’s how we change things. Vote. I hope everyone out there with anger and disgust and fear and dismay -- will take this energy to the polls in November. Everyone needs to vote. That is your power. And everyone needs to love and listen.JusticeForGeorge hell yes justiceforgeorge … but in concert with that -- let’s change the system to be more equitable and fair. It’s past the time for those of us on the outside to just empathize - we need to understand, we need to help the change become reality. One last thing -- as someone who has worked in the media for a long time, you will see the worst worst worst images, because they get eyeballs. I guarantee you 90% of the protests across the country are peaceful, but all you’ll see is burning buildings OR on the flip side people hugging police officers. Those are the edges of the story -- look for the middle. There is no easy transition here so I’ll just make it. Coming up on Wednesday is a conversation I am very excited about, I interviewed Josh Walker president of sports innovation lab, a market research company, about how we recover as a sports industry from our global pandemic -- oh right, amongst all of this chaos we are also still in a global pandemic. Yeah for 2020!Anyway, the interview with Josh is so insightful -- he and his team at sports innovation lab are changing the way we see, feel and experience sports. And teams are catching on to this new way of understanding fan needs. You are going to be way into this conversation, I know I was.As for today’s topic -- here is James from Nevada“He Brian, when coronavirus first became a thing you talked about revenue-generating roles being super important in the near future -- is that still the case? Is that what you see being the leader in the sports industry over the short-term, or the longer this goes have things changed in your mind?”I’m glad you brought this up James because we have to continual...

Jack Mills: NFL Agent for Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield – Work In Sports Podcast May 27, 2020

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Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast…With the NFL draft in the rearview mirror I’ve been spending an inordinate amount of time researching and understanding the fit of the players my team, the New England Patriots, selected.And before you get all bandwagoney on me -- I’m from Boston and been a Patriots fan long before the annual trips to the Super Bowl.But back on track, I’m researching these players, even down to the undrafted free agents and how much guaranteed money they signed for, yes I am a dork, and I’m realizing a theme. I think a lot of prospects get bad info. Here’s what I mean -- I hear a lot of this “well, my agent told me he thought I’d go in the 3-4th round, so I was a little disappointed going in the 6th and now i have a chip on my shoulder to prove everyone wrong.”Now this isn’t limited to the Patriots, and it isn’t limited to this year. I’ve been listening to these same quotes for the 25 years I’ve worked in the sports industry. Every year it’s the same routine, a lot of overpromising to hype their player, and then underdelivering and blaming it on the process. It’s maddening to be honest. And kind of a theme for our world right now, over-promise and pat yourself on the back, stretch the truth or flat out lie to get someone to like you, and when it doesn’t go as you predicted -- look to blame someone else and avoid responsibility.Sound like anyone you know? We all know people like this. But let’s relate this to player agency -- there should be power in honesty. There should be situations where the most honest, researched, competent, and thorough agents get the clients. Maybe that happens, but I fear more often than not, the agents that over-promised and over-hype land the deals.In a sad way it makes sense -- picture yourself as a 20-year-old headed to the NFL draft deciding who should represent you. One agent hypes you up big time, you are a 2nd round draft pick, teams love you and I’m going to help you get sponsorships and fast cars!Then the next agent says - based on my research, teams will start showing interest in you in the 5th round, but the 6th-7th round is likely. Here are the teams you fit best with, here’s what your contract could look like in those rounds, here’s what these teams fear about you, and here’s what you need to tell them, let’s get prepped for the combine with my team and see if we can’t get you in that 5th round or higher.”You, the prospect, may think -- person B doesn’t believe in me...and therefore pick the human hype machine.This is frustrating, but an understandable cycle. Telling people what they want to hear, is more effective than telling them the truth. Every once in awhile, athletes see through the facade. I’m sure there are hundreds of these examples, but one that comes to mind is Baker Mayfield. Leading up to the 2018 draft Mayfield had a decision to make on an agent.His family was approached by every major agency in the country and many of those agents promising that they could get him drafted No. 1 overall. And according to published reports at the time, this puffery didn’t go over well with the Mayfields.I like this. Their BS meer was on high, knowing what agents can and can’t accomplish. Don’t over commit on things you can’t control, tell me what you really can do for me. Mayfield ended up choosing today’s guest - Jack Mills - an OG of the agency game. Over 50 years in the business, Jack Mills doesn’t have to pump up anyone. He’s represented #1 draft picks before -- Irving Fryar in 1984 and George Rogers in 1981. Heck in 1984 he represented the #1 and #2 pick ...and in 1983 he represented the #2 pick in the draft, a guy you may have heard of Eric Dickerson. The best thing Jack and his son Tom were able to do for Baker, was to be honest...and help him with an overall strategy to the process. As former Dallas Cowboys personnel executive and Hall of Famer Gil Brandt said about Mills,...

Jake Lyon: “The Perfect Poster Boy for Esports” – Work In Sports Podcast May 20, 2020

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Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast…Prepping for this week’s interview was unlike many of my other weeks. Most of the time I have a pretty good vibe for the person I am going to speak with, their role, their struggles, their big goals - and can lean into that in my question development. But sometimes when you reach outside your comfort zone, it can be quite exhilarating. I’ve made it clear on this show multiple times prior that I am not a gamer. I don’t know the lingo, the leagues, the competitors -- but I am fascinated by the eSports ecosystem and subculture. Not in a - I want to give that a go way - more of a, this thing is huge, fans are dedicated, brands are flocking to it...I want to know why and better understand it. I’ll admit, and my wife will concede, that sometimes I avoid doing things I am afraid to fail at. The challenge of rebuilding our staircase I put off for quite some time because I was afraid to put tons of time and effort into it, and have it look like crap in the end.The challenge of researching and understanding eSports, and booking more guests connected to it, is something I’ve put off because what if at the end of it all, despite all the research and attempts, I come off sounding like an out of touch moron.Our internal monologues protect us from failure, but also sometimes prevent us from trying. Well, thanks to our awesome graphic designer Chris Culp who designs all of the podcast episode artwork for us, he broke me out of my shell without me even knowing it. He basically booked today’s guest and said - “hey I think you should do this” -- panic panic panic. Truth is, I went through my normal routine -- reading articles on the person, videos, background, social profiles and become quickly inspired to ask the questions you’ll hear shortly. What I found stupefying through my research, was the patronizing manner most people of my generation and older, speak to the youthful gaming audience. It’s like this stunned question repeated over and over again “so you can make money playing video games… ha!” or “Did you ever think wasting your youth on video games could work out for you like this?”The implied nature of the questions is that even though you are my guest and I am interviewing you because you are important, I want you to know, i think you are not important. Kind of made me mad. Offended. Ashamed. Funny thing is, I asked today’s guest about it and he couldn’t have been more mature and gracious. Jake Lyon is a 23-year-old retired gamer who played for the Houston Outlaws of the Overwatch League, and is now part of the Overwatch broadcast team as a caster. Financial Review called him "the perfect poster-boy for the sport as it tries to dispel the prejudice that computer-gaming is a lonely pursuit of wastrels and slobs" and in July 2018, Lyons was selected as one of two Overwatch League players to attend a summit between the International Olympic Committee and the esports community. He is an ambassador for eSports, a charismatic, mature, well-spoken passionate young man -- who is also our guest this week. Here’s Jake …Questions for Jake Lyon, Overwatch League Caster1: There is so much I want to get into regarding your background and how you got where you are – but before we jump into your story, I’d like to start out by discussing eSports in the current landscape.We keep sharing the quote around our office that “there is opportunity in chaos” – and when I say this out loud, I think this exemplifies eSports.Is esports ‘having a moment’ because it is perfectly suited to thrive in this current environment?2: I saw that the annual competition for the game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. – I won’t even try to pronounce the name for fear of showing my age – set a new viewership record in March making it the most-watched non-major esports tournament of all time.Live crowds are a part of the esports experience,

My Sports Internship Got Canceled, Now What? – Work In Sports podcast May 18, 2020

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Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged Learning for WorkInSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcastOver the last few weeks I’ve been part of a handful of great webinars sponsored by various schools -- Northwestern, Neumann, IE just to name a few - thanks to all of them for having me and thanks for a great discussion.One pattern that kept coming up was this -- My summer internship has been canceled, and that was a major part of my plan to gain experience, what should I do?This is a really great question and I want to dig into it with some ideas. In these webinar settings, I have to be pretty quick with my points, but in this setting, which I control, I can expand. First, let’s get specific about an Internship and what it represents. Internships provide a lot of value -- you learn some things, you meet some people, you get exposed to company culture, you start to learn what you like and don’t like career-wise - all important stuff. So first off, let’s see what we can replicate from what you are missing in the internship.1: What experience were you expecting to get? We can’t recreate what it’s like to be working in the box office on game day, but we can recreate sales techniques, we can learn graphic design, we can learn specific skills.Reach out to your intern contact, tell them you are disappointed but understand and ask f there are specific software or tools, or techniques they use at the organization that you may continue to learn even if not on site. It’s not a 1:1 replacement, but in these times you need to adjust. 2: Meeting people -- well, you don’t get to meet the people face to face at the organization, but you have an in to network with them via social -- we always talk about how you need an angle to network, a reason that connects you to them -- well, it’s pretty clear what this would be. Reach out to people in the organization you were going to intern with via LinkedIn, add a note -- hey I’m Brian I’m a college junior and was going to be interning with your org this summer -- that’s not happening but I still want to get to know and learn from people like you. Once you connect, ask for an informational interview. Employers and sports workers are sympathetic to what you are going through right now and will help you. -- So we can replicate some of the experience, and the networking. Replicating culture or learning more about what you like and don’t like -- we’ll we can’t really replicate that, but information interviews with people you would have been working with can help. Ask some questions in those areas -- how did you figure out this is what you wanted to do? What is the culture like at the organization, and how does that differ from other places you’ve worked. You can learn a lot from asking questions of the right people. Now let’s talk about preparing in the now and some other strategies you can utilize1: If your college has a career center -- lean into it, see if you can set up a virtual meeting with a counselor, and talk through some ways you can make up for the internship experience. They have tools and research available to you!2: Be ready to act quickly -- Usually setting up a summer internship happens in late winter, early spring -- well, things may start to happen fast and opportunities may come up quickly, looking to fill roles. No guarantees here, but if we start to see more sports come back in some ways, and socially distanced workplaces come back to life… they may very well be a quick supply and demand issue for interns. Be ready to move on opportunities quickly. On WorkinSports.com we keep all the sports internship data and opportunities up to date - it’s a great resource for you to stay in the loop on opportunities. You must stay flexible and adapt to these times -- if you see something pop that interests you, go for it, even if it wasn't your original long term plan.3: Consider shorter-term experiences -- I’ve been reading more about micro-internships through a company ...

Chelsea Zahn: Pittsburgh Steelers Partnership Activation Manager – Work In Sports Podcast May 13, 2020

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Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast…Popularity is a slippery beast.As a podcast host, I am always looking for interesting guests, with recognizable names, fancy job titles and experience to share. My goal is always to provide actionable advice for all of you, and share it through either my voice and experience or by my guests. But I get back to the original premise - popularity, virality, shareability - totally unpredictable. You hear people in marketing always saying - I want viral content! As if it is that easy. That’s not a strategy, it’s a dream. My belief has always been you make a lot of quality content, and try to learn from each piece that resonates with your audience. You constantly refine and adjust - not always in a major way, not always a complete shift, just subtle movements in your approach, tone, and content. Now let’s be clear, going viral, or having something spike in popularity, doesn’t always connect to your business. The concept of just going viral is flawed. I wrote an article years back when I had my own site - it was a funny article comparing injuries in hockey to injuries in baseball. It went nuts. Hundreds of thousands of views, hundreds of thousands of Facebook likes, thousands of shares -- the thing went crazy. It did zero for my bottom line. Literally zero. Sure we can talk about brand exposure, and the potential to grab new audiences, but for all the virality it made little impact on my business. So viral in and of itself doesn’t always change the calculus of your business. It has to all be connected - content to business strategy. Now let’s get this back to this here podcast. I don’t reach for popularity anymore. I try to let it happen naturally by delivering the information the audience can grow from.I book guests based on the impact I believe they can have, and then sit back and watch to see what happens with downloads. Sometimes I have a vibe, like when I book big names like Leigh Steinberg, or Dan Duquette, that they will be popular. But what has been truly eye-opening is that guests like Colleen Scoles, Mailynh Vu and Mark Coscarello, talent acquisition managers with the Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Indians and USGA respectively have doubled up Leigh Steinberg in downloads. It comes down to knowing your audience and what they want. Chelsea Zahn was a guest I booked last year, a young woman on the rise in the sports industry working in Partnership Activation for the Pittsburgh Steelers -- to me, she met the criteria for a great gust, charismatic, interesting career, not many people know about Partnership Activation, and willing to share great advice. I interviewed her, was proud of the content...and then was completely amazed when her episode became the second most downloaded of 2019 behind only Mailynh Vu who, I mean come on was the rockstar of 2019 and if you haven’t listened to that episode you are crazy. I’m guessing many of you new to the show also haven’t listened to Chelsea, so today is your day -- here is Chelsea Zahn, partnership activation manager for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Remote Hiring is Here to Stay – Let’s Prepare! Work In Sports Podcast May 11, 2020

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Tips and Advice to Help you Master the Remote Hiring ProcessHey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of content and engaged learning at WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast…Hiring will remain virtual for the near future, and quite possibly beyond, so let's get you prepared: Virtual interviewsPhone interviewsVideo interviewsWe are missing the in-person interaction -- which stinks, but it’s justa problem wer all have to deal with. If you are someone who relied on your charisma in the moment to get you through -- make sure your skills are on point, and you figure out how to translate your charisma to the small screen and the phone.Again - your skills become more of the focus if you can’t get by being just the smoothest operator.Tone: Right now there are a lot of deparate people out there, I don’t mean this to be discouraging or a dig on those who are suffering, I just mean from the ermployers viewpoint, there are a lot of people applying for their jobs that may not have in normal times.“Be ready to talk about why you want to work for the company you’re interviewing with and why you feel like the job makes sense as your next career move.” You need to be able to make sure the employer knows you are interested, you want this gig, and why you feel like this job makes s4ense for you in your career.You don’t want them thinking you are just looking for work -- you want them to know this is a logical career move for you and something that excites you.Normally… I tell you to make sure there are no distractions. No dogs barking, no roomates barging in. The good news is, everyone is a little more quarantine supportive and knows the world isn’t perfect right now. Try to keep distractions low, but don’t lose your groove if something happens.Acknowledge it, and get back on track. Or plow through without letting iot affect you at all, that shows a lot of focus.2: Expect more rounds of interviewsEmployers love the final face to face phase because that’s where they make sure they know the person and feel they are a cultural fit. Without that, they are extending the process in other ways. More rounds of phone or video interviews, with more people in the building. They are trying to get multiple viewpoints to be sure that they have the right match.Don’t get discouraged if the process takes longer than normal, or expected. There is no normal anymore, throw out everything you used to know. 3: What skills are more important now that ever?Establishing trustCommunicationCollaborationAdaptablity4: Expect more questions on how you handle challengesHave a story related to how you handled an unexpected challenge in your repertoire. 5: You can still be selectiveYou are learning here too, about their culture their workforce etc. Don’t rush to choose the wrong job, try try try to be patient and listen to your instinct.

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