Most job-seekers possess some skill or expertise which can be utilized by Sports Industry Employers. The Sports Industry in not unique, in that it usually adopts the technology, ideas, design, etc… from companies within other industries to successfully market it’s product.

I recently attended a Sports Career conference where a few school teachers were present. They inquired as to “how” they can integrate the sports industry as an employee, with the initial thought that an Education major was a hindrance. My response to them was in applying to one of a number of ACADEMIC ADVISOR positions located on the NCAA Market Jobs site.

This is the job description for one of these positions:

The Academic Advisor will provide academic/developmental advisement and counseling for student-athletes on assigned teams; Coordinate and monitor study hall for assigned teams; Assist with continuing eligibility; Coordinate tutorial program for all teams and work with Senior Academic Coordinator and Associate AD on other duties as assigned.

Once in the position, you will have the ability to network with others within the Athletic Department (Coaches, Athletic Directors, etc…), establishing important relationships. Use these relationships to your advantage (REFERENCES), in the event you decide to move into other Sports Industry employment sectors.

NOTE: Education majors, consider joining the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics

Résunate, an employment software platform, provides helpful insight to candidates in how they need to structure and develop their employment documents in order to receive maximum exposure by employers.

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One of the main reasons searching for a new job can be frustrating is the “black hole” you might encounter during the application process. It’s possible you’ll feel as if all of your hard work on your resume is lost when it never makes it into the hands of the hiring manager — and, in fact, an estimated 72 percent of resumes are never seen by human eyes.

This often occurs because your resume is not optimized for an employer’s applicant tracking system. This is how they work:

● First, a parsing software extracts info from your resume and maps it to the employer’s database (the
applicant tracking system or ATS).
● Using that info, the system (such as this one) automatically assigns you a score based on how well you match
the job the employer is trying to fill.
● All candidates get ranked and sorted with only the top scoring candidate resumes getting viewed and called
for interviews.

In order to ensure your resume makes it through the ATS and ranks you as one of the top candidates for the job, do the following:

1. Optimize it for applicant tracking systems. You can easily do this with Resunate — it uses advanced semantic matching technology to assign your resume a score, very similar to the one most employers use. Use the one-click “Auto Focus” to automatically pick the parts of your resume that match the best against the job and arrange them into a resume that maximizes your interview chances. Add, edit, or remove information and see your score update in real-time.

2. Tailor your experience and skills to the job description. Don’t include jobs or skills that are irrelevant to the job you’re applying to. Do you think the employer cares that you worked in retail if you’re applying to be a coach? Probably not. Each line on your resume is precious real estate you need in order to sell yourself to the employer. Don’t waste it on things that don’t apply to the job at hand.

3. Don’t include images or unnecessary information. First of all, an image or photo of yourself will not help your resume stand out to employers. In fact, many employers do not want you to include a picture. This article on CareerBuilder.com explains why: “If they have a picture of you and choose not to hire you, it’s possible that you could come back with a discrimination lawsuit. In most cases, they’ll throw your résumé away without looking at it, to avoid the issue altogether.”

Other things to leave off your resume: References, interests/hobbies, an objective statement, spelling or grammatical errors, and false information.

What do you think? Have you tried any of the above tips? How did they work out for you?

Our software partner Résunate, continues to provide important information for candidates seeking Sports Industry employment opportunities. This submission was prepared by Kat Krull, the Marketing Manager for Careerimp Inc.

NOTE: Join us, The Sports Résume and Résunate on Tuesday 2.7.12 from 8-9PM for a chat discussing what content should be present on the Résume of a Sports Industry employment candidate: http://twebevent.com/MyCR. We look forward to your presence and do invite any friends and associates.

Remember to use the FREE Résunate software platform to receive your Résume/CV/Job Description analysis. Your goal should be in planning a strategy for integrating an Applicant Tracking System (ATS).

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Many colleges and universities offer sports management degrees for students dreaming to work for ESPN or becoming major sports talents managers. A once seemingly recession proof market, has now seen a decline. There have been several job cuts within the sports industry across every sport.

As Real Clear Sports found in an interview last year with Chuck Todd, NBC political director and a man with years of sports media industry experience, that there are some sports that will survive better than others. Football looks the most solid avenue, but there are others that may be good to look at as well such as college sports positions.

With that said, the sports industry has become more competitive. An employment candidate will need to stand out from the competition. How? Let’s look at some tactics:

Figure out what types of jobs you want within the sports industry. The best way to be proactive in doing this is to look at all types of jobs within the industry and hone in on those making the best connection.

Familiarize yourself with what exactly it entails to be a marketing coordinator, general manager, or a group sales manager so you understand what will be expected of you on a daily basis. You will be most if you correctly match your skill set, wants and desires to the internship or job you set forth to obtain.

Network often. Building a great network is really a time tested means of getting the desired position. Get to know people in the industry by joining social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and by following various sports blogs. Don’t be afraid to comment on things that you are knowledgeable about and mark your calendar for events advertised through these mediums.

Thoroughly educate yourself about the desired job sector. Any sports statistic, news article, and other helpful information can be accessed so find them! This is also a great way to figure out what parts of the industry interest you the most. Furthermore, if you are conducting research, you will also gain an understanding of how the sports industry works.

Secure an internship to get your foot in the door. Most sports management degrees end with an internship so choose well and make the most of it. Internships.com says that if you are going to succeed in the world of sports you must have some hands on training and it is a great way to meet and train with real industry professionals and identify different opportunities that are available to you. You will start building your network of people in the industry which is a vital part of sports industry survival. Hopefully you are in a position to secure an internship out of or during college to give yourself the best chance.

Write a cover letter and Résumé that reflects your passion and core competencies. If you were able to complete an internship, you probably recognized your strengths and weaknesses. Use your strengths to define your core competencies on your Résumé. It is important to convey what value you can add to the organization through your cover letter and Résumé. Résunate can help you create a tailored and powerful Résumé. Always have a 3rd party review the finished product. Then start self-marketing.

Are you ready for a sports career? Do you have some other great ways to get into the sports industry?

CANDIDATES, begin this employment season (2012) by conducting an initial assessment of your areas of expertise. What superior qualities do you have to offer to a Sports Industry employer:
- Expertise in Sales and Marketing
- Public Speaking
- Oral and Written Communications
- Proficiency with certain Software Packages (Custom Software included)

Once the assessment is complete, take each quality and place in your Candidate Profile, using bullet points to separate each category.

Next, use the Résunate software platform (Get a FREE Premium Account Upgrade) and take the Myers – Briggs test, which will produce a create a personality profile. The test results will assist with your job search by providing charts of comparable personality profiles within the same industry as the selected job description. NOTE: This information will also assist with job interview preparation.

Register for your FREE Résunate account (& Premium Account upgrade). Offer expires on 2.21.12.