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?

The Résunate system allows candidates to analyze their Résumé/CV criteria against the information located within a specific job description. The system matches KEYWORDS and phrases within the job description to terms located in a candidate’s application materials. A score is then given.

Use Résunate before each submission. Increase your chances of securing an interview.

Click here to get access to the PREMIUM Account offer, which expires on 2.21.12: http://get.resunate.com/thesportsresume

I recently had a client with a membership to a “fee-based” Sports Industry employment website, who now questions the value of the arrangement.

We will not mention the names of any fee-based employment websites in this post.

TSR recently provided a list (Links) of Sports Industry employment websites. They are featured on the homepage, bottom right column. These websites don’t charge a fee for access to their employment listings. We decided to provide this list as our writers noticed that some “fee-based” websites provide employment listings that are published and available to the general public.

As a candidate, be cautious when conducting employment search activities. Instead of paying membership fees to websites offering employment listings, subscribe to the RSS feeds of specific Sports-Industry employers. The RSS feeds provide immediate access to employment positions as they become available.

90% of the companies listed on our homepage have an RSS feed connected to their listing employment opportunities.

The TSR Facebook page also contains a Job Board, featuring the RSS feeds of multiple employers.

For those on the bubble as to whether an investment in Career Planning is worth the money.

-TSR staff

This message is for those Sports-Industry candidates that are hesitant to invest resources necessary to help realize their goals (Disclaimer: This is part sales pitch as well).

Securing employment in the Sports Industry is very difficult. The difficulty is in competing with the number of available candidates per position (In some cases, 500/position).

Pro-Sports Franchise(s)
Those seeking an opportunity with professional sports franchises will “probably” start in the ticket sales department. These positions usually have a starting salary of between $20,000 – $25,000 annually.
1% of $20,000, the lowest starting salary, is $200 (Which does not include bonuses. Do the Math). Our lowest Résumé/CV development price is $100, which is part of The Student Package and includes a Cover Letter. The average development price is $145.

Be smart in your approach. Your initial investment will be recouped within the first two months on the job. Don’t waste time and money applying to multiple positions over and over again. This is similar to “rolling the dice,” hoping you hit a lucky number (In this case, being granted an interview by applying to as many positions as possible). Using this method will eventually land your candidacy in the “Unqualified Candidate” submission pile.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: Cincinnati Reds, Inside Sales Representative