An internship should be used for more than a “marketing” tool on your Résumé. -TSR Staff

The services and products of TSR are designed to help all Sports Industry candidates secure an INTERVIEW with an employer (Students, Mid-level, Executive candidates). Many job openings require some type of experience. Such experience is gained through either former employment positions or internships.

Working as an intern can be a very rewarding experience. You receive a first-hand look at the various operations of an organization.

COLLEGE STUDENTS:

When seeking an internship with a Sports-Industry employer, use the opportunity as the 1st step in developing your “career” and not just as a Marketing tool, showing some type of temporary connection with an employer.

When interviewing, ask the employer whether the position has the potential for a permanent position (Upon Graduation). Has this internship led to permanent placement in the past?

POST-INTERVIEW:

Learn what types of Benchmarks and Achievements would represent a “successful” employee at the position. Try to establish some types of Benchmarks during the Internship term. Ask for additional responsibilities, and more important, management feedback.

Many employers attempt to use interns for the lower-level responsibilities (Ex. Administrative duties, etc….). You want to do more than greet people and deliver documents. Keep a journal of your daily tasks. Display any format of “growth” leading from day-to-day. At the end of the term, create a graph with the information. The graph (or chart) would display forward-moving progress within a certain time period. You would then transfer this information to your Résumé.

Get everything you can out of your internship opportunity. -George, TSR writer

INTERNSHIP: BigTen Network (Marketing)

We earn revenue in our MSG Sports segment from several primary sources: ticket sales and a portion of our suite license fees at The Garden. Ticket sales constitute the largest single source of revenue for our MSG Sports segment.
-Source, Madison Square Garden, Inc. (Form 10-K, fiscal year ending December 31, 2009).

The TSR staff members had the opportunity to review the financial statements of Madison Square Garden, Inc., owner of the NY Knicks and the NY Rangers. We were surprised to find that the largest source of revenue for this entity was ticket sales. We naturally assumed that the majority of revenue was generated by MSG Network (Carriage Fees) or advertising.

This new revelation (New to TSR staff members) is great news for those seeking entry-level positions within the sports industry. First there is the opportunity to work with two professional sports teams participating in two different leagues. Second, the work will be conducted in the largest sports media market in the U.S (arguably).

Gaining relevant experience and producing exceptional results with this organization can only enhance your future Sports Industry career opportunities (With a Pro-Sports team or sports-related other entity). Remember that Madison Square Garden is a publicly traded company (Symbol: MSG), who must report earnings every three months. Also, a publicly traded company usually incurs more expenses than a private entity.

Ticket Sales:
The most important Benchmark to keep an accurate record of as a Ticket Sales Representative is Sales Numbers. Sales numbers are attractive to Sports Industry hiring managers. Sales numbers are an indicator as to HOW you will contribute to an organization. The display of an increase in sales numbers by the month, quarter or annually is information that should always be documented on a candidate’s resume. Graphs and charts are exceptional formats as well.

MSG Employment Opportunity: Inside Sales Representative