CANDIDATES,
Our current focus is in preparing you [And your application materials] for effective application within the Applicant Tracking Systems now used by Sports Industry employers to screen candidate submissions. These systems scan and look for matching KEYWORDS within your Résumé/CV and the job description.

It is critical that you tailor and design your application materials for “each” position (Including the Cover Letter) you intend to apply for. Never create or forward a “standard” Résumé/CV or Cover Letter. Applicant Tracking Systems are designed to help hiring managers analyze a candidates credentials with the criteria listed within the job description. Unqualified applicant submissions are usually discarded.

TSR has partnered with Resunate, a software platform that uses Semantic Intelligence to match the contents of a candidates Résumé/CV to a job description. This helps increase the likelihood that a candidate will receive an interview.

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.

The TSR staff is speculating with this statement, but we believe it is the natural tendency of Sports-Industry employment candidates to seek opportunities at the professional sports teams first. There is nothing wrong with looking to these organizations. We would advise all to look “beyond” these entities and utilize a broader approach.

There are countless opportunities available to work in sports. This includes but is not limited to the Regional Sports Networks (RSNs), Concessionaires, Sports Marketing/Management companies, and even Technology companies. The competition for placement with these organizations is about the same as that for the pro-sports teams. However, the candidate will receive a broader employment experience. This is because most of these companies do not operate exclusively within the U.S. or the Sports Industry.

 A few examples include:

StubHub (www.stubhub.com)- – Summer Internship

Ellerbe Becket (www.ellerbebecket.com) – Interior Designer

Legends Hospitality Management (www.legendshm.com ) – IT Manager

Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia (www.csnphilly.com) – Marketing Internship

To college students: The best time to look for summer internships is during the fall semester. Most organizations accept applications in the fall, conduct interviews in the spring, then make decisions for the summer placement. With the current state of the U.S. economy, it may be difficult to find “paid” opportunities. Do not let this discourage you. Remember, your goal is to get the necessary experience to move you ahead of other candidates when applying for permanent positions upon graduation.