Mark Tudi’s Sports Blog

CREATING A PERSONAL ADVISORY TEAM

Career decision making is tough business.  One way a lot of people cope with these difficult considerations is by turning to others for advice.  These supporters act as a sort of “kitchen cabinet”, listening to your concerns and giving you their wisdom in return.  In a sense, they constitute your personal board of directors.

Everybody’s advisory group is different.  Yours may include friends, relatives, and the lady next door, but these opinion givers usually have two things in common: they care about your well-being and you value their thoughts. Though the composition of your board will change over time, there are categories from which you are almost certain to draw helpful advisors at some point in your life.

FAMILY

Throughout college, parents typically act as both sounding boards and inquisitors in terms of your career direction.  During senior year, however, the frequency and quality of your conversations with Mom and Dad can become paramount.

Mimi, a recent Sports management graduate spoke frequently with her parents about her senior-year job search.  “Your family knows your strengths and weaknesses,” she says.  “They know how your personality would fit into a position.”

But parental advice does have its limits. “Your parents are just not involved enough to know the intricate details,” contends Jay, a recent graduate of Washington University.

Josh from Santa Clara understands the reservations but feels that parents are able to give good advice regardless of whether they’re involved in one’s particular field.  “They might not know exactly what you’re getting into,” says Josh, “but they can ask the right questions.”  In fact, his parents went to some lengths to ensure that they could give their son solid counsel. “[My parents] came to campus and tapped one of the business school deans for advice,” Josh says.  As a result of their interest, Josh readily involves his parents in his career decisions.

Older brothers and sisters also are in a great position to provide knowledgeable career advice, particularly if they experienced not too long ago what you are going through.  Linda, a pre-law major from Ohio State University, had her lifelong career goals decimated when steep tuition put law school out of reach.  Her sister’s suggestion to work in a law-allied field led to her current position as a paralegal for an Agent.

FACULTY

Faculty members receive mixed reviews as career counselors, but they’re an important source of information for students heading into the work world.  If you’re going to use professors, make sure you know them well.  Go in, in advance, and get acquainted with them.  When they know you personally, they’ll give you more attention than they give to students they only see once in a great while.

Charlie sought career advice from faculty members in his area of specialization when he was taking a Sports Marketing course at New York University.  “[Most of them] gave me okay advice, but one or two were so far removed from the business world that they just gave me pat answers about what was there.”  Charlie recommends faculty who consult regularly as good sources of accurate, up-to-date information.  He has linked up with one such professor whom he calls the “technical consultant” because he is a heavy-weight in the sponsorship field.  He also has added an outside voice to his advisory group…a consultant who guest lectures in one of Charlie’s classes.  “She’s a good advisor, “says Charlie.  “She’s in the training/education field and we frequently discuss my career directions.  Her people skills are a good balance to those of my technical consultant.”

Some faculty members offer more than just insight.  When Jay was chatting with his advisor about his career plans, the professor offered to “make a call.”  The call was to the President of McCann-Erickson, where Jay is still employed.

CAREER PLANNING AND PLACEMENT OFFICERS

Another readily available resource is the Career Planning and Placement Sector.  While some people tap this office for research oriented information and listings only, many successfully add the office’s career counselors to their pool of helpful career coaches.

Talk with the counselors in the office.  Even though you may know what you want, you still may not be sure.  The counselors there will tell you what to do and what resources are there.

Working in Career Services as a volunteer will develop a network of influence for you.  They will usually be more interested in you making the right decision, rather than in you just getting a job.

CO-WORKERS AND BOSSES

As you gain more and more work experience, you’ll find additional career advisors on the job.  When you look at career possibilities, call your previous boss, department, or the director [for advice]. These “working” coaches can be especially helpful, thanks to their up-to-date knowledge and current contacts.  “Not only were they sounding boards, they give out contact names as resources.  They’re excellent for networking.”

A young marketer was in the process of resigning from Anheuser-Busch when he got some unexpected, but very helpful counsel from one of the managers at that firm.  “When the manager said, ‘What I think you want to do is gain a management position.  Why start over elsewhere?’ it really made me think.  And he directed me to the right people at Anheuser-Busch. After being shown that the company was willing to let him go “anywhere in the special events business”, the marketer decided to stay.

FRIENDS

Friends will be your most constant, and sometimes most unsupportive, source of career advisors.  Friends will help strike a balance in the early stages of your job search but rarely be a key element of help.  In a complicated program developed for a Sports Career, friends usually have an extremely limited perspective.

ADVISORY TEAM GAME PLAN

There are a number of things you can do to ensure that you get the most from your advisors:

1.     Clearly identify the issues on which you want advice.  Be concise, but give sufficient background information to allow the advisor to understand the situation.

2.     Be objective.  An impartial recitation of the facts will allow your advisor to assess the situation effectively.

3.     Consider the background of your advisor.  Ask for counsel in his or her area of expertise.

4.     Let your advisor talk!  Try not to interrupt or inject “buts” or “extra” information.  You asked for advice…now listen carefully.

5.     Take all counsel under advisement, but remember: all advice is not equal.  Weigh the counsel you receive and give the most consideration to that which you believe to be the most beneficial.

 As you assemble your personal Team of Advisors, you’ll find that they come and go and that you won’t need to consult every one of them on each decision.  Rather, you’ll find that your team is made of some “generalists” and some “specialists”, whose expertise is tapped only when the issue is appropriate to their orientation.  One position that does not change, however, is the role of Team Captain.  That’s your job for life, and it’s a critical function. After all is said and done, you’ve got to weigh all the advice you’ve collected, evaluate the merits of each opinion, and reach a final conclusion yourself.  It’s your career that’s at stake.

© 2009 by Mark Tudi

SPORTS CAREER CHANGE “DO’s & DON’Ts”

The average sports worker will change jobs 8 times with at least 3 career changes, contributing to an annual industry turnover rate nearing 65%. As Sports and Entertainment converge with the new media and expanding sports properties, there is still a critical need for quality senior level executives and specialized professionals.

Here are the keys to successfully changing careers. Follow these career-change rules and you should achieve success in contemplating changing careers – and in your Sports Career change.

·          Do have a well-developed plan for making your Sports Career change. And don’t rush into a career change until you have thought it out and developed a strategy.

·          Don’t worry if you feel a bit insecure or unsure about making a career change; these feelings are normal.

·          Do expect to put in a great deal of time and effort in making the switch from one career to another, but don’t allow yourself to get discouraged at the pace or your progress…changing careers takes time.

·          Don’t rush into a new opportunity because you are dissatisfied or disillusioned with your current job, boss, company, or career field.

·          Do take the time to examine the activities that you like and dislike, with more focus on your likes. And do focus on marketplace segments that center around your likes and passions.

·          Do leverage some of your current skills and experiences to your new Sports Career by taking advantage of your transferable skills.

·          Don’t limit yourself to similar careers or jobs when making a change; look for opportunities that take advantage of both your skills and interests.

·          Do consider the possibility that you will need to get additional training or education to gain the skills you need to be competitive in your new sports career field, but don’t jump headfirst into an educational program…start slowly.

·          Do take advantage of all you networking potential, including using your current network of contacts, conducting informational interviews with key employers in your new career field, and joining professional organizations in the Sports Industry. (And do read more about networking).

·          Don’t forget to take advantage of the career and alumni offices from your previous educational experiences as well as your current school (if you are going back for additional education or training).

·          Do gain experience in your new career field, ideally while you are still working in your current job. Volunteer or find a part-time job in your new career field – thus building experience, confidence, and contacts in your new field.

·          Don’t go it alone; do find a mentor. Changing sports careers is challenging, and you really need to have someone who can help motivate you and keep you focused on your goal when you get discouraged.

·          Do brush up on all aspects of job-hunting, especially if you haven’t had a need to use those skills recently. And do take advantage of all career change resources.

·          Above all else, do be flexible. You’re basically starting your career anew, which means you may have to make concessions about job titles, salary, relocation, etc.

© 2009 by Mark Tudi

Professional Development & Sports Career Management

More than 45 million people find themselves unemployed each year.  Millions of others try to increase their satisfaction within the workplace as well as advance their careers by looking for alternative jobs and opportunities.  Statistics show that you will make more than 10 job changes and between three and five career changes during your lifetime.

Many people transition into a sports career by accident.  They do little career planning, other than take advantage of opportunities that arise unexpectedly.  While chance and luck do play important roles in finding employment, when you plan for future sports career changes, you will experience even greater degrees of chance and luck!

Finding a job or changing a career in a systematic and well-planned manner is hard, yet rewarding work.  The task should first be based upon a clear understanding of the key ingredients that define jobs and careers.  Starting with this understanding, you should convert key concepts into action steps for implementing your job search.

A career is a series of related jobs which have common skill, interest and motivational bases.  You may change jobs several times without changing careers.  But once you change skills, interests and motivations, you change careers.

This process is not just for job seekers or those “on the outside, trying to get inside”, but also for the millions of professionals currently working in Sports in need of strategic action plans that help individuals to recognize where their career has been, where it is now, and where it is going.

Job Search Process

Networking plays a key role in the overall sports career development and job search process.  If you want to find a job or change careers in sports, you must first know how networking relates to other equally important career development and job search processes.

Finding a job in sports is both an art and a science. It encompasses a variety of basic facts, principles and skills you can learn, but you must also adapt to different situations.  “Learning how to find a job in sports” can be as important as “knowing how to perform a job.” Having marketable skills is essential to making job search strategies work effectively for you.

Four Step Career Development Process

1. Conduct a Self-Analysis…(Skill Set Driven)

Assess your skills, abilities, motivations, interest, values, temperament, experience and accomplishments.  Your basic strategy is to develop a firm foundation of information about yourself before proceeding to other stages in the career development process.  This assessment develops the necessary self-awareness upon which you can effectively communicate your qualifications to employers as well as focus and build your career.  Know your strengths, weaknesses, and what you do best.

2. Gather Career Information…(Marketplace Segment Driven)

Here you need to formulate goals, gather information about alternative jobs and sports careers through reading and talking to informed people.  Then narrow your alternatives to specific marketplace segments for which you have the highest degree of passion and interest. When you match your skill set with your passion, you will never work a day in your life.

3.  Develop Job Search Skills

Focus your career around specific job search skills for landing the job you want.  These skills are closely related to one another as a series of job search steps.  They involve conducting research, writing resumes and letters, prospecting and networking, conducting informational interviews, interviewing for a job, and negotiating salary and terms of employment.  Each of these skills involves well-defined strategies and tactics you must learn in order to be effective in the job market.

4. Implement Each Job Search Step

The final step emphasizes the importance of transforming understanding into action.  You do this by implementing each job search step which already incorporates the knowledge, skills and abilities you have acquired.

Organize and Sequence Your Job Search

The chart below further expands our career development process by examining the key elements in a successful job search.  It consists of a seven-step-process which relates your past, present and future.  Your past is well integrated into the process of finding a job or changing to a career in sports.  Therefore, you should feel comfortable conducting your job search.  It represents the best of what you are, in terms of your past and present accomplishments, as they relate to your present and future goals.  If you follow this type of job search, you will communicate your best self to employers.

Since the individual job search steps are interrelated, they should be followed in sequence.  If you fail to properly complete the initial self-assessment steps, your job search may become haphazard, aimless and costly.  For example, you should never write a resume (step 3) before first assessing your skills (step 1) and identifying your objective (step 2).  You normally network (step 5) after assessing your skills (step 1), identifying your objective (step 2) writing a resume (step 3), and conducting research (step 4).  Indeed, relating step 1 to step 2 is critical to the successful implementation of all other job search steps.  You must complete steps 1 and 2 before continuing to the other steps.  Steps 3 to 6 can be conducted simultaneously because they complement and reinforce one another.

SPORTSEARCH:

STEP-BY-STEP

Try to sequence your job search as close to these steps as possible.  The true value of this sequencing will become very apparent as you implement your plan.

You must do more than just know how to find a job through networking.  In the sports industry, you need to constantly review your skills to make sure they are appropriate for the changing job market.  Once you have necessary skills to perform jobs, you can target your skills on particular jobs and careers that you do well and enjoy doing.  You will avoid the trap of trying to fit into jobs that are not conducive to your particular mix of skills, motivations, and abilities…the number one temptation and mistake while building your career path in Sports.

© 2009 by Mark Tudi

SPORTS CAREERS Conference

Over the past few weeks I have been inundated with people asking essentially the same question: “What would I get out of attending the SPORTS CAREERS Conference?”  I thought I would make my answer available to all of you.

First off, the SPORTS CAREERS Conference is the Original and Largest meeting of its kind and brings influential decision makers, people managers, industry professionals, and the career-oriented together in a unique, discipline focused environment. It will feature “How To” and “Best Practices” Sessions, Mentoring Round Tables, Networking Receptions, access to real decision makers and real job opportunities. The ALSD Trade Show will be taking place at the same time and in the same location and will give you access to over 180 Exhibitors, 450 Attendees, and Facility Tours of the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, the American Airlines Center, and the new Cowboy’s Stadium. With food, transportation, and access to all sessions, this Conference is for anyone who is looking to enhance their career in the Sports Entertainment related Industries.

For your $119.88 registration fee (plus two night hotel stay), you receive all of the Conference perks plus a One Year Platinum Membership to SPORTSCAREERS.com and its Virtual Sports Career Fair and online job listings. Although anything is only worth as much as you put in to it, this is definitely the best Career Building Value you can get on the market. Please visit our website (www.sportscareers.com) and click on the SPORTS CAREERS Conference for more details and registration information.  Should you have any further questions, please contact the SPORTS CAREERS staff via telephone at 602-485-5555 or email at info@sportscareers.com;  or contact me personally on my cell at 602.740.0500 or via email at mt@sportsearch.net.

The Conference promises to be a rewarding one for all who attend. I hope to see you there.

How a Slow Economy Effects Sports

A lot of people have been asking me lately how the slumping economy will effect the wide world of sports.  ESPN has an interesting article discussing this very issue.

Click here to read the article.

Opportunities in New Media

One key to establishing a successful career in sports is to stay ahead of the curve by identifying future trends.  One such trend is the use of new media in sports.

New media tends to include several different elements, including mobile content, interactive marketing, and streaming media.  As we continue to move into the “Web 2.0″ generation, traditional media methods have been taking a back seat to fresh, new ways to penetrate deeper into the lives of the fans and consumers.  Professional franchises and collegiate programs have turned to blogs and social networking, allowing their fans to get more involved in their media consumption.  Web applications such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter are increasingly powerful tools with the potential to grow brand loyalty.  

Candidates who demonstrate a clear understanding of the application of new media, and can develop innovative ways to implement new media into a firm’s marketing operations will be in high demand.

Achieving Balance in Life

Balancing family life with the long hours is not easy, but it will boil down to the type of person you are, the type of relationships you have and the quality of work you deliver. Sticking to your life’s priorities will be the determining factor…Here are what I call my 5 “Killer B” Priorities:

1. BE BLAMELESS in all of your day-to-day activities.
2. BODY BEAUTIFUL - Practice safe and healthy habits on a daily basis.
3. BONDED RELATIONSHIPS - Having unbreakable bonds with your Family, Friends and spheres of influence.
4. BEING ON BUDEGET - Financial responsibility and knowing your spending limitations.
5. BANKABILITY - The only thing we really can control is how we carry through with what we say…your world MUST be your bond. Do what you say you will do.

It is More than just Ticket Sales

It is widely believed that ticket sales is the only way to get into sports. While its true that there are usually a lot of ticket sales jobs available, there are many more opportunities in areas you might be better suited to work in. Ticket sales is a great way to break into sports if you are supposed to be selling tickets. If you take a job selling tickets just for the sake of working in sports, you are prone to leave or get fired. The key to starting a successful Career in Sports is to decide what job function you do best and in what segment of the industry you have the most passion for. If you aren’t passionate about selling tickets, you probably shouldn’t sell tickets.

DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO!   Use the SPORTS CAREERS Opportunity Development Plan to help you determine your passion and job function you do best.

You can visit www.sportscareers.com and view the hundreds of new Sports Jobs that are entry level and involve a lot of different activities. Technology, Marketing, Administration, and Facilities jobs are other great ways to break in…GOOD LUCK!

Moving up or Moving Out?

If you’ve been in the situation that so many sports employees have, where you get stuck in a certain position or level and can’t quite break through, the following advice might help. 

My first question: if you’ve been in the same position over the past several years, how many different bosses have you had?  If you’ve had the same boss for past several years….Houston, we have a problem. 

Its now time to take a personal inventory.  How is your performance and the quality of the work you do?  Do you have a good relationship with peers, bosses, and subordinates?  Are there outside factors that are causing situations that stall your movement (Nepotism, favoritism, discrimination)?  Have their been any particular instances that have created a real challenge for you, like a big blow up with your boss or harassment?

If you have been being passed up, there must be something that is standing in the way.  If you have a good relationship with your boss, have heart to heart with them and discuss your current situation, as well as your career goals.  This discussion should shine a lot of light on what you can do to be considered for a promotion. 

If you have been passed up by outside hires, you might want to take a look at long term possibilities.  The old adage in pro sports teams, “In order to move up, you have to move out” might be true in your situation.  If people from the outside are taking your promotion, you might have to move outside and fill someone else’s spot.

The Value of Internships

Is an internship right for you?  Is it a matter of necessity, or can you grow a career in sports without an internship?  For many I’ve talked to, they feel that an internship in sports in nothing more than getting into the sweaty, stinky Kielbasa costume and running the race during the 7th inning stretch in Milwaukee.  While some internships might require you to do less than glorious tasks, most offer real working experience that will help you stand out from other candidates. 

You have to decide if you’re willing to make the sacrifice no matter the guarantee (or lack thereof).  You have to decide whether or not you are willing to do whatever it takes to work in sports. 

With that being said, does an internship lead to another job?  Absolutely!  That’s how you get a job in sports.  Brian Cashman started as an intern for the Yankees and he is now the General Manager.  There are literally thousands of stories like that.  The challenge is to make sure the internship relates to your individual skill set and passion.  If those match up, you will like your job, succeed at it, and have the best chance at moving up to better, higher paying positions.