Reality check: You will not successfully break into the sports industry if you sit back and wait for opportunities to be handed to you.
Laziness will never lead to optimal results. The ones who make it into the industry are those who are going the extra mile beyond the minimum application requirements, i.e. resume and cover letter submission. Doing the bare minimum is a hopeless strategy in life and especially in the sports business, given the aggressive competition among peers. The trick is for you to figure out how to get your resume and cover letter to the top of the pile. Sometimes, you will be lucky enough to earn that top spot based on the merit of your past industry experience, but this is the exception to the rule. You need that extra push to land that highly coveted interview. How do you transform yourself from merely a name on a piece of paper to candidate of serious consideration? It all starts with a simple process called reaching out.
There is nothing Earth-shattering about this strategy. Reaching out is all about introducing yourself to someone at an organization who might be able to provide insights into a company. Reasons to reach out include, but are not limited to, informational interviews, internship/job inquiries, resume review, and mentorship requests. Typically, reaching out is done through email, but phone calls are not totally out of the ordinary. Sure, it is a little intimidating to solicit help from current sports business professionals. You are probably afraid that they will never respond to you ,or even respond negatively. This may be the case, but you are much worse off if you wait to see if things will happen for you otherwise. You literally have nothing to lose.
In my experience, there are people out there in the industry who want to help; you just have to ask. If this was not the case, I would not have been so successful securing subjects for my expert interviews. With the exception of Jeffrey Dobin and Ryan Scarpa, all of my interviewees participated because I asked them through email outreach. It is also important to remember that everyone who currently works in sports was once in your shoes. They reached out to others who helped them on their unique paths into the business. In a way, reaching out is a rite of passage. The level of empathy that a number of sports business professionals have shown me has been so genuine that I am motivated to work that much harder to secure a position in the industry and eventually pay it forward. Here are some tips for reaching out:
1. Use your networks - There is a good chance that at least one person from your high school and/or college works in the sports business. Do the appropriate research and make a list of these people. Even if not every person whom you come across works for an organization you are interested in, he or she will likely be able to impart some useful career advice and maybe even share his or her network with you. Given that a lot of people are loyal to their educational institutions, reaching out to alumni is a no brainer. Establishing common ground with them could not be easier.
2. Be concise – Have an enticing subject line. Your email will have to stand out among the clutter if you want it to be read. In terms of the message, get to the point. Do not lead in with a paragraph-form of your resume. Assuming all goes well, there will be ample opportunity for you to let them know about your experiences at a later date. Identify yourself in a few short sentences and let your contact know why you are reaching out to him or her. Bullets are often a great way for people to quickly understand the purpose of a message.
3. Provide incentive to respond – If you have someone’s name who you want to reach out to, Google that person. Maybe you can learn about him or her through a news article, blog, or Twitter feed. Whatever the case, try to get a feel for what this person is all about. Impress him or her not only with an interesting fact about his or her career but also an article that appeals to his or her interests. It is much easier for sports business professionals to not respond to people who come across as “cookie cutter” in terms of a why they are reaching out. Try to add value in any way you can, and give them no option but to respond. This is your chance to stand out.
It all starts with reaching out. People will help you if you go about this process the right way. Now, it’s your turn. Reach out to 5 people in the sports industry for whatever reason you need to, and do your best to elicit a positive response. No one is holding you back from realizing your potential but yourself!
