Fit for the job
College Sports Information Directors of America
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This story is part of our CSC 360 package for April 2023, to view more stories, click here.
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Fit for the job
by Shelby Hild – Baylor University, Director of Communications // CSC Job Seekers Committee Chair
The madness of March is behind us. Basketball and hockey championship trophies are being raised this week. Spring crossover season is mostly over. April — the unofficial start of “jobs season” — is here.
It’s that time of year where an influx of jobs start to become available. Another class of future sports communicators is preparing to graduate and enter the work force, while many across CSC will also be looking for their next great opportunity to advance their career.
Employers are looking for the best possible candidates to fill their vacant roles. If you are looking for a new job, are you ready to have those conversations?
Here are five simple tips for job seekers to be prepared for that next opportunity.
- Be ready for an employer to unexpectedly reach out to you. Across many industries, finding qualified applicants is becoming more difficult. This means many employers are being more proactive recruiting people they think will be right for their team. If you’re doing a great job in your current role and have great relationships around the industry, there’s a good chance you’re on somebody’s radar. Just because someone reaches out to you about an available position doesn’t mean you need to entertain it, but do be respectful and responsive. If you’re interested in an initial conversation, show some excitement. If you’re not, be honest and thank the job holder for thinking of you. No one wants to be ghosted, and you never know when a positive connection may lead to opportunity in the future.
- Keep your resumé updated. This is a good practice for all individuals in the athletics communications field, even if you’ve been somewhere for several years and have no intention of leaving. I’ve changed jobs a few times but had zero intent on leaving any position I’ve held when I did. It never hurts to be ready to take that leap when opportunity strikes.
- Update your bio on your athletics website and on LinkedIn. As communications professionals, we understand the importance of quality bios for our student-athletes and coaches. Why then, do some of us not do the same thing for ourselves? Chances are no one will be seeking you out for a position if they go to click your bio and it’s blank. They won’t know anything about you, so why would they be interested in you? By the same token, make sure your online presence — including any social media — reflects an image that will help you get that dream job.
- Take the time to practice talking about yourself. If you get interview anxiety like I do, take the approach of thinking about interviews more like conversations rather than a one-side 30-minute interrogation. An interview is the perfect chance for a potential employer to learn more about who you are, why you’re a good fit for the position and what you could bring to their staff. They can’t do that if you aren’t yourself. As much as you need to sell yourself, the employer needs to sell themselves as well. The interview should be a two-way street.
- Ask the right questions. A question I always ask when interviewing is ‘what is your favorite part about your job.’ If they respond with anything other than the culture, the people, the trajectory of our department, our leadership, etc., then for me it probably isn’t a great place to work. I made the mistake young in my career where I was so enticed with the external factors that I was completely blind to the less than desirable internal atmosphere I was stepping into. Always have questions prepared for the interviewer. There is nothing more awkward than getting to the end of an interview, asking a potential candidate what questions they have and then hearing crickets. Have at least four questions prepared, expecting that one or two of them will be answered during your conversation.
For job holders and employers, it’s also important that we are creating great opportunities that people want. Gone are the days of posting your position and having 100s of applicants to choose from. Competitive pay, strong benefits, and a clear and a reasonable job description will get you off on the right foot. Then, you need to show people that you want them, and that your culture is one where people are valued.
There are plenty of job opportunities on the market right now. Job seekers should be open to challenging yourself in a new position and be open to being uncomfortable. If you’re not sure on a position, at least have a conversation with the hiring manager. I’ve always said that you can’t grow if you’re not being challenged. Take a risk. You never know what the next opportunity could lead to.
Resources are available through CSC for job seekers and job holders.
Post your job opening on the CSC Career Center – Click here
At the member rate of $125, and even the non-member rate of $250, for a 60-day listing, there is no better value in college sports than the CSC job board.
April traditionally begins an influx of job openings with the peak month being June. Once an employer posts a job on the CSC job board, you get access to the job seeker profile database. More than 200 new job seekers create a profile each month.
More than 600 employers posted nearly 1,000 jobs on the CSC job board in 2022. These jobs covered the gamut from entry level to senior communications positions, and include all types of communications roles including sports information, media relations, creative, digital, broadcast and more.
Create a job seeker profile – Click here
Thanks to the CSC Career Center, more individuals are able to take advantage of our job seeking tools and do so with a higher degree of privacy. Creating a profile and customizing it to meet your needs allows you to control who sees your information and who can contact you. Only employers who have posted a job have access to this resource, so you know they are serious about hiring.
Need advice or someone to help you with your resumé? The CSC Job Seekers Committee is available to offer peer resumé reviews. Click here to learn more about this free assistance.
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