You may have missed out on that summer internship you were seeking or you frankly can’t afford to take on an unpaid internship, so you found yourself a part-time role working gamedays. Excellent! You are taking control of your future sports career by being proactive. But the work does not end once you are offered the role. It is up to you to make the most of it and turn this gameday role into a future full-time sports role by making the most of this opportunity.
Here’s a list of four simple things you can do to turn your gameday job from a one-liner on your resume to a career turbo-booster:
- BRING YOUR ATTITUDE (THE GOOD ONE!) – Let’s start with the basics: if you show up to work a gameday with a frown-face and a lack of enthusiasm to be there, it is going to reflect on you as a potential employee in a sports organization. Gamedays require helpful, positive staffers who are willing to enhance the environment for all attendees. Therefore, no matter what role you are doing, bring the sunshine. Stand out with your positive and enthusiastic demeanor.
- INTRODUCE YOURSELF – It is likely that whatever gameday role you are doing you probably have greater goals for yourself in the future. Take advantage of this opportunity to meet folks that already work for the venue or for the sports team playing there. People need to know of your existence and your goals if you want to excel, so get yourself out there! It may seem that people working for the team are too busy on gamedays and you don’t want to interrupt them, so find another way to reach out whether that is emailing them direct, hitting them up on LinkedIn, or even social direct messaging. Let them know you are working on gamedays and you want to work in the sports industry. Tell them a little about yourself and your goals. You never know what could become of this little extra effort.
- ASK QUESTIONS – When you begin your gameday role make sure you understand the responsibilities and don’t be afraid to ask questions. It is better to be prepared for your role than to spend time worrying that you might be doing something wrong. Of course, there is always a time and place for questions, and that is not in the middle of a game when everyone has their hands full and is running around at top speeds, but if there is downtime or opportunities before or after work, take advantage of them.
- TAKE NOTES – Yes, we know this sounds like homework but sometimes it is easier to remember things as they happen than in trying to reflect and remember later. Did you go above and beyond to help a customer? Did you help alleviate a challenging situation? Did someone give you positive feedback? Right after the event, jot it down somewhere! You want to be able to summarize all the things you learned and experienced later to enhance your resume.
These are so simple, but you’d be surprised how many students and individuals spend hundreds of hours working part-time jobs on gamedays and do nothing to take advantage of the experience. Blow past them using these simple tips to get ahead in your sports career.
