So you missed out on summer internships, now what? Here’s three ideas.

You fell behind on seeking an internship, ok fine … it’s not the end of the world! What is important now is that you still find ways to be productive with your summer vacation and find yourself some resume boosters to stay in the race for your dream sports job.

Here’s three ideas to keep your skills in motion and keep your resume robust in the competitive sports market:

• BE PROACTIVE – Ok, so you don’t see any internship listings available at your nearby teams or organizations. It doesn’t mean they’ve already filled every spot! Sometimes internships don’t work out for someone who accepted and a new slot will open, or the organization decides they need extra help. This isn’t a case of a potential door being open for you, it’s a case of you kicking a door open! Be proactive, be brave, reach out to individuals in a department you might be interested in. Want to work in marketing? Then go to the team’s staff page and find out who the VP of Marketing is or the Director of Marketing or even a Marketing Manager. Email them. Then follow-up the next day with a phone call. You have to be proactive to work in sports, so this outreach already shows your willingness to put yourself out there.
• LOOK UP GAMEDAY ROLES – You might not have to be an unpaid intern this summer! Stadiums, arenas, and venues are likely seeking individuals to assist with their events in sports and entertainment on a gameday or event-by-event bases. You could learn valuable skills working in a box office, assisting with merchandise or concessions, or even general event operations. On the surface this might not seem like a pathway to success but it can help you in a variety of ways:
  1. Adding important skills to your resume [Experience/Growth]
  2. Giving you an opportunity to meet individuals that already work for the team or organization [Networking]
  3. Learning that sports is typically not a 9-to-5 job! [Learning/Awareness]
• VOLUNTEER – Many professional sports teams and organizations have charitable arms or even social responsibility departments. Giving back to their local communities can be an important mechanism for teams to do goodwill while also raising their brand awareness with the local population and creating more fans. Your willingness to give back to your local community through volunteering shows a willingness to roll up your sleeves, donate your valuable time to a good cause, and frankly just being a good person! Everyone should have at least one element of volunteering on their resume in order to stand out from the crowd.

Ok, that’s three for you. No excuses if you missed out on that internship you were looking at. You want to work in sports so you have to get after it… GO!