guest post by Andrew Marston
Sports is a significant passion point for many people around the world. As such, it makes sense that many aspire for a career in this field which they love. I’m lucky enough to have got a job in the sports industry, joining CSM Sport & Entertainment as a Research and Insights Executive last year. So, how did I get this fortunate break, and how can you best prepare yourself for a career in sport?
- Create a plan – Before you can hope to land a job in the sports industry, you need to figure out exactly what it is you hope to achieve. Just as with athletic pursuits, goals are essential, and should be used to map out a path to where you hope to get.
- Study hard – Once you’ve set your goals, you should figure out what qualifications, and what information, you are going to need to get to where you want to be. This could be coaching qualifications, it could be a business degree, it depends on the field you’re hoping to pursue.
- Get experience – This is easier said than done. However, try and lean on personal relationships. See if you can shadow a former coach, or intern for a week at that agency that sponsored your old club team. Two two-week internships helped me to get a much better grasp of the industry – they also showed me certain parts that I didn’t want to do (better a few weeks, than a year!).
- Network (a lot!) – Make sure that people are aware that you are looking for a career in sport. Talk to friends and contacts in your circle. If you don’t know anyone that can help, LinkedIn can be a useful resource. Try joining relevant LinkedIn groups, and following industry leaders.
- Provide value – Networking alone isn’t always going to be enough. It is important that you also aim to provide value where possible. I did this by writing articles on LinkedIn and commenting my thoughts (after some research) on group posts. This has since morphed into my own industry newsletter, which continues to open doors and start fascinating conversations.
Hopefully these tips have provided a little insight. If you want to kick-start your networking, you’re more than welcome to join the Sports Industry Network – a group I’ve started for followers of my newsletter, Sports Pundit.
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-marston/
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