The Work in Sports Podcast - Insider Advice for Sports Careers

Baltimore Ravens Manager of Advertising and Branding Deandra Duggans joins the show to discuss why she got into sports marketing, the challenge of creating unique visions and how to Ravens marketing mirrors the team and the community at large. Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the work in sports podcast… A fan of the show said too me recently, I know you focus primarily on jobs in sports marketing and sales, but maybe you’d consider interviewing this person I know on the legal side of sports. Her suggestion was a good one, and I’m already connecting with her person and getting them on the show. But I was taken aback a bit. Have I been leaning too much into jobs in sports marketing and sales? I’m trying to be as diverse as I can – in jobs, in genders, in race – but maybe I have fallen into a pattern. You can tell I’m kind of a paranoid person. Anyway I went back and categorized our expert interviews and it breaks down like this: * Broadcasting/Sports Media: 4 * Public Relations: 4 * Professor: 4 * Team operations: 3 * Sports marketing: 3 * Sales: 2 * HR/recruiter: 2 * Community Relations: 2 * College Athletics: 2 * Digital Content/Social media: 2 * Athlete: 1 * Student: 1 * Coaching: 1 * Security: 1 * Mascot: 1 This made me feel a little better, our content and our guests are balanced. If I noticed any blind spot on my part it’s that only 9 out of our 33 guests have been women. That’s just 28% and that’s not really indicative of what is happening in the sports industry at large. There are more women than ever in power roles in sports – Athletic Directors like Sandy Barbour at Penn State, Michelle Roberts the executive director of the NBA players association, Dawn Hudson the CMO of the NFL – the list goes on. And that brings us to today’s guest – and up and comer in the world of sports marketing Deandra Duggans is the manager of Advertising and Branding with the Baltimore Ravens and shares some incredible career advice during our interview. She’s not just a woman in the sports industry, she’s one of the brightest minds in the business of sports. Question for Baltimore Ravens Deandra Duggans 1:  On this podcast when I talk about sports marketing I get a lot of buzz – people love the idea of working in marketing for a sports team – but marketing is a pretty broad term, there are many roles within the marketing department. You’ve been with the Ravens for a little over two years now, tell us a little more about the specifics of your role with the team. 2: Prior to the Ravens you worked as a Marketing Manager for Events DC in the sports and entertainment division – how different was it working on the individual event side of marketing vs. a huge globally recognized organization like the Ravens? 3:   When I worked at Fox Sports Northwest, we had a mission statement posted on the front wall as you entered the office, it was basically our call to action, our mission and our brand identity all wrapped into one. How would you articulate the brand vision of the Ravens – who are you striving to be and how do you want to be represented in the public eye? 4:  We hear all the time about how coaches, right after a win, don’t take any time to celebrate it’s right onto the next game. Is it the same way in marketing – you come up with a great idea, execute on it…and them just have to move along to the next idea? 5: We have a private Facebook group and before every interview I ask that group what questions they have for our guest – you blew up the feed,

The dreaded salary negotiation question is here. We dive into how you should approach your salary negotiation even as an entry level candidate. Listen in! Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the work in sports podcast. We’re closing out the month of April and I think April is an underrated sports month. The draft, the NBA playoffs, the Stanley Cup finals, baseball is getting into a groove – I love having options. I was sitting around watching the draft, couple of cold beers in the fridge (yes I am a beer snob) and swinging between NBA games, NHL games…and a little bit of Thor: Dark World…all in all a very good time. Since I’m pretty NFL addicted, I signed up for a few new podcasts this weekend – started off with Pro Football Talk PM. Now I like the pro football talk site, even though it is basically an aggregator, they don’t really report anything, they take the hard work of other reporters and repurpose the content, but I get all the news in one spot and then go to the original story link when I need or want more detail. Have to say, I was really annoyed with the podcast. Mike Florio must have mentioned hashtag PFT posse about 20 times in the first 5 minutes, and then talked about his marathon running and favorite movies. Why not just call it the Mike Florio getting to know you hour? I don’t know, kind of bored and bothered me. Self-indulgent. Then again, he’s a millionaire and I’m a thousandaire so maybe I need to be more self-promotional and tell you what I had for breakfast and share my top ten albums of all-time. Public Enemy Fear of a Black Planet would be high on that list btw. So if anyone has any good podcast recommendations – I’m talking sports, true crime, history, biography, science – I’m up for it. I love good content. So share. Go on to our private facebook group and tell me your favorite podcasts. I need some new stuff on the dial, and I cant listen to myself. It’s weird. Before I jump into today’s question from Hannah Carson – I have a success story from fan of the podcast and member of our private facebook group Carson Mason. I wanted to let you know I have accepted a New Media internship with the Pittsburgh Penguins for this summer!  I want to thank you for your counsel and guidance in my summer internship search. I did a Skype interview for this internship and listened to your podcast on video interviews the night before. The podcast helped calm my nerves and made me more confident for the interview. I have learned so much about the sports industry and job process from your podcast episodes and cannot thank you enough. Thanks again for your help and for keeping up the awesome podcast. I’ll take a moment to be self-indulgent here – you guys probably notice there are no ads on this show. We at work in sports.com aren’t using this platform to generate revenue, I’m not saying we never will, but that wasn’t the plan with this concept. We wanted to help. We wanted to share information that can drive you further in your career – we wanted to help you be successful. It is working. I’m getting emails like this 2-3 times pper week and it gives all of us at WorkinSports.com great joy and satisfaction. Good luck Carson – and thank you. You made my day. Now let’s switch Carson’s and go to today’s question from Hannah Carson, a student at Xavier University who is jumping into the entry level job market and wants to know about salary negotiation: My question is related to asking those awkward questions relating to salary.

Aspiring sports agent Zachary Gross recently had two opportunities to meet important industry people. He didn't let the opportunity pass him by, and it's made a huge difference in his career arc. Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for Workinsports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast – As I mentioned a few weeks back, I want to tell the stories of some of the up and comers in the sports industry in addition to all of the established experts we have on the show. This week I talk with Zachary Gross, an aspiring sports agent who has networked his way into some major contacts in the sports agency world, including Jack Mills the agent for Baker Mayfield – heard of that guy? And since we’re talking NFL draft – we also have a promotion right now at WorkinSports.com for 75% off a premium membership. That’s full access to our over 7,00 available sports jobs – I’m scanning right now and I see a production coordinator with an NFL team, a marketing intern with an NHL team, an account trainee with a major sports agency – massive opportunitites you may not be able to finanywhere else. If you are interested in this offer email me – podcast@workinsports.com – hit me up on LinkedIn or join our private facebook group “the work in sports podcast”  and message me there – I’ll send you a code you sign up, you get 75% off – that simple. Listen in to hear how Zachary Gross changed his career trajectory by seizing the opportunity to network

Amie Wells, Tennessee Titans Broadcast Coordinator joins the show to discuss how she got hired in pro sports, the challenges of covering the NFL Draft, what she'd get tattooed on her face and much more about working in pro sports.Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast – It’s NFL draft week, which is probably the most exciting non-event moment in the sports calendar, then again, maybe I’m just an insatiable sports dork. I have analyzed this draft phenomenon and I think it’s a parallel to life – stick with me here as I turn into creepy meditation guy – but think about it, why do we love the draft? It’s a microcosm of hope. These athletes that are available give you hope your team will improve and make them better for the next year. The draft is a major part of the enjoyment algorithm for the upcoming season – current roster + free agency + draft = potential! And potential means exciting! Plus, it’s an immersive thing. Free Agency is cool because you don’t really know what will happen and it’s all play money anyway… but it’s all just hitting refresh on your phone throughout the day and seeing what happens next. Breaking News banner, after Adam Schefter report, after Ian Rapoport buzz. But in the draft there is a sense of order, or dominoes that affect one another and so it plays out with more drama and build up. Team X does this, and that changes the move your team is going to make. Hope in this example is a tease – you go in expecting something, and then it all gets thrown out of whack when the Browns draft Baker Mayfield #1. Am I going to far with this? I don’t think so – I love the draft because I love the NFL and the season never really stops. We aren’t in the game season, we’re in the team building season and it’s nearly as exciting. So what happens when you work in the NFL? It’s a dream job for many, but what is the day to day like?  What is the off-season like? What is game day like vs NFL Draft day? I’m fascinated by this world, and I think many of you are as well. Which is why I brought on Amie Wells, Broadcast Coordinator for the Tennessee Titans. She’s the swiss army knife of the Titans broadcast team – doing on camera reports, hosting a radio show, hosting a podcast and telling the players stories from an embedded world behind the scenes. I’ll be honest – her job is awesome, and I’m jealous. That may come through a bit during this interview as we talk about everything from draft coverage to building relationships and trust with the athletes she covers. We also dig into how she started in PR but transitioned to the content side… and a whole bunch more. So here she is, Amie Wells (@TitansAmie) broadcast coordinator for the Tennessee Titans!Questions for Amie Wells, Tennessee Titans Broadcast Coordinator1: You have a big week this week with the NFL draft coming up, I know you are traveling down to Dallas as part of your role as a Broadcast Coordinator with the Titans, so first off thanks for squeezing this in. Let’s talk about your role with the Titans, you’ve been there for just about 5 years now, what are the responsibilities of your job and how have they changed since you first started? 2: Let’s talk about the draft, it’s the biggest event of the NFL off-season, what do your responsibilities look like this week? 2a: tons of unique content – how do you enjoy that challenge of coming up with unique content? 3: Were you able to attend last years draft in Philadelphia – what did you learn from that event that will prep you for this year?  We’re you able to start building relationships and trust with some of the players th...

Two big sports career questions today - do you really have to relocate for sports careers and is it OK to network with people you've interviewed with but who didn't offer you a job? Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast… Happy Monday everyone – big week this week. First off tonight I am interviewing Amie Wells, Broadcast Coordinator for the Tennessee Titans. I’m excited about this for a few reasons – she is just 4 years into her career, all with the Titans, so I think she’ll provide great insight into getting started in sports and the efforts she took to get noticed and hired. Also, on Wednesday she’s headed to the NFL draft to work for the Titans coverage – which is very exciting and timely. I’m going to turn around the interview quickly and publish on Wednesday – and move Deandra Duggans from the Baltimore Ravens back a week. Deandra was awesome, but you’ll have to wait, I want to hit on the draft stuff right now. Next – tomorrow am also speaking to class at the University of Florida , so if we have any Gators listening hopefully I’ll meet some of you virtually tomorrow! Alright , now that we have that out of the way … let’s get to today's big question comes from Ramon Sanchez A student in the University of San Francisco sports management program. First of all, I just want to say thank you for developing this podcast. As a current Sport Management student, this podcast has been spot on and I have learned so much! I just finished listening to the podcast where you interviewed Dan Rossetti and two questions popped into my head... 1. I recently had a job interview and unfortunately did not get the job. Usually, people just move on after the interview and never speak to each other again. Is it okay to keep in touch with the interviewer (he was the manager of operations) for future opportunities and as a networking opportunity? 2. I heard Dan and others you have interviewed talk about looking out of state to find a job in the sports industry. If I was single, there is no doubt I would keep this in mind, however, my girlfriend and I have been together for 4 years and she is a recent graduate and has started her career so it would be tough to consider moving somewhere else. I would like to stay local to prevent any relocation issues or something worse. What is your thought on this? Looking forward to reading your response, Ramon Sanchez  Ramon congrats to you and your girlfriend, you are a good man for thinking of her first. Trust me, this singular fact will get you far in life. Let’s start with your first question on staying in touch with someone who has interviewed you. Listen in to the podcast to get Brian's take on relacting for sports careers and networking with people who have interviewed you.

Bob Moullette Assistant General Manager of the New Orleans Baby Cakes joins the show to talk about life in minor league baseball, changing careers at 28 years old and his favorite minor league promotions. Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast… Baseball is getting a bit of a bad rep in our current just add water societal demands. We want results now! We want our action fast and furious – with a ground and pound mentality, a cheetahs speed and a roller coasters intensity. That is not baseball. Baseball takes time. Everything about the sport is methodical and strategic. While a basketball game will be done in about 2 hours and 20 minutes a baseball game… well if the Yankees and Red Sox are playing, it could take up half a work day or longer. In the early 2000s I worked in Seattle for Fox Sports Northwest, we had the Mariners broadcast deal and the team was winning an insane amount of games. Ratings were off the hook, everyone, sports fans and commoners alike watched every moment breathlessly, and loved the players – Jay Buhner, Ichiro, Bret Boone, Kaz Sazaki – these were local, national and international superheroes. But something has changed over the last 18 years, maybe it’s just our temperament, maybe the social second screen live sports phenomenon just meshes better with other experiences or maybe it something entirely different. I don’t have that answer. What I can tell you is, when you drive by a baseball field, whether it’s an American legion game, or a minor league park you feel something pure. A special energy. A connection to history, of young men and women putting on stirrup socks for the first time. Of the smell of leather and breaking in a glove, of grass and green and spring and the sound of bat meets ball. All the while, as major league baseball teams struggle with a perception of being old, slow and boring – minor league baseball has thrived. Class AA teams that 30 years ago were worth $500,000 are now worth $16 million to $25 million in some markets. Some Class AAA teams are valued at more than $30 million. According to Forbes, minor league baseball’s 20 most valuable teams are worth an average of $37.5 million, up 35% from 2013. The Class AAA Sacramento River Cats are the most valuable ($49 million). The El Paso Chihuahuas, who also play in the Pacific Coast League, are valued at $38.7 million. The Charlotte Knights of the Class AAA International League, who, like El Paso, moved to a new ballpark in 2014, have an estimated value of $47.5 million. This is what growth look like. Why? Because minor league games are affordable, family friendly, wildly entertaining and community oriented. And they’ve really figured out this branding thing – teams are changing their names to more unique and marketable concepts and selling out merchandise and apparel like hotcakes. Minor league baseball is where inventions are happening. They’re speeding the pace of play, coming up with new ways to entertain, focusing on the fans and changing the perception of what a day at the game costs. It’s not longer half a mortgage payment to take a family of five to the old ballpark. You know what else is great about the minors – career opportunities. Which is why I brought Bob Moullette, Assistant General Manager of the New Orleans Baby Cakes on the show to discuss what life is like in minor league baseball – Questions for New Orleans Baby Cakes Assistant Gene...

A Major League Baseball human resources director shares the most common mistakes people make when applying for jobs with her team. Make sure these aren't in your repeat offender file! Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast… I’ve been doing some crazy outreach lately for podcast guests – I get pretty excited when I book a big guest, and I’ll admit the chase is part of the fun. I message through linkedin, hit up a contact I know, make soe calls do some begging and try to present our podcast experience as a fun and informative conversation – a great deal of the time it works. Of course I hit some dry spells, or get some non answers – that’s part of the deal 0 I’m prepared for rejection, it happens. I don’t take it personally. This week something kind of new and fun happened, I reached out to an HR director with an MLB team someone really in charge of the hiring for this team and incredibly connected. And they said basically, I love your podcast, I’ve heard people in the industry talking about it, and while I’d love to be on… I’m not comfortable with public speaking and I think I wouldn’t’ come off that well. First off – she said she’s been hearing industry buzz about the podcast – she could have told me she was the Greek god of war sent directly by Zeus to murder me and I’m not sure I would have heard it. I was kind of stunned and took a second to catch my breathe. I mean, I love the podcast, I know the information is great, I know the guests have loved being involved, I know the fans are growing and awesome…but there is something about being told by someone you don’t know, who is in a high ranking position with a team you have no connection too, that they’ve heard of me and this podcast. That’s bonkers. Anyway, enough about my ego – I completely understood her conundrum, she wanted to help, but wasn’t confident enough to go on the show. I get that. So I pivoted and asked—well, can we just chat for a second about some of the biggest mistakes you see people make in their job search – and she said totally. She’s going to remain anonymous, because if we had done the podcast interview she would have needed to get approval from her communications team…but in this instance we just figured her advice was the part we wanted to get out there. First off she said she and her team are directly responsible for hiring between 50-100 people per year in all departments. That’s a lot of interviews, So she knows her stuff. Listen in to the podcast to hear Brian's great sports career advice! Episodes referenced: * Colleen Scoles * Don Costante * Cover Letters * Follow up questions

College student Jake Kernen just spent a week working at The Masters -- hear about how he got the job, the networking opportunities and the overall value of the experience on this podcast episode Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the work in sports podcast… Normally on Mondays and Fridays I answer a fan question, which is great fun for me because I know I am solving a problem for many of you. At the same time, there are some great stories going on in our community – people landing jobs, getting internships, going to conferences so here and there on Friday’s I’m going to pull someone from our growing community on the show to discuss something they are doing as part of their effort to launch their sports career that is inspiring, unique, valuable – or just pretty darn cool. Last week was the Masters, the prototypical sign of spring and the best golf event of the year – even if you aren’t a golf fan, you recognize how cool the Masters is. So when I heard through our private Facebook group that Jake Kernen, one of our dedicated fans and motivated sports career enthusiasts worked the event – I wanted to know more. Jake and I talked earlier this week while he drove back to Florida State where he is a student, from Augusta National. Pretty cool experience – check it out: Listen in for the conversation with Brian and Jake! Here’s the deal --- there are some awesome stories happening out there in our community, and sharing these stories that inspire and teach is the goal of this show – sure we’ll continue with our expert guests and our QA sessions – but here is your call to action – email me at podcast@workinsports.com with your stories and experience that you think are worth sharing with the community, we’re all in this together. Thanks to Jake, have a great weekend and I’ll talk to you on Monday.

Craig Amazeen is the CEO of Fan Rag Sports Network and has over 20 years experience in the sports industry with the Sacramento Kings, Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix Coyotes and scout.com. During our interview we talk about creating a workplace culture, keys to success for people starting out in sports and new content styles and methods. Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast. My boss the CEO of Work in Sports is a guy named John Mellor – I’ve you’ve been listening long enough to the podcast you’ve probably heard me mention him in prior episodes. Before launching WorkinSports back in 2000 John worked at the Phoenix Coyotes for four years as the Manager of Website Business Development. He was young, starting his career in the sports industry, and surrounded by other young people making their way in the industry. You’ve actually met many of them. Remember Jeff Altstadter, Director of Public Relations with the USGA? Episode 44 What about Chris Wojcik, Director of Event Communication and Player Relations for the NHL? Episode 29 That’s the thing about working in sports – once you venture into the game, you don’t really leave. You may move up and move around…but most people stay in the biz. I can say the same thing – when I started at CNN Sports, I began my career with 100 other young excited sports crazed people – and we’re all still friends in the industry 20 years later. These friends of mine now run sports networks, like Brad Como the VP of programming at SportsNet New York, Kevin Miller, VP of content at NBC Sports Boston, Mike Shiffman VP of content strategy at ESPN.   Here’s the deal, this isn’t meant to say "look who I know", this is meant to show you the sports world, while huge in revenue generation, is in reality a small, connected, world. A web of people who can play seven degrees of Kevin Bacon with each other. When you first break in, that first gig will begin to form the myriad of relationships you’ll carry through your career. You’ll have a common bond that won’t be broken – and from friends I talk to in other industries, that fact is unique to the sports industry. Which bridges us back to today’s guest – Craig Amazeen is currently the CEO for Fan Rag Sports Network, but has also worked as the Director of Broadcasting for the Arizona Cardinals, SVP of Digital, Content, Broadcasting and Brand Management for the Sacramento Kings…and…drum roll please… started his career as a Broadcast Manager with the Phoenix Coyotes…you guessed it, with my CEO John Mellor. It’s a small sports world people. We’ve got a lot to dig into so let’s get to it…here’s Craig Amazeen CEO of Fan Rag Sports Network… Questions for Fan Rag Sports Network CEO Craig Amazeen 1: So I’m doing a little prep for this interview, looking through your bio, and outside of the really impressive array of sports brands you have worked for, one thing really stands out to me – you use the word culture a great deal in describing your roles. You talk about establishing culture, building culture – in your experience, why is culture so important in the workplace, and what makes a good culture? 2: You’ve held major executive roles with the Sacramento Kings, Arizona Cardinals, Scout.com and now Fan Rag sports network – your background is on the creative side, you’ve always been connected to the art of storytelling – how hard has it been to be in a more managerial, budgetary role or was that just a natural progression for you?

Many parents don't take your idea of a sports career seriously - how do you convince them you mean business, and the sports industry is the place to be? We have a strategy for that. Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the WorkinSports podcast… Let’s get to the good stuff first – shout outs are in order – fan of the show and member of our private facebook group Kelsey Smith accepted an offer to become an inside sales resident with the Tampa Bay Lighting – congrats to Kelsey. She’s a graduate student in the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management program at the University of South Florida and as part of their program they work with major sports teams and leagues. It’s a very cool program that puts a high emphasis on experience – which I endorse. Second shout out, this time to Brandon Clemmons another member of our private Facebook group – Brandon just accepted at internship with the Colonnade Group at University of Oklahoma Athletic Hospitality. For those who are not familiar, Colonnade is one of the biggest names in hospitality and event management – they are huge in college sports, almost every power five conference school uses Colonnade to help improve and coordinate game day events and logistics. If you have a success story you want to share on the show – email me, podcast@workinsports.com – we like good news. But I am going to transition for a moment, because the news is not all good. As most if not all of you know there was a terrible tragedy in Western Canada this weekend where 15 members of the Humbolt Broncos junior hockey team were killed when their bus was collided into by a semi-truck carrying a load of peat moss. I don’t want to get too heavyhearted, but this struck me very hard this weekend and I didn’t want to shy away from what I think makes this podcast very real and honest. The reasons it hit me so hard are many, and I won’t go through them all but I will narrow it to a few. There is something about that feeling you get, amongst friends, playing sports, competing and sharing in something so pure and special it just can’t be replaced. There are moments in my life that took places on buses just like this one, that have left indelible marks on my brain. I can’t recall what I did this past Halloween but I have an exact visual of the bus rides we used to take to our sports events. There is something special about that lead up, looking around at your teammates and preparing for the next moment. It feels so wrong, and so unfair and unjustified that these young men on the cusp of so much in their lives, just 16-20 years old from a small community, would have this all stolen from them. It just makes me feels so raw and wretched for them and their families. These bus rides are in theory, the untainted moments in life. The second reason I want to bring this up is because I want you all to think about how you consume information of all kinds. We’ve all become guilty of headline reading. Skimming pages for information and moving along. We’ve added speed to our desire to get knowledge – it’s not just information gathering it’s how much and how fast. We don’t really read anymore. We don’t really consume to story. And I think that is sad. I say this as a plea for all stories of all measures of emotions, they deserve to be read and absorbed in to your psyche. The reason we write is to inform and to share, but also to explore emotions. No matter how difficult it may be to read stories like this, I implore you to do so, to read the quotes,

Seven seconds - that's how long it takes for someone to determine how they fit with you. On a job interview, that's your magic window where they decide no or potential yes. How do you nail that moment? Pretty easy actually. Hi everybody – I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the work in sports podcast. It’s Friday – the Masters is going on, Villanova won the NCAA championship, Conor McGregor just attacked a bus of UFC fighters and tomorrow HBO will debut “Paterno” with Al Pacino starring as the embattled Penn State coach – what a week. Here’s the deal – in a few weeks all that stuff will be old news, but our podcasts aren’t. All of my advice and interviews are evergreen, meaning they last, they aren’t tied to a specific event or time. They are just as relevant today as the day they are published – so go back, listen to some old episodes. I’ve talked about interning, networking, interviewing and more… plus, I’ve interviewed executives in the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLS, MLB college sports, sports education, sports marketing and more. We’re covering it all…so go back through the archives. Learn yourself a little something, and if you have a question – email me, podcast@workinsports.com. That’s how I got todays question – it comes from Ariel in New Jersey – Hi Brian, I’ve really enjoyed your recent podcast episode where you played the best clips from the past 10 interviews. It inspired me to go back and listen to your interview with Sam Doerr – originally I skipped that one because I’m not that into soccer, but once I heard him speak I wanted to hear more. One thing that stood out to me is that he said he could tell during the first 8-10 seconds of an interview if the person was going to be worth hiring. This scared me, because it takes me a bit to warm up during any interview or first meeting. Question 1: do you think this is true that someone can decide your future with a company in that short a time period? And Question 2: What are some tips you have to help me make a better first impression? Ariel – I love that you went back and listened to my interview with Sam. I’ll tell you a little insider story, when I first booked Sam as a guest I thought to myself, I wonder how this will play…I mean people either love soccer or hate it, and he’s working in essentially minor league soccer… will this be a popular episode? Side note: The #1 most popular episode we have to date is episode #39 with sports recruiter Dan Rossetti, president of Prodigy Sports – his episode has 5 more downloads than e5 with Colleen Scoles Talent Acquisition Manager for the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s crazy that only 5 downloads separate those two interviews… Side note #2 – the least popular episode is a QA session where I talked about the career benefits that stem from being a student athlete – which I thought was a pretty great episode, but really fell flat… thousands less downloads than the two mentioned above. Alright back on topic -- A minute into my conversation with Sam I knew I had hit gold. I could tell immediately he had experience, well-articulated opinions, and wasn’t someone who was just going to spout off clichés. His first impression was spot on. I loved when he said he can usually make a determination on a candidate within 8-10 seconds, because I feel the exact same way. And I know 80% of the people in charge of hiring feel the same way…and the other 20 just don’t want to admit it. Think about it. You only got the phone call,

The top sports career advice from our sports industry expert interviews have been boiled down into one big episode. This thing is dense with actionable advice and information you need for your sports career! Let's get into it! Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the WorkinSports podcast. Since January we’ve had 10 incredible guests on the podcast - recruiters, vice-presidents, professional athletes, community relations experts, social media managers – it’s been a great run and we’re going to get more and more experts to help advise you on your journey. But now is the time to step back a bit – I’ve gone back and listened through all 10 expert interviews so far this quarter and picked out what I think are some of the best pieces of advice, all boiled down into one comprehensive episode. If you are new to this show – this will be a great starting point. Listen in, see who interests you most and then go back and listen to their whole episode. Listening to all of these again I was amazed at the depth of tangible, actionable advice that was shared. I conduct these interviews, then listen to them again to edit them, and I still felt like I was reminded of a few great concepts I had forgotten, so I know you’ll get a great deal out of this greatest hits episode. We’re starting off with Loretta Kerner, Senior Manager of the San Antonio Spurs Silver and Black Give Back community relations team – Loretta has some great career perspective applicable to anyone, that I think sets this whole episode up: Guests on this episode include: * Loretta Kerner, San Antonio Spurs Senior Manager, Silver and Black Give Back * Mike Judge, Cleveland Browns Recruiter & Manager of Inside Sales * Dan Rossetti, Prodigy Sports Recruiting President * Samantha Wood, Philadelphia Eagles Digital Platform Manager * Sam Doerr, Phoenix Rising FC Vice President Marketing and Sales * Gina Miller, FC Dallas VP of Media and Communication * Don Costante, Kansas City Royals Sr. Director of Game Presentation * Jeff Altstadter, USGA Director of Public Relations * Anya Alvarez, Former LPGA Golfer and Founder of MajorLeagueGirls.com If you have suggestions for upcoming guests or a question for a Q&A session, please contact host Brian Clapp at podcast at workinsports.com, connect with him on LinkedIn or join our private facebook group.  

You know it's coming during your job interview: "Tell us about your biggest weakness." This question is on the tip of every interviewers tongue. So how are you going to answer it? We have a plan for that. Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast… What a weekend. Notre Dame wins the Womens national championship, baseball is here, ESPN launched a new morning show, and sister jean got ousted from the tournament. Good times. This also means today is the final day of our #Jobmadness promotion – get two weeks full membership at WorkinSports.com for just $5. Yep $5. All you have to do is tell me you are interested and I’ll send you a personal promo code. You can contact me through podcast@workinsports.com – or through my linkedin profile, or through our private facebook group…or by smoke signals. I’m very available. It also means our bracket challenge is near a close – for those of you that didn’t enter this year – simple premise, beat my bracket, get a free month at workinsports.com. Going into the final game tonight I am in 105th place – which means 104 people are destined to get a free month at Work in Sports. BUT, I have Villanova winning it all so I could jump ahead many. Most important to me is that I beat Kelsey Smith, one of the members of our private facebook group who is currently in 71st place, but had Duke winning…which they will not. Look like if Villanova wins it’s diems37 with the win, and if Michigan wins it’s King Luca III. One of them will get a $100 gift card so stay tuned. Quick sidenote: I was driving down to the Philadelphia Airport Wednesday night to pick up my mother in law at the airport…we’re stuck in crazy traffic, all for a sudden motorcade sirens everywhere… left lane getting cleared out, everyone mad and honking… then boom, big bus passes by from Villanova with huge police escort. Immediately everyone went from mad to cheering. Just goes to show the only thing that can overcome road rage is sports. Just saying. Alright today’s question comes from Nathan in New York. Hi Brian, I have a job interview in a week with a company I am very excited to work for, but I’m pretty nervous for two reasons. One, they told me I’d be facing an interview panel, which sounds intimidating. And two, in my last interview I was asked to describe two of my strengths and two of my weaknesses and I feel like I bombed that question. I could feel the interviewers disappointment in my answer. Can you help me with the panel idea and how to handle that question? I love the way you put that Nathan – you could feel their disappointment. It’s so true, I’ve been there before when you answer a question and immediately sense the drop in temperature in the room, or the subtle body language change from the interviewer. It’s an awful feeling. Let’s talk about that question because it comes up in every single interview. But first, let’s talk techniques for a panel, which is also very common. The reason employers do panel interviews is to see how you handle pressure. That’s it. That is the purpose. Can you handle multiple people asking a myriad of questions, with a confusing array of thoughts in your head…and still remain calm, sound intelligent and exude confidence. I began doing panel interviews when I was a News Director for a sports network, because the jobs I was hiring for required people who could react and respond under pressure. Before you imagine a Law and Order style interrogation taking place, that’s not what a panel job interview is. What we’re talking about is around ten people in a roo...

There is nothing worse than being mediocre - not bad enough to be ignored, not good enough to get the job. Here are 14 ways people are mediocre in their job search and how you can combat this trap! Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast… Before we get into this weeks QA topic we have a few shoutouts that need delivering. The members of our private facebook group had a pretty awesome week. Lauren Romano accepted a Guest Relations Associate position with the Charlotte Knights Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox – way to go Lauren. Walter Ambrose III accepted a Digital Marketing Internship with the Washintgon Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League And Zachary Gross accepted a Junior NBA Agent position with Worldwide Career Management – And this was just this week! If I haven’t made this clear yet, you should really join our private Facebook group, the group is all comprised of people looking to make their way in the industry, network and support one another – plus many of our podcast guests, folks like Mike Judge from the Cleveland Browns, Carl Manteau from the Milwaukee Bucks, Gina Miller from FC Dallas, Loretta Kerner from the San Antonio Spurs, Sports recruiter Dan Rossetti, Associate Athletic Director for Ohio State Shaun Richard…this group is awesome, Just search for the Work in Sports podcast on Facebook answer a few questions and you are in. Please no matter who you are, share your success stories with us – email me at podcast@workinsports.com, and let me know what’s happening in your world! Let’s get to our Friday question… This one is from Jane in Pittsburgh “Hi Brian, I’m a big fan of your podcast I have learned so much about focusing on the areas I need to improve, finding my true passion and how to make myself stand out for the right reasons. All that said, I still feel pretty mediocre. I feel like I apply for jobs and sit someone in the middle…not bad enough to be ignored, but also not exemplary enough to get a job I want. Any thoughts on how I can break this mold?” Wow. What a question. First off Jane, mediocrity is a state of mind, so the first thing you need to do is build yourself up a bit. I’ll tell you this, you are an aware person, you are looking for ways to improve, you are analyzing and trying to improve your shortcomings… right there, you are proving you are not mediocre. I have a pretty strong view of what mediocrity looks like – I’m going to explain what mediocre people do, and the counter point to what above average people do. I actually have 13 examples, so stick with me and take some notes. Fix these things and you will be far from mediocre - listen into the podcast for more explanation on each to...

An Inside Look at Recruiting for Sales Jobs in Sports with Mike Judge, Manager of Inside Sales and Recruiter for the Cleveland Browns. Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast. I try really hard to avoid the “back when I was first getting started” type stories, because let’s be honest, I got started in the sports industry in 1996 and a lot has changed since then. What happened pre-cell phones doesn’t hold that much relevance to today, and I recognize that. But there is something that can’t be denied, and still exists today. It’s the tribal mentality of the sports industry, this deep community that when you are in it, feels like you are part of some interconnected web with secret handshakes and unspoken bonds. When I first started at CNN Sports, back in the grunge era and when Dennis Rodman wore a wedding dress to promote his book, there were let’s say 200-250 employees of our sports network. We spent our days in our hamster cage, literally just a pane of glass between us and the CNN tour mongers walking the halls. But what we really did was watch and report on sports, all day and all night.  While our other college friends were accountants and consultants, pushing spreadsheets and furnishing their cubicles, we built a community around sports debates, home run jars and other sports themed tom foolery. It was the best of times…and if you ask me, it’s one of the great reasons to work in sports, the sense of mania that comes from working around an industry that personifies entertainment. I was reminded of these times in my career as I spoke to this weeks guest Mike Judge, Recruiter and Manager of Inside Sales for the Cleveland Browns. Mike shares the same stories about passion and enthusiasm that he has with his sales staff with the Browns. He talks about their community and how they have work to do and they take that seriously, but they also have fun together. They run contents, they have wing nights, they go out for drinks with the staffs of other pro teams in town. Because they have that bond, that like experience, a commonality that can link them all together. Mike has built a culture that isn’t dependent on the success of the team, but rather the eagerness of the staff. They go at challenges with fervor and live to share and bathe in the successes. So let’s get to it – here’s Mike Judge Recruiter & Manager of Inside Sales for the Cleveland Browns. Questions For Mike Judge, Manager of Inside Sales and Recruiter for the Cleveland Browns 1: I checked right before I came into this interview and of the 7,000 active jobs we currently have posted on WorkinSports.com – 3280 have the word sales in them. While I’m no math whiz, that’s near 48% of the available sports jobs. As a recruiter for sales jobs with the Browns, do you feel there is enough emphasis on sales and business principles in today’s college curriculum? Are students prepared for the reality of the sports industry – that most of the jobs are in sales? 2: I think people get confused by all the options in sales jobs - there are jobs in inside sales, group sales, premium sales, sponsorship sales, account executive jobs – can you briefly explain the different roles, where someone starts, and the basic career path someone would expect? 3: From what I understand there is a high level of turnover in inside sales ...