The Work in Sports Podcast - Insider Advice for Sports Careers

How Have 125 Division 1 FBS Athletic Director's Become Athletic Directors? Jeremy O'Brien Joins the Show to Share his Research Hi Everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast. We’re taking a slightly different approach to this QA session – earlier this year I had it in my head that it would be cool to track the career paths of 10 different general managers in the NFL, MLB and NBA. I charted where they went to school, their first job, how they progressed and tried to draw some patterns and conclusions. It was a fun project and one that was well received on our site. Well, a week or two ago I was doing some research for my podcast interview with Shaun Richard, Associate Athletic Director at Ohio State and I stumbled upon Jeremy O’Brien’s research that blew mine away. Jeremy is a senior at Miami, Ohio University the alma mater of two of my good fiends from the sports broadcasting world Chris Rose from NFL Network and Mike Shiffman at ESPN…but I digress. Jeremy decided to research the careers of all 125 div 1 athletic directors and look for patterns and themes that would emerge. It blew me away, so I invited Jeremy on to share some his findings about becoming an Athletic Director at major colleges. Jeremy welcome in! 1: We’ll dig into some of the granular results of your research, but first off were there any major themes or patterns that emerged as you went through this process – what was your big over-arching takeaway? 2: Let’s get into schooling – How important was it for a Athletic Director to have their master’s? 3: What about legacy – did it make any difference if the Athletic Director went to a school in the conference? i..e. they studied at an ACC school and then became an Athletic Director at at ACC school? 4: What about major? Was there a consistent theme on what major or degree led to these successful careers as an athletic director? 5: After completing this research – what did you learn about your career from a personal standpoint, are you going to change anything in your pursuit of becoming an athletic director? Thanks for talking this through with us Jeremy – great work, really valuable research. Alright that’ll do it for this Monday QA session – if you have questions for an upcoming QA session email me at podcast@workinsports.com – until then Wednesday I’m talking to Dan Rossetti President of Prodigy Sports – one of the largest sports recruiting firms in the nation! So tune in!

Looking to Change the Focus of Your Sports Career? How Do You Pivot into a New Sports Job? Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast. Our first QA session of the year! I love getting your questions so if you have something gnawing on your conscience, let’s talk about it…because chances are if you have the question so do other people in this community. Email me – podcast@workinsports.com Quick shout out to fan of the show James P from Northwestern who has asked some great questions in the past – he’s a little disappointed he was a finalist for a job with the Milwaukee Brewers but didn’t get a job, but as I told him and I’ll tell all of you, every chance you have to interview is a chance to improve and get better. Don't take it as a defeat, take it as a learning experience. You got more experience interviewing, so now is the time to do a self-analysis and think about areas you didn’t handle well, or need to expand your horizons -- after this experience you are more prepared for your next opportunity, so buck up and get out there. Time for today's question from, Lauren in Wisconsin As you touched on in one of your previous podcasts, there are many different areas of specializations in both professional and collegiate sports (i.e Sports Reporting, Community Relations, marketing, business operations, analysts, etc). What do you think about people who are working in an area but want to pursue a position in new one? How do you recommend going about it? I followed up with Lauren to get a little more detail – she is currently working in Community Relations at a major college athletic program, but has learned she really enjoys the video production part of her job and wants to pivot towards the video/photography/storytelling aspect of the job. But my answer will apply for anyone who wants to make a change in their career within the sports industry. So if you are working in sales and want to get into operations, this advice works for you too. Lauren, the first thing you need to realize is that everyone pivots. We all shift and move in our career and try different paths. In fact, according to multiple studies people change careers, full careers, 5-7 times over their lifetime. One report from CNN Money said in the first decade out of college millennials change employers on average 4 times…which is a huge change over previous generations. The reason I bring this up is because the first thing you have to do is remove fear or a feeling of, I can’t do this, out of your mind. It’s not as uncommon as you think, people change and shift and adjust all the time. We all tend to shackle ourselves with emotional chains that aren’t based in fact. Often the first thing you need to do in any career shake up moment, is to convince yourself it’s not only possible it’s probable. Simply put, don’t let you hold you back. But now that we got the emotional chains part out of the way…   let’s talk action, because I’m not that great at all the smooshy stuff. I’ll break this down into three categories: Your Skills, Your Portfolio and Your Network 1: If you are going to change your career, even if it’s a relatively subtle shift - you need to overachieve with the tangible skills of the new position. We’ll use Lauren as the example. Anyone who went to school for video production or journalism has a natural advantage over you. How do you make up that gap? By learning as many of the tangible skills you can. So if you want to get into video production – take an online class on Final Cut Pr...

Shaun Richard, Ohio State University Associate Athletic Director Shares His Advice on Becoming a College Athletic Director Hi I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast. Did you miss me? I took a little time off over the holidays so this is our first podcast since December 22nd. I’ve missed doing this. Starting the podcast in September, I’ll be honest, has lit a bit of a fire underneath me. I love and need new challenges, and this is new. Sure it’s content and that’s my wheelhouse, but it’s also new equipment, new technology, new marketing techniques, booking guests and a lot more. I needed this and I guess many of you may feel  the same way. We all get stuck in ruts. It’s so easy to get into a comfort zone or a routine and just keep on keeping on. But is that really what you want? Do you really want to just go through your normal wake up, commute, clock in, do work, take lunch, do more work, drive home, watch sports go to bed routine. This is the time of year to shake things up a bit. I’m not going to ask you to write down what you want to do this year…or your goals or some other trite new years activity. But I will ask you this – what is that thing you’ve always thought of doing but keep putting off? For me, it is this podcast. I had an idea back in 2014 to start a podcast, but I didn’t take the time to learn the tech, study the process and make it happen. I just kept it on my wish list for 3 plus years. That’s lame. I’ll tell you what, I feel better moving something from the “big idea” to the “actually happening” side of my life and you will to. So think about that – pick something you’ve thought about doing and do it. You’ll open up a new section of your brain and I don’t know release endorphins or something like that. Bottom line, it feels good. So do it. Just before the break I interviewed Shaun Richard, Associate Athletic Director for Ohio State University… and it was an awesome conversation about the life of college athletics and administration. Shaun shared a ton about the day to day of his job and his focus. In part 2 of our interview Shaun digs into how he got to where he is and what you need to do to follow your path to a career in college athletics. If you haven’t listened to part 1 yet – go back and listen, it is worth it. We’re going to pick up my interview with Shaun Richard Associate Athletic Director at Ohio State University and learn more about working in college athletics…I start out asking Shaun about where a young person should start out if they want to work in college athletics… Questions on Becoming an Athletic Director for Shaun Richard, Ohio State Associate Athletic Director 1: While at Colgate you handled marketing and promotions, sponsorship, branding, sports information – you compare that to what you do now running the various teams at OSU and the job of an athletic director is vast – if I’m a young person who wants to be an AD, my head is spinning, I wouldn’t even know what to major in! What advice would you give someone who wants to work in college athletics? 2: So many people ask me: is it necessary to get your Masters to work in sports? As someone who has your masters in education, Athletic Administration from Springfield College – what would you say? Was getting your masters an essential step to get where you are now?

Finding a Work Life Balance So You Can Thrive in Both Working in sports isn't unlike being a police officer, a fireman or a doctor - you are going to have an odd schedule when the main focus of your work life takes place at odd times of the day. While other people are at home winding down watching sports, you are working in it! On this episode Brian answers a question about work life balance in the sports industry, submitted by Alex in Virginia: Hi Brian – Love the podcast. You and all the guests seem to focus in on the fact that working in the sports industry is hard. Long hours, odd shifts, weekends, holidays…it all makes sense and doesn’t change my desire to work in the business… but how do you balance life and work? Couple of notes before we really jump in to this weeks great question from Alex in Virginia about work life balance in sports careers. One, this is our last episode of the year, I’ll be taking a break over Christmas, headed to Las Vegas to see my mother in law, and I’m not bringing all my podcasting equipment with me. I have three kids, that’s enough stuff to carry. We will be back first week of January with more awesome content and guests that I’m really excited about. This is the perfect time to catch up on back episodes… all of our content is evergreen so any of our 32 episodes are still worth listening to…if I can make suggestions, Colleen Scoles Talent Acquisition Manager with the Philadelphia Eagles is a great episode to listen to… Mark Crepeau VP of Marketing for the Basketball Hall of Fame… Chris Wojcik NHL Director of Event Communication and Player Relations…Part 1 of Shaun Richard Associate AD for Ohio State.. all are really great listens for plane rides, road trips, walks with the dog, trips to the gym after Christmas, so get caught up on that and our shorter but just as impactful QA sessions. Two – I’m starting a private group on Facebook for fans of the podcast. I want to build a community around this show, and the people listening who are really interested in their sports career. All of our guests will be invited to be a part of it, and I’ll be in there all the time. I think I should be launching that today… it’ll be called…get ready for it…The Work in Sports Podcast private group. So yeah, you should be able to find it. But as always you can email me – podcast@workinsports.com or connect with me on linkedin and message me there. I’m trying to be as available as possible to all of you. And finally – huge thanks to Carson M from University of South Carolina – she asked a great question on informational interviews, which I will answer 1st week of January… but she also gave the podcast an awesome review on iTunes saying – this is my favorite podcast on iTunes right now and a must listen for anyone who wants to work in the sports industry! She also said I was engaging and informative… I’m humbled and appreciative Carson. As for today's question from Alex in Virginia about Work Life Balance in the sports indust...

Shaun Richard, Ohio State University Associate Athletic Director Joins the Podcast to Discuss What it Takes to Work in College Sports This is part 1 of my interview with Shaun Richard from Ohio State, we focus in on what the job of being an athletic director consists of and the challenges of working in collegiate sports. In part 2 Shaun and I dive into what you need to do to prepare yourself to work in college sports, should you get your masters, what are the skills schools want, how to network and so much more. Give both parts a listen and subscribe to the Work in Sports podcast already! If you have a question you'd like us to answer on the show, email me podcast@workinsports.com. We're listening, and if we feature your question on a show, you'll get a free month of full access to our site! Part 1 with Shaun Richard, Ohio State University Associate Athletic Director Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast. I’ll admit I have blinders for pro sports. I grew up in Boston and outside of a nice few years of Doug Flutie, college sports just weren’t that big up there. Our pro teams, now that’s a different story. I also went to a University that isn’t from a power 5 conference, more like a puny 55. The sports while I was in college were purely enjoyed for tailgating purposes. This fact has translated to our first 29 podcasts, not a lot of talk about college athletics. Fan of the show Nathanial Gale pointed this out to me via linkedin, asking me point blank: I want to be an Athletic Director at a power five conference, how do I make that leap? Well, since I promise not to be fake or inauthentic, I told Nathaniel, I don’t really know. A decade or two ago I wouldn’t have been able to say those simple few words “I don’t know”, because I was afraid that would be a sign of weakness. I couldn’t be classified as weak, so I had to ACT as if I had answers for everything. I was afraid to sound unmanly if I didn’t know how to frame in a window. I was afraid to sound incompetent if I didn’t know how to raise the gain on my audio recording. I was afraid to sound unintelligent if I didn’t have a strong opinion on political meanderings. This is not real. It is not authentic. You don’t have all the answers, neither do your bosses, your parents or some self-help author claiming to know the formula for greatness. Practice it with me, say it aloud: “I don’t know”. These aren’t banished words. They do not make you incapable, they make you honest. And if followed up with the right combinations of words right after “I don’t know” they make you even more powerful than before. How about this: ”I don’t know, but I can find out.” Now we’re on to something. Honesty mixed with hustle. So you know what I told Nathaniel – “I don’t know…but how about I get a guest on the show who is in college athletics to answer your question?” He seemed to like that idea. I went to social media and I found Shaun Richard Associate Athletic Director for Ohio State University…now that would be a good get. So I asked, and he said yes. In fact, Shaun and I talked for about 55 minutes about the world of college sports, so I broke this interview into two parts. The first part is all about the job itself, what does it take to work in college athletics,

How to Show Off Your Skills to Land Jobs in Sports Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast Monday QA session. Before I get into our Monday question from a fan – one quick, timely in-the-moment analysis I need to give. I generally don’t do this because our content is evergreen, meaning, it’s just as relevant and alive today as it will be 6 months or a year from now. Our advice lasts. If I comment on something very newsy right now, and someone downloads and listens to the podcast in 6 months, it means nothing to them, it has no value. As you’ve probably noticed, you can go back and listen to any of our podcasts from any time, and they will still be worthwhile. That said…. Sorry to everyone in Pittsburgh. I am from Boston, been a Patriots fan since birth, sat through many 2-14 seasons and feel no shame for enjoying the last two decades of dominance. I apologize for none of it. But… that was a catch last night. By the rulebook it wasn’t, Jesse James left hand came off the ball as he went to the ground and the ground helped him maintain possession. But, this game happens in full speed with our eyes and when I watched it, with my own eyes, it was a catch. I don’t want to go too long with this because like I said all of our content is made to be evergreen… but sorry to our friends in steelers nation. And Raiders nation – hello and index card? Alright enough. Let’s get into our fan question. Aiden from Chicago writes in, and will receive a free month at WorkinSports.com since I’m reading and answering his question on their air. Hi Brian, I’ve listened to each of your industry expert interviews twice. Seriously. The first listen I feel like my head is spinning with information and advice, the second listen it really sinks in. There is just so much good stuff in there…the content is dense with information. But, most of the experts don’t seem to hammer in on what they are looking for when they hire…tell me please in your view, how do I stand out to get hired? Aiden thanks, this question is perfect in it’s timing. I didn’t do a Friday QA session this week because I decided to lock myself in and do some deep self-analysis on my industry expert interviews. A little self-scouting, seeing if I’ve fallen into any patterns or should try some new approaches to questioning. As you can probably guess I’m a very self-critical person, but more than anything I’m just looking for ways to improve for all of you. One thing I have noticed is a certain pet peeve of mine keeps popping up. To everyone I ask some version of the question – “what are you looking for when you hire?” I’d like to think I ask it a little better and more in the flow of the conversation, but you get the gist. Unfortunately, I’ve been given many of the cliché answers you would expect to hear. Things like “the number one thing I look for is work ethic” or “I want someone who exudes excitement” or “They need to have a passion for working in the sports industry” All these things are true, but they aren’t complete answers. The hardest part of getting hired in sports or any industry for that matter, is getting noticed enough to get an interview. You can’t just put on your resume “I’m exicted!” or “I work really hard!” and expect to get noticed enough to get a call back. It doesn’t work that way. These experts are answering the phase two of the question and ignoring the phase one. Phase one is how do you pick someone out of the stack of resumes, phase two is,

Behind the Scenes Working at the NHL - Chris Wojcik NHL Director of Event Communication and Player Relations Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast. When I first broke into the sports media, way back in 1996, I was 100% behind the scenes as a production assistant. But over time, my employer CNN/Sports Illustrated liked to throw me and some of the other behind the scenes types a bone, sending us out into the field on little press coverage projects. My first time in a pro locker room was after Michael Vick’s debut game in the NFL.  The players didn’t really want to talk, they wanted to fulfil their media obligation and go home. This was my initial introduction to the sometimes awkward relationship between the media and athletes. Next was Ken Griffey Jr. Nice enough guy, but he never even looked at me and all of his answers were very short and almost drifting in space. At this point I had lost almost all the romanticism of being in the events… my sports heroes we’re just grumpy, which took the shine off of the experience. And then things changed. I had an assignment to gather some sound after the Atlanta Thrashers played the Detroit Red Wings …who at the time were the prohibitive Stanley Cup favs. I expected nothing. Boy was I wrong. Brett Hull, Steve Yzerman, Domink Hasek, Nick Lidstrom and Sergei Fedorov, basically the team I crushed everyone in NHL 95 on my sega genesis during my college years all were warm, welcoming, open to questions, stuck around to chat. I felt like I could just hang with these guys and be a part of their world for a bit. So I was hooked – Hockey was my jam because I liked the people so much. And this wasn’t a one time event, everyone I talked to in the sports media was like – oh yeah I love doing hockey stories…the guys are just different. Which brings us to today’s sports industry expert interview – imagine for a second you are in change of player relations for the NHL? And not only that, you also run the communication for all the major events that happen throughout the year… The Winter Classic, All-Star games, International series games…. What a job! And as you’ve probably guessed, our guest this week is that guy. Chris Wojcik is the Director of Event Communication and Player Relations for the NHL, having previously worked in similar roles with the Arizona Coyotes and Florida Panthers. So give this one a listen – I know you’re going to enjoy it Questions For Chris Wojcik, NHL Director of Event Communication and Player Realtions 1: Let’s start off by just getting a deeper understanding of your role with the NHL – your title has two distinct parts – take us through the event communication side of your role what are your responsibilities there? 2: What about player relations – in the past you’ve worked for the Florida Panthers and Arizona Coyotes so a role in player relations has a clear objective – acting as a conduit between your players and the media -- now that you are with the league, how has the role and your daily objectives changed? 3: Before you started working in media relations and team communication you had a background in broadcasting – how much has it helped your career working with the media, to have been on the other side for a while there? 4: In my experience in the sports media, hockey players are unlike any other athletes – they are more accessible, more excited to talk to you – I loved working on hockey stories. In your view why is that… is it a league or team objective to make players as accessible as possible… or are they just a good group of guys?

Does Being a Student-Athlete Help You Land a Job in Sports? Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the WorkinSports podcast – Monday QA session! Before I get into this weeks question a quick promo for Wednesday’s sports industry interview – any hockey fans out there? Well, we’ve got NHL Director of Event Communication and Player Relations Chris Wojcik on the show Wednesday…we talk about planning huge events like the Winter Classic, All-star game and international games to expand the brand… all that goes into them and his efforts to manage the communication process. Plus we get into player relations, working as the conduit between the athlete and media… it was a really exciting interview that I hope you’ll listen to on Wednesday. I’ll also be self-promotional by thanking Daniel Brunk who just posted one of the most flattering and humbling reviews of our podcast on iTunes. So thank you Daniel. So enough with the promotion – let’s get to the question already! This question comes in from Tricia from Alabama: She says – Hi Brian I am a student athlete at a division 2 college playing women’s basketball. I know I’m not good enough to make the pro’s but I feel like being a student-athlete has prepared me to work in the sports industry more than someone who hasn’t played college sports. How do I leverage all that I experienced as a student-athlete to help me get a job after I graduate? Tricia there are so many thoughts running through my head right now… let me try to compose myself. I feel I could give you about 30 reasons why being a student-athlete is a major advantage in the sports industry, and I know many people who are in charge of hiring for the sports industry who feel the same way. But I’ll try to narrow it down to my 3-4 best reasons and some advice. First off, there are over 460,000 NCAA student athletes competing in 24 sports each year. That is a sick number. And if you ask me, a vast majority of these student athletes should work in the sports industry becausze they have an intimate knowledge of what it takes to be connected to sports. But before I get on my passion plea…Let’s start with two major pieces of advice. 1: There are those who played sports in college and those who played, and learned the business of sports while in college. Who are you? Here’s the difference – if you are someone who focused on practice and games, and didn’t look around much outside of game film, didn’t talk to coaches about managing players, didn’t talk to trainerd about how they learned their craft, didn’t talk to the Athletic Director and learn more about what goes into their job, didn’t talk to the operations staff, the sales staff, the marketing staff… sure there are skills you learned, but you didn’t get the major benefit of being a student-athlete. You said it best, you knew you weren’t going to be a pro, so my advice to anyone who is in the game just for the love, is to use that all access pass to learn things other regular students, don’t even have access to. Talk to the AD. Talk to the staff. Learn how things operate! Don’t just play…learn the business. 2: You have to leverage who you have learned. I’ve seen too many resumes that just have a line item that says “2-year starter on Women’s Basketball team”. You need to sell the story. Tell me more. Tell me what you learned, the skills you bring to the workforce that differentiate you…not just awards and titles, I want to hear how this affected you. Student athletes are leaders, they know how to work as part of a team, they know how to manage their time, they know how to take a loss and rebound from it,

Should You Negotiate For Your Entry Level Sports Job? Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the WorkinSports podcast. As you get older you find yourself debating things in your head that you used to assume were a certainty. Your perspective changes, and you look back with more knowledge at where you once were. This is very true about your career and money. When I was in my early days I was so focused on money, thinking it was the total key to happiness. And for some it is. I’m not judging, I’m just saying I’ve come to realize being happy with what you do everyday is also extremely important. I’ve had jobs that paid me really well and I was miserable… and I’ve had jobs that paid me less and I loved them. It’s so often about the grey area in life. People on podcasts or giving personal development advice like to make everything so black and white and authoritative – but life kind of falls in the middle somewhere. Sure I’d like more money, but I don’t want to sacrifice my happiness to get it… and on the flip side, I’d like to be all about happiness, but I don’t want to be in the poor house either struggling to get by each day. Life is more nuanced than that. Anyone who thinks they have definitive answers for you… I’d question them. I feel like my job here is to share choices I’ve made as an employee and as a boss that have gone right or wrong, so we can all learn from them. I have strong opinions on things and share them often – but you still need to play an active role in the decision based on your expectations and wants… Which brings us to todays fan question: Is it frowned upon to ask for a higher salary for an entry-level position in the sports industry for someone with an advanced degree/experience?  I understand pay is lower than non-sports jobs, but also know it is important to negotiate what you believe you should be compensated. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts! I really just want to work in an industry I care about but also want to make sure I am asking for a salary that aligns with my experience and education.  James P is a student at Northwestern getting his Master's degree in Sport Administration this March…so we will now refer to him as Big Brain James. Big Brain James is also the first person to email his question to our new dedicated inbox – podcast@workinsports.com and will get a free month on our site…so BOOM for Big Brain James. James, I’m going to spend some time on your question… but I want you to know up front, I hate it. Talking money makes me a bit uncomfortable because everyone takes it so personally, like I’m offending them if I have a different opinion. But I’m going to do it anyway, because it’s an important situation that everyone deals with. Let’s start with this, Carnegie Mellon shared some data on negotiation recently: 93% of the women graduating from their MBA program accepted their future employers initial salary offer, while 57% of the men negotiated for a higher salary. The result: the men on average walked away with a salary almost $4,000 higher Right there you think – ok, I have to negotiate. There is my answer. Well, it’s not that simple… but let’s go down that route first and then circle back. First things first, negotiation isn’t always about your yearly salary, it can be things like gym memberships, relocation, extra vacation so let’s set that round rule first. Negotiation is a broad term related to you getting more than what ...

Veteran Sports Reporter Bryan Salmond Joins the Show to Discuss His Viewpoint on Becoming a Sports Reporter Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the WorkinSports podcast… So far we’ve had 15 sports industry expert interviews and when I first started laying out this concept, I figured I’d hit my database of contacts first. Well, it hasn’t worked out that way at all. I’ve tried to push myself out of the comfort zone I’ve established over 20 years in the industry and interview people I don’t know, and learn about positions I didn’t know that much about. I’ve taken this on as a learning experience for me, just as much as it is for you. I’ll admit, some of our guests have made me a little nervous. I’ve been doing this a long time, but I still get anxious leading up to an interview, I still feel butterflies and I still rehearse my questions so I don’t sound like a moron. When I talked with Josh Rawitch Sr. VP of Content and Communication for the Arizona Diamondbacks… yeah I was a little scared to mess that one up. But you know what is funny… as soon as I hit record, everything goes away. I lose the nerves. I don’t hear anything else and I rarely if ever ask the questions I practiced. I get in a zone, where all I focus on is my guest. Every word they say is my launching point for the next question, there is no routine, this is all off the cuff. The reason I bring this up is because you all have “the zone”. Everyone has the ability to hyper focus their attention, and it’s all based on need. I need these interviews to go well, I only have one chance and the person on the other end doesn’t want to hear me stumble. You need your job interviews to go well. You need your networking opportunities to go well. You need your internships to go well. Athletes get in the zone when they stop thinking and let instincts and training take over. You can do the same. Trust your preparation. Trust your research and your practice and your work ethic and allow yourself to enter the zone. That’s how you nail a job interview, when you lose the script, lose the rehearsed answers and enter your zone. This is also a long way of saying – I’m bringing an old friend on the podcast today. Bryan Salmond is a sports reporter who has worked all across the US – starting in small markets like Missoula,Montana and Beaumont,Texas, and working his way up to New Orleans, Boston, Philly and Las Vegas. But this interview isn’t just about being a sports reporter – we’ll handle all that for sure – but Bryan and I spend a little time talking about bigger issues, like race in sports. As a black man who has worked all across the country he’s seen it all and shares what’s really going on out there. If you are an aspiring media personality, or just a human being who wants to hear more about real life issues while hearing some behind the scenes stories on guys like Kobe Bryant and Sugar Ray Leonard… this is the interview for you. My Questions for Sports Reporter Bryan Salmond So to let all of you know, Bryan and I have known each other for a long time – we worked together for what 4-5 years at CNN in the late 90’s early 2000’s… and since that time I’ve followed Bryan’s career from Beaumont Texas, to Las Vegas, to Eugene Oregon, to New Orleans, to Boston, to Philly and now back to Las Vegas… you’ve been on a crazy ride but before we get into your ride and what you have learne...

Should You Follow Up With an Employer After You Apply for Their Job Opening? Our 25th episode! We're all grown up. Let's handle a QA session question from John in upstate New York: Hey Brian, this is John from upstate New York, I’ve been applying for a bunch of jobs lately and I’m wondering if I should just wait and see what happens or if I should be more aggressive in following up, reaching out? I’m not a passive person, so it’s hard for me to sit here and wait! Hey John – another great question from our fan base – since we are reading your question on the air and digging into it, you’ll also be getting a free month on our site, so be on the lookout for that email. I believe strongly there is a right and a wrong way to follow up – so let’s discuss the difference. First off, I’d like to cite my interview a few weeks back with Jesse Cole owner of the Savannah Bananas… when I asked him about his hiring process and what he looks for, he said: “If someone shows me persistence in trying to get a job with us, that shows me a lot. I don’t want people who give up at the first sign of adversity, I want people who push through.’ He went on to say, he wants people that are passionate about working for his team, not just working in sports… so when someone shows a deep an continual interest in his organization he takes notice. So take that as one data point in your question…but lets go deeper. My overall take is that being persistent is great with small to mid-sized companies, and not as effective with larger scale companies. Minor league teams – heck yeah, they are looking for energetic, versatile, enthusiastic team members and they may be pulling from a smaller number of applicants. A small marketing firm? A sales job? A sports social media job? Yes yes and yes – for jobs like these your ability to communicate and persuade actually shows you off quite well! But that doesn’t mean for all jobs it suits you well to be overly communicative. Let’s handle the how to: So how do you follow up in a way that isn’t annoying? You don’t want this to hurt your chances, you want it to enhance them! Here’s how to do it right. 1: No cold calling. When you call a hiring managers direct line, or get routed to them, your call is interrupting their workflow. You are inserting yourself smack dab in the middle of their day and most don’t like that. I know when I was a news director at a regional sports network, if I got a call I expected it to be a team calling, or one of our reporters, or something I needed to handle right away… when it was someone calling in about the editors job we had advertised…I couldn’t get off the phone fast enough. Most cold calls will go direct to voicemail, since for many of us in the workforce, every minute is accounted for already. So what do you do? Start with email. This allows the hiring manager to read and answer on their own time. But it’s equally important what you say, so take this part to heart. Do not just send an email announcing you have bestowed upon them the honor of your application. If you send an email that says “just wanted you to know that I applied!” that will do nothing. Think substance. What can you say that connects you to that job opening… make it quick, but make it powerful. Say you had applied for an entry level job as an social media coordin...

Getting Ready to Hit the Job Market? Here are Seven Things You Need to do First. Our fan question this week come in from Pam in Florida: I’m getting ready to start my job search in preparation for graduating in the spring …what should I start doing now to set myself up to be ready in a few months. Great question Pam, I have seven things you should do to get ready for you job search, so get your pencil ready. The good thing is these tips aren't just for sports people, this is for anyone looking to embark on a new career, or get started after graduation or thinking about getting your name out there. Let's start with... 1: Updating Your Social Media Profiles The first thing any hiring manager does after they’ve determined you have the skills they are looking for, is to check your online accounts to learn more about who you are. Update your LinkedIn with your professional data, but also make sure your twitter timeline doesn't have a bunch of insensitive posts or things that can be misconstrued. Hiring managers will get a feel for your cultural fit based on the way you represent yourself in social. 2:   Contact All Of Your References Make sure you have everyone's correct contact information now, before you start looking for work. You don't want to be left scrambling later. 3:  Explore Your Weaknesses With so many online courses and Youtube video tutorials, you always have time to pick up a new skill. If there is a missing skill on your resume, make a plan to learn it now, or at least start, so you can update your resume in the next few weeks. 4: Prime Your Network DO NOT put out a blast on social media: “I’m looking for work, got any leads for an experienced (insert you) who loves working with people?” make a personal outreach to those people you think can really help you -- no blasts! Personal touch! 5: Get Organized in your Search Create a spreadsheet to track your applications and interviews. Your spreadsheet should include – business, job title, date applied, how applied, primary skills needed, basic business information (what they do), your last communication with them and main point of contact. 6: Know Who You Are Online Do a search on your name, if there are any weird results out there be prepared to handle any questions from someone wondering if that is you. There is a steroids dealer who was busted in Texas with my name... on more than one occasion I've been asked if I was from Texas, and I knew what the person was getting at. 7: Prepare for the Negative   Study your weaknesses - if you were interviewing someone like you, what would you wonder? For example, If you have a gap on your resume, be prepared to have an answer for it. If you were laid off, be prepared to talk about that. Look for those weaknesses on your portfolio and get a game plan together on how you want to spin it. Don't get caught off guard!

Do You Want to Become a Professional Scout? An Agent? A Coach? A General Manager? How Do You Learn Those Sports Specific Skills? Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, President and Founder of Sports Management Worldwide joins us on the podcast to explain his unique approach to teaching thousands of students around the globe specific sports industry skills. So let's get to the podcast and learn more! Hi I’m Brian Clapp, Director of Content for Work in sports.com and this is the Work in Sports Podcast – If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while now you can probably start to appreciate that we view the sports industry as a little different than anything else out there – there are different dynamics to working in sports than there is in technology, education, manufacturing - sports are a different world. Much of my advice can and will work for other industries, but there are certain things about sports that make them different. High-paid athletes, media coverage, late hours, holiday schedules, huge events, marketing, promotion, coaching, scouting, talent evaluation – the closest industry is for sure entertainment, but even that differs greatly. So the question comes up often – where do you get a sports specific education? I get that there are sports management degrees, we’ve talked about those pretty extensively and some programs are great if you want to get into the business operations side of sports – but what if you want to become a Scout? Or a Analyst? Or a General Manager? Or a Coach? Or an Agent? Where do you get that sports specific education? It’s been a while since I’ve been in college, but I don’t remember a Football Scouting course or I would have taken it for sure and I guarantee I would have shown up more than I did for my 8am contemporary Moral Problems course. So back to the question – where do you go if you want a career in a very specific sports related role like scouting? Well, you guessed it, there is a place. Now before I let the cat out of the bag, and get on with our sports industry expert this week who is going to tell us more about their sports specific courses. The place I am talking about is on the internet, it’s a virtual classroom that can be joined from anywhere in the world, which sounds very convenient. But I’ve always had my doubts how effective these environments would be. It’s like having the option to work from home, how dedicated will you be? Will you be focused…or will you stop for a long lunch and Judge Judy. So before I agreed to this expert interview I did a little research on my own – I wanted to see real success stories. I wanted to know that people who have taken these courses have gone on to sports industry success, because I’m not going to pitch you a service that doesn’t work. I value you too much as my people. And here’s what I found out. 10,000 alumni of these courses from 140 different countries… and thousands of them actively working in the sports industry with major organizations: Portland Trailblazers, Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Charlotte Hornets, Baltimore Orioles, LA Dodgers, New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Oakland raiders, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Aston Villa, Portland Timbers  – the list keeps going. After doing this bit of research I felt excited to talk to Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, President and Founder of Sports Management Worldwide – the leader in online sports education. Questions for Dr. Lynn Lashbrook,

Our Monday QA Session Digs into the Value of Attending Sports Conferences Hi everybody - this week on the Monday QA session I'm answering a question from Kaylah Jackson, a grad student at Northwestern studying journalism. Kaylah wants to know if attending sports conferences are worth it: The Question: As always, I am really enjoying the Work in Sports Podcasts. I wanted to know if you have any insights on attending sports business conferences? I'm currently working in journalism, but not in the sports realm but aiming to get an entry level sports position within the next year. I know there are many large scale sports conferences where organizations come and speak with potential hires, but they are often quite expensive. (especially for new grads). Do you see any large takeaways from saving up for these type of events? I am hoping to network and create/grow quality relationships with sports industry professionals and debating whether or not to attend this type of event. Thanks so much and Happy Thanksgiving. The Cliff Notes Answer (listen to the podcast for the juiciest nuggets) There are two main benefits of conferences -- networking and learning. BUT, it totally depends on your personality. If you go to a conference expecting to network, you need to be an extrovert and comfortable just walking up and talking to people. I am not, so I never got the networking benefit of conferences. That said, I always learned a lot. Great panels, insightful experts, qa sessions where you can ask experts questions. So to answer your question about whether it is worth it or not, I think it depends on your expectations. For me personally, if I see an great list of speakers and topics, I'm much more likely to attend and benefit, because I approach the conference as a learning experience. If you are looking to network and get a job out of the event you may, but only if you target the right type of event. There are some conferences, the SINC conference comes to mind, that add a interviewing component to their event. They have the main conference, with great speakers, informative panels and networking events, then they also have an interview set-up where sports industry employers are actively seeking new hires, or at least willing to give informational interviews. If you can find the right conference that meshes with your personality, expectations and can deliver on your expectations I think it is totally worth it. Listen to the whole podcast for more details!

Detroit Lions Director of Football Education Chris Fritzsching Joins the Podcast Hi everybody -- I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports Podcast… We are one day away from Thanksgiving, which I’ll admit kind of snuck up on me this year, but I’m not going to do some “things I’m thankful for” intro because that seems a little cliché to me and self-centered. Nope. Not going to do it. I got an email the other day from a fan of the podcast, which as you know, I love… but what struck me was the quote they had emblazoned as part of their signature. Usually these quotes are extremely cheesy… something about aiming for the stars and ending up on the moon, or jumping and your lily pad will appear. These don’t inspire, they kind of make me gag… but again, I’m a heartless jerk. Anyway, those one stood out—“Those who keep learning, will keep rising in life” Not bad right? Simple to the point not too existential. Keep learning and good stuff happens. Which brings us to this weeks sports industry expert interview with Chris Fritzsching, Director of Football Education for the Detroit Lions. One of Chris’ former interns, Alex Kramer from Drake University emailed me and said – "I think my old boss would be great for your podcast." Alex told me a little about Chris and his title and I thought – that sounds awesome, but what the heck does a Director of Football Education do? I have zero experience with this and no idea what questions to ask. So, I go into research mode… and start learning. This gets me excited like my brain is travelling in all new dimensions, or for all you Stranger Things fans… the upside down, but without the potential for death. I get energized by learning something new about the sports industry, and I get excited thinking about introducing all of you to your potential future. This interview is high energy, fun and informative…you’re going to learn about a side of the sports industry you may have had no idea about before. So with that, here is Chris Fritzsching, Director of Football Education for the Detroit Lions. Questions for Detroit Lions Director of Football Education, Chris Fritzsching Chris Fritzsching, Detroit Lions Director of Football Education 1: Let’s get things started with an easy one – being the Director of Football Education for an NFL team sounds awesome – but what does it mean? Can you explain your day to day responsibilities and role within the Lions organization? 1a: how big is your department? 2: So it sounds like there are two major parts to your job – you are a teacher/coach…but you also have to be on the event marketing side as well – I would imagine understanding how to marketing and manage and event is instrumental in a successful youth camp, right? 3: I’ve been in the industry for a long time and I’ll be honest, I didn’t realize just how much effort the pro teams make to integrate and teach the youth – you’ve been with the Lions since 2004, how different is this football education program now versus when you started? 4: What is the biggest challenge you face in putting on a great event you can be proud of? 5: What does success look like to you? What makes you sit back and feel accomplished, and better yet, what makes your boss say – heck of a job Chris! 6: What part of the job do you get the most fulfillment out of?