Recently, I’ve done three presentations and workshops on the topics of professionalism, communication, and business etiquette to undergraduate and graduate students. These topics are tricky since they mostly revolve around soft skills and things that most students think are “common sense”. I would argue the opposite is true…those topics are not that common!
As a Co-op, intern, volunteer, or work-study student, you have to consider that your current job is essentially an extended, several week/month/year job interview. The company is observing you, they are taking mental notes, and they are constantly evaluating you to see if you would be a fit with their organization and if you are worth a full-time offer. Therefore, it is crucial to dress professionally, communicate clearly and formally via email and phone, be punctual, and go the extra mile.
In the sports industry, perhaps more than any other industry, if you cannot execute these things well, the team, league, or agency will simply move on to the next candidate. If you can’t do it, someone else will. And not just anyone else- a long line of hundreds of other candidates are chomping at the bit to get their foot in the door.
This ties directly to first impressions and references. There is no such thing as a second impression. The first impression can make or break any opportunity. When I was at Turnkey Sports and Entertainment, we had an intern candidate show up without a suit on and he clearly hadn’t shaved in about a week. He knocked the interview out of the park but unfortunately, we couldn’t get past the fact that he didn’t address his appearance and it came off as not caring- how could we put him in front of a client or customer? As for references, I always laugh at the notion of checking references that I was given by a candidate. Those references are meant to be perfect and it is hard to dig up any dirt; in fact, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve received negative feedback from a candidate-supplied reference. Therefore, be aware that future employers may contact people not on your reference list to get a true read on you as a candidate. Things like LinkedIn have made this process much easier- I can see who you are connected to and I can also see who worked at the same organization as you during a specific period of time. So be on your game at all times and don’t assume someone won’t be a future reference!
To conclude- do the little things right, put your professional hat on when you go to work, and communicate “as if”- as if you were the Vice President or President of the firm. Don’t think of yourself as the college kid or the intern; act "as if" you are a full-time, salaried employee.
"Leaving Your Mark" ... I see what you did there, Mark. Great stuff, thank you!
ReplyDelete