As if you didn’t know this already, the sports industry is a unique one…as are our degrees, whether they be in Sport Management or Sports Marketing (or some variation of that). This is especially true as it relates to one’s career in sports. With a Sport Management/Marketing degree, you could, in theory, do marketing, sales, operations, HR, and service, among many other possible disciplines. You could do these things at any level whether it be at a college, minor league team, professional organization, agency, or anywhere in between. However, as a job seeker, the question you should consider is: do I cast a wide net and be open to any and all opportunities? Or should I have a very specific and targeted job search? These are two VERY different things.
If you decide that you want to cast a wide net and consider almost any job that comes your way in sports, there are some positives and negatives to be associated with this. On the positive end, you are being flexible and are not being narrow-minded. On the negative side, you may come across as not being focused or not being especially strong in one particular area. Think “jack of all trades, master of none”. In the end, more opportunities will be available to you with this mindset. Just be careful in answering the (interview) question of what do you want to do after you graduate/where do you see yourself in five years by saying “I’ll do anything”.
If you decide to be more specific and targeted in your job search, likewise, there are some plusses and minuses. On the plus side, you know what you want to do. You carved out your niche and claim to be an expert or at least have some skills and interest in a particular area. Your job search is going to be very narrow but could be effective especially when it comes to networking. On the negative side, you are limiting your opportunities. If you only want to work in the NFL doing marketing, you must prepare yourself mentally that there are only 32 opportunities. This isn’t even taking into account location…which brings us to our next point.
One final thing to keep in mind is that location also plays a role in this conversation. Being open to relocating anywhere in the world or being tied to a 10 mile radius from your home also concern me as a career counselor and would concern most HR people and recruiters. Being open to anywhere and everywhere could bring into question your stability while being hunkered down at your home base makes people believe you are sheltered and not willing to take risks.
The moral of this whole story is to avoid extremes. As a job seeker, avoid extremes on both ends and consider more of a middle ground. It is ok to want to and have a preference to work in a certain sector of the sports industry (pro, college, etc.) doing specific tasks (marketing, sales, etc.) but it would behoove you to be open to exploring opportunities in similar or closely-related fields. It is also ok to say that you prefer to work in the Northeast part of the country but that you are open to the East Coast and would explore opportunities elsewhere if they were the right fit and if the timing was right.
Have your job search preferences and best-case scenarios front of mind but be flexible enough to consider alternatives or back-up plans. Otherwise, the search could take more patience than you have to offer…
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