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Teachable Tuesdays Capital One Webinar
CoSIDA Student U Live Webinar: Learn About Our Profession & Gain Job Search Tips & Tactics
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Calling all athletic communications/sports information student assistants, undergraduate and graduate, and all other students and student-athletes who might be interested in exploring a career in athletics and athletic communications! Is that you? Or, are you a student majoring in athletic administration/sports management wondering about a career in athletic communications and what they would be all about?
This webinar from February 2020 featured presenters who all have been student assistants and who now work in athletics. The presenters shared tips and advice on how to distinguish yourself as a new professional, why volunteering for athletic events is a must-do, and how to get noticed for that next step in building your career.
We also talked about our 2020 CoSIDA U Camp for interested students, interns and newcomers to the profession. This takes place Saturday and Sunday, June 6-7 at the Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas - the day before, and the first day of, our 2020 CoSIDA Convention. It's going to be a great networking and learning event!
Presenters
Jordyn Ballard – West Texas A&M University Athletic Communications Assistant/2019-20 CoSIDA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient jballard@wtamu.edu
A.J. Forbes – The Trust (Powered by the NFL's Player Association) Executive Operations Intern forbeaaa@gmail.com
Andrew Mindeman – Covenant College, Director of Athletic Communications/CoSIDA U Committee member andrew.mindeman@covenant.edu
Laurie Bollig – CoSIDA Director of Membership Engagement lauriebollig@cosida.com
Moderator
Clark Teuscher, North Central College Sports Information Director/CoSIDA Continuing Education Committee ccteuscher@noctrl.edu
Follow up answers to questions during the webinar:
Q: What advice would you give to high school students specifically who are interested in collegiate athletics?
A: (Andrew Mindeman) Once you have chosen a college to attend, reach out to that institution’s SID and inquire about any positions available. Especially at small schools, SIDs sometimes rely heavily on students to help run games. If you have work-study, you may be able to fulfill that requirement through the SID. SIDs don’t expect freshman students to have any experience, but do want to see that those students are engaging and have a desire to learn. You’ll be trained well in the areas the SID gives you. If you can bring any experience (running a scoreboard, keeping a scorebook, etc.), that is a plus.
Q: Hi panelists, thank you for taking the time to share your experiences and career insights with us! I am a 23-year-old senior in my last undergraduate semester and beginning an MBA. I am married and one thing that I think about frequently when I debate entering Athletic Communications is family life. Sports occur on nights and weekends, media members are active during the day and typically you work office hours 8-5 or so. Panel, what is that work-life balance like in your experience in this field?
A: (Laurie Bollig) Thank you for taking the time to ask about if this kind of career is right for you as your life situations change. Some lessons I’ve learned over the years in my career that pertain to work-life balance are that when I had the opportunity to give all those hours to work, I did it. I enjoyed it. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. I enjoyed the people I worked with and loved being around sports. When my life circumstances changed, I had decisions to make – e.g., did I have to work to contribute to the family, did I want to work after I had children, what would my home life look like if I stayed in my current career, will this job be here when I come back. All these things and more weigh into your decision about how to or even if you want to integrate your career with your life. At each juncture, I had to decide my priorities. I had to course correct in some instances. I thought once I got out of athletics after 15 years, I would likely never get back in – but I did. The opportunity is there for your family to be an integral part of your career and what could be more fun than raising a kid on a college campus? Maybe that’s for you. Maybe it’s not. You are going to have hard choices and you are going to have to decide what’s best for you at that time in your life. Nothing lasts forever.
Q: Andrew, myself being from a D3 school as well, what are some things on resumes that really stand out to you from a Sports Info perspective?
A: (Andrew Mindeman) Knowledge of graphic design, multiple sports (especially volleyball, soccer, basketball, baseball/softball), and writing ability are some technical skills that I would want to see. These are skills that can really be worked on at any time, not only through an internship or work-study job. The more skills you can show proficiency in, the more marketable you will become. When I was in high school, and even into early college life, I worked on writing recaps and doing graphic design on my own and that really helped when I got going in this industry as I didn’t have to learn from scratch.
Q: When do athletic communications jobs end to open up? As someone who is graduating next December, I am afraid something might not be open during this time.
A: (Laurie Bollig) Graduating in December places you at a small – very small – disadvantage that could honestly turn into a big advantage. Lots of graduate assistant positions and internships are advertised in the spring but full-time positions are always available at any time of the year. You should keep your eye on the job postings on CoSIDA.com at all times and follow @CoSIDAjobs on twitter. As a staff, we have members reach out to us in a bind because they’ve had an assistant leave in the middle of a sports season. Just like any career, there are jobs available all the time.
Q: How has social media changed the role of an SID and how do you think the job will continue to evolve in the digital age?
A: (A.J. Forbes) Social media has changed the role of the SID because the SID is now always connected, whether they like it or not. Social media is 24/7, so anything can happen at any time. This also means the SID can tweet or send updates at any time whether that be in-or-out of the office, which is both a blessing and a curse depending on who you ask!
Q: As a college senior approaching graduation, where do you look for open SID positions? How do you know what schools/teams are hiring?
A: (Laurie Bollig) The first place to search is the career center on CoSIDA.com. Jobs are posted there every day and in large numbers from March through the summer. Obviously, most of our job postings are college jobs. You can also find a large concentration of college jobs in the D1 Ticker job email. The NCAA also has a jobs board. With regard to sports jobs not in the college space, you’ll need to get creative and find online sources for professional sports jobs, minor league baseball positions, sports commission jobs, etc. Here’s a free benefit that I didn’t discuss on the webinar. CoSIDA has a Job Seekers Committee that offers assistance from application material reviews. If interested contact committee chair Danny Kambel (DannyKambel@pacificu.edu). You can also receive information on job openings by following the @CoSIDAJobs Twitter account.
Q: Hello! I am a two-sport, Division III athlete and my time is very limited. I am very interested in learning more and working for my SID but because I am an athlete, I am limited. What do you suggest I do to show that I am always willing to work even though I can't be there all the time?
A: (Jordyn Ballard) My advice is to first introduce yourself, not as just an athlete but introduce yourself to your SID as you would a future employer. Talk to them about how you are very interested in learning about sports information and ask if there is anything you can do to help and assist them. Let them know that even though you have a busy schedule you can work a certain amount of hours a week and can go in certain days, and ask if there is anything you can help them with during that time. The more specific about your time frame the better because if you just say you’re limited they won’t want to put more stress on your busy schedule and won’t contact you. Also, if you are specific about your schedule, they may set aside jobs that you can do in that time. You want to let them know that you are there to help with anything they may need. It never hurts to ask! I hope you find this helpful and good luck!
Q: Hi! What advice would you have for someone with experience at the Division III level applying and searching for GAs and internships at other levels?
A: (Andrew Mindeman) Apply for those jobs that you feel qualified for, but also try to make connections with SIDs hiring at those levels. If you’re looking to move up to a DI, consider volunteering at a conference tournament or national tournament in order to get some additional experience working high-leverage events, which will boost your resume, and also be able to meet SIDs at those schools that you may want to work at in the future. I also believe that having a full set of skills (graphic design, video editing, stats, writing, etc.) will help your application look stronger. Having that skillset will translate really well to a DII, NAIA or JUCO.
Q: As a undergrad student currently I’m doing an internship with my school’s SID and looking for full-time jobs. When emailing SIDs, should I offer to send my current work and a resume to these SIDs along with some background information of myself and my experience and why I am interested in Sports Information?
A: (Andrew Mindeman) When applying for jobs, make sure to follow every step of the application process completely. Many jobs want some work samples, others may not. Ultimately, you want to show that you can follow procedures correctly. Make sure your resume and cover letters are tailored to the institution you are applying to (for example, have the right school name and hiring person’s name). If you’re reaching out to SIDs inquiring about possible openings, I would definitely include a resume and if you have a simple sheet showing work samples it wouldn’t hurt to include that. Since you’re working for an SID already, I’d have that SID inquire about openings on your behalf as well through your conference and region.
A: (A.J. Forbes) Great question. Personally, when I'm "cold-emailing" people, I don't immediately send a resume. I feel like that comes off as a little forceful — but that's genuinely just my opinion. I'd email them first asking them good questions and express why you're interested in this industry. Depending on the situation, ask if they'd be willing to spare 5-10 for a phone call for you to ask question and learn about them/this industry. This is a great way to establish a relationship. Also, instead of attaching a resume, I'd mention in the email that you can send examples of your work over or your resume if they would like to see it.
More About The Guest Presenters:
Jordyn Ballard is a current athletic communications graduate assistant at West Texas A&M University, Jordyn received a 2019-20 CoSIDA Postgraduate Scholarship following her time as a softball student-athlete and four-year SID student assistant at Black Hills State University. A 2019 graduate, she actually was promoted to BHSU's sports information assistant as a senior in 2018 and was the primary contact for three sports. She also has held numerous internships in amateur, minor league and professional baseball and softball.
Laurie Bollig serves as CoSIDA's Director of Membership Engagement and will speak on CoSIDA resources that are available for undergraduate and postgraduate students, interns and student-athletes who have an interest in athletic communications.
A.J. Forbes: He worked with the NCAA Division I University of Northern Iowa football team as an undergraduate assistant in recruiting and operations (2015-19). A.J. has served as an intern in the Kansas City Chiefs training camp operations, interned in UNI athletic communications and also worked in sales in the corporate world. He has parlayed these experiences and taken his proactive approach to building his career into his current role at the NFL Players Association.
Andrew Mindeman serves as Director of Athletic Communications at his alma mater, NCAA Division III Covenant College. He also is a member of CoSIDA's CoSIDA U Committee, actively involved in introducing young professionals and students to our profession. After graduating in 2012 after serving as a key student staffer in media relations, he was named Covenant's Sports Information Coordinator three months later, in August of 2012. In addition to his duties as athletic communications director where he has greatly elevated Covenant's digital and video presence, Andrew has also served as an adjunct professor in Covenant's sport administration program. His volunteer work in athletics is extensive (baseball, softball and soccer official statistician for numerous events).
On-Demand Viewing & Listening
ASAP Sports provides a full transcript, available after each Teachable Tuesday webinar; the webinar also will be on-demand above and available in the CoSIDA Connect online membership community the evening after the webinar. There also is a podcast of this webinar (link above). Please see the "Resource Library" link off the main home page to access all of our continuing ed on-demand offerings. We also will offer this webinar in a podcast format, and all CoSIDA podcast links.
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