Liberal Arts Voices

Read the perspectives of our current students

How Networking Can Land Coveted Jobs

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Handshake.jpgIf you read my previous blog two weeks ago, let’s just say you came to class prepared for this week’s presentation. If not, all you missed was blogging excellence about the importance of networking and how doing so can put you in a position to succeed.
 
Well, this week I’m going to expand on the importance of networking, and specifically touch upon how doing so helped me land my position at Octagon this summer.
 
There’s no doubt that networking is an essential aspect to any industry. In fact, today during a presentation with our human resources director, she mentioned that a third of all job openings are filled through a referral. As high as that may sound to some people, the sports industry is even higher with conservative estimates speculating that the number may be 50% or higher.
 
Regardless of what the figures may or may not be, there is no doubt that connections play a key role in all industries. That’s why today I’ve dedicated my writing to discuss how and what I did to use networking to my advantage, specifically through the use of LinkedIn.
 
LinkedIn, as I like to see it, is essentially the Facebook of business professionals, with some actual benefits. Not only does it spare you from the embarrassing pictures and boring statuses, but it also allows you to connect with professionals in a variety of fields.
 
When I was going through the application process, I was fully aware of the need to network to the best of my ability. Luckily, LinkedIn provided me with an opportunity to do so, and it certainly paid off.
 
To those who are not frequent users of the website, one of the most valuable aspects of it is the ability to search for a specific company and see alumni from your school that work there. For me, that was the “in” I needed to capitalize on.
 
When I excitedly discovered this capability, I went to town on the emails. I combed through over 50 companies that I was looking to apply to, and I searched for alums and their emails online.
 
After channeling my inner-stalker for far too long, I managed to connect with some people regarding potential internship opportunities.
 
One of the people I was fortunate enough to reach was a high-level employee at Octagon. At the time it was probably the end of October, and I was trying to lay the groundwork for the application process in the winter.
 
He was kind enough to copy the director of human resources on the email, and he explained when I should apply and asked to let him know if I needed anything.  

Fast forward to the spring when I was fortunate enough to land an interview, and while I was at the office, I got to meet the man with whom I had originally connected with some five months prior.
 
Today that man is my boss.  He has been an immense help to me throughout the summer, and I anticipate that he will continue to be in the future, too.
 
For those that are in a similar position or will be soon, I encourage you all to use LinkedIn and other resources to network.
 
Reaching out to alums of Penn State is easy and effective, and without a doubt it helped me obtain my summer internship.
 
And I hope if nothing else, this helps you realize the potential that networking possesses and gives you an idea of what you can do to use it to your advantage.
 
Sadly, I’m beginning to sound like my parents when I say that time flies, and my internship is less than a month from completion. My last blog for the summer will be in two weeks when I wrap up my experience with an overview of my summer.

The Importance of Networking in the Sports Industry

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In my 21 years on earth, I’ve come to realize a few vital things about life. While I would love to sit here and tell you about, among other things, how I’m convinced that everything tastes better with ranch dressing, I’ll spare you and discuss the one thing that has directly led to my internship experience with Octagon this summer: networking.

As I’m sure is the case with every industry these days, I’ve come to realize that networking is a vital aspect to those hoping to break into their industries of choice and to separate themselves from the masses of people who recently crossed the stage with that diploma.

Unfortunately, for those hoping to make their living in sports, the need for networking becomes that much more vital in an industry that routinely sees hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants for one position.

The Sports industry is notoriously difficult to break into because not only is it considered “glamorous” work, but there is little turnover in what is a relatively small industry. As a result, in order to stand out from hundreds of other resumes, you often need to know someone.

To give you an example of how daunting a task this can be, a Sr. VP of the Pittsburgh Penguins spoke at one of my classes this spring, and he mentioned that when one of their entry level jobs opened up, the 5 finalists chosen out of over 1,000 all had some connection to the team.

If that doesn’t make you cringe, then I don’t know what does, but that certainly opened up my eyes to the importance of networking, networking, and of course more networking.

The interesting thing about connections in sports is that they don’t stop after you break into the industry. Like I mentioned before, sports is a relatively small field, and as a result, many people either know each other or have close connections to others across many different teams and leagues.

This sort of connection lends itself well to recommendations and the option to explore new opportunities when the time is right.

To give you one of those classic small-world stories, the first day of my internship my boss asked me what other companies I had interviewed with for internships. After discussing a certain opportunity with an NFL team, I came to realize that the person who had interviewed me was his former intern when he worked for that very team.

Stories like that are not at all uncommon in the industry, and it shows how small the industry is in comparison to some other fields.

To give you a final piece of perspective on the importance of connections, I’m going to share with you a story from a guest speaker that came and spoke to the group of interns today.

The guest speaker used to handle the marketing for some major NBA players, and his boss was considered to be one of the elite agents in the game. When his boss got an offer to join the agency that recently signed the number one picks in the NFL, MLB, and NBA drafts, he asked him to come with him. This example shows the importance of networking, which stretches far beyond merely breaking into the industry. It can make your entire career.

In two weeks I will post another blog entry discussing how I used networking to my advantage and just how valuable LinkedIn can be.

My Internship at a Sports Agency

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Mural in Octagon lobby by LAUSatPSU
Mural in Octagon lobby, a photo by LAUSatPSU on Flickr.

After sitting here for five minutes contemplating a witty way to introduce myself, I’ve sadly decided to resort to a typical introduction. Now that the ice has been broken, hello, my name is Stuart Yacobian, and I’m a rising senior majoring in economics and spending my summer interning in the sports industry. 

I’ll be here all summer chronicling my job and discussing different aspects of the industry and my position, and I look forward to sharing my experiences with everyone. 
This summer, I’m extremely fortunate to be working at a sports agency called Octagon, one of the world’s biggest sports representation and management firms. With clients ranging from Michael Phelps to Justin Tuck to Steph Curry, there’s never a shortage of things to do. 
Generally, spending a summer in an expensive city like D.C. and working an unpaid internship 40 hours a week would be taxing, but it’s a dream come true for someone like me who is determined to work in this industry.
Octagon is a unique company in that it’s a full-service sports agency. What that means is that clients have the option of using Octagon for not only representation, but also for their marketing, public relations, and financial services.
As a result, some clients end up having Octagon pay their monthly water and electricity bills, as well as managing commercial appearances and the media. 
This leads to a large company composed of multiple departments and A LOT of specialty. The company is also involved with the client management of non-athletes as well, with such people like Arsenio Hall and Piers Morgan.
In fact, Octagon has offices in 18 countries and more than 1,000 employees.
Now that I’ve had my fair share of rambling, you may be asking yourself (or not): what makes Octagon unique? Well, for the most part, agencies are limited to merely the representation aspect of the business, and they tend not to get involved in marketing and PR of an athlete. 
That’s not to say that other companies don’t do the same, (IMG comes to mind as one), but generally that is not the case.  LeBron James, for example, is represented by CAA, but  he employs Fenway Sports Management to manage his marketing. 
I’m spending my 10 weeks at Octagon working in the Public Relations department. You might be thinking that with so many clients, public relations would be an extremely busy job. If so, then you are absolutely right.
Something I’ve quickly come to realize in this industry is that the word “routine” does not exist. Not only is every day completely different, but every hour is completely different. 
I find myself doing typical PR activities, such as writing press releases when we sign a new client or booking flights for an NBA player going to make a marketing appearance.
The unpredictable and fast-paced nature of the industry has me loving every moment of my internship, and it has only further validated my desire to work in the field, whether with Octagon or another company.
Two weeks from now, I’ll be back for more blogging fun–this time discussing the difficulty of breaking into the industry and the importance of networking.
Stay classy! 
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