For many people, both children and adults, sports are a vital part of their lives. Sports are a part of their lives through watching the game on television or in person, by playing the sport recreationally, or playing the sport scholastically in high school or college. A job industry that is steadily growing is the sports industry.
Unemployment as of January 2009 was at 7.6% courtesy of the United States Department of Labor. With people now looking for jobs and a potential career change, the sport industry is turning into a desiring field.
The National Football League (NFL) is the most popular professional sport in the United States. With the NFL being so popular, a job in the league is very attractive. There are seven skills are vital to work in the NFL and in the sport industry.
1. Earn a Bachelor's Degree. The first task is to graduate college with a degree in something. Now there are some degrees that will help you more than others for a job in sports, like Sport Management and Sport Administration, but a degree in Economics and Finance will also certainly help.
2. Have a background in Microsoft Office. The 21st Century has become very computer driven. Computer skills are very important in this day and age. Most NFL franchises are Microsoft-based with their operating systems, and each current employee knows how to work with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook.
3. Have great Communication skills. Being able to communicate effectively and efficiently is fundamental. Speaking skills and writing skills can place a prospective employee in a higher standard compared to someone who is lacking or is weak in the area.
4. Maintain a Positive Attitude. Being positive in an entry-level job is what makes employers happy. Working as an intern for a sport franchise requires work that is unusual to other jobs, and can be quite tedious. Some examples while working for an NFL franchise include:
o Making copies of practice schedules for each coach.
o Attending fan interaction days in order to garner interest of the team.
o Transporting players to and from the airport.
o Filing, Filing and more Filing.
o Attending practice, and traveling with the team and attending Training Camp.
5. Have Excellent Time Management, and Organizational skills. An employee for any job needs those two attributes. In the NFL they are just as important. Being able to manage your time correctly allows you the worker to complete work in a timely fashion and not worry about deadlines or being late. Being organized is also vital. Being able to know where something is without clutter or without items being lost will help to make you stand out when an upper level executive asks for your input.
6. Strong Work Ethic. The NFL is all about hard work. The players have to work hard every day in order to be the best and to win. The coaches have to work hard to formulate a game plan the gives their team a chance to win every week. Whether you play, coach, sell, or market you have to willing to work hard. Displaying a strong work ethic will keep you employed and will make an impression to your boss to always keep you in mind.
7. Be a Leader. It does not matter if you are entry-level or upper management. Displaying leadership skills and qualities show that you as a worker and a person are not willing to have someone else do the job for you. Being a leader does not mean to be arrogant. Leading by example and having good character are leadership traits that people and fellow employees will respect and will keep you in their minds when it is time for you to be hired or promoted.
