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LISTICLE/03/25/2021
10

Career tips in the sports industry

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Turning a hobby into a profession - that is the main argument for many applicants for a career in the sports industry. The job opportunities are diverse, the company locations wide-ranging, and the earning potential lucrative. These ten tips will make applying for sports jobs a success.

Are you a sports fan and want to make a career in the sports industry? Then you've already made a start: express your passion for sports convincingly in your application. Whether you're applying for an office job, as a trainer, or as a sports psychologist, you'll always be able to score sympathy points with your enthusiasm for exercise. However, that's not enough on its own. Our guide with the top ten tips for your career in the sports industry.

01

Show Passion for Sports

A high affinity for sports is a great advantage for a career in the sports industry, no matter what kind of sports job it is. Emphasize your passion for sports in your cover letter, always with direct reference to the job profile. In doing so, impressively underline your motivation and suitability for the position and career you are aiming for. If you receive an invitation to an interview, you can perhaps even appear in sneakers and sporty clothing in accordance with the job.

02

Highlight Professional Qualities

Anyone who has successfully completed a sports degree is certainly the ideal candidate for senior positions. Graduates of other fields of study, such as business administration or design, must particularly emphasize their qualities in connection with sports. Professional athletes should put themselves in the right light as experts in sports business and in their specific sport.

03

Demonstrate Enthusiasm for Sports

Don't be sparing with evidence of your sports activities, even if they go beyond the specific requirements of the job description. Planned projects such as an upcoming thesis on the topic of sports or the registration for a competition can also speak for you in the job interview. This makes it clear to the employer that you are interested in a career in the sports business in the longer term and not just spontaneously.

04

Emphasize Professional Experience

Career starters have a particularly hard time scoring points in job applications with experience. Relevant internships in sports companies are then the best proof of later career intentions. A temporary job at a sports event, for example as a marshal at a running event, can also be mentioned in connection with the application. It underpins the interest in seriously wanting to work in the sports industry.

05

Use Sport as an Experience

If beginners lack professional experience and career changers lack industry-specific insights into sports companies, the world of experience of one's own sport should be cleverly used to compensate for the lack of professional skills. The soft skills required in all sports jobs, such as motivation, commitment, perseverance, determination, and ambition, can be demonstrated with one's own sports hobby, especially if it has been actively pursued for a long time. Emphasize your social competence if the technical competence is not (yet) sufficient. After all, every new employee needs time to get acquainted with the company. Commitment and willingness to perform are just as important as a good degree.

06

Selling Team Sports as a Personal Advantage

If the applicant's sports activities are team sports, this confirms other social skills that are important for careers in sports jobs: The ability to work in a team, people skills, empathy, communication skills, and the ability to deal with criticism and conflict.

07

Team Captains Demonstrate Leadership Qualities

Anyone who has captained his or her sports team or even successfully led it to higher leagues can cite this as proof of competence in team leadership and employee management when applying for a job. Leading voluntary activities outside the world of sport also demonstrates a high level of self-confidence, teamwork, ambition, assertiveness and a talent for communication.

08

Selling Weaknesses as Strengths

If there are gaps in your resume, this will certainly come up in the interview. It is wise to come up with a good explanation beforehand. In the best case, the break from work was for professional reorientation, which should now culminate in a sporting career. In this way, the applicant shows that he or she will not let things get him or her down, can think flexibly and deal productively with setbacks.

09

Lone Wolf in Sports - Professional Winner Type?

Those who run marathons or participate in other sports demonstrate many personal skills that can be useful when applying for sports jobs and pursuing a career. Lone runners have the ability to self-motivate, a special perseverance, a strong independence and a good portion of self-confidence and ambition. However, you should also include in your application evidence of the ability to work in a team, which is required in all companies today.

10

Score with Language Skills

Intercultural competence is more in demand in the sports business than in other industries. Successful sports companies think and act globally and, in addition to very good English skills, expect their applicants to have a cosmopolitan attitude. In the international working world, language skills are a great advantage, which applicants with an immigrant background in particular can use to their advantage.

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