How to Be a Successful Intern in Sports Marketing With Five Crucial Skills

Many students looking for internships, whether it is for school credit or just for work experience, are many times ill equipped in not only procuring an internship but being successful at being an intern. There are five crucial skills that one needs in order to be successful in any internship/job they are in, especially in a sport marketing field. These five skills are communication, knowledge of Microsoft Office, knowledge of how to blend into different situations you are put in, customer service / sales support, and understanding principles. The mastery of these skills can be the difference between you being offered a job at the end of your internship, making great contacts for future jobs or not being successful in this field.

The first skill and arguable the most important one is communication. This skill includes both written (letters, reports, and E-mails) and verbal (presentations and everyday interactions). Written communication is extremely important because it shows how well you can convey your ideas to clients and your bosses if physical interaction is unavailable. A well written letter or E-mail will get more attention and respect if proper grammar and terminology is used. Oral Communication is just as important if not more so in the work/internship environment. Interpersonal oral communication skills are often the most prized by employers in the sport marketing world. Many employees are constantly in meetings and giving presentations to clients that could put millions of dollars into a marketing idea/plan. If the "salesman" does not have the adequate oral skills needed to close the deal then your company could lose clients as well as large amounts of revenue. In today's world you must remain cool under pressure and be able to think on your feet, because you never know when you will be called upon to prepare a presentation on short notice.

The second skill that should be mastered for an internship in sport marketing is being proficient in the use of Microsoft Office. This includes Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Mastering these three software programs can send you to the forefront of the interns in the office. Every day of an internship one will be called upon to use one of these programs for various activities, such as creating a database of people that attended a conference or some other event. Knowing how to use an Excel spreadsheet can make this database easy to create as well as make information easy to find if your boss asks for specifics. The Microsoft Word program comes in handy when asked to create an office memo or to create a flyer for an upcoming event. The last and most important program one should master in the sport marketing world is PowerPoint. PowerPoint is most widely used to give presentations. Once you master PowerPoint your presentations will be easy to follow and a well done presentation will impress any prospective client.

The third skill that will help be a successful intern is to do your best to blend in. Working not only independently but as a team with other interns to plan and implement a particular marketing plan will go a long way towards understanding the ins and outs of the sports marketing world while blending in with others in the company.

Another important characteristic/ skill one needs to be an effective intern in this field is to have exceptional customer service and support to individual customers. No matter who you are meeting or talking to, it is very important to show you are professional and have the expertise to convey to anyone you may come in contact with. A good way of doing this is giving them your personal cell phone number so they can reach you day or night for assistance.

The final skill is understanding principles. You must learn the core principles that drive the senior staff in the marketing and management side of the business. If you understand the principles, coming up with the right decision, having the right opinion, then developing the right approach will be easy. To understand what the principles are simply look at what choices are being made, what approaches are being taken, and ask yourself what is the underlying belief or principles that are the driving force. An example: Let's say I always put my seat belt on in the car. What is the principle I have that drives it, "driving is dangerous", or "tickets for not wearing a seatbelt are costly", or "my family would be devastated if I died in an accident". These are three very different beliefs with three different motivations. If you learned which belief it was that motivates that person then you would know exactly what advice to give if you were asked your opinion. The core beliefs behind the example are more important in the interning environment. If you believe you should wear your seatbelt because "tickets for not wearing seat belts are costly" then the core belief might be "never waste money". Put simply, principles drive decisions.

In order to be a successful intern in the sport marketing world the mastery of communication skills, Microsoft Office, being able to blend in, having good customer service and sales support skills, and understanding principles is necessary. If these five skills/characteristics are mastered there is no doubt that you will make a lasting, positive, impression on your bosses and a possible job offer on the table. At the very least you will gain valuable work experience in the sport marketing industry with great contacts and positive recommendations that can open doors to other ventures you may want to pursue.

Warning - Be Weary of Fake Internship Or Job Ads Online

It's tough to find jobs these days, but the internet has given job seekers an easy way to sort through job listings easily, even without spending a cent. However, once you take advantage of hunting jobs online, it can expose you to hundreds of job scams. Whether you're looking for a full-time job or internships, scams can be a very frustrating thing to deal with.

The people behind these online job scams are bad people; they won't care if you have been unemployed for years, how badly you need a job or how much money you'll be losing. The bad news is con artists evolve and create new scams every day. The good news is you can avoid being ripped off by learning how these unscrupulous people take advantage of job seekers, recognizing red flags while sorting through job ads and practicing safety during your job hunt.

Types of Online Job Scams

Job scams aren't a new problem. A scammer works by gaining his victim's confidence to make the job seeker an accomplice to money laundering without their knowledge or extract personal information such of the victim, such as full name, Social Security Number, financial details (bank account, credit card or PayPal information), birth date, driver's license or other personal data.

Online job scams come in various forms, but the most popular ones include resume blasting, bogus job offers and cash handling scams.

o Resume blasting - With this kind of job scam, fake employment agencies offer employment guarantees within a fixed time period for a fee. What the victim (job hunter) doesn't know is that the agency is distributing his/her resume to thousands of employers, websites and other sources (in a process called resume blasting) in hopes of having companies send correspondence, which the fraudsters would use to scam new victims. Although such agencies provide a money-back guarantee as a way to bait victims, only few people ever receive refunds.

o Bogus jobs/internships - This is the most obvious and most popular type of job scam. With this kind of scam, fraudsters pretend to be recruitment agents and advertise jobs with real companies or job boards, usually offering lucrative salaries. Once these so-called employment agencies conduct a bogus telephone interview, they'll pretend that the job is theirs and instruct victims to send money for their travel costs or work visa to an agent, who just happens to work on the scammer's behalf.

This scam has different variations, but they always involve sending money to agents or providing bank account/credit card details. Some fraudsters use personal information and sold to third parties for a fee or even used for identity theft. Be careful of bogus jobs because these fraudsters spend money to list fake jobs on legitimate employment sites or even host their own job board website to lure victims.

o Cash-handling/money laundering - With this kind of scam, fraudsters seek employees to handle their money laundering scheme without the victim's knowledge. Job seekers often answer to work-at-home job listings (usually as a collection agent or customer representative) set up by the fraudsters. Once hired, the victims are sent fraudulent negotiable that are to be distributed to various parties, assuring victims that they get to keep part of the money. Usually, victims don't know they have become part of a money laundering scheme, until they are caught by police.

Red Flags of Job Scams

Although there are virtually thousands of job scams online, you can learn how to avoid these scams completely by spotting certain red flags.

o Personal information requirements - Steer clear from any job listing that asks for your personal bank account, credit card numbers, PayPal account or Social Security Number. Some fraudsters even request you to scan an ID to "verify identity."
o Fishy Payment Methods - If you haven't met an employer personally, but he/she insists of having funds or paychecks direct-deposited, this could be a way to get a hold of your bank account information.
o Job Guarantees - Don't believe it if a company says you're guaranteed a job, especially if they are asking for an upfront fee. Nobody can guarantee that somebody else is going to give you a job.
o Money laundering - If the job requires you to forward, transfer or "wire" money to another person, employer or "customer" and assures that you'll keep a portion of the money as payment, your job is a part of a money laundering scheme.
o Unprofessional job listings - Watch out for strange sentences with a lot of exclamation points, misspellings and grammatical mistakes in the job ad. Some scammers can sometimes become confused and post a job with a title that doesn't match the description.
o Employer Contact Details - Job ads that fail to list specific job locations, company location, or phone numbers, can be a good indicator of scams. You should also take note of the employer's contact e-mail address; scammers often use e-mails that are not primary domains. Watch out for contact e-mails using yahoo, hotmail or other free e-mail accounts, which can be easily replaced. Employers that don't provide contact details have a lack of interest in actually meeting you in person.
o Employer Response to Inquiry - If the ad seems legit, the red flags don't stop there. Once you've expressed interest through e-mail and they respond, look out for the name of a person/company that doesn't exist or a generic auto-response to all your emails. Also be careful of responses with a link that ask you to sign-up for various websites.

Monster.com lists descriptive words in job postings that are tip-offs to fraud. The list includes "wiring funds," "money transfers," "package-forwarding," "PayPal," and "eBay." Terms like "Foreign Agent Agreement" and "No Experience Necessary" are also used often by scammers.

Of course, if a job offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Guarantees of high income in one week or other exaggerated promises of high pay can be tempting, but they're usually a marketing scheme to lure victims. To be sure, a quick Google search of the company name, job ad title or other details can save you a lot of time and frustrations in determining if a job is a scam or not. If you can't find information about a company online, please talk to your career counselor before going for an interview.

No Job is More Important than Your Safety

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates that as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. Unfortunately, job seekers are often victimized by identity theft through job scams. Here are some ways to keep your identity protected:

1) File resumes online wisely - We encourage you to file resumes online, but it's not necessary to put your actual address on these resumes. In addition, don't include your Social Security number, driver's license information, bank account/credit card information, phone number, date of birth or passwords. Be aware that an email address is suffice when sending resumes and employers will understand. When posting your resume online, read the website's privacy policy to see how your information will be used. Most legitimate companies have an application form, which is private for your actual address.
2) Practice prudent posting - Aside from resume banks, it is important to keep your personal information private. Online social networking sites enable individuals around the world to chat, share photos, recruit employees, date, post resumes, auction property and more. Because the internet makes it possible for all information about you linked with one another in a simple online search, anyone can gather these personal data and use it against you. If you wouldn't tell it to a stranger on the street, don't put it online for the world to see.
3) Phishing e-mails - When you inquire for a job and the employer sends a response with a link to a third-party website, which often lands on a spoof Web site, asking you to provide personal/account information or download malicious software. Be very careful on what you click next because phishing emails are used to fraudulently obtain personal identification and account information.
4) Never send money - If a company is asking money to fill out an application, don't pay up unless you know the company to be reputable.
5) Analyze "work at home" jobs carefully - Although there are legitimate jobs online, most of these work-at-home opportunities sound fishy. Always check for the red flags when dealing with virtual jobs. If it smells fishy or spammy, such as someone offering you a job without a background check, face-to-face interview or verification of your references, then it probably is. All these axioms hold true when it comes to your safety.

Most importantly, check with the Better Business Bureau (www.bbbonline.com) to make sure the company is in good standing. If you follow these expert tips, it can greatly reduce your potential risk of being victimized by online job scams.

Our search techniques will reveal a lot of opportunities for internship seekers, but not all of these will be legitimate. Please be careful and remember that no internship or job is more important than your safety.

College Students: Get Organized Now To Nab An Internship

Given the dismal state of the economy these days, internships are becoming an increasingly important part of student life. In fact, some colleges, like Northeastern University in Boston, have made internships part of their four-year curriculum.

Not only do they offer students who may be unsure of their ideal career path insight into a particular occupation and company, but they also provide an invaluable opportunity to learn and hone 'real-life' skills, like how to communicate effectively to a manager, that aren't always a part of college curriculums.

Internships are also a great way for companies to get insight into you, which gives you a real leg-up when it comes to getting hired after graduation. Many interns are offered permanent positions. We should know, we hired Hollie, Buttoned Up's design director because of the great work she did as an intern for our company. Internships are often unpaid, but don't be short-sighted and pass one up because of that. Consider it as a worthwhile investment in your future. Even if you're not offered a job with the company, it still is a very effective resume-builder.

If you start as a freshman, you have the potential to complete up to eight internships during the course of your college career. That's eight ways to differentiate yourself from the other students who will be graduating at the same time you are. So, what are you waiting for? We have put together some pointers for organizing yourself to find (the right) internships.

1. Brainstorm.

All internships are not created equal. You should start with jobs that are at least within your career consideration set. This is especially true if you are working for free! After all, an internship in the field of marine biology won't help much if you're really planning on getting into the field of international business down the road. If you're not sure what you ultimately want to do, head over to your school's career center. They are there to help you land a great job (and make your college look good by getting a high percentage of graduates jobs). They will often provide career assessment tests for free and they always offer a wealth of advice and pointers to their students.

2. Identify.

After you've made a list of all of the fields that interest you, start doing some research on the companies in those fields. Consider a few different lists: the biggest, the most profitable, the startups, the most innovative. Look at the companies in each list and ask yourself which ones have cultures that seem like they would be a good fit for you? Don't just go for something that looks good, but select an internship based on the fact that you might be an employee at that company one day.

3. Network.

You've made a list of fields and zeroed in on some companies. Now's the time to call everyone you may know. Tap into your friends, neighbors, family members, etc. - and specifically ask who they might know in the industry you are hoping to get into. Everyone knows somebody and that somebody might just be the ticket to your internship. Rather than asking for interviews point-blank, just ask for an informational interview - you'll get farther faster with those.

4. Get Your Money's Worth Out of that College.

This is where that tuition bill can pay off. Tap into your college placement office and see what internships they have listed and then research alumni that work in the fields that interest you. Many colleges offer programs that place interns with alumni - it's one of the best ways to find an internship.

5. Don't Waste Your Time.

It may be tempting to look at job boards and classifieds, but in today's market, do you know how many people blindly send their resumes for those positions? Too many! It's not worth your time crafting a new cover letter for those jobs since they are virtually impossible to score and you'll just end up being frustrated.

So start immediately searching hard for a good internship as hard as you did to find the right college!

Three Essential Qualities to Obtain an Internship in Sports

Obtaining an internship in the field of sports is not the easiest task to complete. There is a high level of competition involved in obtaining an internship in sports. More and more college institutions are offering the Sport Management program all over the country. It is more than likely that the students competing for an internship in sports are graduates from well known, high level education institutions. A single individual competing for an internship in sports must be skilled in certain qualities. Based upon my research I have found three qualities that will extremely benefit ones chance of obtaining an internship in sports. The three key qualities to obtain an internship are high communication skills, strong knowledge and passion of the sport one is desired in getting an internship with, and efficiency in most of Microsoft Office programs.

Communication skills are essential to almost any career path in today's society. It is essential to have strong communication skills because just the way one presents them will have a strong impression on the organization or wherever they try obtaining an internship. The ability to communicate with others in a high intelligent and professional manner can only benefit one's contribution to a sports team. Every marketing and advertising project is team oriented which has to involve communication. One can improve their communication skills by performing presentations and public speeches in front of large audiences. Also one can increase their vernacular to improve their communication skills. Reading high intelligent books with strong vocabulary is a great way to improve one's vernacular.

The quality that I believe is most essential in obtaining an internship in sports is possessing strong knowledge and passion for the particular sport one is trying to obtain an internship for. This quality is most essential because without passion and knowledge of the sport, one may be useless in terms of contributing to the organization. First of all, one will not understand the sport, and second of all, one will not be capable of expressing their inner most thoughts about the sport and having no enthusiasm towards it whatsoever. There is really no way to improve this quality; it just depends on what sport one has strong knowledge and passion for.

The last quality I came across after researching many internships, is being highly skilled in using Microsoft Office programs. Almost every professional sport internship I researched mentions the skills of Microsoft Office. It seems to me that the Microsoft Office programs are essential to almost every sport organization in today's society. Without Microsoft Office, organizations would have much difficulty in putting together certain advertising and promotion programs. Also Microsoft Office has an excel program that allows an organization to keep track of certain data and statistics. For example an organization must keep track of their financial data and statistics. It could also be used to keep track of statistics of players on a sports team. To improve one's skills in the Microsoft Office programs is to use the programs repetitively. Microsoft Office is used throughout almost all levels of education, so students are using it repetitively.

Overall, obtaining an internship in sports is difficult. These three qualities mentioned can be developed at a young age. One will be better off developing these qualities at a young age because as they get older and older they will improve the level of each of these qualities. So when it comes time to apply for an internship the competition between the person that developed these qualities at a young age against an applicant that started developing these skills as a teenager, will not be tough because they already developed these qualities and a have a high level of experience in them and are constantly improving.

Internships in South Africa and How They Can Help You

An internship in South Africa is your first step into the job market, and the first steps through the door that leads toward your dream position. One day, you will be at the head of your own diverse business and it may in part be thanks to the fantastic opportunity that your internship in Cape Town, South Africa had afforded you. There are myriad reasons why you will be a success at your chosen profession and many more that might prompt you to rethink your current career-path. Put in the effort and raise to the top of your game.

o Internships in South Africa are about opportunity. Any potential job opportunity you discover in sunny South Africa will look amazing on your resume. There are many job opportunities in various industries on offer, some which are straight-up charity work and others which will further your chosen career. South Africa is a country of amazing diversity, which is divided right down the line by adverse poverty and incredible wealth. Make a difference where it counts or add an accolade of note to your future resume.

o Internships in South Africa are about friendship. Make bonds of friendship that will last forever. Cape Town is a friendly and hospitable city, which welcomes all of its visitors with open arms. If you have an engaging personality and the will to be personable with each and every person you meet, you will in turn receive long-lasting bonds which have the potential to be valuable in your industry. You will be surprised, as these friendships will even extend over the depths of the ocean. International companies keep close tabs on their African branches and the good work you do over here will translate into a fine position later on in life.

o Internships in Cape Town, South Africa are about discovery. Cape Town is an amazing city with thousands of activities on offer for the discerning traveller. Our year-round sunny weather ensures that you are able to maintain a healthy tan for the duration of your stay. Cape Town central is well-connected and walking around the city is an exciting experience, allowing you to discover secrets around every corner. Discover clubs, corner cafes where socialites sip piping-hot lattes, stunning art displays, beautiful men and women and of course our amazing food. Sample our city from the smorgasbord of tastes on offer.

o Internships in South Africa are about experience. Learn your craft or discover a new one as you begin to understand what it is to be a success. The key to a better beginning starts with your very first job. Many students leave school, head straight in university and then to their first job, without realising how difficult a real working situation is. A gap-year that allows you to explore your career through internship opportunities is the perfect option, as it will allow you to draw knowledge from those who have had many years of experience in your chosen profession. Consider an internship in Cape Town to be your first steps towards future greatness.

These and many more reasons are what make time spent in Cape Town so valuable. Your internship in South Africa will give you both happy memories and experience for the future.

Making a Great College Career - How a College Internship Can Help

When students enter a job interview, they like to have a little experience to back up their application. When they enter the office knowing that they are under qualified and lack the necessary experience, they will not exhibit the confidence needed to land the job. This usually leads to students setting for a job that they do not enjoy, so taking advantage of all opportunities while in college is a great way to ensure that a career gets off the ground fast.

Students who participate in a college internship program while they are in school usually are worlds ahead of their fellow students who do not take advantage of these programs. Some students may coast through college, getting good grades and good exam scores, but never really getting any experience in the real world. This can hurt a student's candidacy for jobs after college and force them to settle for a job they do not enjoy. When students have adequate experience and can confidently walk into an interviewer's office and demonstrate their qualifications, they will have a tremendous advantage when it comes to landing a job they want. Experience is essential in today's job market, so getting as much as possible while in college is the key to ruling the job market.

A great way to get experience is by participating in a college internship program. Students are given the opportunity to experience the real world and how business relationships work through a college internship. An internship program that is truly beneficial to students will show them the ropes of the business world and allow them the opportunity to develop important job skills. All career fields in some way use business, so getting a little experience in the business world while in college never hurts. It usually helps students understand the real world and the challenges they can expect from it once they graduate.

Understanding the challenges they may face will allow students to prepare for them much better and be ready to handle them no matter what. When students leave school without any real understanding of what they should expect, they often find themselves lost and left behind. This can be a scary feeling for students who have never had the experience before. With a college internship, students are able to get a grasp on the working world and know what they should expect when they graduate and enter the real world for real.

It will give them the chance to develop skills and work on any weaknesses they may have. Simply going to class will not fully prepare students for life in the real world. It gives students a good foundation on which to build, but only experience will show them what they should expect. For this reason, it is important to get a little experience before graduation. Students who know what they are getting into often have a much easier time transitioning into the working world. So when it comes to finding an internship, students should look for an internship that helps them develop skills and get necessary experience.