3 Qualities Necessary to Earn an Internship in Sports

When trying to earn a degree in your field of interest, it is almost essential to earn an internship first. This, however, is not always an easy ordeal. Earning an internship is like trying to get a job. It can be a very competitive market, and there may only be a few positions available at a time. While trying to earn an internship, try and pay attention to all of the qualities that the companies are looking for. If you follow these qualities, it could make the difference between you and the next person. This is important advice for any field of work. Most internships will mention that they want you to be a motivated individual who is respectful and able to multitask. However, I feel that the three top qualities required by most of the internships I found in the state of Massachusetts were good communication skills, good technological skills, and the ability to adapt to the environment and work in teams.

While working in a business environment, it is extremely important to have good communication skills. Without the ability to communicate, it would merely be impossible to complete everyday tasks. This is the same for the sports industry. If you are someone who possesses good communication skills, it will be easier for co-workers to work with you in order to make deadlines and complete tasks. It could also potentially make other employees turn to you as a leader. Another reason why communication is essential is because it makes it easier to network yourself. If you are a good communicator, people will generally remember you. This will help broaden your career choices.

Another skill that is important to have in order to earn an internship in sports is good technological skills. While working for a business, it is not uncommon for them to ask you to complete tasks using some type of software. Many sports industries conduct surveys on the fans that attend their events. After the surveys are conducted, they are often turned into spread sheets. For this reason, and many others, it is important to know how to use such programs as Microsoft Word and Excel. Another reason that it is important to have good technological skills is because it is essential to be able to conduct good presentations. It definitely helps to know how to use such software as Power Point and other presentation tools to enhance your presentations.

A third skill that is important to have in order to earn an internship in sports is the ability to adapt to your environment. This can include changing jobs, working in teams, and changing tasks. Managers look for people who are dependable. People who can be placed in any work setting and succeed. You should work on being able to complete any task so that people can depend on you. It is also important to be able to work in teams. There will often be tasks that will require the work of teams. Many minds are better than one mind, so the better you are at working in teams, the better. If you are someone who can multitask, work in teams, and adapt to your environment, you are on your way to becoming successful in whatever you partake in.

After conducting this research on potential Massachusetts internships, I feel as though I have a strong grasp on what it takes to be successful in the sports industry. All of these qualities are important to have no matter what industry you are trying to go in to. Companies look for well-rounded individuals who possess important qualities that will make them an asset to the company. I hope that after reading this article, you will have somewhat of a better understanding for what it takes to earn your dream internship in the sports industry.

Unpaid Internships: Free Markets Rule or Employers, Get Real

Last week, on the heels of an important article in the NY Times about unpaid internships, we wrote a blog post that tackled some of the meaty issues surrounding this trend. We talked about the importance of providing mentorship and learning opportunities for interns, encouraged employers to be realistic about their needs and hire accordingly. We received a lot of great responses and comments to the post, many from folks who though that in all instances, interns deserve to be paid.

However, after looking at this month's Trend and Insight Report and noting that the percentage of unpaid internships rose in March, we find ourselves wondering if this sentiment is really widespread when it comes to unpaid interns, or is it the perspective of a vocal minority?

Hey, we don't place judgment. We think there's huge value in both paid and unpaid positions and think that there's room in the employment universe for both. It just struck us as a notable comparison that at the same time there's buzz about unpaid positions, the stats indicate these are exactly the kind of hires employers want to make.

What does this mean? Well, it could mean a couple of things.

For one, it could indicate that employers are truly willing to provide valuable skills and training in exchange for some free labor. And given the tough economy, this bargain seems acceptable to job seekers. Taken a step further, this would indicate that the discussion around the "unfairness" of unpaid internships is almost without merit if there's a healthy quid pro quo in the relationship (extreme situations aside). If, as an employer, you don't keep an unpaid position interesting, good luck to you in retaining talent. In other words, the free market will regulate the worth of unpaid positions.

Alternatively, it could mean that employers don't have realistic expectations about what would make someone want to work for free. We know- you're an awesome startup. You have great founders, tons of energy and can provide a real opportunity to gain hands on experience. Same is true for us, and probably most of the people reading this post. But that still doesn't mean someone is going to want to make 500 sales calls a day for free. And why should they, unless you're dedicated to teaching that intern how to be the BEST salesperson that ever lived.

So which is it- free markets rule or employers, get real? You tell us.

What to Expect From a College Internship

One of the most rewarding experiences while in college can be an internship. These are intended to help college students obtain the skills and knowledge they need to compete in the job market and later in their career field once they earn their degree. You can learn a lot from the right college internship, but others can be nothing more than resume fillers.

College students often make the mistake of believing that their goal throughout college should be to build a strong-looking resume. While a resume that contains internships, jobs, club affiliations and other impressive aspects will likely catch the attention of an interviewer, showing that there is substance to what you've done in your two, four, etc. years in college is just as important, if not more so.

During an interview, an interviewer will do more than read your resume while you sit idly by. You'll obviously be expected to engage and discuss the different portions of your resume from your education to your work experience. If you have something to discuss from an internship, you'll be in much better shape than if all you can talk about is the proper temperature for making coffee and how to avoid paper cuts while filing papers.

So when you're considering college internships, you should expect the internship to give you the opportunity to develop your skills and procure knowledge of the real world. One of the most important skills to develop is people skills and one of the best way to do so is to interact with customers. If your internship puts you out in the field, interacting with customers and other coworkers, you'll be able to work on your people skills.

You should also expect your college internship to be hands-on. There are exceptions, but for the most part, the most rewarding internship experiences are those in which you are challenged and engaged on a daily basis. This often results in a more enjoyable experience as well, which usually gets better results. Start looking for an internship early so you can take your time in finding and choosing one that you will enjoy and will allow you to develop your skills.