Dear Buffy,
What are the qualifications sports employers seek when looking at entry level executives?
Sincerely,A professor to sport management undergraduates
Dear Professor,
These are five strong traits that employers in sport seek.
The person has to 1) have an enthusiasm for his/her life and respect for himself/herself. We like to be around people who possess a genuine enjoyment to life and an interest in improving themselves; 2) present himself/herself in a professional manner both in their appearance and in their writing...dress well and write and speak properly; 3) be focused on how he/she can better our business rather than focus on what our business can do for him/her. To paraphrase John Kennedy, "ask not what your business can do for you but what you can do for the business." 4) have the ability to create strong relationships. Marketing is creating a need where there isn't one. I like entry level executives to create a need for himself/herself as a fellow employee and colleague. We are looking for good, hard-working teammates. 5) take direction well. Entry level executives need to be able to follow instructions, work efficiently and communicate clearly. Communicating through emails is a poor excuse for communicating. We value executives being able to speak to someone face-to-face, look them in the eye and complete work in a better than timely fashion.
- Buffy
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Buffy Filippell has recruited over 350 executives in the sports industry. She has appeared as a featured speaker at Harvard Business School. Ask her any questions about employment issues by pressing Ask Buffy. No names, nor email addresses will be made public.
