What should be my undergraduate major? Is law school necessary? What books should I read on the subject? What classes should I take? How do I break into the industry? Those are some of the most common questions I get. There is no answer to any one of those questions, but one thing that I suggest to anyone who asks me the question in bold is that it is probably in their best interest to do an internship. And yes, in my industry, there is no such thing as a paid internship. If you are selected as one of hundreds or thousands for that one internship spot, be thankful that you were chosen, and don’t ask if it is paid.
At SportsAgentBlog.com, we offer two databases that can be of help to someone searching for an internship. First, we have an Internship page, which highlights the internship information that we have received from agencies wishing to post their information for our readers to use. You would be surprised to hear how many people have called or emailed me, extremely thankful for that page, alone. Many readers have ended up with internships at the companies listed based on coming across our Internship page and going through the companies’ application processes. If you are in a sports agency and reading this post interests you in having your internship listed on our page, email me your details and I will be happy to add them.
There are quite a few agencies that offer internships, but are not listed on our Internship page. But they cannot hide! We also have the largest free listing of agencies broken down by state, sport, and also alphabetically. This way, if a potential applicant knows that he wants to work in a particular sport, he can search by sports represented. If location is important, the state breakdown is a great guide. Perhaps the potential applicant already has an agency in mind – he would use the alphabetical listing. The listings are constantly updated, and we encourage readers to send us information about agencies we should add and tell us about links that are no longer working.
So with all of this information in hand, what is the next move? Research the companies. Make sure that the principals, clients, missions, goals, etc. all meet your expectations. It is important to apply for a position at an agency where you think you will feel comfortable, will have an opportunity to grow, and where you think your talents will be exposed the most.
Jack Bechta of National Football Post agrees that an internship is the best way to break into working in sports. He provides a list of seven steps that he believes will help a person looking to gain an internship in sports.
- Find the right contact.
- Separate yourself from the pack.
- Be persistent.
- Be value added.
- Be virtual.
- Bring something tangible to the table.
- Create a job description for yourself.
I’ll briefly cover #1-3.
We have an internship program at Dynasty, and based on how our selection process works, I agree with many of the points that Bechta makes in his piece. If you email me your resume and cover letter, you failed step one. Our website clearly states that all applicants should email our HR Director, Justin Herzig, at [email protected]. Unless I know that Justin was also copied on the email, I figure that you did not fully research my company and did not realize that he handles most of the internship application process.
I also always ask an applicant what makes him/her special amongst the hundreds of applications we receive. “Why you?”
Persistence has worked in the past. I will never forget an intern named Usama Mirza, who was so damn persistent, I knew he would do a great job as an intern. He bled our company colors before he even had the internship. I had to have him.
Now it is up to you. Summer Interns will be selected at many agencies in the very new future, if they have not already been chosen. Waste no more time. Use the resources we provide on this website. I wish you the best of luck!
One reply on “The Tools To Help Get A Summer Internship”
Finding the right contact is fairly easy — getting through to them is the difficult part. Not to mention, starting the process far in advance — I’ve noticed many firms typically lock up there summer interns sometimes as early as March.
There’s a pretty good chance, especially if you’re looking at a smaller firm — allowing you to make more long-term career moves, that you will find it even more difficult to get a shot than with a larger more bureaucratic firm. Many agents have their runners and apprentices referred to them via a friend, a contact at the collegiate level, or the management side.
It’s not what you know — more about who you know. Definitely work off of any inside connections you can get, but be careful to not be too persistent if you are not getting any replies. If that’s the case, it may be best to move on and look at other available opportunities.