Garth Brooks' 1993 hit "Standing Outside the Fire" has been one of my favorite songs all my life, telling the story of those who dare to leave their comfort zone to stand out and accomplish their goals. During my current unemployment and while applying to jobs, I realized that this song is an interesting reflection on my current job situation. My industry - sports social media, communications, and broadcasting - is very much about standing out, making a team or brand desire your skill set or the results that you can bring them. Since the industry is so competitive, how can I, a 28-year-old with nearly 300 games broadcasting experience and six seasons of successful social media campaigns under my belt, distinguish myself from the hundreds of others who are applying for the same position?
To give you an example of the current competitive nature of my job hunt - and mind you, this is three months before the Class of 2018 floods the market with new, cheaper sports-hungry professionals - here's my TeamworkOnline job statistics since January 1, 2018: 21 jobs applied for, with an average of 275 applicants per each job. The most applicants for a job that I've applied for - a job that I thought I had some unique skills to bring to - is 1157. That's 1156 other applicants for ONE JOB...and it's not even a communication or marketing job. These numbers don't take into account the other job sites, networking, and emails that I've sent, including follow-ups and Twitter DMs to hiring managers, contacts, or others in the organization for these positions (I'll rant about the lack of responses that this yields some other time, but the success rate is....not good.). So far, this has yielded no interviews - I do have one coming up that I'm very excited for, but that job was applied to during the last calendar year. With all these applicants, and the likelihood of my application even being read in depth, how do I stand out? How do I get my application read, how do I get the interview, and most importantly, how do I land a major league level job?
Should I start another podcast? Steve Ventresca and I had one for the Boston Blades in 2015 called Blades Inside Edge, but podcasts are hugely popular and it seems like everyone has one. What could I do in a podcast format that would make me stand out?
Should I work on my graphics skills and start creating images for Instagram and Twitter? I'm not talking sick editz, but I can certainly improve my photo manipulation skill. But is it worth the monthly cost while I'm unemployed to get Photoshop?
I can keep blogging, especially for Popternative and Baseball Desk, but I struggle with content sometimes - this is my first post of 2018 on this blog, and it's not an industry topic. How do I get the inspiration to write consistently...and attract readers without becoming clickbait?
I'm sure there are more options here, probably many I haven't thought of, but those are two that came to mind. Maybe I'm being too picky, or maybe I think too highly of my own skills, but I think I have a skill set that makes me at the very least a viable candidate for a major league position. If I don't, please tell me - If I'm not there, I want to get there,
I'm tagging a number of industry contacts on Twitter with the link to this post, people I respect for their sports and social prowess as well as mentors who know my specific skills and will update it with their suggestions. I'm curious to see the suggestions and to see what I can do with them. If you have a suggestion, just leave a comment below or email me here.
Let's go do that employment.
INSIGHTS FROM THE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Establish a skill / capability outside of “experienced in the industry” and be super clear about how you can apply it in a unique way to add value.
— Mathew Bernstein (@MathewBernstein) February 2, 2018
This is true of any career, not just in sports.
You stand out in an application by drawing parallels to what you have done and will do in your such desired position. Plus, be SET (strategic, engaged, teamwork). #GetSET
— Danny Kambel (@DannyKambel) February 2, 2018
Data data data data. If your resume doesn't have numbers, I won't call someone in for an interview.
— Jack Appleby (@JuiceboxCA) February 2, 2018
If you can apply it in a way that would be valuable to a given role, without a doubt. The way you position your skills/experience is just as important as what skills/experience you have.
— Mathew Bernstein (@MathewBernstein) February 2, 2018
How does your experience give you a leg up on other candidates, and add unique value?
I usually recommend your first three bullets on a job description are:
— Jack Appleby (@JuiceboxCA) February 2, 2018
- your day to day
- a campaign / initiative w/ numbers
- overall affect on company w/ numbers
Separate issue, unrelated to your resume. Your first question assumes the resume is being read.
— Mathew Bernstein (@MathewBernstein) February 2, 2018
To stand out you need to find creative solutions (outside of submitting a nice resume) to grab attention of people inside the company. Doesn't always need to be hiring manager.
One of my go to stories is about Yahoo Screen - which the CEO later called a $42 million mistake. But my part crushed it, which I can prove. Don't be afraid to tell those stories.
— Jack Appleby (@JuiceboxCA) February 2, 2018
Sell yourself. Don't highlight your job description; highlight what you accomplished. Quantify as much as you can. Show how you impacted change & process.
— Jess Smith (@WarJessEagle) February 2, 2018