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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Recommendation Letters

Several weeks ago, a student I've taught in one class came in and asked if I'd write him a recommendation letter for grad school if one of his others from his summer internship manager didn't come through. I said I would. Well, late last week (the 22nd, I think), he came back and asked if I'd write the letter, and then proceeded to tell me that the deadline for submission of his materials was February 1st. It's a trite phrase, but lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on someone else's part.

If you're going to have someone write you a recommendation letter for graduate school, here are some things that I would consider basic etiquette for you to do. Even if they know you pretty well, these are some basic courtesies that will probably make them think that much more highly of your level of professionalism.

1) Don't wait until the last minute. Give them plenty of time.

2) Provide them with a copy of your resume so they can see what you've done. They may not know everything you've done. With my student, I know he did one internship last summer, but other than that, I've no idea. I'm not even sure if he is a double major or works a job in addition to going to school and being an athlete or what exactly his career goals are...no clue.

3) I almost always give the student a copy of the letter, but if there is a form from the university that asks if the student can see it, I appreciate the fact when a student checks "no" ahead of time. This student filled out the form in front of me, checked "yes" and said, "I'm sure I'll see it anyway." I hadn't told him I'd give him a copy. When I write letters I put them in an envelope and sign the flap so that the school knows the student didn't forge or alter the letter. It's pretty common practice. This schools instructions even stated to do that. He for sure wasn't going to see that copy. It was pretty ballsy, I thought, to assume that he would get a copy. He didn't ask for one. If you don't specifically ask for one, don't automatically expect to get one.

4) I would have appreciated if he had taken even 5 minutes to talk to me a little bit. I would have been interested to hear (and would have asked) why he wanted to get into that program, what he thinks he might want to do in the future, what other experience he had is sports, etc. He just rushed in, asked if I'd write the letter, and then dashed out. He returned the next day to give me the form that went with the letter.

I was able to write a positive letter, but it wasn't nearly as detailed and specific as it could have been.

I'd be interested to know what else other people may ask/expect/require from students who ask for recommendation letters. I know some people make the student write the first draft and then edit from there. That's always a possibility, too.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Continuous Learning

"In times of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists." --Eric Hoffer

I'm routinely amazed when I see speakers at seminars or guest speakers in classes and look around to see that most of the audience (particularly students), aren't taking notes. I realize that not everyone is interested in every speaker, but I've been in rooms with incredibly successful people in the sports industry and seen no one taking notes on what they said. I guess my view is that there's got to be something I can learn from this person, even if it's something very basic. If they've gotten to a relatively high level in a sports organization they know something worth passing on, and maybe it's something that will help me in my career. I certainly don't know it all and know that I have tons to learn. Maybe my philosophy goes along with my being an information junkie--wanting to know things just for the sake of knowing them. I don't know if people are bored of if they think they have nothing else to learn. Continuous learning is not only an advantage, I believe it's a necessity with the speed that things change today.

I'm teaching a very informal class that helps students find out what they want to do, helps them develop interview skills, create a resume and cover letter, learn about networking, etc. There are no tests. I don't "make" them take notes. I have a guest speaker coming in tomorrow who has worked for NFL Films, the New York Giants, and the NFL Management Council. He's not much older than the students. He's going to present six things that he wishes he would have known/done as an undergrad just a few years ago that would have been beneficial to his career. It will be interesting to see how many students view this as a learning opportunity rather than just an opportunity to not have a regular class session.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Technology

If you're looking for an area of sports where it will be relatively easy to find an internship or job, compared to traditional areas of sports, I have one word for you: technology. Especially as it relates to marketing, if you know how to take technology and use it in the capacity of marketing, you've got what Willy Wonka would call the Golden Ticket. Look at all the positions that are listed for database marketing/database administration and CRM (Customer Relationship Management). When you start thinking about content management, SEO (search engine optimization), SEM (search engine marketing), the use of YouTube, Twitter, text messaging/SMS, the third screen (phones/PDAs are the third screen--TV is the first screen, computers are the second), Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, PageFlakes, Flickr, etc., and countless other technologies--existing and not yet developed--there are some great opportunities out there.  There are opportunities in the phigital realm (phigital = the combination of the physical and digital world).

Think about the Obama campaign and their use of technology.  YouTube and viral video.  A custom created iPhone app.  Text messaging to announce Joe Biden as the VP candidate.  YouTube weekly address to the nation.  All of these, and more, are great uses of technology that can carry over to business.  I remember reading several of the articles during the campaign and thinking that companies who haven't, yet, are now going to jump all over the use of this type of technology to promote their companies.  The Obama campaign proved many things, and one of them was that technology can be used very effectively to communicate a message.  If I were a sports organization, I'd be looking heavily for someone who could bring new marketing outlets like these to my company and effectively use them.

If you're currently a student, your classes may not even cover a lot of this.  Some of these things may be ones with which you're somewhat familiar just because they're a common part of your generation.  Regardless though, you will probably need to learn some in depth aspects about the technologies.  You may need to read books and pursue online training. For any applicable parts, I highly recommend Lynda.com for online training.  I've been using that site for a couple of years and am a huge fan of it.  Books, blogs, and online articles are abundant on these topics.  Seek them out.  Like many of these technologies, the cost of learning about them is free because you can easily go to the Internet to learn about them.  Take advantage of the information out there and make technology one of your areas of expertise.  I'd be willing to bet that it will pay off.