Resiliency Panel Recap
Resiliency Panel Recap
By: Mac Steckler and Hailie Cadeau
This past week the GWU SBA held a panel discussion on resiliency in the sports job market. The past year has bought upon very uncertain and stressful times for all. COVID-19 has put all of us in a position wondering what the future holds. It is vital during uncertain times to have resiliency. We were lucky enough to hear from three experts in the sports industry about being resilient in the sports market. During the panel, we heard from Ryan Becker, Coordinator of Human Resources with the Washington Nationals, Dakota Sinder, Executive Assistant to the Commissioner with the National Women’s Soccer League, and Misha Hurd, Social Inclusion Manager for Brookfield Properties.
How did you react to COVID?
Ryan Becker worked with the Nationals before the pandemic hit. Still, he started working from home pretty early on in his new role. He previously interned in the Nationals office, which made his transition smoother; however, he still had to adjust his expectations of what the job would entail. Ryan also touched on how COVID has impacted his role, the uniqueness of every day, and the human resources department’s adjustments.
What are some newsletters and podcasts people should listen to?
All three panelists provided good newsletters and podcasts to subscribe to. Misha Hurd touched on a sports marketing and public relations blog written by Joe Favorito. The newsletter gives more significant articles and job opportunities, leading to greater networking opportunities to help build your connections. Ryan touched on Front Office Sports daily newsletter, which offers current events in the sports industry. Dakota Sinder mentioned WomenXSport, which is written by the general manager of Sky Blue and the podcast Full Time by Meg Whittingham.
How should students build their online presence?
Many panelists touched on making sure to build your social media presence through LinkedIn and Twitter, and Instagram. It is essential to ensure that you are building your brand and developing your content creation skills. It is an excellent asset to have when applying for jobs. Ryan touched on how it is essential to comment on other posts of industry professionals and create content with unique articles you find or newsletters. Dakota touched on how students can build their website, which allows you to create content and spread your brand.
What are some networking do and dont’s?
Misha touched on the importance of conducting informational interviews with this question. She highlighted how it is crucial to build a genuine connection with someone and not treat networking as a transaction. An exciting idea Dakota touched on is to make sure you are reaching out to people in unique ways, such as sending them an interesting article you find as well as making sure you are “barking up all trees.”
The resiliency panel was a great first event. It gave students opportunities to learn skills from industry professionals in many different areas. It also gave those interested in the sports industry an inside look at the sector’s current state and the best way to get involved. The Resiliency in Sports panel is the first of many the SBA will be hosting. Each one will provide students with more skills and knowledge about the sports world to help kick off their careers in the sports industry!