As Spring is coming into full swing and the school year is winding down for students, I started to reminisce about when I was a college student trying to get my first job and break into the sports industry. Even though that was only three short years ago, I thought I would share tips with students on how to breakthrough and get the opportunity of your dreams. I think students can differentiate and gain knowledge about the industry through the following pillars: 

Networking
• Networking is the #1 most important thing to getting your first big break and every opportunity after that 
• Networking isn’t only about connecting with someone on LinkedIn, it’s about building an authentic relationship 
• A great place to start for networking is to look at your University’s alumni

Informational Interviews 
• Informational interviews are the world’s best kept secret to learning about sports business
• Ask professionals for 30 minutes of their time to ask them questions about their jobs, the industry, etc. 
• Differentiate yourself by preparing for the interview and asking them relevant and timely questions 
• Follow Up – the key to everything you do is following up, nobody will remember them if you meet them once and email them once, it takes persistence and time to build a relationship
 
Volunteer at Conferences 
• Volunteering at conferences is a great way to not only learn, but to start to meet people in the industry 
• There are great conferences all over the country: SBJ, National Sports Forum, MIT

Athletic Department 
• Get involved in school, during the semester 
• Interning with your athletic department is a great way to get exposure to the industry

Internships
• Intern in sports business and learn about the industry
• Internships are the best place to see what you actually like and don’t like in the industry

Trade Journals 
• Read the trade journals and industry news as much as possible 
• Sports Business Journal, Migala Report, Partnership Activation, Sports Pro Media

If you’re interested in pursuing an internship with Navigate to get experience, please reach out to us at info@navigateresearch.com