How to Succeed in an Interview for Your Dream Job

By: Trace Welch, @twelch88

Imagine getting a call telling you that you have been selected to interview for your dream job, a job you think you have no chance of getting but you still applied for because it is everything you have ever wanted in a job in the sporting industry. Now imagine you are sitting next to the reception desk, hands clammy, butterflies in your stomach, when suddenly the door to a conference room opens and the receptionist tells you that you can head on in for your interview, “this is the moment of truth” you think to yourself as you head into the conference room. There are many different ways to succeed in a job interview, but I would like to outline some general principles that will guarantee success in a job interview for your dream job.

The first piece of advice may be obvious, but it is extremely important in order to succeed. This step is to RELAX, although it sounds easy it may be hard once you are in a room full of high level executives who can make a decision that could impact your life for years to come. The reason that it is so important to relax is because if you become nervous than your brain will not function properly as it will be concentrating on relaxing your body, if your brain is not functioning on answering the questions at hand and conversing with the hiring managers then you may not be able to convey what you would like to convey about your skills, passion, and qualifications. Every person is different when it comes to mechanisms to relax but one tip that can be offered is to practice controlled breathing techniques. The body can be forced to relax through the manner in which a person breaths. By practicing breathing techniques an individual could utilize controlled breathing in a job interview and seemed relaxed and comfortable to the hiring managers.

The next piece of advice that I have is to distinguish yourself to the hiring managers. This may seem obvious but it is a common mistake made by those trying to break into the sporting industry. A common claim for applicants is to pronounce their passion for sports or that particular sport. It is important, however to understand that every applicant claims that they are passionate about sports, this is why it is important to claim that you are passionate about the sector that the position is in. For example, instead of saying you are passionate about sports; say you are passionate about marketing, human resources, ticketing, or sales. If you are able to distinguish which particular section of the organization that you are passionate about, then you will automatically be viewed differently by hiring managers as you will be distinguishing yourself from all of the other candidates who are also “passionate about sports.”

The last piece of advice that I would like to cover in this weekly whip-around is to illustrate how you can contribute to that organization. This means showing why you are a better candidate than all of the other candidates, as it is a competition between many individuals for a limited number of positions. This can be done by highlighting what value you can

provide to the organization and its goals, as well as why none of the other applicants can match this value. Sports organizations usually tend to employ a small amount of individuals compared to other industries. Some organizations might actually grant you an interview but may not be set in stone on even adding another employee to the organization, which makes it extremely pertinent to highlight the value that you could contribute to this organization. It is important to illustrate what you can contribute to the organization, as well as how you can improve the organization. This can be done by highlighting your value in sales, marketing, or other traditional sectors of the organization. It is also important to understand new trends in the sporting industry and highlighting how you can help the organization improve by taking advantage of these trends such as social media, customer relationship management, and content marketing to name a few examples.

All individuals trying to break into the sporting industry face the same challenge, a large number of competitors all vying for a limited number of positions. This makes it extremely important to distinguish yourself from others in order to obtain a position, whether it be your dream job or lead to your dream job. Everyone handles job interviews differently, but there are a few constants that should be utilized and practiced regularly in order to succeed in an interview. I have outlined three of these tips and they include relaxing, distinguishing yourself from others, and illustrating how you can contribute to the organization. On the next weekly whip around I will provide my other pieces of advice for succeeding in an interview for your dream job.