Hosted by our preferred supplier for education La Trobe University, the latest Vicsport Professionals Network (VPN) event had over 60 students listening intently, as a panel of industry professionals gave them the inside scoop on what they need to do to stand out from the hundreds of applicants they will be up against.
Alexis Carydis, National Pathway Coordinator at Netball Australia, kicked off the session with her presentation on the transition from university to work. As a recent graduate, she has recently been in the same shoes as the audience members and spoke of what they need to be prepared to do in order to get a job in sport. Being prepared for rejection, and willing to ask for and take on feedback is a key to improving yourself and being in good a position for future applications. Another key feature of Carydis' presentation was the need to constantly be upskilling. The more you are willing to learn the more valuable you become and the better you will be able to perform.
"Being prepared for rejection, and willing to ask for and take on feedback is a key to improving yourself and being in good a position for future applications". Said Alexis.
"You need to constantly be upskilling. The more you are willing to learn the more valuable you become and the better you will be able to perform within an organisation".
The next presentation came from the Director of Dynamix Sport Projects, Bron Madigan who reinforced the importance of how you present yourself.
"Everyone knows everyone" said Madigan.
"Keeping a record of all the contact details from people you meet. These details are crucial and although you may not use/need them away, they can become extremely valuable down the track if you need to reach out to a group in the future".
Grant Cosgriff, Executive Officer from Triathlon Victoria spoke from an employer's point of view. He hit the students with some home truths, not mincing words when describing how tough it can be looking for a job. His main points being that regardless of where you are, be present in that situation and be engaged. He also provided the audience with his top five tips including; be a team player, be a problem solver, be customer focussed, and be a relationship builder.
Our last presenter was Angelique Lele, Operations Manager, Sportspeople. Working for a recruiting organisation, she has come across the best and worst cases of job applications. On average, a recruiter will spend approximately 6 seconds looking at an application, its needs to be clear, easy to follow and outline why you are the right person for that job. Lele stressed the importance that you can't be too careful when it comes to basic things such as ensuring you punctuation and spelling are correct, because as we heard from Grant, it will get thrown out!
"On average, a recruiter will spend approximately 6 seconds looking at an application, its needs to be clear, easy to follow and outline why you are the right person for that job" said Lele.
"You can't be too careful when it comes to the basics such as ensuring you punctuation and spelling are correct".
The remainder of the event was spent in group workshops with students breaking off into smaller segments and picking the brains of their assigned presenters, learning a few more things to give them the leg up when applying for jobs.
The session concluded with a relaxed networking session, allowing students to put their newly acquired networking skills to the test.
During the final session, a raffle was conducted to decide the winners of the 2016 Asia-Pacific Sports Analytics Conference registration, and a one-on-one consultation with a Sportspeople recruitment specialist. Congratulations to our winners:
- Brock Fordham: Asia-Pacific Sports Analytics Conference
- Nichloas Sluggett: One-on-one consultation with Sportspeople
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