“Our HR department has a lenghtly orientation process for new sports and recreation staff and hirees, which typically lasts about 6 months,” said Darci Aschbacher, an HR representative
Up until about five years ago, employment in the sports and recreation corporate field was stymied in part by poor industry performance and slow stock value growth. With the dawn of the internet, however, this trend changed, and has generated a hiring boom that many companies have a hard time managing. “Our HR department is by far the largest unit at Embree Weitzner INC,” said VP of Communications Levecke Condray, “and rightly so: with stock par values increasing by the month, we need more and more hirees to satisfy our growing corportate needs.” Further information regarding most sports and recreation jobs is easily found on the internet, especially at mass recruiting sites. Be sure to complete all parts of the online application, since this will allow prospective employers to get a complete feel of who you are and what you can contribute. Some businesses even require sports and recreation job applicants to complete a short essay and aptitude test, in order to weed out anyone who skews their educational background. “This test is not meant to scare off prospective hirees,” said Mahnke Sinnett, “but we want to see how they can apply the skills they have to the real life needs of written communication and critical thinking.” As a result, those with strong liberal arts backgrounds tend to do well and land the highest percentage of entry level jobs throughout the sports and recreation industry as a whole. “With the recent boom in the sports and recreation market, we’re looking to hire 100 new employees in a range of different jobs,” exclaimed Lightner Sivia, HR Director for Pilarski Scherf INC. Typically, job application requirements at Pilarski Scherf INC are stringent: extensive corporate experience, a strong education, and proven communication skills are required to secure even some of the lesser middle management positions. This speaks to the up and coming nature of the sports and recreation industry as a place for highly motivated individuals to stake their careers. After being hired, expect to have a brief but intensive period of probation before you get your foot completely in the door. According to Inocencia Dubbs, a senior manager with Lillian Deserio INC, “We believe this time gives us an opportunity to evaluate new hires and decide if we made the right decision in offering them work. If they don’t pass this temporary evaluation period, we offer the job to anyone on our waiting list.” Generally speaking, weed outs in the sports and recreation field after being successfully hired are low, because job application tests and requirements are very strict. Old fashioned human networking is still one of the most tried and true methods of gaining a top paying job. Says Jacobowitz Rohleder, CEO of Becena Shovlin INC: “It’s important for all our top hires to know individuals within the industry and individuals within our company. This makes marketing and sales work much easier and more efficient. So, if your Uncle Bob at a major sports and recreation firm offers you a job, you’re advised to take it.” Some major universities have alumni related networking programs, where recent grads can find their way into jobs by contacting past graduates of their institution. In general, the sports and recreation sector finds most of its new hires this way. In addition to standard benefits packages, most sports and recreation firms offer stock options to upper management applicants as a way to bulk up their employment offer. Options can be very valuable, and generally provide employees with a great level of motivation to excel and grow the particular sports and recreation business they are involved with. Additionally, a new service, much like the famous college “common application”, is being offered online. A job applicant can reach out to over 100 firms by completing one simple application and short essay. “This new program has really helped our sports and recreation company,” replied Demonte Wessendorf, Human Resources manager, “and it also allows us to see what other firms are offering to new job applicants. This helps get an edge on the competition and strengthens our human capital greatly.”