tathansbsm308

[tathansbsm308]

Entry 7: Reflection on the subject with respect to your starting point, new learnings and experiences, and how this will assist you from a career development perspective

At the beginning of this subject, I had no real experience with resume writing, cover letters or interview skills that will benefit me in the future hopefully in the media industry. With previous part-time jobs, none of that was relevant and was all informal.

What I have learnt through the teachings and guests that have come to talk about their experiences in class are: communicating effectively in an interview, how to make a great first impression through your resume and what to expect whilst completing the 228 hours of internship. The interview assessment completed this week and the feedback that will come from it will be another chance to focus on what I am doing wrong and polish that up before interviews start. Same goes with the applications assignment, where the feedback given will b used to perfect the documents and give myself the best chance at a potential interview opportunity at the places I prefer. Also created a fully finished LinkedIn profile and started making connections with guests and classmates which helps improve my personal brand.

A subject like this has always been very important for career planning and this positive effect its had on my development has happened elsewhere. In a study done at Widener University, more than 1000 students had found that a particular subject that solely focuses on planning for the future has overall benefitted them in managing and starting their future professional career development. (Laker & Laker, 2004). Developing an understanding on the importance of resume and cover letter writing as well has understanding how to present yourself effectively in interviews are two of many important skills that students learn in many higher education classes to help assist the tough transition to professionalism when many have not had any prior experience. (Watts, 2006). This internship was part of the reasons why I committed to joining this degree at Holmesglen because it offers a hands-on real industry experience that will be valuable for not only my resume but for showing potential future employers that I have experience completing work in the professional industry. It’s also just a fun experience for myself to pursue and act on a huge passion of mine.

Personally feel like this subject has been one of the most impactful of the degree so far because it has led me to become a lot more hireable and prepare me for a more professional environment when I graduate. Below is an image of my completed Resume all done during class time.

References:

Laker, D. R., & Laker, R. (2007). 'The five-year resume: a career planning exercise'. Journal of Management Education, 31(1), pp. 128-141.

Watts, A. G. (2006). 'Career development learning and employability'. York: Higher Education Academy. pp. 5-10.

[tathansbsm308]

Entry 6: Critical reflection on your experience of and performance in your interview practices and assessment.

A study done with 100 students by the University of Derby showed that the most important aspect of a successful interview was a confidence in the planning and preparation stage, where 64 students felt like they were confident of the bat because of sufficient planning, which lead to more interview success. (Walsh & Bull, 2010).

I planned for the assessment by using the worksheet handed out in class, choosing nine questions and doing a mock interview with my brother. For the internship interviews, there will be an emphasis on researching the organisations values and social media pages to gauge a good understanding of what they're about. Also preparing some good questions to ask at the end, which was an issue for me in the assessment that I will expand on.

I developed my technique using practices with my brother, focusing on eye contact, the way I sit and more specifically the projection/tone of my voice which is an issue in general. Getting advice from Kate from Basketball Victoria regarding what questions to ask, how to dress and how to write a good cover letter/resume was fantastic to hear and implement myself. 

Personally, there were things I noticed off the bat with my interview that can be improved on immediately. Namely they were my introduction, talking about myself, asking questions at the end and explaining my unique value proposition. First of all, was introducing myself. Jessica introduced herself to me, but I didn’t do the same back which gives off a bad first impression. When talking about myself, I was stumbling on my words and wasn't as natural as it should have been. I was thinking about the script that I had written to answer that question and not let it flow. Asking questions at the end is another focus for me because of the lack of preparation that showed through during the assessment. I hesitated and only asked the one generic question which I picked up as a mistake right at the time. Lastly, explaining my point of difference in the assessment was only over a sentence and was something I certainly could've expanded on. I will be focusing on making sure I get that down pat to put my best foot forward in the competitive interviews.

References:

Indeed Editorial Team, (18 December, 2020). 'How to Prepare for a Job Interview'. Indeed Australia. https://au.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/how-to-prepare-for-a-job-interview

Walsh, D., & Bull, R. (2010). 'What really is effective in interviews with suspects?'. A study comparing interviewing skills against interviewing outcomes. Legal and criminological psychology, 15(2), pp. 305-321.

[tathansbsm308]

Entry 5: The importance of organisational culture and being a high performing intern and team member

Organisational culture is the cornerstone of a successful business and work environment for both the company and its employees. It's a simple concept where "when workplace culture aligns with your employees, they’re more likely to feel more comfortable, supported, and valued." (Wong, K. 2020). Culture is key for an organisation in attracting potential employees, and for this internship, it certainly goes both ways. As interns, you want to be involved in an environment that is open to learning different skills and experiences, welcoming, and open where you can exchange your knowledge or ideas and participate in the creative process even if you lack the experience of the others around you. (Szczepańska, 2015).

Being a high performing and successful intern is rather simple. Interns are appreciated if they are willing listeners to any new information but are also comfortable asking any questions that could progress their learning. (Reuters, 2017). Professionalism is something that will be picked up throughout this process, and it starts with the application process we will be completing. Then moving on to more formal interviews than what I and others have maybe experienced before, with a dress code and proper discussion about what Ii bring to the organisation. Understanding what a professional environment in the sports media industry looks like will be another big step, learning what is acceptable or not to do in the workplace with the organisation. (Reuters, 2017). It’s also a chance to expand our network and reputation within the industry which is just as important as anything else in sports media. As interns we aren't going to be near the finished product, so for us in the 228 hours, it is important to be open to feedback and accept that mistakes will be made.

As we have learnt from certain guests, it is important to not be scared to express your passion and personality in the internship and that for the work you do that it is quality over quantity or speed. Also learnt to be comfortable with making errors and especially to say yes to every opportunity you are offered because these may not occur again.  

Using teamwork and communication skills that I have gained through almost a decade of team sports and a few years of part-time work will help me get the most out of this important internship opportunity.

References:

Reuters. (17 October, 2017). '10 ways to make the most of your internship'. Thomson Rreuters. https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en/careers/careers-blog/10-ways-to-make-the-most-of-your-internship.html

Szczepańska-Woszczyna, K. (2014, September). 'The importance of organizational culture for innovation in the company'. In Forum scientiae oeconomia, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 27-39.

Wong, K. (7 May, 2020). 'Organizational culture: Definition, importance, and development'. Achievers. https://www.achievers.com/blog/organizational-culture-definition/#:~:text=Organizational%20culture%20affects%20all%20aspects,comfortable%2C%20supported%2C%20and%20valued.

[tathansbsm308]

Entry 3: The importance of personal marketing, branding and your unique value proposition

Personal branding is as important as ever in an era where attentions spans are getting shorter. Making a memorable and solid first impression on some of your written documents is a key way to getting you ahead of the pack. (Heitzman, A. 2022). In a competitive job market, not necessarily with our internships but in the future, a good personal brand can be the difference in you being shortlisted or not. 'It results from what others think and say about you when you’re not in the room or overall your reputation' (Heitzman, A. 2022). Personal branding/marketing is also becoming increasingly important in the digital age. Whether it’s a public social media account, or a completed LinkedIn page.

Unique value proposition or otherwise known as a unique selling point is simply a concise statement used by individuals to prove that they are superior to their competitors relevant to the job they're applying to. My Unique proposition is something I have thought about, and I've come up with my previous industry experience with Bentleigh Greens in 2019 as well as the Holmesglen degree over the last two years where I have completed work-related practice with VAFA clubs in marketing and sponsorship, and journalism work with Springvale Lions baseball club. Specifically with Bentleigh Greens, learning at a young age how to use photoshop to create social media designs as well as conduct post-match interviews and write match reports is a fantastic differential to have compared to others. 

"Certain personal brands like 'experience' and 'professionalism' are associated with competence" (Rangarajan et. al, 2017). It’s also important to represent warmth, kindness, humility and a personality through texts like a cover letter or resume as these are specific traits regarding organisational culture that most employers are looking for. (Rangarajan et. al, 2017). Relating to our internships, a passion for sports and expressing yourself through media is something I will mention at the start of my cover letter and resume, not only because it’s important to add for a potential interview but because these are the best qualities to show off to sport organisations looking for an active intern. 

This week, I learnt what my Unique Value proposition is and am currently preparing for the interview process of these internships. Some of these internship roles will be competitive between us as classmates so this is a good starting point.

References:

Heitzman, A. (19 May, 2022). 'What Is Personal Branding? Here’s Why It’s So Important'. Search Engine Journal. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/what-is-personal-branding-why-important/327367/#close

Rangarajan et. al. (2017). 'Strategic personal branding–—And how it pays off'.  Business Horizons, 60(5), p. 657-666.

[tathansbsm308]

Entry 2: Preparedness for an internship

In terms of preparedness for this upcoming internship, I would say personally I am nowhere near as prepared as I wish I was in regard to my Resume, cover letter and lack of industry experience in the past. Most of the skills I have gained have come through either Part-Time work (in different environments), my history in playing local sport or from assignments/activities completed through these studies. My Resume has not been looked at in over 2 years since I got my current job at Coles since it hasn't been required. It definitely needs a lot more work and has to be perfected in order for me to put my best foot forward. It 'communicates your qualifications and your brand—who you are and what makes you different—to employers and recruiters'. (Rogue CC, 2017). Have to add a personal attributes section, a career objective part, and update all the other sections so it’s no longer outdated. Lastly, I’ll have to make a full LinkedIn profile from scratch for my applications assignment and for the future.

In all different types of roles, the importance of a resume and cover letter to give off a good first impression is vital in order to progress to the interview stage, and using these documents to prepare the reader for what you can potentially to bring to not only the job but also the work culture. (Andrews University, 2019). Formatting is one of the most important keys to a successful and effective resume. Hiring managers don’t take long at all looking at resumes when trying to find the right candidate, and it’s always important being able to sell yourself in the first 'scan' of the document with nice formatting and short sentences that get to the point about who you are and what you can bring to a business. (Resume Help, 2023).

'Candidates’ cover letters are an opportunity for employers to see beyond basic demographic characteristics into how they have made the most of common signals, such as university education, professional education, and the like.' (Thomson & Sternberg, 2022). For our internship applications, being able to talk about previous industry or study experience (like VAFA work done) as well as showing your passion for wanting to pursue that role and wanting to progress further in the industry is a huge positive for the organisations looking for someone.

References:

Andrews University. (2019). 'AU Students Resume and Cover Letter advice'. Andrews University Website. https://www.andrews.edu/services/career_services/au_career_resources/resumes-cover-letter.html#:~:text=It%20is%20the%20first%20document,are%20qualified%20for%20the%20job.

RCC Students. (2017). 'Student Emplyment Services: Building a Resume'. Rogue Community College Website. https://www.roguecc.edu/studentEmployment/resume.asp#:~:text=Your%20resume%20communicates%20your%20qualifications,to%20get%20you%20an%20interview.

ResumeHelp editors. (January, 2023). 'DOES RESUME FORMATTING MATTER?'. ResumeHelp. https://www.resumehelp.com/career-blog/does-formatting-matter#:~:text=A%20good%20format%20highlights%20key,to%20sell%20itself%20right%20away.

Thomson, T.J., & Sternberg, J. (2022). 'Journalism Employability in the Modern Newsroom : Insights From Applicant Resumes and Cover Letters'. Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, 77(2), pp. 157-176. DOI: doi/10.1177/10776958211032856

[tathansbsm308]

Entry 1: About Me Page

My name is Theo Athans, currently studying in the final year of my Bachelor of Sports Media degree. I have always had a huge interest in multiple sports, in particular Soccer, Footy and Tennis however I follow too many sports to count. This interest in sport has come through starting to play Footy and cricket at the age of 9 and continuing all the way through until just recently when I stopped playing more so to focus on studies and part-time work. My dad has always been huge into sport, inspired me to play and has coached me on multiple occasions.

I always knew I wanted to be involved in sports media and straight out of high school, I was accepted into Bachelor of Media and Comms at Swinburne but quickly realised I wanted to do a course that was solely sports related and came across this one through a friend. My career objective is to be involved in journalism in Soccer or Tennis whether that is for a media organisation, a league or a club.

There have been some work-related experienced through the studies here at Holmesglen that have prepared me for the internship and potentially the workplace past that. In groups, we completed a full scale sponsorship package for Waverley Blues Football Netball Club and a Social Media Marketing proposal for Mulgrave Cricket Club. Individually I also did Journalism work such as Media releases, match reports, interviews and a feature article for Springvale Lions Baseball club to improve their club website's content. I have had minimal industry experience, working at Bentleigh Greens for a 3-month period in late 2019 before Covid halted the NPL for a while. This experience was very similar to the Springvale Lions one with the journalistic work, but I also learnt photoshop and design skills from the previous media manager to upload score and man of the match graphics onto the clubs Instagram page.

For my studies, I have managed to pass every subject relatively comfortably without having any standout marks which I can pinpoint as my main issue. My scores for last semester in 2022 are below. Clearly there are big signs of improvement, mainly in the areas of laziness and work ethic. Whether its lack of motivation or procrastinating in my free time, a lot of the assignments done, especially group ones, were done at the last minute. In sports sponsorship our group received a poor final assignment score and Dane made sure to let us know it was unacceptable and rushed. With 2023 being my final year, I am making sure it’s not too late to start working hard now and improve my grades.

In terms of the internship, my aspirations are to join Tennis Victoria or Fox Footy but in general it’s just to gain industry experience in many different aspects of the sports media landscape, which is something I currently lack.