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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.

What I have found  over these three weeks of this subject is that it's proved to me how challenging I find it is to discuss  my strengths and try to sell myself to ultimately a stranger and figuring out the best way to do so. 

It has been significantly valuable to learn critical skills in the Process of applying for your potential future dream career, particularly writing out selection criteria answers of which I had never done before or had to complete in the past. 

Learning of our unique value proposition has been something that I find quite important as it's the first introduction an employer might get if a cover letter does not exist from your resume followed by including even my part-time job experiences and knowledge gained from them. From observing my peers and CVs as well as feedback from them and opinions from family members who are currently in a HR recruitment process, making your CV visually appealing and consolidating your information is where a positive first impression is made to your employer. 

I originally started this subject a month ago having not been as prepared as I feel I am now for this recruitment process for The Internship.  I originally had just my resume written that I would give to potential job applications for various customer service work,  whereas now I feel I am moving quickly towards my professional working career with a formally  written cover letter,  a resume to go with it and Knowledge on how to go about  answering selection criteria impressively. 

I also want to acknowledge the copious amounts of industry knowledge myself and my peers have gained from the number of guest speakers we were lucky enough to hear from over these three weeks.  What I valued most is hearing from them what the key aspects they look for in their ideal candidate and How to nail the interview, especially since they came from The Internship Partners that we could potentially be working with this year. As I know from my time at Subiaco footy club,  there isn't quite as informative and valuable advice as that coming from someone who has already spent years in the sports industry. 

I still remain aware that the best position I can put myself in into making myself a more desirable candidate is to not only highlight my tangible skills I have like also to continue to put myself out there and Gain as much work experience in the industry in any way I can as much as I can before I get  to the stage of applying for jobs possibly next year. 

Like I have mentioned, it is so important to me that whichever internship I apply for, that they are a good fit for me just as much as I am for them. In saying this, I hope to fully enjoy and like my placement and want to show up to the workplace everyday. 

A way I can do this is to feel confident and secure in the work I’m producing and particularly feeling satisfied with the role I’m playing in the placement. Dornsife wrote for The University of Southern California (2023) that when you do feel self-assured in your work, you not only will be able to work to your fullest potential but are also able to sustain a positive mindset (Dornsife, 2023). This is particularly important to hold on to going into the internship knowing that sometimes the boring or less enjoyable tasks have to be completed. 

I found a quote during this month that I have only just now tied into what this process has taught me and I will hold on to for the remainder of this application time. 

References: Dornsife, D. (2023, November 17). How liking your job will help you succeed. USC MAPP Online. https://appliedpsychologydegree.usc.edu/blog/how-liking-your-job-will-help-you-succeed

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Entry 6:

Critical reflection on your experience of and performance in your interview practices and assessment. How have you developed your technique? What do you need to focus on? Use your peer feedback to assist.

I got to complete a peer reviewed mock interview in preparation for assessment three where I got feedback from my peers That I tried to apply to my final assessment interview. 

Of the two mock interviews I completed with my peers both I was asked to introduce myself or give us a summary of myself.  This is where I struggled in both the mock interview and in the assessed interview. I found in both environments what I had planned out in my head did not come out in the way I intended it to be articulated as.  I realised that the nerves got to me and I got overwhelmed with everything I wanted to say being way too much for me to say that I messed up my words and left out plenty of important information in an introduction to  The Employer that doesn't know anything about me. 

My peer run mock interview then included two random questions that I may get prompted to answer in The Internship interview which is where I felt my strength in being a good communicator  came out and I was able to answer well as per my peers feedback.  Not only did I get positive feedback after I got past the first introduction in the interview but I also felt a lot more comfortable in my answers and throughout the rest of this mock interview as I was talking about my experiences and was not going by a script in my head anymore. 

The same can be said with the assessed interview, I could feel my energy and nerves shift after I got past the muddled up sentences from the introduction and I felt more at ease. I realised I was putting too much pressure on myself to say all the right things and in the right way with the intro, whereas when I was prompted to discuss a specific example from my experience in the workplace I felt I could let my past knowledge do the talking. 

The main feedback I received from the assessment 3 interview was based on what I’ve discussed; articulating my intro more concisely and being less repetitive with it. As well as speaking less on emotion, passion and myself as a person and instead make sure to incorporate a lot more relevant information with sport and specific tangible skills I have. Since I was so nervous, I felt I kept rambling about how I love the emotion in sport and how passionate of a person I am that I forgot to explain one of the more important aspects of myself to say, what skills I have and when have I used them. Although I speak on my experience with Subiaco, the feedback I received from the interviewer was to make my responses more thought out in the S T A R structure, using detail in my answers. 

I am happy to know that I have time to practise and consolidate my answers to put myself in the best, most confident position come internship interview day. 

“Interviews screen for more than simple acceptability, often testing for criteria that may include competence, skills, intelligence and personality fit in the organisation,” (Diggory Rycroft, 2011). It’s clear from my assessed interview that being a good and comforting people person is so important to who I am and what I stand for, therefore when I get the chance I want to make sure that the interviewer and any other future potential colleagues that may be present for my interview are the right cultural fit for me. As Diggory Rycroft’s quote states, there are various factors that the employer is screening for and just as well I should be doing the same for the people I could be working alongside everyday. 

References: 

Rycroft, C. Diggory (2011), "How to Win Jobs and Influence Interviewers: A Psychological Exploration of Job Interview Best Practices". CMC Senior Theses. Paper 271.

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Entry 5:

The importance of organisational culture and being a high performing intern and team member.

As I've mentioned in previous entries the team side of any workplace I have ever been a part of is one of if not the most important aspect to me as these people you work alongside can either strengthen and support you or they can bring you discomfort and result in your time In that role to be one That you do not enjoy and do not look forward to being part of. I have been a part of many teams in my various jobs where team dynamic have worked better than others but what I can confidently say is that I have most look forward to going to my shift at work when I know I'm gonna be surrounded by people that make me feel supported,  listened to  and I can have a good time with. 

However in the team there is also an important aspect to keep each other accountable so that we are all performing to our highest abilities both alongside each other and exclusively by ourselves.  At the forefront of this I believe is the management and those higher up then you and your colleagues that often shape what the Organisational culture will be.  These then filter down to how you as an employee performs for said management. I have found in my years that a supportive and encouraging manager or supervisor  significantly influences how the employees would perform and how this compares to  the impact of an overly critical higher up personnel. 

To ultimately enhance job satisfaction, Tsai (2011) writes that there must first be this good interaction I have touched on between the leadership and the employees to contribute greater to the objective and the team collaboration (Tsai, 2011). 

Following on from what Tsai discussed, having more satisfied employees means for a higher employee retention rate which then creates a longer lasting community and bond between employees in the workplace (Zhenjing et al., 2022). This also ends up benefiting the company as well as it reduces the recruiting costs, if any exists.  

I found this diagram that sums up the key areas  why organisational culture is so significant. 

References:

Tsai, Y. (2011). Relationship between Organisational Culture, Leadership Behavior and Job Satisfaction. BMC Health Serv Res 11, 98 https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-11-98

Zhenjing G, Chupradit S, Ku KY, Nassani AA, Haffar M (2022 May 13). Impact of Employees' Workplace Environment on Employees' Performance: A Multi-Mediation Model. Front Public Health.;10:890400. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.890400.

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Entry 4:

Critical analysis of your internship applications relative to best practice using peer feedback.

The three internship Opportunities I chose to apply for for assessment two were Aus Cycling Digital Media and Communications Intern, Melbourne Aces’ Game day video/audio production internship and Motorsport Australia’s media and digital assistant.

I chose these specifically as they appeared the most practical and hands-on in the production space of the organisation.  This way I could articulate My strong  enjoyment I get from this area of the industry And just how much I want to be involved in creating content like pieces that I consume myself. 

The motorsport Australia application seemed to come the easiest to me as I could highlight and discuss how  Formula 1 in particular is my favourite sport to consume at the moment. I also appreciated the fact that in this particular application I could stress how having a passion for this particular sport can often mean that the work I will produce will be of a deeper emotion and passion as well as understanding the right and most engaging story to portray through my content. 

In terms of the role itself advertised, Melbourne Aces position in game day  video and audio  production Was the strongest one that  I got drawn to especially due to the variety of tasks we are completing during my time there. 

Although I have mentioned both sides to this,  when it is time for us to apply for our real internships this year, what I will be focusing on as I look through the list will be heavily on the role and duties in that role Advertised,  rather than the sport  or company I'll be doing it at. My reason for this is because I want to get the very most out of this experience and I see the best way to do this is to grow my skills,  confidence and network so that one day hopefully I'll end up in the sport I want. 

In terms of feedback as my chance to ask my peers during class time was limited,  I asked for feedback from close family members to let me know how my applications read and what can be improved on before my real ones. What the feedback can be narrowed down to is expanding on how my personality,  skill set and  brand can contribute to the already dynamic and creative environment at  whichever company I choose to work in.  Specifically when I'm discussing my passion for Formula One the feedback I was given by my family member was to Explicitly explain how these can enhance what I contribute to the  Motorsport Australia placement. 

As well as using real life examples especially from my placement at Subiaco. They said I should be using relevant examples from times in the placement that maybe the content I produced, both written and digital, received a high-level of engagement  or any other times where the employer that’s reading the application might look more favourably upon me because of. It’s important to not only state the experience or learning lessons you had, but also ‘how did you overcome’ such instances and state them particularly in selection criteria. 

As for the peer feedback I did receive, I have attached the form Ena filed out. She made note of how I needed to format my resume in a more evenly spread manner as well as culling certain unnecessary notes I added in the job experience description. What I hadn’t added as well was any form of my past education and current degree I’m studying. 

What was said to be good in my entire applications, not just my resume, were particularly how I articulated my character in a well-rounded summary especially in the cover letter including being specific to the application I changed around and included different skills and attributes of mine that would connect well with the organisation. I was also praised on how I phrased my lack of skills in certain areas in the selection criteria in a professional manner that masked anything being a weakness of mine and was rather shaped into Something that the employer doesn't need to be worried that I lack having skills in.  

Overall having peer feedback is something I value as I understand how important it is to sometimes get another viewpoint and opinion on your work, especially from someone in the same position as me. Not only does the action of peer feedback create and encourage peer collaboration, but as the Australian Institute of Teaching discusses, it is also a way for those student’s giving the feedback to enhance their capacity to provide judgement as well as a new and relatable point of view (Australian Institute for Teaching, n.d.). It’s a way for students to receive a more objective and detached assessment of their work, knowing the feedback isn’t coming from a teacher with a rubric and guidelines to follow (Biala, 2021). 

References:

Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership. (n.d.). Peer feedback. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/feedback/aitsl-peer-feedback-stratedy.pdf?sfvrsn=372dec3c_2 

Biala, E. (2021, October 13). Why is giving peer feedback important?. Learning Design Theories, Micro-credentials and Online Education - OpenLearning Blog. https://blog.openlearning.com/giving-peer-feedback 

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Entry 3:

The importance of personal marketing, branding and your unique value proposition. What is your brand and what areas do you need to improve?

From my understanding the importance of personal marketing and branding is due to the increased competition there is when applying for a job, as well as giving yourself the very best first impression to a potential employer. Building a personal brand is a way to  distinguish us from the rest and especially with our unique value proposition we are able to establish a built reputation that we've created for ourselves over our years of experience making us more credible to hopefully advance our careers and build our self-confidence (Montoya, 2002, cited in Khedher, 2014). 

Unique value proposition that I wrote for myself is:

As a UVP in applying for a job  is about defining the value an  individual will create for the company they desire to work for (Harvard Business School, n.d.), I see the UVP I created for myself as a perfect summary of who I am and what I hope to be adding value to  in the industry. 

As mentioned in my previous entry there are still areas of what I consider my brand to be at the moment that need improving and also areas that need to be added to my brand to ultimately make myself the best candidate for the internship. 

My brand would definitely include being a strong people person, emotional and passionate about sport and also strongly valuing other sports fans emotions. My brand will also be about bringing  creativity in content I create  which ultimately is to tell a story of any kind. 

Personally marketing myself is something I also find Significantly more important for myself as I look out and compare myself to other peers in my current degree that may have more industry experience and are looking to enter the same role as I am in the industry in years to come after we graduate. Although I've had my experience with the Subiaco football club a few years ago I see it as only being a taste of what's to come rather than the current and relevant experience that my peers are receiving at the moment. I understand and fully realise the time I have to gain further industry experience before I go into my full-time career is of less time than this time last year. However I know that the first hand professional work experience that this internship placement will give me is unparalleled and will be significantly valuable for my future career endeavours. This is obviously an area that needs to improve In my brand as I can't quite yet say that part of my brand is that I come with a wealth of knowledge and experience.

As a step in the right direction to gaining said experience, I have just recently lined up an opportunity to work for a live sport broadcasting business, that live streams local support and would be the best way for me to gain experience in the operation of cameras and other recording equipment. This ideally will not only look better as the brand I'm presenting to the future employer but it will also give myself further self-confidence to complete my job to the best of my ability. 

References:

Harvard Business School. (n.d.). Unique value proposition. Unique Value Proposition - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness - Harvard Business School. https://www.isc.hbs.edu/strategy/creating-a-successful-strategy/Pages/unique-value-proposition.aspx#:~:text=A%20value%20proposition%20defines%20the,value%20proposition%20expands%20the%20market. 

Khedher, M. (2014). Personal Branding Phenomenon. International Journal of Information, Business and Management, 6(2), 29-40. https://login.ezproxy.holmesglen.edu.au/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/personal-branding-phenomenon/docview/1511120777/se-2

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Entry 2:

Your preparedness for an internship: your skills (and skills gap), and the importance of a resume and cover letter with respect to the current status of your own documents.

I believe my skills to be:

Team work: I see myself as a strong team player who prides herself on putting people first, specifically seeing that their needs are acknowledged and everyone knows they have a voice in the workplace. I believe this strong passion I have for teamwork and knowledge of what makes a good team came about from my years of customer service experience and all the varying teams I’ve been a part of that were all made up of different personalities and working styles. I learned what strategies worked well with some colleagues of mine and what I might have to alter in my collaboration with other more challenging individuals. Who you work with, in my opinion, is significant with how you enjoy your time at the workplace and make it a more comfortable atmosphere. 

Adaptability: Throughout my years of customer service experience, I can confidently say that I have grown to be adaptable in many situations. In my  retail roles,  I've had to use my initiative to adapt to busy or peak periods of time on any given working day. I see this as a valuable skill to have going into this Internship as I know that I'll be able to adapt to the entirely new situation, surroundings  and workplace environment.  I feel this also ties into my growing confidence, although I might struggle sometimes with my confidence particularly in a new environment,  I value the experience I've had in my different jobs over the years that have helped only strengthen my existing confidence in myself to complete my role well. 

Good communicator: Another strength of mine I pride myself in, is being a good and effective communicator and similarly to teamwork,  I can do so with an array of personalities and individuals. I see myself as not only a mature and professional communicator verbally but also when it comes to my written work. I believe I can communicate in a professional manner and in a way that is suited to my current task.   

In terms of the skills that I see I lack in my skill set I would have to say my time management is an area I need to improve on especially as I leave my student lifestyle behind by the end of this year and I go into the workforce.  It's such a vital part of a professional workplace,  so I see this year as a time to work on this and hopefully by this time next year I can confidently say I'm more organised and on top of my work and tasks required of me. 

As for the practical skills I'd like to learn, specifically  growing my knowledge and experience with the use of the Adobe suite especially if I want to have my career centred around creating and editing content and in production.  I do already have experience with the software but I'd like to grow confidence in it so that my work reflects the best of my ability. 

I have enjoyed but also struggled at times writing my resume,trying to articulate my skills and ultimately trying to ‘sell myself’ to a potential future employer. The reason for my struggles is because I have had to search deep for parts of my both professional and personal character that I could see would be a benefit to the  workplace that I'm applying for and more specifically the role that is on offer. Half (1994) wrote in a magazine article about how writing a resume is actually a great way to consider your strengths, reflect on your experiences and just how important it is to have a resume as it's how the employer gets an idea of you before they even meet you (Half, 1994). 

Quite similarly, writing my cover letter I found that I was trying to be too overly creative with my writing style And overthinking what I'm writing rather than focusing on putting my words simply and ‘to the point’. What I've learnt is that one of the most important aspects of a cover letter is customising it and personalising it directly to the specific internship partner I'm applying for.  This may seem an obvious aspect but Petcher (1997) backs this up by saying that If a cover letter is more customised it will be more effective to the employer (Petcher, 1997). She also went on to say how if the reader feels more personally addressed to the more likely they are to want to respond and engage with you (Petcher, 1997). 

This is what I’ve nailed my final cover letter down to that is addressed and directed to the Motorsport Australia Digital Media Internship.

References: 

Half. (1994). The importance of your resume. In New Accountant (Vol. 10, Issue 1, p. 12). Real Estate News Corporation.

Pechter. (1997). Don't overlook the importance of cover letters. In Electronic engineering times (Issue 956, p. 120). AspenCore.

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Entry 1:

About Me

I have always been surrounded by sport, growing up with a sports-loving Dad and because of this started my own passion for not only sport but the media side and behind the scenes of the industry.

I find I will sit and watch any sport put in front of me even if it is only for the first time and a sport I have never seen before, I'm willing to and will enjoy broadening my already strong passion for the industry. To name the sports that I consume the most content for would be; AFL, Cricket and my favourite, Formula One.

I've attached a photo of me at the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix from 2023, which I was lucky enough to attend.

After completing my school years I wanted to take a gap year and be fully certain on what my career path will be, so I emailed a few WAFL clubs in Perth and got the opportunity to work with Subiaco Football Club for season 2021. At the Club I spent my time assisting the Marketing and Communications Manager in various weekly tasks. I wrote match previews, recaps and any feature articles week in, week out. I also was lucky enough to record footage on Grand Final day and capture the scenes post game. This entire season was one rooted with valuable experience and great clarification on what I want my future to be.

Here is some of the graphic design work I did for the Club's end of season Award's night and game day scores that were both posted to Subiaco's social channels.

So far, that is the only sport-related industry experience I've obtained and I'm looking to complete more in the future.

So far I see my study performance to be a steady one. I see my worth ethic to be one I'm happy with, but there is always room for improvement. My expectation for myself during this internship is to remain well-disciplined and focused on not only completing the 6-week placement to the best of my ability but to also put my best effort into the other subjects I have to complete on the side.

I hope to come away from the entire experience thoroughly content with my time, to have learnt plenty of industry knowledge and to have grown my network. I like to think that my career in sports media will be in content creation and production work within a club or organisation. I hope that my internship placement will only strengthen my passion to work in this area as well as my skill set to better prepare myself for my career in the future.