Dear Lacey Lee:

Lacey, an incoming senior at the University of South Carolina emailed me the below email:

message: "I am about to be a senior at the University of South Carolina. After graduating, I plan on attending law school. You have my dream job. I want to enter the field of Sport Law. I would love to become a sports agent. How difficult was it for you to break into the field? Do you have any tips for me to get ahead of the game seeing that I still have 4 more years before finding a job? You are such an inspiration to me."

I thought I would share my reply to Lacey on my blog as well.

Lacey, I never felt like it was difficult breaking into the sports business because I expected the challenge. Just stay passionate, stay persistent and be fearless. Embrace every ones advice and only utilize the advice from the people who tell you how difficult it is in a positive way. In other words, listen to what they say were their challenges, learn from them but don't use their challenges as a reason to give up. Much of my book illustrates the tactics you need to execute to find a job, implement those starting right NOW. Lacey, with four years left of school, you have an opportunity to have a job locked up by before you graduate. Start by having an internship each break in school (ie. summer).

Lacey, I hope this helps. Enjoy the journey.

To College Graduates

To those of you who have just or are about to graduate from college, you are like a young man who is trying to get drafted or a college coach who is just about to lock up their first Division III job or a golfer who is playing a Monday qualifier for a spot in a Nationwide Tour event. You have some great credentials, but you haven't really done anything yet.

So what do you need to do now? Prepare and create opportunities for yourself and once you do execute. Prepare by reading, digging and gathering data about the people, companies and industry you are trying to secure a job in. Create opportunities by making a list of 20 people...10 people you know and 10 people you don't know but think you want to be. Meet with all twenty people as quickly as you can (prepare for these meetings or they won't be successful). And, like a young man drafted in the MLB draft, it doesn't matter unless they perform for the team(s) they play for; like a young coach for a D-III school it doesn't matter unless they win games; like a player in a Monday qualifier, getting into the qualifier doesn't really matter to much unless they execute when they play.

The world is in front of you...but it takes hard work to differentiate yourself from the others. Embrace it and go for it.

Whats your elevator speech?

I have always been interested in the way people connect (or don't connect) with other people...particularly in the first few minutes. Recently I jumped into an our elevator leaving the office on a Friday afternoon and one of our interns jumped in as well. Just he and I all the way down from our 19th floor office to the lobby. I said, "hey, how you doing?" He said, "awesome...I am so pumped it is Friday." I asked, "why?" He said, "just ready for chill this weekend." Oops I thought to myself. Not a great thing to say as an intern at a place you are trying to get a job.

Better might have been to say he was doing great, maybe reference something positive he knows that happened in our world at the agency that week and indicate his eagerness to get to work on some things for the following week. And maybe some specific questions about my clients would have shown me that he is "in our world."

People want to be around positive, engaging people who might make you laugh, have the guts to ask questions and the guts to demonstrate that they are aware of your world. And, most certainly, people want to hire people who are eager to work hard, embrace each and every opportunity and moment and are smart enough to know their "elevator speech." What is your elevator speech?

Advice

I always stress to people the importance of asking others for advice...I think you can learn so much by simply asking great questions and listening. I ask our CEO for advice, I ask the people who work for me for advice and, yes, I still ask my parents for advice. So, now I want to ask you for advice as it relates to my website and my blogs.

What are the on-line career based websites and blogs you source to look for jobs?

What are some ideas or tactical questions that you believe people would find beneficial for me to write about in my blogs? The more ideas and thoughts the better as I am looking for over a hundred blog ideas as I expand my editorial calendar for my future blogs.

Please submit your thoughts on the "contact" section of my site and I'll get them directly.

Have a great day!

Chicago

Big Ten...Midwestern people are so wonderful..so grounded...so refreshing. I think our event Thursday night proved beneficial for people. We had a nice crowd of MSU, Ohio State and Northwestern grads. I talked about passion, style, fearlessness, gameplan, execution and more....I think the Mark DeRosa stories helped hit home for Chicago people. I shared the story of how we signed Mark which people found interesting.

I enjoyed lunch with Christie Hefner on Friday. She is a woman to admire...a classy professional brilliant woman. She cares about others...not just at a local but a national and international level...she has and will continue to leave a legacy for woman like me to respect and work to mirror.

Chcago Bound

I am heading to Chicago Thursday to speak to Big Ten alumni Thursday evening (location noted on the events section of my site)....I am excited to be in the windy city. I plan to share a little more beyond my tools in the book and discuss some of the areas I have shared in my Atlanta Journal Constitution columns. Also I am very happy that my Mom, who lives in Lansing Michigan, is driving to Chicago so we can spend a little bit of time together before I head back to Atlanta Friday. See Big Ten peps tomorrow....

A recent email I wanted to share....

This was from a gentleman who attended the alumni event I spoke at in Dallas...nice words about the book and the event I wanted to share for those interested in learning first hand how the thoughts in this book can help you.

Steve Novak wrote....

"Since your visit, I have read your book and applied some of the principles to my own career. First, I have a better understanding of what my dream job is, and the types of roles that provide satisfaction to me. Although my current role and
industry are not exactly my dream job, I have found the elements within it that bring out my passion. Additionally, I’ve begun to create my brand around those elements. It has provided me not only with greater satisfaction in my current role, but also a better understanding of what I am bringing to the table. From this, I have a better understanding of my market value, and am in the process of creating options for myself (both inside the company, and out). For all of that, I cannot THANK YOU enough.


Thanks once again,
Steve Novak
stevenovak19@hotmail.com

Steve, exactly what you shared is why I spent 2.5 years at a coffee shop writing this book for a couple hours a day. Thank you for your kind words and I am hopeful it can continue to be a tool for you throughout your professional career.

Molly