By Chris McKinney: The Sports Career Coach™
A Contact Sport
Landing a job is a contact sport. And making connections is the name of the game. The key, however, is to make sure you contact the right person. The right person is someone who has the power to hire you. From this point forward we’ll call this person the “Hire Authority.”
When contacting the Hire Authority, it’s crucial that you actually connect. Contacting someone and connecting with someone are two completely different things. Connecting is more personal; it’s finding a common bond and establishing some level of trust.
Your pitch should convey that your main interest is you helping them, not the other way around. And don’t get pitch confused with a hard-core sales pitch. No one wants to be sold to. (Think soft pitch, not hard sell.)
“Pitch” More Important Than Resume
Resumes are the most overrated pieces to the job-search puzzle. Do you need one? Yes. Is it important? Somewhat. (For the record, I landed a job with the Dallas Mavericks without a resume.)
The most important thing you need is a strong pitch. Al Reis and Jack Trout, co-authors of the iconic marketing book entitled, Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind, say the right pitch will help you rise above the noise and position you ahead of the competition.
Resumes = noise. Pitch = differentiator.
Harry Beckwith, author of Selling The Invisible (another marketing classic), says “The more you say, the less people hear.” Remember that maxim when you craft your own pitch.
To learn how to craft your own career-launching pitch, just shoot me an email and tell me you want to know the “3 Keys to a Killer Pitch.” I’ll reply back!
Chris McKinney is president and publisher of Sports Career News and runs a blog entitled, The Sports Career Coach™. With nearly 20 years experience including work with the NFL, NBC Sports and the Dallas Mavericks, Chris is totally dedicated to helping college students and career-changers launch sports careers.