Throughout this blog, we have discussed the importance of experience, media, where to apply for jobs and many more subjects. However, we have yet to mention a sector in that many sports communication professionals believe jobs can be found and created.

Networking.

Networking, a skill that many must learn over the course of their schooling age, allows many people to create genuine connections with industry professionals and then in turn positively affect their job prospects into their future careers. Many students may feel apprehensive about reaching out to industry leaders and speaking with them on a multitude of topics. However, those sessions could potentially create a life-changing event that propels your career into a different horizon.

There should be a few tips that I would recommend following when reaching out to someone within the sports communication field. This will be a baseline to follow but will not encompass all the necessary parts needed to network effectively.

1. Set a purpose for contacting a professional.
   1. Prior to reaching out to someone within the sports communication industry, do your research on what their current role encapsulates and what their career path has taken. The more you can relate your potential questions to the current work the professional is working on, the better chance you will receive a response.
2. Ask for a small amount of time.
   1. If you are provided the opportunity to speak with an industry professional, you should be courteous with their time. Many working in the sports industry have very busy schedules and do not have the availability to speak for long durations of time. Be respectful and have conversations between 10-15 minutes in most instances and no more than 30 minutes.
3. You will be ignored by some people, do not get discouraged.
   1. In many instances, you will be ignored by some people when responding to potential networking opportunities. Not every message will lead to a follow-up conversation. It will be standard to have that happen on multiple occasions. The more you reach out, the better chance you will receive of hearing back from a single person.
4. Look for similarities to connect with.
   1. When searching for potential people to network with, one common tactic is to find similarities with the person in the sports communication field as you. Whether it might be growing up in the same town or having gone to the same high school or university, that can carry weight in whether a contact will be willing to reach back out to you or not.
5. Prepare questions you want to ask.
   1. You should always go into a conversation with a list of questions ready prior to your networking meeting. The more prepared you are, the better the impression you could possibly leave on the connection.
6. The more meetings you do, the better networking you will become.
   1. Like any skill, the more you practice networking, the better you will become at doing it. I recommend attempting to network with people closely associated with your experience and background and expanding that background and skillset from there.

While this will not cover the entirety of the skills needed for networking, it can give you a great start in helping you progress your career. Networking has given many the opportunity to front door access to a job or mentoring within sports communication. The same could go for you too.