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March Madness is in Effect!!! Not just the tourney...
It's March & the job search is in high gear! Given the current job market, you are probably exploring all possible job opportunities, but before you go heading down blind alleys here's a word of caution from The Playbook:
A Cautionary Tale in Sports Marketing:
ARE YOU SPORTS MINDED AND COMPETITIVE??????
Former Athletes Wanted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After Five Marketing Group, Inc.
Building Successful Business People From "Scratch"
Now that you have graduated from college, are you ready for a Professional Career that truly offers the growth and rewards you've always dreamed? After Five Marketing Group, Inc. is now offering positions at the entry level for sales and marketing. We are a fast growing marketing firm that has already expanded.
We are in search of ambitious, energetic individuals with a powerful will to succeed. Our office is expanding rapidly and the beauty is: YOU DON'T NEED PRIOR SALES OR MARKETING EXPERIENCE. Our openings are absolutely ideal for recent graduates looking to get their foot in the door and gain valuable experience, or for those wanting to change careers. We provide Full Training and encourage any candidate with great people skills to apply!
Entry-Level responsibilities include working with our Fortune 500 clients, relationship building and problem solving for existing customers, and new customer acquisitions. Pay based upon performance. Advancement opportunities include traveling, relocation, and management training for the right candidate. A four-year degree is preferred but not necessary.
If you are serious about success, come join the best of the best at After Five Marketing Group, Inc
Requirements
We are looking for career minded individuals that have extraordinary people skills and are competitive in nature. No previous sales and marketing experience is necessary. This is a fully trained position.
 All right this seems legitimate right??? We thought so too!! Let us tell you a little cautionary tale about great marketing opportunities for sports minded individuals.
We were talking earlier this week to an athlete who had recently graduated from college & was early on in his career search. After a few minutes of chatting & building rapport, we asked how his search was going. He shared with us a tale that unfortunately is all too familiar. He had responded to a posting, similar to the one listed above. Being a former athlete & looking to crack into outside sales, this looked like a great opportunity. He arrived for the interview 15 minutes early and was freshly pressed, shoes shined, 3 copies of his resume ready to nail it. After a half-hour of talking, discussing his past & future goals, the interviewer made a suggestion, "Why don't you ride with one of our top reps today?" Being eager to get a job, he complied even though he had an interview lined up with another company that afternoon. There was still one unanswered question here-"What did After Five Marketing do?"
He asked this question point blank to the interviewer (after an hour of searching online for the company he had come up empty handed). He was simply told "Oh it's great you'll see!" Once again hoping to make a good impression he didn't question the answer. He ended up in a sub-compact car with a disgruntled chain-smoking slob headed to a territory two hours away. He asked the same question to the supposed "Top rep"- "What do you do?" a simple question for most to articulate with words- however he was once again met with "You'll just have to see it to believe it".
They arrive at the territory- a residential neighborhood. He's handed an identification badge & told to work the left side of the street knocking on doors to sell coupons. (Seriously, is it that difficult to describe what they do-"we sell coupons" would have probably sufficed.) At this point, he's been through an hour interview, two-hour drive & here he is selling coupons door-to-door. He's a little nervous & not trying to show it as he approaches the first door- he knocks. A man answers the door waving a pistol & letting him know that he & the "Top Rep" had better leave the neighborhood (at this point he's super excited about his career search).
He's finally had enough & tells the "Top Rep" you are taking me back now. "Top Rep" agrees & they make the two-hour drive back.
Now we could end the story here & it would probably be bad enough, but it gets worse. They get a flat tire on the ride back- he gets out of the car to help change the tire (there's a few inches of snow on the ground & more falling) & gets sprayed by a salt truck (he was wearing the only suit to his name & it was now covered in slush/salt). He finally makes it back to his car with 15 minutes to make it to the next interview. I shared with him a similar tale of my experience 7 years ago were I was loaded into a minivan dropped off & ended up wondering through a neighborhood selling DSL Internet.
Now this scenario is an extreme example of what can go wrong in your job search. The wide majority of Sports Marketing companies are completely legit & truly great opportunities. It is just important to understand that in a down economy & tight job market many of these unscrupulous organizations will spring up preying upon those who are beat down by a tough job search & looking for anything. So to help you avoid this situation here are a few quick tips that will keep you from wandering the streets with the infamous "Top Rep":
1: Do they pass the Google test? Simply Google the company name & see what appears. If it is incredibly difficult to find anything about them, that's not a good sign.
2: Their website is 100% flash animation & doesn't tell you what they do. Once again it's not that difficult to articulate what they do so if they don't let you know upfront they are probably trying to lure you in.
3: Their job posting is more of a sales pitch than a screener. If the postings go on & on about what you don't need (no experience, no degree, no shirt, no shoes, no problem). That's a red alert.
4: Say they passed your initial screen & you are in the interview:
If the lobby is filled with people waiting to interview & many of them are in jeans, this is not a good sign. It's a clue to the level of screening the company is performing.
Once again if the interview is more about how much you can make, rapid advancement & just feels too easy, Guess what? It probably is! Anything worth having is worth working for, so if you feel the interview is breezing along & you are not being asked tough question that's another red alert.
5: Don't get in the van! If you are asked on the spot to do a field ride, DON'T! If you need further explanation just re-read the story above.
6: It's not a total loss: so you got tricked & you arrive at the interview only to realize this is not the opportunity described. Just go with it use it as practice treat it like a game situation. Practice your 30-second personal commercial. Practice asking questions & don't squander the opportunity.
7: For actual great opportunities with well-recognized training programs, internships, & fantastic company culture check out the careers posted below. |
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