Summary: It's one of the most common questions for anyone who has a job in sports... what is it really like? There is no <a title="Find a job at Work in Sports" href="http://workinsports.com/">denying how great it is,</a> but at the same time there is incredible pressure and urgency, so the image some people have of watching sports all day with your feet up, is far from truth.<br> <br> Sometimes people think, 'jobs in sports =casual work atmosphere', akin to a sports bar, but as WorkinSports.com Director of Content Brian Clapp explains, sports is big business and if you don't make the right first impression you'll have big problems.<br> working in sports first impression<br> <br> <br> wistiaEmbed = Wistia.embed("ytp48njhwe");<br> <br> <br> <br> <a title="Sign up for FREE Sports Job Alerts" href="http://www.workinsports.com/wisQuickSearch.asp">Click here to register for FREE job alerts customized to your personal criteria</a><br> Video Transcript of "The Work Environment for Jobs in Sports"<br> Brian Clapp, Director of Content, WorkinSports.com:<br> <br> People ask me all the time ‘what is it really like to have a job in sports’ - what I tell them is that it’s wonderfully brutal.<br> <br> <br> <br> It’s wonderful because you are doing something you love, you’re covering a team, you’re rubbing elbows with athletes, you’re going to events, you’re doing things you feel passionate about and you’re bringing that passion to the workplace.<br> <br> But a job in sports can also be brutal because it can be political, filled with judgmental people, extremely competitive with long hours. And I recognize that other jobs can be like that, but just think of the nature of sports, it’s competitive and so is having a job in sports.<br> <br> What’s really important to take away from that is making the right impression your first week on the job, which will make the work environment a better place for you.<br> <br> Here’s what I mean – I remember when I worked at CNN/Sports Illustrated, we hired this new employee I believe from UC-Berkley, great school incredible resume, shows up the first day of work… in jean shorts.<br> <br> There is never a good reason to wear jean shorts, especially to work.<br> <br> He got labeled at ‘jorts guy’ the rest of his career, it didn’t matter what he accomplished, he was always looked at as the guy who showed up in jean shorts.<br> <br> I know people that showed up in ties when it’s not really a tie envirnment, and they got labeled.<br> <br> I know people who acted like a know-it-all and they got labeled.<br> <br> I know interns who kind of slacked off and always were looked at as a slack-off intern.<br> <br> The impression you make in your first week on the job is ultra-important – be humble, listen, don’t act like you know anything because chances are you don’t, part of being on the job is being trained, so be open to learning.<br> <br> If you make the right impression in your first week you’re going to love your job in sports, but if you come in and act like someone you shouldn’t you’re always going to be labeled and your work environment isn’t going to be what it could.
