Read on Twitter
Figure it might be helpful to elaborate on this...
DO: Get in touch with people who have jobs you're interested in. Not everyone will respond to you, but most sports analytics folks know what it's like to be in your shoes and are happy to pay it forward, as someone did for them. https://twitter.com/LewsOnFirst/status/1281767531137703936
DO: Get in touch with people who have jobs you're interested in. Not everyone will respond to you, but most sports analytics folks know what it's like to be in your shoes and are happy to pay it forward, as someone did for them. https://twitter.com/LewsOnFirst/status/1281767531137703936
DON'T: Send emails or messages indiscriminately. The best way to not get a response is to make it obvious that you're just copy/pasting an impersonal form letter. Make sure that what they do relates to what you're interested in or they won't be able to help you.
DO: Know what you want to do within sports. It's great that you're passionate and flexible enough to be open-minded! But I can't give you any helpful advice if you don't have any specific skills or interests beyond loving sports.
DON'T: Tell me you want to be a GM. There's nothing wrong with having the dream, but it's a strange thing to say when you're first talking to someone who is several levels below that. Not to mention that I'm not qualified to tell you how to get to that point.
DO: If you've already started building up your skills or portfolio, tell me a little bit about it! What projects have you worked on? What challenges have you faced? How do they relate to the person you're talking to? Then I can give you advice on where to go next.
DON'T: Misrepresent your motivation for wanting to reach out. If you say you want to learn more about working in sports for your personal growth, don't then reveal you want to write about it for your blog. If you say it's a class project, don't treat it like it's a job interview.
That said...
DO: Ask if there are any opportunities available. Maybe some people don't like this, but it doesn't bother me. Just don't make the person you're talking to feel like the conversation was a pretense for asking for a job, and be prepared to take no for an answer.
DO: Ask if there are any opportunities available. Maybe some people don't like this, but it doesn't bother me. Just don't make the person you're talking to feel like the conversation was a pretense for asking for a job, and be prepared to take no for an answer.
And finally (I think)...
DON'T: Ask me if we're signing Bryce Harper. If you're presenting yourself as an aspiring professional, one of the quickest ways to undermine that is to switch gears like that. Even as a joke; assume I don't know you well enough to know you're kidding.
DON'T: Ask me if we're signing Bryce Harper. If you're presenting yourself as an aspiring professional, one of the quickest ways to undermine that is to switch gears like that. Even as a joke; assume I don't know you well enough to know you're kidding.
If anyone else in the industry has other things to add, please chime in!
Off the top of my head some other great resources for advice are: @JasonBernard_ @JulPrusac @nickwan @BigBayesianGuy @mike_petriello @schwartzstops @RealSamSchultz @Bbl_Astrophyscs @tangotiger
(plus countless others who won't fit here and/or are less-active on social media)
(plus countless others who won't fit here and/or are less-active on social media)
