Hello friends! 👋

Welcome to this ✨  free edition ✨  of the SportsGrad Newsletter. Each week we take a deep dive into ‘how to get a job in sport’.

Meet Daniel Rafin, Customer Experience Intern at the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Here’s how he got a position at the NRL👇

What made you want to work in sport?

I have been a sports fanatic for as long as I can remember. I have always played sport, however I was never good enough to play professionally. Despite this, I knew that I wanted to spend my day to day life in sport.

What was the biggest challenge you found trying to get your foot in the door?

Getting the first interview with little experience. I am still a University student, and when paired with the fact many of my formative years were spent in some form of Covid-19 lockdown, I haven’t (until now) had a chance to get my hands dirty with volunteering at major events and community sport. I applied for countless internships and casual positions before I got my first break at the Rabbitohs asking for an interview. For me, the funniest part of the experience was after waiting months for the opportunity to get me in the door, I got two interview offers in the same week!

What have been some of your key work experiences?

• Umpiring community AFL

• Year 10 Work Experience at the SCG

• Assisting around my junior cricket club

• Various customer-facing hospitality jobs

Can you recall a question from your recent job interview that you aced? How did you answer it?

Q: How would this position help you transition into the career path that you desire (Corporate Partnerships)

A: Explaining that I would love to work with key stakeholders to ensure that the organisation brings in adequate revenue to operate, and that Customer Experience can translate into Partnerships as they are both servicing the needs of stakeholders to ensure they are happy - the fan is one of, if not the most important stakeholders in professional sport.

How has networking played a role in your journey?

People I have met through networking definitely helped me to land this role and still help me to this day. Advice I have received from other sports-minded people (shoutout to Simon Osbourne!) helped me confidently walk into the interview and put my best foot forward.

What does a day in your new role look like?

Day-to-day, Customer Experience is the first point of contact between fans and the Rabbitohs. We deal with inbound and outbound communication via telephone and emails. We are also responsible for processing Memberships and ensuring that Members are happy with the service they are receiving from the Rabbitohs. As a Customer Experience intern, I also have the privilege to work game days at Rabbitohs home games which is awesome.

How did being a SportsGrad Member help you break into sport?

Without SportsGrad I wouldn’t have been offered this role. The weekly webinars have helped me build confidence in my skills and have also gifted me the opportunity to build others. The connection with other community members allowed me to gain other perspectives of the sports world, whilst resources such as the template resume showed me the best way to present myself to employers.

What do you love most about working in sport?

From my experiences so far, the best part of working in Customer Experience is assisting passionate supporters in enjoying their experience around the Rabbitohs. These fans are so dedicated to the Rabbitohs and come from all different walks of life but are connected via the Rabbitohs. It’s awesome to be a part of.

What advice would you give to someone else trying to break into sport?

Keep putting in the effort to find your first gig, volunteer at major events and especially grassroots sport, network as much as you can, make the most of the connections you can find in your University degree and societies, and the most important: Join SportsGrad :)

Want to land an awesome job in sport?

The SportsGrad Community makes it 1000x easier to land a dream job.

Join over 550+ Members enjoying...​

🤝  Sports Industry Network: Grow your network in sport and learn from over 550+ like-minded Members from 50+ organisations in a private Discord group

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💬 Talk to Recruiters: Chat directly to the sports recruiting, get your name out there, and become memorable with companies hiring via Virtual Job Fairs

📚 Premium Resources: Access our library of Masterclasses to learn exactly how others have made it in the sports industry and what companies hire for

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Come along and catch up with the Adelaide sport industry 🍻

If you work in sport, or want to work in sport, join us at The Stag Public House!

📆 15th of June from 6:45pm

Tickets are limited, so grab them ASAP 🔥

Meetups are heading to the UK baby 🇬🇧 🛫

Come and catch up with like-minded people in London!!

📆 30th of June from 6:00pm

If you want to come along (or share it with a mate), register via the link below!

SEE YOU THERE !! 🔥

SportsGrad Member Wins 🏆

This week…

Jaz Murphy landed a position as a Competitions & Engagement Coordinator at Queensland Touch Rugby

Andrew Smith received a Groundskeeping Apprenticeship with Cricket ACT

Daniel Cavallo got promoted from an intern, to a Human Resources Employee Experience Officer at Mojo Sports

SportsGrad Members have landed over 389 jobs in sport.

If you've had a win, share it with us in the #wins channel on Discord!

Member of the Month 🎉

In the SportsGrad Community, there are so many incredible members who go above and beyond for themselves and others, so we wanted a way to say thanks !!

Congrats to Siddharth Patnaik, the first ever Member of the Month! An absolute legend who is always so active in Discord, constantly chatting and elevating others, sharing his wins and goals, and being an all-round gun.

Being MotM, you get a $50 Ticketek voucher, a piece of SportsGrad Merch, LinkedIn / pod / newsletter shoutout, as well as a 1 hour career coaching session with either Reubs or Ryan.

Congrats Sidd !!

P.S. Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways we can help you:

1. Grow your network in the sports industry with like-minded peers and professionals at our Meetup Events

2. Join over 550+ Members who have landed 380+ roles in sport in the SportsGrad Community and get exclusive jobs, resources, events and discounts.

3. Grow your team with young guns in half the time and at a fraction of the cost. Post a job or let us recruit for you