What You Should (and Shouldn’t) Do at a Sports Internship

Sports Internships are the gateway to getting your foot in the door in the sports industry, and the more of them you secure, the better your career prospects will be upon graduation. The WorkInSports Podcast host Brian Clapp spoke at a few college classes and got this insightful question from Matthias at the University of Missouri-St. Louis:

"Internships are a big topic on your podcast. From your near decades of experience in executive & management level positions seeing interns come and go through your offices, what are some anecdotes/ qualities of the "best" and "worst" interns who have worked for you, whose mistakes (or triumphs) we can learn from?"

How to Have a Successful Internship

An internship is an opportunity to grow into the professional you want to be while learning what position you want to have. However, regardless of what career path you want to pursue, some universal behaviors will benefit your experience and reputation, and others will harm it.

Do: Show Curiosity

Internships are an extension of your classwork; therefore, you are there to learn. Curiosity will serve you well and demonstrate your enthusiasm for the job if a permanent position opens up while you are there. Take advantage of your time with the people doing the job you are learning to do and ask questions.

Don't: Be a Know-It-All

Regardless of how much you know, you can always learn more. However, coming off like you know everything is not endearing and risks making your peers see you as arrogant and unwilling to grow.

Do: The Tasks You Are Assigned

You are going to wear a lot of hats in sports internships. Being proactive in doing tasks (and finding others) will put you in a good position for a possible referral and allow you to build your skills.

Don't: Act Like a Job is Beneath You

Even if your assigned work isn't glamorous, it must be done to keep the office running smoothly. Acting like you are too good to do something your intern supervisor assigns is a fast way to face an early exit from your opportunity and build a bad reputation when pursuing more sports internships (or jobs) in the future.

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Enjoy the full episode to learn how to have a successful internship and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. Additional content is available on our YouTube channel!