MLB Hosts 100+ for SVG Sports Intern Meetup

Last night, more than 100 interns from sports teams, networks, and universities convened at Major League Baseball’s Office of the Commissioner in New York City for SVG’s Sports Intern Meetup. The event, spearheaded by MLB International VP/Executive Producer Russ Gabay, connected interns with leading human-resource executives from MLB, ESPN, NBCUniversal, TeamWork Online, and HBO for an evening of valuable insight and candid advice.

The panel, titled You’re in the Door, Now What?, featured John Quinones, VP of recruitment, MLB; Brian Morton, senior recruiter, ESPN; Brent Sudduth, director, executive search, NBCUniversal; Buffy Filippell, president/founder, TeamWork Online; and Antoinette Miller, talent acquisition associate, HBO.

Quinones, who moderated the panel, kicked off the event with an eye-opening statistic: Harvard Business Review found that, of 2,000 companies surveyed, 95% valued in-person contact over e-mail and phone conversations. Although engaging in social media or sending a well-timed e-mail can play a vital role in the job search, the panelists urged the interns in attendance to get out from behind desktops and smartphones. Building a network is one thing, they emphasized; working it is another.

In addition, the panelists stressed that there is no “black hole” where online résumés are sent. On average, recruiters look at a résumé for approximately 15 seconds and focus on the candidate’s experience; thus, tailoring a résumé to a specific job opportunity is key. And, once in the door for an interview, the candidate should be professional, ask questions, and always send a thank-you note.

Intern coordinators interested in getting involved with future SVG Intern Meetups should contact SVG Senior Editor Brandon Costa at [email protected].