“Real Lessons from a Silly Show” details Aidan Hatton’s takeaways and lessons learned from hosting the podcast “Games & Grub” on Marquette University Radio. Starting an interview series after the COVID-19 outbreak, Aidan shares the valuable wisdom given by so many local and national success stories in their conversations, presented in a more professional, business-oriented context.
Written July 4, 2020
Are you a sports fan, looking to work someday for your favorite team’s organization?
Meet Justin Price, a 2016 Marquette University Business graduate now working for the Milwaukee Bucks, as the team’s Email Marketing Specialist. He was kind enough to join the Games & Grub podcast last fall, and many of his thoughts on business, life, and a Marquette education still ring true for me today.
How his Marquette Business education helps him: “The first thing that sticks out to me is, I took the LEAD courses that are required for every business student. Out of all the classes I did have, that was one that sticks out to me, simply because it taught me the simple business etiquette…things you should do in an interview, things you shouldn’t do in an interview, how you should communicate with employers during interviews, how to just improve your business acumen. So that class sticks out to me as I look back at my time at Marquette.”
Students I know roll their eyes at the “LEAD” (Leadership Education and Development) classes that are required for business students, but Price delivers a testimonial that shows the true influence of the program. The College of Business Administration describes the LEAD program as “designed to help business undergraduates develop self-awareness, career decision-making, job search and professionalism skills in preparation for successful careers.” As simple as the lessons delivered in the classes may be, both Price and myself have taken away multiple bits of knowledge for personal and professional improvement.
Tips for an interview process: “Really take a deep dive on the job description. When you’re crafting your resume and you’re crafting your cover letter, really make sure that you’re tailoring it to the job description and you understand what you’re applying for.
“Also with that, doing your research on the company itself. I’ve done multiple interviews with interns that we were hiring, and one thing that I can say is just really make sure you’re doing your research on the company, especially as it relates to sports. When you’re going into an interview, when someone asks ‘Why do you want the job?’ the canned response is ‘Because I’m a huge sports fan.’ To me, you have to take a deeper dive into that, because if you’re applying to a job in sports, then you probably are a sports fan. Ultimately you want to make it about the role itself versus ‘I just want to be in sports.’”
It is certainly an enticing idea to try to work in sports (myself included!), and Price is definitely not off the mark in saying that the majority of applicants to major sports organizations are most likely sports fans themselves. This interview, however, inspired me to reach for another level of expertise on a company in researching — even for a firm outside of sports.
Tailoring your approach to each job doesn’t mean balancing multiple personalities. On the contrary, I’ve heard one recruiter say that above all else, they want someone in an interview who can simply “have a conversation with me.” Price’s wise advice on adjusting your materials to each job you apply for is certainly applicable to almost anyone looking for a new position, especially in this day and age.
On his employee team with the Bucks: “The culture is great. It’s a really tight-knit team — I’m on a digital team of, I believe there’s about eight of us. We have to be very agile, just because we are a very lean team. You just have to be very flexible, you have to be open to last-minute changes, last-minute ideas, and just have an open mind when you’re going into projects because we are moving so quickly.”
The power of an open mind has been emphasized on our show multiple times by multiple guests, but Price here gives a concrete example of his own work team in downtown Milwaukee and how they embrace the daily ambiguity.
In explaining what can make a pliable mind, Tom Brady writes in his bestseller The TB12 Method: “The equivalent of nonpliable muscles is a brain that’s rigid in its opinions, or that believes what it wants to believe, or that’s unwilling to change, expand, or grow.” Just as much as people work out their bodies to be flexible and ready for anything, we should be doing the same with our minds and mental states.
Even as a Celtics fan, I can take plenty of wisdom from a Bucks supporter and employee; I hope you can as well! Next week, the final guest I will profile is Zachary Strayhorn, affectionately known to Marquette Basketball fans as “DJ Snack Daddy.”
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