SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/43432
STMA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INTERNSHIP AT YOUR FACILITY THE VALUE OF IMPLEMENTING AN consider developing one. It is an excellent way to give back to the industry, have fresh, energetic help during a busy season, and legally review the work performance before hiring an employee. Helping students develop their potential through an intern- ship makes the industry stronger. M RECRUIT AN INTERN AT CONFERENCE The STMA Annual Conference in Long Beach in January offers an excellent opportunity to re- cruit staff or hire a summer intern. More than 150 students attend the conference including scholar- ship winners and student challenge competitors. These highly engaged students are interested in learning about internship and employment oppor- tunities in the industry. Start by placing a listing of your opening on the STMA Employment Board. Email it to STMA be- fore the conference, or bring it with you. STMA will have a job board for displaying openings. Stu- dents will also be bringing their résumés to post on the board. If you are not able to attend the confer- ence, STMA will post your opening at the confer- ence. Students also post résumés in STMA's online career center, so if you are not at the conference, you will have an opportunity to see résumés. Provide enough detail in your internship list- ing so that those who apply know the salary range and internship requirements. Consider of- fering housing or a housing allowance, meals, and a bonus structure. These are strong recruit- ing tools. Students also like to know about the learning opportunities they will have by intern- ing at your facility. Be sure you do not view your intern as seasonal help. As the manager of your facility, you know that you have some repetitive and routine tasks that must be accomplished. If you have an intern working for you, be sure to expose him or her to a variety of activities de- signed for the learning experience. The intern- ship must allow the student to build skills and apply them to problem solving situations. This 32 SportsTurf | October 2011 ANY STMA MEMBERS employ summer interns. If you do not have an internship program at your facility, of course includes repetitive tasks, like mowing, but it should also include so much more. Note on the internship listing if you are avail- able during the conference to meet prospective candidates. Offer your cell phone number, or in- formation on how you can be contacted. The STMA host hotels and the Long Beach Conven- tion Center offer many places for you to meet can- didates and start the interviewing process. Even if you choose not to officially begin interviewing, you can judge quite a bit about a person by observ- ing their behavior in an informal setting. SET EXPECTATIONS From your job description, create a well-defined plan of activities and job tasks for the intern. The intern should be put in a position that requires long hours and an "on-call" status so that there is a good understanding that sports turf management is not a typical 40-hour-a-week job. When interns ex- perience true-to-life working conditions, they have fewer surprises early in their careers. Once you have the detailed plan, sit down with your intern and go over the plan. Each intern will possess different capabilities and bring a different level of experience. Find out what the student knows, wishes to learn, and needs to learn. Be sure to include appropriate training and build in expo- sure to management duties, such as attending meetings, interaction with coaches, budgeting, human resource items, etc. Set up a review process after the first few weeks to be certain your expecta- tions and that of your intern are being met. Savvy students are asking employers for the opportunity to learn a wide range of skills so that they will be better prepared to transition from the classroom to the workplace. Courtesy of Raechal Volkening, CSFM, STMA offers the internship handbook she authored on our website, www.STMA.org (Get Involved/Stu- dents). This 246-page book introduces students to the many different aspects of internships, helping them to set their expectations and make the most of their experience. The concepts outlined in the handbook may also be helpful to STMA members who are developing internship programs. ■ Why participate in an internship program? INTERNSHIPS can be vital in helping determine career goals. Most students don't know what they want to do after graduation, and an internship can be an ideal way to remove some of the mys- tery of the "real world." Working as an intern can help you determine if turf management is the proper career path for you. It may even help you decide which area of turfgrass management best matches your personal and career goals. Valuable hands-on experience is an important reason to consider an internship. While your college edu- cation is highly important in becom- ing a productive turf manager, you will need more than just a college degree to be successful. Hands-on experience will help you know how to deal with real world situations and management issues. You will also be exposed to the work sched- ule of the turf industry, which is in dramatic contrast to that of college. People probably tell you regularly that you need to "network." Were do you begin? An internship is a great place to start building a network of professional contacts. This work history can also be showcased in your resume. In order to obtain that dream job after graduation, employers will be look- ing for real world experience in ad- dition to your formal education. A quality internship is a very efficient way to obtain the practical experi- ence employers are looking for. People probably tell you regu- larly that you need to "network." Were do you begin? An internship is a great place to start building a network of professional contacts. For these reasons and many more, you are strongly urged to read this guidebook in its entirety and participate in a minimum of one internship during your college career. ■ www.sportsturfonline.com