SportsTurf

March 2017

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/791889

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 24 of 51

letter and they look and read perfect. The turf industry prides itself on attention to detail so why would a field manager hire someone with a sloppy resume. For example, I had an employer tell me he rejected one of my students for an internship because he had a few spelling mistakes in his resume and they needed someone that paid attention to detail. Then it's time to apply for two to four positions. Positions start to be posted in November. That's the time of year to start looking. If you wait until April, you may have missed out on the ideal internship for you. When you get an interview, take some time to read about how to prepare for an interview. College placement offices may of- fer interview practice sessions for you to gain confidence. Or ask a parent or friend to interview you. Whether you get an interview or not, send a thank you note or email. LAST WORD For sports turf managers, it can be difficult to attract interns to your facility in today's intern market. Evaluate your program and try some of the suggestions I men- tioned. As for students, you should take advantage of all the opportunities that are available by making sure you follow some of the suggestions. That way you can get the most out of your internship experience. Dr. Doug Linde has been a professor of Turf Management at Delaware Valley University, Doylestown, PA since 1996 and specializes in preparing college students for a career in the turf industry. He is the academic and career advisor for all turf students and teaches seven classes related to turf management. Once you have an idea of your goals and desires, it's time to look for some internships that may meet as many of those goals and desires as possible. Search the intern postings on STMA and TurfNet. You have to be a member or know a member of STMA to see their postings. TurfNet is free but doesn't usually have many sports turf intern postings. Other sources include advisors, students, field managers, conferences, and college placement offices. One last way to find some opportuni- ties is to directly contact a facility and ask to speak to the head field manager to see if there are any openings. One of my more assertive students, Emma, lived near the Lehigh Valley Iron Pig's baseball stadium and simply cold-called the field manager. She explained she was studying turf in college and was looking for a summer job. She happened to call at the right time and was hired. Before applying for any internship, make sure you have a resume and cover Sports turf managers pay attention to detail and so should students in their resume. www.stma.org March 2017 | SportsTurf 25

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of SportsTurf - March 2017