Philadelphia Force Internship

Around March last year, I started looking for a job for the summer of 2009. After being unsuccessful searching the internet and the postings on Lehigh’s LUCIE system, I went to the spring career fair. Many of the jobs were for majors other than my own, such as sciences and engineering, but I found a few for business majors. I went to talk to a few people at the desks for their jobs and internships, but did not feel too enthusiastic about finding an opportunity, especially because most seemed to be for soon-to-be graduates.

The last company that I visited at the career fair, only because my friend was there as well, was the Philadelphia Force, a professional women’s softball team located one city over in Allentown. I started talking with one employee while my friend was talking to the co-owner. We exchanged contact information and I gave them my résumé, but, for some reason, could not see myself working near Lehigh or for this team.

After a couple of phone conversations with different people, I was offered a broadcast internship. This included trying to sell advertising space for the online broadcasts of the games and operating a small camera during the games. While it was unpaid, I was happy to be able to do something during the summer, since I did not desperately need the money and could take on another job if I had to, based on the short hours of this one.

In the end, I was unsuccessful in finding local business owners who were interested in purchasing advertising space, but I feel like I got valuable experience by walking in cold and trying to make a sale. The in-game experience was fun and taught me more about the behind-the-scenes effort needed to run a team, especially one that struggles to draw in fans and make money. It all started with me being nervous but getting my face in front of prospective employers at a job fair, which is what I have been doing again to try to find a permanent job after graduation. Wish me luck!