College is all about the next new experience, especially when it relates to your education and opportunities. Most Sports Management majors want to land that awesome internship with a professional sports team that deals with baseball, basketball, or soccer. Personally, I wanted to change that and follow a different dream, follow a diverse path and do a tennis related internship. I searched and explored many options until I found 3 different internship possibilities including: WTT aka World Team Tennis, USTA Southern and USTA Middle States. The similarities between all of these internship opportunities are the skills needed to be successful in completing the internship opportunity with tennis. Each internship stated that they would love a candidate who can apply each of these 5 skills in the workplace on a day-to-day basis; and if that is possible, they will be nothing but prosperous.

Communication skills are the most important ability to have for a job and all that that job may entail. In every internship I observed, this was the most important skill an employer was looking for in everyone. USTA Southern made it very relevant as part of their internship opportunity by stating that “candidate must have strong writing and communication skills” on their website under the internship link. Being able to conduct yourself under any type of circumstance and communicate your points clearly to potential clients and co-workers is very important. On a daily basis you will be dealing with sponsors, agents, players and other staff and to promote their self-confidence in what you are presenting you give them the ability to trust what is being said. Every internship I researched listed this as one of the top skills needed to work for them.

Having good communication is only the first step to be able to present your ideas; your writing skills are the next step. The ability to demonstrate your writing skills in a professional and presentable manner is key to impressing your current and future employees. Refraining from using any kind of slang and displaying the vocabulary you have been brought up with is imperative when speaking to these prospective employers and with these two main skills you will go far. Personally, in my opinion, the university especially prepares you for this skill with the intensive writing courses offered and required and many more. Every internship I researched, just like communication, listed this as one of the top skills needed to work for them.

Another top skill that seemed to apply to every internship I found was the ability to be computer literate. Every page said that knowing word processing skills or computer skills, including PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and Outlook, is important. Now, in every business, computers are as much a part of everything in the way the business is run, from organizing payroll to tracking sponsors. Excel spreadsheets are used so frequently throughout the day and knowing how to create one and the logistics of one is a big help. A decade ago, written notes and desk phones were all the rage, but computers and handheld cell phones are the new technological world. It is very important that today’s college graduates have the necessary computer skills to create any document or search for any research that may be needed. Every internship I researched, just like the two before it, listed this as one of the top skills needed to work for them.

Another important skill needed to work for a sports organization or land one of the most coveted internships is the ability to work alongside a team. Most sports jobs/internships interact with other teams, other staff, and staff, and the ability to work alongside each puts you among the elite workforce. To be specific with internships, while you’re working as an intern, you’ll most likely be placed with the other interns to do projects and brainstorm ideas to help staff. Teamwork is not only important in the world of sports, but everywhere, no matter work, friends or school, teamwork is applicable to success. Two of the three internships I researched listed this as one of the top skills needed to work for them.

I believe the ability to multitask is the last major skill a person needs to research in order to be successful in any business environment. Multitasking is vital to multitasking and completing them in a timely manner to meet deadlines. During an internship, your boss may ask you to complete a few different tasks at once and it is your responsibility to take them all on and complete them to the best of your ability. The more tasks you can complete and the more work you produce, the more you’ll look into your boss’s eyes and he may realize that he doesn’t need to “take care of” you and tell you task after task what to do; Take it into your own hands, think ahead, and work hard to produce those tasks. This skill was only listed in one of the internship descriptions, but I personally think if you can’t multitask then you’re a one trick pony and can’t handle the workload that comes with most jobs.

These skills are essential to succeed in any job, especially in the sports industry. If you encompass these skills, they will only do one thing and that is to acquire the internship you want. You may not have been born with these abilities, but as humans we have learned to discover and study ways to obtain these valuable assets and use them to our advantage. Possessing these top 5 skills will see you rise through the organizational levels to a more prestigious place, even if you start your journey as an intern.