If you’re a student-assistant or a young professional just starting your journey in an athletic department, it’s easy to feel like you don’t have much to offer the "varsity" team yet. You look at the veterans with 20+ years of experience and think, "What can I possibly contribute?"
Here is a secret from 25 years in the chair: In SID work, the "assist" is just as vital as the goal.
In basketball, a great point guard doesn’t always need to score. They "set the screen" to get a teammate open or deliver the perfect pass that leads to the bucket. In the office, teamwork starts with being the person everyone can count on for the fundamentals.
1. Small-Task Excellence
Before you can write the award-winning season preview, you have to prove you can get the rosters right. Before you manage the social media strategy, you have to show you can handle the "grunt work" of updating a bio or checking a box score for typos.
To the inexperienced pro: There are no small tasks, only small attitudes. When you execute a minor task with 100% accuracy, you aren't just "doing a chore"—you are building trust.
2. "Setting the Screen" for Your Supervisor
A great teammate anticipates where the help is needed. If you see your boss is swamped with a post-game press conference, don’t wait for them to ask you to print the stat sheets. Just do it.
"Setting the screen" means removing obstacles for your teammates so they can succeed. When you make your supervisor’s job easier, you aren't just a "helper"—you are a strategic asset to the department.
3. Reliability is Your Greatest Stat
You might not have the "stats" on your resume yet—no major bowl games or national championships—but the most important stat you can track is your reliability.
Do you show up on time?
Do you stay until the job is done?
Do you follow through on the "boring" details?
Teamwork isn’t always about being the loudest voice in the room; often, it’s about being the most consistent presence in the office.
The Career Builder's Tip:
When you are an inexperienced job seeker, your "teamwork" section on a resume shouldn't just say "Team Player." It should show it. Talk about the time you stepped up to cover a sport that wasn't yours, or how you managed the credential desk so your director could focus on the broadcast. Employers aren't looking for a superstar; they are looking for a teammate who understands the power of the assist.
