Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Decision Week
Decision Week:
The Monday after the job fair, I had a total of three job offers with the Pacers, Timberwolves, and Suns with other potential offerings on the way. I decided to sit down and write down all the pros and cons of each team. The pro lists for all the teams were very long and the con lists were very short. I couldn’t make a decision just by my interviews alone. I needed to go out to the teams and see where I would be a great fit just like college shopping all over again.
So with a lot of my dad’s frequent flier miles, I went on a week’s journey to Minnesota, Indiana, and then Phoenix. I explored each city for a few hours, then went to the arenas to check out “my future office”, and then stayed to watch the games. I got a real feel for the fans, the employees, and the office culture. After returning from the long journey, there still wasn’t a clear favorite team. I then did some networking with people who work in the industry and had a little more background information on each team and my needs. This made my decision a lot easier since everyone of them told me that Phoenix would be a great place to start my career.
And that was it; I called up Phoenix with great excitement and told them I’m joining the team. I was ecstatic to not only get a job, but to get my dream job and work in the NBA.
The Monday after the job fair, I had a total of three job offers with the Pacers, Timberwolves, and Suns with other potential offerings on the way. I decided to sit down and write down all the pros and cons of each team. The pro lists for all the teams were very long and the con lists were very short. I couldn’t make a decision just by my interviews alone. I needed to go out to the teams and see where I would be a great fit just like college shopping all over again.
So with a lot of my dad’s frequent flier miles, I went on a week’s journey to Minnesota, Indiana, and then Phoenix. I explored each city for a few hours, then went to the arenas to check out “my future office”, and then stayed to watch the games. I got a real feel for the fans, the employees, and the office culture. After returning from the long journey, there still wasn’t a clear favorite team. I then did some networking with people who work in the industry and had a little more background information on each team and my needs. This made my decision a lot easier since everyone of them told me that Phoenix would be a great place to start my career.
And that was it; I called up Phoenix with great excitement and told them I’m joining the team. I was ecstatic to not only get a job, but to get my dream job and work in the NBA.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Saturday, NBA Job Fair
Saturday March 10, 2007
It’s marathon day and I didn’t sleep too well. I tossed and turned with excitement. “This is the opportunity you have dreamed of, make the best of it” is what I was thinking to myself all morning. After a quick breakfast, I went to the expo center and stayed in the back room and rendezvous-ed with other candidates. My first interview was with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Briefly speaking with Bryant, he was excited to offer me a full time position with the team. I was so excited I can’t event describe the feeling. I now have a job with the NBA! It was a dream come true to work for the team with my favorite player: Kevin Garnett. I spent the next 30 minutes talking about Minneapolis and the surrounding area. 1 interview; 1 job. I could bomb every interview and still be happy. However, I didn’t and more teams became interested. My next interview was with Indiana. After talking to Jake and Ben, I knew that Indiana would be a great fit for me as well. I spent hours with them over the past few days and I got a real feel for their culture and organization. The Nets were next. I met with Todd and the interview was going well. Then, he asked me to role play. He pretended to be a possible customer and I had to sell Nets tickets to him. It was unexpected but a lot of fun as well. It was great to make an impact on the hometown Nets. With a few more interviews under my belt, we broke for lunch. I ate with a gentleman that also was offered a Timberwolves’ job. We talked about the possibilities of moving up there and taking the job.
After lunch, it was back to work with a few more interviews in the afternoon. Cleveland was next. Instead of interviewing in the expo room, they took us upstairs for a more intimate session. I met with Mike, Mike, Bob, and Chad who is the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) of the Cavaliers. I was very surprised to see a CMO take part in the recruiting process, but that just shows that they really mean business and want the best of the best. The organization is amazing and the ownership is pretty impressive too.
My last interview was with the Phoenix Suns. It was an honor to have an interview with them. They were one of the busiest teams at the fair and I think almost everyone wanted to go work for that organization. After speaking with four man team of Nick, Mike, Jeff, and Drew, I knew that Phoenix would be a great fit for my personality and skills. They gave me information on living in Phoenix and said that I would be hearing from them on Monday.
“All done” I thought to myself. However, I was not. I was invited to go to the 25th floor of the hotel by Indiana. Once I got out of the elevator, I walked down a long hall and on the door had a sign “Welcome to Indiana Basketball”. I didn’t know what was happening. The door was open and the view of Lake Michigan was in front of me with the entire team of Kevin, Ben, Jake, and Doug. They sat me down and officially offered me the job at Indiana. I was speechless. I left that room like I was on top of the world. I left the hotel with my chin held high.
This has been the most exciting thing I have ever done. The people I met, the things I did, the understanding of basketball operations, and the city of Chicago. This would not have been possible if not for Experience.com. I just wanted to say thanks to Buffy Filippell and Steve Kessen for all their support all weekend.
Dreams really can come true and with Experience.com and the NBA Job fair, I will be fulfilling my dream….I just don’t know where yet. :)
It’s marathon day and I didn’t sleep too well. I tossed and turned with excitement. “This is the opportunity you have dreamed of, make the best of it” is what I was thinking to myself all morning. After a quick breakfast, I went to the expo center and stayed in the back room and rendezvous-ed with other candidates. My first interview was with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Briefly speaking with Bryant, he was excited to offer me a full time position with the team. I was so excited I can’t event describe the feeling. I now have a job with the NBA! It was a dream come true to work for the team with my favorite player: Kevin Garnett. I spent the next 30 minutes talking about Minneapolis and the surrounding area. 1 interview; 1 job. I could bomb every interview and still be happy. However, I didn’t and more teams became interested. My next interview was with Indiana. After talking to Jake and Ben, I knew that Indiana would be a great fit for me as well. I spent hours with them over the past few days and I got a real feel for their culture and organization. The Nets were next. I met with Todd and the interview was going well. Then, he asked me to role play. He pretended to be a possible customer and I had to sell Nets tickets to him. It was unexpected but a lot of fun as well. It was great to make an impact on the hometown Nets. With a few more interviews under my belt, we broke for lunch. I ate with a gentleman that also was offered a Timberwolves’ job. We talked about the possibilities of moving up there and taking the job.
After lunch, it was back to work with a few more interviews in the afternoon. Cleveland was next. Instead of interviewing in the expo room, they took us upstairs for a more intimate session. I met with Mike, Mike, Bob, and Chad who is the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) of the Cavaliers. I was very surprised to see a CMO take part in the recruiting process, but that just shows that they really mean business and want the best of the best. The organization is amazing and the ownership is pretty impressive too.
My last interview was with the Phoenix Suns. It was an honor to have an interview with them. They were one of the busiest teams at the fair and I think almost everyone wanted to go work for that organization. After speaking with four man team of Nick, Mike, Jeff, and Drew, I knew that Phoenix would be a great fit for my personality and skills. They gave me information on living in Phoenix and said that I would be hearing from them on Monday.
“All done” I thought to myself. However, I was not. I was invited to go to the 25th floor of the hotel by Indiana. Once I got out of the elevator, I walked down a long hall and on the door had a sign “Welcome to Indiana Basketball”. I didn’t know what was happening. The door was open and the view of Lake Michigan was in front of me with the entire team of Kevin, Ben, Jake, and Doug. They sat me down and officially offered me the job at Indiana. I was speechless. I left that room like I was on top of the world. I left the hotel with my chin held high.
This has been the most exciting thing I have ever done. The people I met, the things I did, the understanding of basketball operations, and the city of Chicago. This would not have been possible if not for Experience.com. I just wanted to say thanks to Buffy Filippell and Steve Kessen for all their support all weekend.
Dreams really can come true and with Experience.com and the NBA Job fair, I will be fulfilling my dream….I just don’t know where yet. :)
Friday, NBA Job Fair
Friday, March 9th
Morning! It was an early rise for me in Chi-town. I was up at 7 to get ready for breakfast with my home town New Jersey Nets. I was very excited to get the chance to sit down with the organization and meet them on a more personal level. There were about 20 different candidates from all over. Brett, Todd, and Kim from the Nets were very nice and I got a real great feel for the working environment that I could possibly be entering and the future for the soon to be Brooklyn Nets. The potential here is amazing and I look forward to getting even closer to this team.
After breakfast, we entered the job fair. There were booths all over the place with willing teams to meet their future employees. I quickly hit some of my favorites such as Seattle, Minnesota, Cleveland, Chicago, and so on. I spent hours trying to reveal myself as a genuine person and opened up to a lot of teams. After the very long morning, we broke for lunch. I had the honor to dine with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Bryant, Jane x2, and Ryan from the team were down to earth and answered questions from the 6 candidates that were selected. These candidates were very friendly and I started thinking of them and my future co-workers and got to know them on a personal level. After a great lunch I hit the job fair floor again. I was soon intercepted by NBA TV and they sat me down and interviewed me. It has been a while since I was interviewed to be on television. The last time was back in high school after a basketball game. As soon as I finished, I went to Phoenix. They were one of the more popular teams of the fair as well as the most successful ticket sales teams. I met with a great gentleman named Mike. In the middle of our conversation, I see a microphone pop in front of our faces. The next thing I knew the NBA TV crew followed me over and we were on camera. Mike and I were very surprised but continued our convo like they weren’t there.
After Phoenix, I went back to Indiana to meet with their crew again. I got chatting with a bunch of the guys when I was asked the question, “Do you have plans for the night?” Of course I didn’t; I was in Chicago and I didn’t know many people and the job fair ended at 5. “Come with us to the Big Ten Tournament.” My face dropped. I thought the job fair was bad timing with all the basketball tournaments on TV, but now I got the chance to go see it live with a great organization and try to get to know them a little more. I continued to work the fair when Mike from Phoenix approached me and invited me to a pub to watch the Suns vs Hornets. I had two great options to do tonight, so I asked myself “why not do both?”
5 O’clock came around and I was exhausted! I had about a half an hour to go to my room, relax, change, and meet Indiana. The half hour flew by and I was down in the lobby to find out that we were taking a stretch hummer limo to the game. This could not have gotten any better! We arrived halfway through the Michigan State vs Wisconsin game. During the game, I got to talk a lot with Dionna Smith who was a job fair candidate last year. I asked her a lot of questions about her experience, why she chose the Indiana Pacers, etc. It was nice to get to relate to a person who was in my shoes recently. We watched the end of that game and the beginning of the Illinois vs Indiana University Hoosiers. The games live are much better in person than on television. We left the arena after a lot of fun with tons of information exchanged.
I returned to the hotel around 9:30 and took a taxi over to the Phoenix social. They had a special back room reserved for them with big screen TV, food, and drinks. I meet with amazing people such as Drew, Nick, and Jeff. It was nice to sit down with them and find out about their organization and let them know a little about myself. I spent a good 2 hours there before fatigue really kicked in and I needed to find out who I had interviews with. After grabbing a taxi back, I sprinted downstairs to where the interviews were posted. I quickly started seeing my name all over the board. I had a total of eight interviews for tomorrow. Yes 8! Starting from 8:30 till 3:30 straight, I would be meeting with team representatives of Minnesota, Indiana, New Jersey, Chicago, Portland, Cleveland, Golden State, and Phoenix. With the big day ahead, I decided that I needed a good night’s rest so hit the pillows quick.
Morning! It was an early rise for me in Chi-town. I was up at 7 to get ready for breakfast with my home town New Jersey Nets. I was very excited to get the chance to sit down with the organization and meet them on a more personal level. There were about 20 different candidates from all over. Brett, Todd, and Kim from the Nets were very nice and I got a real great feel for the working environment that I could possibly be entering and the future for the soon to be Brooklyn Nets. The potential here is amazing and I look forward to getting even closer to this team.
After breakfast, we entered the job fair. There were booths all over the place with willing teams to meet their future employees. I quickly hit some of my favorites such as Seattle, Minnesota, Cleveland, Chicago, and so on. I spent hours trying to reveal myself as a genuine person and opened up to a lot of teams. After the very long morning, we broke for lunch. I had the honor to dine with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Bryant, Jane x2, and Ryan from the team were down to earth and answered questions from the 6 candidates that were selected. These candidates were very friendly and I started thinking of them and my future co-workers and got to know them on a personal level. After a great lunch I hit the job fair floor again. I was soon intercepted by NBA TV and they sat me down and interviewed me. It has been a while since I was interviewed to be on television. The last time was back in high school after a basketball game. As soon as I finished, I went to Phoenix. They were one of the more popular teams of the fair as well as the most successful ticket sales teams. I met with a great gentleman named Mike. In the middle of our conversation, I see a microphone pop in front of our faces. The next thing I knew the NBA TV crew followed me over and we were on camera. Mike and I were very surprised but continued our convo like they weren’t there.
After Phoenix, I went back to Indiana to meet with their crew again. I got chatting with a bunch of the guys when I was asked the question, “Do you have plans for the night?” Of course I didn’t; I was in Chicago and I didn’t know many people and the job fair ended at 5. “Come with us to the Big Ten Tournament.” My face dropped. I thought the job fair was bad timing with all the basketball tournaments on TV, but now I got the chance to go see it live with a great organization and try to get to know them a little more. I continued to work the fair when Mike from Phoenix approached me and invited me to a pub to watch the Suns vs Hornets. I had two great options to do tonight, so I asked myself “why not do both?”
5 O’clock came around and I was exhausted! I had about a half an hour to go to my room, relax, change, and meet Indiana. The half hour flew by and I was down in the lobby to find out that we were taking a stretch hummer limo to the game. This could not have gotten any better! We arrived halfway through the Michigan State vs Wisconsin game. During the game, I got to talk a lot with Dionna Smith who was a job fair candidate last year. I asked her a lot of questions about her experience, why she chose the Indiana Pacers, etc. It was nice to get to relate to a person who was in my shoes recently. We watched the end of that game and the beginning of the Illinois vs Indiana University Hoosiers. The games live are much better in person than on television. We left the arena after a lot of fun with tons of information exchanged.
I returned to the hotel around 9:30 and took a taxi over to the Phoenix social. They had a special back room reserved for them with big screen TV, food, and drinks. I meet with amazing people such as Drew, Nick, and Jeff. It was nice to sit down with them and find out about their organization and let them know a little about myself. I spent a good 2 hours there before fatigue really kicked in and I needed to find out who I had interviews with. After grabbing a taxi back, I sprinted downstairs to where the interviews were posted. I quickly started seeing my name all over the board. I had a total of eight interviews for tomorrow. Yes 8! Starting from 8:30 till 3:30 straight, I would be meeting with team representatives of Minnesota, Indiana, New Jersey, Chicago, Portland, Cleveland, Golden State, and Phoenix. With the big day ahead, I decided that I needed a good night’s rest so hit the pillows quick.
Friday, March 9, 2007
NBA,WNBA,D-League Job Fair: Day 1
Hello basketball fans! My name is Brandon Mefford, and I am a senior at Muhlenberg College in Allentown Pennsylvania. I have had the distinct pleasure to attend the highly exclusive NBA/WNBA/D-League Teams Job Fair presented by CareerBuilder.com in Chicago. I have been a college basketball player the past four years, and my passion transcends also to the business side of the sport I love. How did I get this one of a kind opportunity? Experience.com. I received the usual weekly e-mail from Experience and I saw “NBA Job Fair” in the subject. I didn’t think much and set it aside. However, one of my friends forwarded me the same e-mail and thought it was a great opportunity. “What do I have to lose?” I asked myself. I filled out the application and sent in my resume. A week passed and I didn’t hear anything. On Monday, I got the call from Experience saying I was a semi-finalist and interviewed me over the phone. A few days later, they notified me that I was the winner. I was ecstatic. Experience.com has giving me the opportunity of a lifetime. Last year’s job fair had 100 participants and 60 of them received jobs. Was this my lucky break? I think so!
March 8th
Travel day! I was up at 6 a.m. to catch a 10:15 flight out of Newark Airport. Everything was on time and the flight lasted just under 2 and a half hours. I spent most of the flight trying to keep calm so I played a lot of sudoku. After landing at O’Hare Airport, I took a van to the Hilton on Michigan Ave. I was born in Chicago but haven’t been there since. It is an amazing city. The city was clean, friendly, but the weather was just as cold as New Jersey. Once I checked in, I explored the hotel. It was monstrous! I then went to check in, and that’s where I met a lovely lady named Buffy Filippell, President of TeamWorkOnline.com. She was so friendly and kind. We talked for a while about how to succeed at a job fair. We also spoke about her role in the profession.
The orientation was next where all 159 participants gathered, mingled, and listened to some great speeches. I met participants were from all over the country. Many other participants were very similar to me: young, energetic, ex-athletes, and had the same dream as me. The orientation started and we heard from members of the NBA, WNBA, and the D-League. We were then put in front of panelists comprised of ex-job fair participants. They explained what they went through and their best techniques to get attention. After a short break, we attended a social. This was absolutely crazy. All the participants and all the team representatives were gathered in one room with appetizers. This was a very competitive environment. Everyone was meeting with teams that they wanted to work for. People would wait in line to talk to a rep, while others would butt in and make their presence known. I spoke with a bunch or teams such as the New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, and the Indiana Pacers.
After spending 2 hours in the reception hall, I was invited by Ben Milsom of the Indiana Pacers to go out to dinner with their team representatives. Five other students at the job fair and I went to one of Chicago’s finest steak houses, Gibsons. We spent more then two hours talking about how they got to where they were, obstacles they faced, the culture of the team, and the employment opportunities available. It was an amazing dinner with amazing company. I can’t wait to see what the actual job fair tomorrow has in store.
March 8th
Travel day! I was up at 6 a.m. to catch a 10:15 flight out of Newark Airport. Everything was on time and the flight lasted just under 2 and a half hours. I spent most of the flight trying to keep calm so I played a lot of sudoku. After landing at O’Hare Airport, I took a van to the Hilton on Michigan Ave. I was born in Chicago but haven’t been there since. It is an amazing city. The city was clean, friendly, but the weather was just as cold as New Jersey. Once I checked in, I explored the hotel. It was monstrous! I then went to check in, and that’s where I met a lovely lady named Buffy Filippell, President of TeamWorkOnline.com. She was so friendly and kind. We talked for a while about how to succeed at a job fair. We also spoke about her role in the profession.
The orientation was next where all 159 participants gathered, mingled, and listened to some great speeches. I met participants were from all over the country. Many other participants were very similar to me: young, energetic, ex-athletes, and had the same dream as me. The orientation started and we heard from members of the NBA, WNBA, and the D-League. We were then put in front of panelists comprised of ex-job fair participants. They explained what they went through and their best techniques to get attention. After a short break, we attended a social. This was absolutely crazy. All the participants and all the team representatives were gathered in one room with appetizers. This was a very competitive environment. Everyone was meeting with teams that they wanted to work for. People would wait in line to talk to a rep, while others would butt in and make their presence known. I spoke with a bunch or teams such as the New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, and the Indiana Pacers.
After spending 2 hours in the reception hall, I was invited by Ben Milsom of the Indiana Pacers to go out to dinner with their team representatives. Five other students at the job fair and I went to one of Chicago’s finest steak houses, Gibsons. We spent more then two hours talking about how they got to where they were, obstacles they faced, the culture of the team, and the employment opportunities available. It was an amazing dinner with amazing company. I can’t wait to see what the actual job fair tomorrow has in store.
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