August 29, 2008 - Hundreds of people lined up to speak with area sports teams and companies in hopes of landing their dream job in the sports field, as the Washington Mystics hosted its first sports and entertainment career job fair last evening at the Verizon Center.
Vendors on hand included DC Sports and Entertainment Commission, Washington Sports Clubs, DC’s women pro soccer team, the Washington Freedom, and women’s pro football team the DC Divas.
The career fair was very well received and had participation from universities like Delaware State. The university featured a free bus ride to the Nation’s Capital for their students.
“It’s a very good experience", said grad student Thomas Dunn, twenty-three.
"We brought roughly forty students that include the incoming freshman class (2012 graduates) and myself as a 2007 graduate student.”
Some applicants came as far as North Carolina, seeing one applicant drive four hours for the experience in hope of landing her ideal sports job.
Applicants we spoke with ranged in age as young as 18, to older applicants who were looking for a chance at something new.
While many were seeking jobs in customer service, others sought opportunities in sales, sports and entertainment law, marketing, and accounting.
The longest line of patrons were those looking for opportunities with the Washington Wizards organization.
Challenge Okewai, who says he is very versed and holds a degree in Information Design and Corporate Communications from Bentley College in Boston, after being asked if its tiring standing in line, had this to say: “Naturally, but I’m patient, so it’s okay.”
“I know how wonderful of an organization the Wizards are, and just their reputation makes me really interested in the opportunities they have available.”
Other vendors included Southwest Airlines, RedZebra Broadcasting, The Washington Nationals, The Washington Mystics, The Washington Capitols, and the Baltimore Orioles.
Featured colleges at the job fair included Phoenix Online (now offering classes in Sports Management) and George Washington University.
Interesting to note.When we asked how the job fair patrons found out about the career fair, the following answers where given: NBA.com, Craigs List, and Mystics Messenger.
To sign up for the Mystics Messenger visit the Mystics web site at www.washingtonmystics.com.
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