The Tampa Rays and Your Job Hunt

The Tampa Rays are in the middle of an unbelievable season. Even die hard fans can tell you that they didn't expect to be leading the East come September. 

Well, the fat lady has not entered Tropicana Field quite yet, and those of you reading this are not pro ball players heading into an advertising heavy and money hungry post-season, the Rays give you some job prospecting hope.

Out With the Old, In With the New

1. Develop your skills over time. The Rays have a great farm system in place, meaning that their new young talent has time to develop and manage their skills in a simulated environment before taking on the million dollar pros in the big leagues. For you, this can mean jumping into an internship, volunteering or joining clubs and organizations. Maybe it's going back to school and pursuing your education. It may also mean taking an entry level job to gain the skills, contacts and learning experience before jumping into a big career change.
2. Competition is healthy. The Rays fought off the Bronx Bombers and are now neck to neck with the Boston Red Sox. Having competition breathing down your back keeps you on your toes and makes sure that your game face is always on. You can't win everyday, but with motivation of competition you can overcome your objectives, work hard and come out as a top revenue producer and excel at customer service. 
3. Play your best down the stretch. When there is great pressure there is usually great reward. As the year, quarter or other economic factors wear you down, you need to finish strong. You will find that looking for a job when all hope is lost, will usually result in a resurgence of new opportunities. It's like turning over that extra rock and finding gold, or grinding out the pain to throw one more fastball past Big Papi and clinching the East. This takes great concentration, but also some faith and the ability to see things before they happen. 
4. Silence your critics. Sometimes your friends and family are your worst critics. Some recruiters can push you to your bad side. The same goes in sports. ESPN, Sports Illustrated and others counted the Rays out before the season started. Now they are in the dug out laughing all the way to the playoffs. When adversity stares you in the face, it is you that has to make the ultimate decision if you will prevail or let your competition beat you out. Believing in yourself and your abilities are the key to keeping those critics quiet or better yet, turning them into fans and believers themselves. 

Down the stretch, never count yourself out. With all the difficulties in your way, it is very easy to lose sight of what you need to do. The Rays take it one day and one game at a time. For you, remember to take it one day and one interview at a time. 

Go Rays and happy hunting Tampa!

-Greg Rollett

Tampa Job Fair is coming September 23rd at Raymond James Stadium