Welcome to the latest e-news from Sportspeople. In this issue we outline:

• Recent Sportspeople Appointments
• Sportspeople Current Vacancies
• Graduates Need Hard Office Skills To Prepare Them For Their First Job
• Fitness Australia renews National Fitness Industry Job Board alliance with Sportspeople
• Refinements at the Sportspeople Jobs Market
• Sportspeople announces Silver Sponsorship - Business of Sport Summit 2014
• Fast Facts from November 2013
• Best Wishes for a relaxing Xmas and a successful 2014
• Latest Learning Advertisements
• Sportspeople Trade Market - Latest Listings

Recent Sportspeople Appointments:

We are pleased to announce the following recent appointments:

• National Events Coordinator - Gymnastics Australia - Kate Grills
• Marketing Manager - Softball Australia - Justin Nelson

Don't forget you can announce your appointments as well as see recent Sportspeople and other industry appointments at the "Who got that job?" page at the Sportspeople website.

Sportspeople Current Vacancies:

The following role is currently available through Sportspeople:

	Finance Manager - Leading State Sporting Organisation - Work closely with the Executive team - Develop Netball NSW’s financial infrastructure - Up to $80,000 pa dependent upon experience and qualifications - Lidcombe (NSW) location Apply by 3 December
	General Manager - Football - State Sporting Organisation - Senior, leadership position - Make a positive impact on the delivery of rugby league competitions, pathways and   associated programs both strategically and operationally throughout NSW - Salary structured to attract high quality candidates - Moore Park, Sydney (NSW) location Apply by 4 December
	Head of Communications & Media - State Sporting Organisation - Senior, leadership position - Ensure one of NSW’s most popular sports is presented both positively and professionally,   epitomizing the distinct NSWRL brand. - Salary structured to attract high quality candidates - Moore Park, Sydney (NSW) location Apply by 4 December
	Manager Events and Competitions - National Sporting Organisation, Olympic & Commonwealth Games Sport! - Play an integral role in the success and outcomes of the National Water Polo League   and age championships - Oversee the Business Operations Unit - Circa $90,000 negotiable - Sydney Olympic Park (NSW) location Apply by 6 December
	Chief Executive - COMING SOON - New Zealand National Sporting Organisation - Olympic & Commonwealth Games Sport - Strategy and change management focus - Full details expected to be released mid-December 2013 - Keep an eye on the Sportspeople Jobs Market for details on how to apply COMING SOON

The following positions have now closed and are progressing through the recruitment cycle:

• National Manager, Coach Development - Triathlon Australia
• National Manager, Technical - Triathlon Australia
• Head of Learning and Development - Carlile Swimming
• General Manager, Commercial and Communications - Netball NSW
• SAL Paralympic Coach - Swimming Australia
• General Manager, Corporate Services - Netball NSW
• Aquatic Programs Coordinator - Sydney Gymnastics & Aquatic Centre - Rooty Hill RSL

You can view all of these roles at the Sportspeople Jobs Market. In addition to roles being recruited by Sportspeople, you'll also find other vacancies in the sport, fitness, aquatics, coaching, venues, events, leisure and lifestyle sector at the Sportspeople Jobs Market.

Graduates Need Hard Office Skills To Prepare Them For Their First Job

Last week I attended, as a representative of the sport sector, the UTS Business School review of its specialist Management programs, including the undergraduate and post-graduate programs. Enhancing employment potential was identified as a key driver in the design and content of all courses, ensuring UTS can continue to develop graduates who can meet the current and future needs of industry.

As I presently sit on a number of similar External Advisory Committees/Panel for tertiary institutions where sport management is offered either at an undergraduate and/or post graduate level, it is always interesting to debate with academics the balance of “academic foundations” versus “practical, employment skills”.

Feedback from employers operating in the sport, fitness and aquatic sectors continually reinforce the need to better prepare graduates for the real challenges they’ll face in their early career.

The operating context of sport, fitness and aquatics is complex. The vast majority of these employers operate as small businesses, with a flat organisation structure and small management teams, often out of necessity due to budget constraints. It is typical in these small organisations for the employed staff to provide services across all the functional areas of the business, rather than being highly specialised. As an organisation becomes larger and possibly more commercialised, specialist staff become more common as does the clearer, functional departments within.

For some employers the engagement of a graduate is often an economic consideration, as they know the entry-level market is highly competitive and graduates come at a cheaper salary than say a more senior or experienced person. Most employers accept they have a responsibility to train and up-skill graduates and that is often the trade off for an entry-level salary.

Mindful the majority of graduates are often placed into generalist roles, those with broad experiences and “hard” office skills are appealing to employers. Skills such as MYOB, QuickBooks or other proprietary accounts software, Outlook, Excel, dB management or CRM systems experiences, professional telephone manner, customer service and so on, present employers with compelling reasons to interview in what is usually a homogenous group in terms of age, experiences and qualifications.

These “hard” office skills are not usually part of an undergraduate program and for most students they are self-taught or gained through a supplementary TAFE course at the student’s expense. Having courses that build these skills integrated within an undergraduate program would, in my opinion at least, certainly enhance the employment prospects of graduates.

Robert McMurtrie
Managing Director - Sportspeople

Fitness Australia renews National Fitness Industry Job Board alliance with Sportspeople

Fitness Australia, the National Health & Fitness Industry Association, has announced it has renewed the National Job Board service for fitness industry job seekers and employers, continuing the alliance established in 2007 with employment specialist Sportspeople.

Chief Executive Officer of Fitness Australia, Lauretta Stace says, “Fitness Australia is aware of the challenges faced by employers as they look for new staff in a tight labour market. Employers and job seekers will always look to their Industry Association for support and so this partnership with a credible provider like Sportspeople makes us confident in setting this service apart from others in the industry.

“Fitness Australia’s stakeholders comprise of both employers and job seekers, so it is natural for us to have a keen interest in continuing to bring the two together in one simple process. We have also negotiated a special discount for Fitness Australia registered businesses when adverting on the Job Board

“We are delighted to extend this relationship with Sportspeople and look forward to continuing to build the Job Board service in the years ahead,” she said.

“Since we launched as a Job Board back in 1999 we have seen all our metrics continue to grow. In simple terms that means more employers advertising more jobs and more job seekers registering with us and searching for jobs than ever before. The fitness sector is a foundation pillar for Sportspeople and we are very proud to continue this alliance with Fitness Australia and its membership.” said Robert McMurtrie, Managing Director of Sportspeople.

For more information on how the Fitness Australia Alliance works click here.

Refinements at the Sportspeople Jobs Market

University students and recent graduates often ask us whether an advertised job is suitable for them to apply or not. As one of the most common phrases found in job advertisements is "minimum 2 years experience in a similar position", graduates are often stuck in a rejection cycle of applying for unsuitable positions. In response to this feedback, we have now included a "Graduate" classification at the Sportspeople Jobs Market.

Employers now have the option of selecting the Graduate classification when listing their position which will then include the text "This position is suitable for recent graduates" in the body of the advertisement.

Job Seekers can now refine their search at the Sportspeople Jobs Market by the Graduate classification. We highly encourage that Registered Job Seekers login and update the classifications and qualifications in the Job Seeker Profile to ensure the most relevant jobs are received in the weekly e-mail alert service.

Other small refinements include:

• The addition of "Operations" in the Administration / Finance / Operations classification.
• Updated terminology of "Apply First Aid" to the Level 2/Senior/Apply First Aid Selection Criteria and Sportspeople Learning Classification.

Many more exciting new features will be available with the launch of our new-look website, due in early 2014.

If you have any requests for additional features at the Sportspeople Jobs Market or any feature at the Sportspeople website, please email admin@sportspeople.com.au and we'll do our best to accommodate you.

Sportspeople announces Silver Sponsorship - Business of Sport Summit 2014

The most significant meeting for Australia’s sports industry, BOSS 2014, returns to Sydney 1-2 April, 2014 with industry leader Sportspeople announced as a Silver Sponsor. 

Growth and innovation are at the heart of the summit’s agenda, with ideas and imperatives for the commercial management of sport, making this event the most important knowledge exchange and networking platform for sports executives in Australia. 

Sportspeople's Managing Director, Robert McMurtrie, said the decision to sponsor BOSS 2014 was simple given the close association Sportspeople has with the majority of the confirmed speakers and guests. 

"One of the greatest endorsements of Sportspeople’s recruitment success is to see the candidates we place making a recognised, positive and long lasting contribution to their employers and more broadly, the industry at large." 

"When we received the BOSS 2014 program we immediately noticed speakers such as Todd Greenberg, Kate Palmer, Raelene Castle, Anthony Everard and others that Sportspeople had placed in either their current or past roles. Additionally, the majority of organisations represented at BOSS 2014 utilise either the Sportspeople Recruitment or Sportspeople Jobs Market services. Our decision to support BOSS 2014 was easy." he said.

An agenda and speaker information is available at www.sportsleaders.com.au. 

Fast Facts from November 2013

Here are some fast facts from Sportspeople's activity in November 2013:

Top Sportspeople Jobs Market Advertisers

• YMCA
• Sydney Gymnastic and Aquatic Centre - Rooty Hill RSL
• Belgravia Leisure
• Glen Eira City Council
• Australian Football League (AFL)
• Fit n Fast

Most viewed Sportspeople Jobs Market advertisements

• Performance Manager - Victorian Institute of Sport
• Football Technology Coordinator - St Kilda Football Club
• Casual Event Staff - Melbourne - VIPeople
• Business Services Executive - Sydney Swans
• National Events Coordinator - Sydney University Sport
• Sport & Operations Manager - 2014 Australian University Games - Australian University Sport
• Learning & Development Coordinator - Fitness Australia
• Manager, Employment and Education - Tasmania - AFL SportsReady
• USA Summer Camp Positions - General Sports & Water-Sport Leaders - Camp Leaders Australia
• Personal Trainer - Personal Best Fitness

Combined salaries of current Sportspeople Recruitment Jobs - $1,220,000

Volunteer / Internship positions listed - 91

New courses, programs and activities listed at Sportspeople Learning - 112

Welcome to the following new advertisers in November 2013

Best Wishes for a relaxing Xmas and a successful 2014

In a sector that too often undervalues the contribution of professional staff, we hope you can find the time to reflect on your achievements in 2013 and spend some time with the people that really count in your life. In keeping with our long-held tradition Sportspeople will not be sending Christmas Cards this year, instead donating the equivalent costs to a charity. In 2013, our chosen charity is the McGrath Foundation which aims to provide greater public awareness of breast cancer amongst younger women and to raise funds to place more breast care nurses throughout the country. For further information please visit www.mcgrathfoundation.com.au.

From all of us at Sportspeople, thank you again for your support throughout the year. We hope 2014 is a great success and look forward to having the opportunity of working with you next year. 

Xmas/New Year holiday closure

Sportspeople Jobs Market - all services open throughout the Xmas/New Year Holiday period. Advertisers will be able to post new roles and/or edit existing positions and job seekers will have normal access to the Sportspeople Jobs Market.

Sportspeople Learning, Sportspeople Trade Market & Sportspeople Forum - all services open throughout the Xmas/New Year Holiday period as normal.

The Sportspeople International Recruitment Centre will be closed from 5.00pm Monday 23 December, 2013 and will re-open Monday 6 January, 2014. Messages can be left on FREECALL Australia 1800 634 388, FREECALL New Zealand 0800 634 388 or +61 2 9555 5000 over this period or via e-mail moderator@sportspeople.com.au.

Latest Learning Advertisements

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There are currently over 600 courses, programs and professional development activities listed at Sportspeople Learning. A selection of the latest advertisers include:

Business of Sport Summit

Various Sport & Recreation qualifications

Various Professional Development Courses

To view all listed courses, programs & activities please visit Sportspeople Learning.

Sportspeople Trade Market - Latest Listings

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The Sportspeople Trade Market - bringing buyers and sellers together, provides list and search options for items for sale, industry services as well as an industry directory. Remember, you can list For Sale items at the Sportspeople Trade Market for FREE! You can now also list items wanted to buy for FREE.

Recent advertisements listed include:

• Kelly Sports Franchise - Templestowe, VIC
• Swimming School Business - Sunshine Coast
• Seniors Fitness Classes - Established Business For Sale - Cronulla, NSW
• BM Sports Franchise - Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne & Sydney
• Fitness Enhancement Franchises - Australia Wide
• 2 x Gymnastics Carpeted Floor Strips - Gold Coast, QLD

To view the For Sale, Services and Directory listings please visit the Sportspeople Trade Market

More Information?

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If you would like to find out more about Sportspeople or any of our services, please contact us by email admin@sportspeople.com.au

Best Regards,

Customer Service Team
Sportspeople Pty Ltd