The obvious and frequently stated fact is that internships (often unpaid) are a necessary bridge to full-time, entry-level employment with a team. This is an ideal avenue for students and recent graduates, but often eliminates job seekers that need to generate an income. A new trend in professional sports is emerging that is providing a solution for these people.

Enter the Part-Time Telesales Representative.

More and more teams have been implementing an in-house phone room, stocked with P/T ticket sellers, to bolster ticket sales and improve customer service in increasingly competitive markets. These are opportunities to gain a solid base of knowledge and experience in all aspects of ticketing, from learning ticketing systems and operations to suggestive selling and customer service techniques. Many teams find the phone room investment more than pays for itself by the increased control they have over delivering their message to customers rather than out-sourcing to a non-local call center.

While the job may not seem glamorous, it has become a key talent pool for Ticket Directors and Managers to hire from. Over the last year, everyone that has posted a P/T Sales position with us, including the Sonics, Nets, Mets, Coyotes, Diamondbacks, Devil Rays, Yankees and Wizards, have expressed that they often hire full-time Account Executives directly out of their phone room ranks. The old adage 'the cream always rises to the top' can be used here. Every year, a team will retain its top sellers by promoting them into a full-time capacity and expanding the employee's role. While this position is not for everyone, this is one other way to break into the highly competitive sports industry.

Over the last few years, WorkInSports.com has become a primary source for Ticketing Departments to introduce and staff their phone rooms. We have posted P/T ticket sales positions for over 20 teams in the four major leagues. Look for more and more teams to foll ow this trend in the future.