Saturday, May 11, 2013

Networking!

We hear it all the time! Network, network, network. Networking gets you the job. It's not what you know, but who you know. On and on. Every time I heard this I fully agreed, but somewhat rolled my eyes at the same time because I had always networked. Thinking back, I think I received every job I've had up to this point because I knew someone or talked to the manager beforehand.
This was no different with this highly competitive Disney internship either. Basically, when I was down there the last time I somehow found this gym through our casting website. Of course I was intrigued, so I stopped by one day. Unfortunately it was near the end of my program so I didn't have as much time to indulge in it as I would've liked, but I got a good feel of what it looked like. And SMALL is the best word to describe it! Crazy because it's Disney and everything is humungo. (Is that even a word?? It should be.) But this is for just cast members and the majority of the cast members either live 45 mins. away or are in the college program like I was-- who had their own gym at their apartment.

I remember calling Kory, one of the two managers, in the very beginning to just tell him I was interested in what they did, see if he could give me a tour, etc. As mentioned before, seeing that it was the last week, I was super busy doing last-minute things and after we phone-tagged a bunch, I just frankly gave up because it was too hard to get into contact in such short notice. I somewhat regretted that later (but obviously not now!!)

So then, it was October and they had another presentation for the Disney College Program that I went to for fun (Although it was my 3rd one) because I had questions, etc. and they said that the fitness intern would be posted around February. I called the gym in FL, Lifeline Fitness, and there was a girl by the name of Andrea on the phone. Long story short, she recognized my Michigan area code and turns out she not only was from Michigan, but she just graduated from Grand Valley with her degree in Exercise Science (mine) and with the exact same emphasis as me!! Seriously, what are the chances of that. Out of anyone in the entire country.. and we are from the state.. let alone same school.. AND same major!? CraZaZaaY.

So Andrea was a HUGE help! She gave me her e-mail and told me what to expect, shared a LOT about their facility, and how they operate. I believe we talked for a good 2 hours on the phone which was so nice of her! She mentioned that they are really interested in certifications like Zumba and Yoga because they don't hire outside contractors and no one on their staff is certified. Light bulb!
For a few years now I've had the thought of being a Zumba instructor in the back of my head. I went up and down with my thoughts. For example, when I went to a really advanced instructor I thought "Oh man I am not up to par! No way!" On the contrary, when I went to a less likeable or less motivating instructor I would think I could do a 2384x better job than them. Disney was the final push for me to finally go out and do it. I finally realized that all instructors are different and I can make it what I want to be.

So what's what I did! I looked up certifications and thankfully my work location helps out with the cost if they can. I was currently mentoring for a "Butts & Guts" class and told my graduate assistant, Lee I was interested in Zumba and there was a certification 2 weeks away. My work has ALWAYS been good to me and even though I mentored for a Butts & Guts class, she asked me which I preferred. I said it was a toss-up, but said probably Zumba. And with her bright insight is how I got my "Zumba + Abs" class that I loved!


Andrea also gave me Kory and the other manager, Laura's e-mail. In a summary, I pretty much bugged the heck out of them via e-mail and on top of that.. I don't think I ever got one response back! Andrea consistently responded to me and said that they were in a busy time of year but are normally good with e-mails. Still never got one. I e-mailed them asking what I could do to further be a better candidate for the fitness internship. I told them I was going to be getting my Zumba certification, as I heard that they were interested in that. I also mentioned that Andrea, their current intern, went through the exact same classwork as I did (which normally is always a positive thing to mention you have been in contact with a previous worker--showing that you're persistent!).

So as you can see, networking does do a lot ! When I got the job he mentioned that he liked that I had been in contact with them, taught classes, already had lots of experience, and had done the program before. He even mentioned he remembered me trying to get in contact with him last year as well.

I'm thankful for these opportunities I was able to have in order to be lined up for this internship...and more importantly- my future career!

No comments:

Post a Comment