My first NHL job interview: (Finally) competing in the Big Leagues

25th time is the charm, and it finally has rung.

This week I will have a phone interview with an NHL team regarding employment opportunities within their front office and communications team. The organisation is one of the league's most prestigious, in a very international city, and has competed in the Stanley Cup Finals in the past nine years. It also has a very strong Edmonton connection.

Should the phone conversation go well, there probably will be a follow up interview, perhaps by Skype, or maybe in person. Should that go well and an offer is extended, it will be a feeling unlike no other. The team has raised the Stanley Cup in the past; if I receive the opportunity to work with them, it may be my version of lifting the famed trophy over my head, giving it a kiss in the process.

It took an awful lot of grammar corrections and rewritten cover letters and technical challenges to get to this point, but here we are. 

I began writing cover letters and resumes for NHL teams when I was 18 years old. My first ones still included such titles as "Model at Hollister" and "Junior Waitperson at the Old Spaghetti Factory" for positions that asked for great written communicators and people who had good interviewing skills…wait, you're saying that, "What size would you like me to find," and, "Are you finished with that," don't constitute good interview skills?

In the back of my mind, I knew that, at age 18 and with no concrete work experience under my belt, I had no shot at those positions. I figured it would be a good way to practice writing resumes and cover letters, gain familiarity with the process, and be on the radar of hiring and human resources personnel. I also wanted to get into the habit of applying for "out there" positions.

As experience in other organisations was gained (covering hockey for various websites, attending the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, working in university athletics), I continued applying with vigour, but to no avail (I was averaging four to five applications per year). Competing with hundreds of others with the same goals and motivation levels means you're often scratching your head, thinking, "I thought my experience and credentials were good enough!" You're left sometimes questioning everything about your credentials, and recharting your path on the fly.

I'm not sure what forced a team's hand into giving me a shot, but it has  happened. I applied for this position about three weeks after I arrived back in Canada, submitting the application and not really thinking about it afterwards.

I think it was the combination of sports media work, non-sports experience (Paris and Montreal positions that were in professional communications and journalism, but not related to sports), and a radically altered cover letter and resume compared to ones I had previously sent out.

With the help of a cousin who hires 14 people for every 500 resumes he receives, I learned how to make my credentials stand out and eliminate any superfluous, unnecessary junk that dilutes the value of one's accomplishments. I was advised that resumes and cover letters aren't the places where humility sells. I reworked the phrasing and changed my cover letter to be more direct and progressive.

Fact/grammar checking resumes and cover letters isn't my forte by a long shot. In my mind, I've passed the hardest part; my strengths in the hiring process lie in how I present myself and respond to questions and sell who I am. I also now have a template with which how to successfully apply for future positions, with both NHL/sports media organisations and other entities. ESPN, the NFL, Vice, Time Inc, and others suddenly are within shooting distance.

If an NHL team found my credentials appealing, other enterprises should too.

I know it will be an uphill battle. This is my first time interviewing with a pro sports team, a Big Four team nonetheless.  I'm a rookie trying to crack the major league squad. 

That being said, receiving a phone interview is like making the playoffs…all bets are now off. In that way, it's great to be forced to rise to the occasion, something that's happened a few times over the past 18 months. I am quite grateful for those opportunities.

Anything can happen. I'll prepare and research and create a strategy on how I will sell Salim to an organisation that routinely interviews young professionals with similar backgrounds, goals, skills, and motivation levels as me.

I'm looking forward to competing with these young men and women in the future, and have a great deal of respect and admiration for them. I hope to become friends and teammates with them. We'll only make each other better as professionals and as people.

The past 18 months, my mandate has been simple: compete with the best, in the biggest cities, for the most sought after positions.

This process began three years ago, when I was 18 and lacking in life experience and direction. It's taken a huge step forward this year at age 21, with some adventures, hard lessons learned, and lifelong memories created.

I can guarantee you that without Montreal and Paris, I wouldn't be in this position.  

Thank you to everyone who helped get me to this point. An interview with an NHL team is something I will cherish forever, regardless of what happens in the future. An awful lot of awesome people helped in making that happen. 

It's great to finally compete in the NHL.

Thursday Thoughts, Premier Edition

Journalists have Sunday columns, Mondays are generally the busiest days in newsrooms, but Thursday generally gets left out.

I have an odd superstition with the number five, and Thursday happens to be the fifth day of the week. Also, Thursday and Thoughts both start in Th, making it fun to say.

This weekly compilation is just meant to be some random thoughts about life…the topics really will vary from point to point. Some may recount an exciting tale from Paris, while others will deal with society at large. Culture, journalism, living abroad, travel, being a single 21 year old male…these are all things that are, well, Salim. Without further adieu, here they are. Comments and conversation, as always, are encouraged!

• I'm starting to find my groove in Edmonton again, though it took some time. I'm interacting with people, cracking a self-deprecating joke here or there, and am starting to have some fun here. It's like a quarterback learning a new offense…you're adjusting to new language, expectations, and coaching. It all takes time.   

• I had an awful lot of kebabs while in Paris. There is nothing like a good kebab, aside from a great kebab. That's much better than a good kebab. 

• I'm starting to realize that there is nothing wrong with looking back on life and thinking, "Man the summer when I was 31/21/25 years old was ROUGH." For me, I fall into the line of thinking that every minute or every season of my 20's has to be legendary. Not necessarily.  

• I underestimated how hard it would be to adjust back to the Edmonton life. When you're gone for eight months, you get emotionally attached to your new home and life. My friends and students and coworkers and bosses and kebab salespersons were much more than that, they became my family. Imagine waking up and being told that you can't see your brothers or cousins or uncles anymore. That's how I felt with leaving France. I still feel that way, though it is improving. Plus, Facebook makes it easier to stay in touch.  

• Ideally, I would not live in Edmonton until I am 30 years old. I think it's a great city to have a family and career in, but for someone in their 20's, there are many other alternatives. The earning potential in this city is quite high, and there are plenty of facilities. There's not much in terms of culture or richness of life though.   

• Everyone should live abroad for a few months, be it Europe or Asia or Australia or somewhere else. There's very few excuses not to take the leap, especially in your 20s, when programs are designed for that age group. The memories you create are amazing, and the skills you learn will pay off in many ways.

• Statistic I would love to see: percentage of company CEO's and Presidents who were the oldest sibling in their families.

• Is there an appetite for a French weekly or monthly print publication in Edmonton? I hear much more French being spoken in the city than I remember. Something worth investigating.

• Montreal is a very cheap city to rent, my goodness. Last summer, I lived in the McGhill Ghetto, right in front of the prestigious university. Everything (furnished studio, heat, electricity, water, internet) came to $550/month. I may pay that much, or slightly more, if I move back for school. Try finding a room for under $700 in downtown Edmonton. C'est impossible. 

•  Living in cities like Paris and Montreal and New York and London is akin to spending time in the NHL. You're living in the big leagues, international cities that draw people from every walk of life, and can meet folks from 10 different countries on any given train ride. Like anyone who's had a cup of coffee in the NHL will say, when you go back to the minors, your sole objective is to return to that glory.

• The thing I am most proud of about my time in France: my teaching. I came there as a teacher, and left as a teacher. I worked hard, planning lessons and getting to know students. The rewards were more than I ever thought possible. 

• After teaching, I can understand why parents think their children are capable of anything and are the smartest people to have walked the Earth. To a degree, I felt the same way about my students. They're intelligent, well spoken, kind, and I can't wait to see and hear what they accomplish in the future. Keep in touch, mes étudiants! 

• In Canada, people are outgoing and friendly in the streets, but inside cafes and bars, will not really exit their friend-zones. In France, les gens are quiet in the streets and won't acknowledge you really, but inside cafes and bars, they are quite open and outgoing. 

• Journalist, sports marketer, high school teacher…I'm not certain what I fancy myself to be. All I know is that my objective is to get my CV to a point where I will compete, interview for, and earn opportunities in Paris, London, and New York. I believe that I can, at this point. The goal is to build on that. If my goal is to remain in Edmonton and build a CV for this city, it's pretty much impossible for me to then seriously consider living in those cities. By going about it the opposite way, I'll be able to compete in Edmonton, should I fancy living here again. 

• Bob Dylan is an amazing songwriter. "Like a Rolling Stone" is such a beautifully written song. I enjoy the Rolling Stones cover of it much better, but the story in the lyrics is something to behold. "When you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose. You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal."

 

• I feel like in Edmonton, the goal of any Friday/Saturday night out is to either get to a certain point of inebriation, or to go home with someone. I was on Whyte Avenue on Saturday night, and just amazed with the antics people were showing to hook up. Guys, akin to credit card salesmen, propositioning literally every female that walked by. For those wondering, none of their attempts were successful. I ended up talking to some of those lucky ladies afterwards, just curious about how they felt.  

• In France and most of Europe, museums are free to anyone under 26 years old. Something for Canada to consider.

• Entourage is my favourite television series. I love the relationships between the characters, that "larger than life" celebrity style, and seeing the ups and downs of Vinny Chase.

• One of my favourite scenes is when Ari Gold tells Vince he may not be his agent anymore after accepting another position. Vince's response: "I think I'd like us to finish what we started together....but I also think you gotta do what you gotta do."

• Another great scene is a few seasons later, Ari saying that he was proud of E.

• Ari Gold and Jerry MacGuire are my favourite fictional characters, but the world has far too many of them. The power of money is amazing. A sports agent once told me that everyone can be bought and sold. "Show me the money" is more prevalent in North America than in Europe, it seems. It reminds me of Catcher in the Rye and Holden Caufield, saying his brother DB "prostituted himself by going to Hollywood." Mr. Deck, a great English teacher I had at Jasper Place High School in Edmonton, had us read the book in English 30.

• Speaking of money, unpaid internships...what's the deal with that? Students, many of whom already have student loan debt, working for free. Not to mention that they often pay a fee to their university for the right to partake in these internships. Europe regulates their internships; France has government mandated policies where if an internship exceeds six weeks, there must be some sort of compensation (it's not an hourly rate, just a set dollar amount of 450 Euro per month for a full time intern). And that applies to foreign students too, not just French interns. Canadian politicians, let's start regulating this practice please. Global Television, Rogers and Bell Media are corporations that generate significant profit. $500 for every intern working in excess of six weeks seems like a reasonable figure.

• The Federal Work Experience Program is a great opportunity for students. Submit your resume to the Canadian government around October, and it'll be available for federal agencies throughout the country. They access your resume, and get in touch to discuss further opportunities. 

• Currently on my mind: roommates or live alone? I'm leaning towards the roommates, since living by myself became lonesome at times in France. Anyone have suggestions or roommate horror/dream stories?       

•  It's interesting to think of What If's…What if I hadn't decided to move to Montreal and Paris, or had just done Montreal? I would be entering my fifth year at MacEwan University, and probably just coming into that, "I gotta get outta here" phase. In a lot of ways, life would be much less complicated if I hadn't pursued those ventures. At the same time, there was loads of frustration that would likely have resulted in less friends, maybe lower grades, and a less enriching and fun experience. 

• The opportunity cost for me, should I decide to move to Montreal for school would be ~$75 000. A lot of money, until you consider that the average person earns ~$2 million in their lifetime. $75k of that is less than 0.05%. If that means increased opportunities and more overall happiness, it's more than worth it.

•  It's amazing to think about living your whole life and growing up in Europe. The whole "Europe is more expensive" narrative is overblown. Edmonton is more pricey to rent in than Paris. Meanwhile, my friends overseas could choose from thirty countries to visit on any given weekend, all the while not breaking the bank. Flying from Edmonton to Vancouver is $500 (350 Euro). You could travel to several countries, flights and accommodation included, with that. 

• Talking to many ladies (friends, coworkers, baristas, barwomen, bankers)…it's fair to say that most females do NOT like beards?

• If I were asked where I think I'll be at age 45, I'd respond with, "Probably a stable, 9-5 job in one city, something that 21 year old Salim would cringe at." I have a strange feeling that I'll be teaching high school or university at that point. Maybe a wife. Maybe a kid. Maybe two kids. Maybe a dog. Maybe a house in Nantucket.

• The picture on the right is one of my favourites. It was the last one of my Paris family all together, on the night before I hopped on a plane to Iceland. Look at those smiles. 

• It'll be interesting how these next two-three years unfold. I'm thinking that creating something on my own (some sort of youth career and education advisory service or a sports communications consulting firm) could be a possibility.

C'est tout, mes amis. I'm thinking my next article will be about universities and insight into how I decided where to complete my studies.

Leave it all out there, and à bientôt!