Important Takeaways from Chicago Bulls x BMO Women In Sports Panel Event

In celebration of Women's History Month, the Chicago Bulls hosted a Women in Sports panel this evening before tonight's tipoff against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The panel was moderated by Sarah Smith, the senior marketing manager at the Bulls.

Presented by BMO Harris Bank, the panel emphasized the importance of networking and gave important advice to college students on how to succeed in their chosen career paths, especially as women in sports.

Here are key takeaways from each panelist:

Anna Platt, Assistant Marketing Manager - corporate sponsorships at BMO

Don't compare yourself to others in your field.

"I think in college you kind of compare yourself to everyone else who's there, especially those in your same major. Not everyone has that same path, it's going to take you in all different directions. As I've mentioned before, I've been with BMO for almost six-and-a-half years and prior to that my first job out of college was a marketing intern for the Chicago Blackhawks. At that time, I thought I wanted to work for a team -- this is what I want to do -- and then my path took me a different way than I ever expected and now here I am. Still working with BMO, working with sports, so that's similar. Not comparing myself to other people and their paths was a big part of growing."

Don't limit yourself to sports teams.

"Somehow an old leader of ours worked for BMO. Just kind of through mutual people, I met her and that's how I found my job with BMO. I learned that there's other ways to be in sports other than working for solely a sports team. Now I lead a handful of our sports sponsorship properties, including the Blackhawks, the White Sox and the Rockford Ice Hogs. So I think it's kind of exploring different organizations and seeing what they have within because there's a lot more out there than just sports teams if you want to be in the world of sports."

Cortney Robinson, Community Relations Manager at the Bulls

Tailor your resumes to specific job descriptions and company mission statements.

"If you go to a company's mission statement on their website and just start to pull in some of those buzz words, you notice throughout their mission or organizational values, you should plug them into a cover page or in your bio section. That is a good way to show you align with the company. If they are using some of those weird sorter machines, or whatever it is, on the job hunting sight, they are able to pull you out of the masses because you automatically match with what they are looking for."

Interviews are also for you to get a sense of whether or not the company is a good fit for you, not just the other way around.

"So it's you trying to get a sense if they're a fit for you. That's always something that takes a little of the anxiety away from me because I'm like, 'It's not on me, they're trying to win me, right?' So I think it's that it's also about coming in with really pointed, targeted questions that not only help you decide that on your part -- but showcase that you're taking it seriously and that you're also holding the organization accountable."

Kim Hoefert, Ticket Executive at the Bulls

Your major is not an end-all be-all.

"When I chose my major I felt like it was indicative to what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Like Alexa and Anna, I was a journalism major and I had this path from the time I was a senior in high school set that this was what I was going to do. Through college classes and people I met, I started getting an interest in specifically sports. I was like, 'Do I need to change my major? This is not my path.' So, my point here is that your major is not an end all be all. What's really important is to just get well-rounded experience."

Cast a wide net when applying for jobs.

"Maybe you start off with a job that you're not as keen or excited about. I don't think any experience is bad experience. For instance, in college I had a couple internships that I thought I would love and I really did not. I don't regret that because it taught me what I didn't want to do and kind of ruled out some other options. Just know you're not alone in this, it's hard times. But I think just individualizing yourself, whether it's sending someone a LinkedIn message. I'm old-school so I'm all for hand-written notes, even as a thank you after networking with someone."

Alexa Javors, Marketing Manager - wealth management at BMO

Don't underestimate the power of networking.

"I had a lot of different people that I networked with and I think I took a nugget of wisdom from each of them to get to where I am. Network as often as possible with different people -- people not in your industry I think is even more important than networking with people in your industry. They can show you things that are outside of your day-to-day or help you explore something that you didn't even know you were interested in. So I think consistency with networking is key."

You don't need to have your dream job to love your job.

"I never thought I'd be in finance but I absolutely love my job. You don't have to love every aspect of it to enjoy what you do. That goes to Kimberly's point, cast your net really wide. Apply for jobs that you think you might not want, because you never know. No experience is going to be a bad experience. I started in a role at BMO that I didn't love and I learned what I didn't love and what I wanted out of a job. So I just networked and got to a place where I wanted to be. Take every opportunity to interview, it's kind of like dating, you get better at it the more you do it."