Let it fall into place.

It’s totally normal to live in 6 different states, all across the country, in the span of 30 months, right? Well, if you work in the sports industry (or your name is Jill Heuer), it’s an exciting, terrifying, and crazy reality. As many of you know, I recently accepted the position of an Account Manager for Partnership Services for the Charlotte Bobcats. All of the emotions that I’ve so recently felt in my many cross-country moves are beginning to resurface as I look ahead to my next opportunity.  

But my most evident emotion?  Clarity.

It seems like just yesterday that the Corolla and I rolled into Minneapolis, life packed tightly between boxes and bags in the seat behind me. I’d just accepted a position that I knew would progress my career in the exact direction I wanted: from the volleyball/internal side of athletics to the development/external side. Only downside? It had an expiration date. Although I knew my bags would need to be packed again soon, I took the position and knew I'd have to make the most of every opportunity along the way.

One of these opportunities was an immense sports network. Playing host to the Big 4 (NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL), Minneapolis is a sports mecca and an area I knew I could meet many people that could progress my career. Diving in feet first, I started networking interviews with some people at the Timberwolves and Twins. Through these, I narrowed down an area I knew I wanted to pursue: partnership services. It perfectly combines my strengths and interests: maintaining relationships, implementing a strong marketing/business sense, and coordinating internal operations of the department. Essentially, after the Account Executive makes the sponsorship deal, my job is to fulfill the contract, maintain the relationship, and make sure they renew. 

...No pressure, right?

Not only did I discover this area of interest through my networking interviews, I met integral people in the process. Greg, the head of the Partnership Services department with the Timberwolves, was one of these people. I’d been trying to meet with him since February, but with the crazy schedule of the Wolves/Lynx, it just wasn’t possible. Being the persistent person that I am, I kept contacting him in hopes of getting a response. Finally, at the beginning of August, we set a time to grab coffee and chat more about partnership services.

Boom. The ball was set in motion.

After our hour long chat, Greg noted that it wasn’t likely that the Wolves would be hiring but inquired on other positions I’d seen or applied for. Randomly enough, after weeks of not perusing the job boards, I’d hopped online the night before and searched for partnership services positions. I stumbled upon one with the Bobcats and decided to throw my hat in the ring. I told Greg about that position and in another bizarre twist of fate, he mentioned he had a conference call scheduled with them the next morning. One of their staff members used to work for him, so they keep in close contact. He said he’d mention my name to him and note that I was interested in the position.  I ecstatically accepted his offer to tell the Bobcats about my interest and crossed my fingers for a brilliant outcome.

And brilliant it was.

The next day, the Bobcats asked Greg for my resume. The day after that, they called to schedule a phone interview. A few days after that, my first phone interview happened. And a few days after that, I had my second phone interview. And a few days after that, the final interview was scheduled. One week later, the job was offered and I accepted.

As I slowly began processing what just happened, I realized how perfectly aligned every detail of that process had to be in order for me to get this position. So many events had to fall into place:

From boldly deciding to contact Greg for a networking interview

To us meeting in August instead of February as I’d originally planned

To finding that job on the internet the night before

To him already having a scheduled call with the Bobcats the day after we chatted.

As a person who likes to be in control of things, it’s important for me to notice this. While I exerted the effort that I could (contacting Greg, looking for positions online, etc) it was truly just timing that had to play out for the opportunity to arise.

And the rest is history. Or, I guess more like the beginning.

While I’m not overly anxious to leave family and the city I’ve fallen in love with, I know great things await me in Charlotte; a new city, a new job (without an expiration date), a new group of people I can turn into friends, and a new set of opportunities and challenges. And let’s be honest, getting back to the South doesn’t hurt my level of excitement either. We all know I love a good Southern swoop, saying “y’all”, and the area's general lack of miserable weather.

So it’s yet again time to (literally) buckle up and start another crazy ride. 1200 miles separate me from my next opportunity and I couldn’t be more excited to eliminate those miles (and hopefully get MJ to sign my Space Jam CD). Charlotte, here I come!