(March 29, 2012) Applying for jobs can be a great way to network and find new opportunities, even if you don’t get the original job. That’s how it worked out for Justin Baker, an STAA client. Baker has accepted a Broadcast Assistant position with the Mobile BayBears.
Frustrated by his job search, Baker was ready to take a step back from the job market for a time. Then he received an unexpected e-mail from Joe Davis, broadcaster for the Montgomery Biscuits.
“I met with [Davis] when I applied to the Biscuit’s open position a month or so ago and at the end of the day he thought I was a great talent with a lot of potential but he wanted to see more baseball play-by-play experience. He told me he’d look out for me though, and boy did he,” Baker says.
“He told me Justin Shackil and the BayBears were looking for a broadcast assistant and suggested I reach out to them. Before I could even get a chance to get to a computer, Justin contacted me and requested I apply for the job.”
Unbeknownst to Baker, Shackil had also already contacted STAA CEO Jon Chelesnik for a reference about Baker. “Although I had only recently met Justin Baker, he made an immediate impression upon for being sharp, likeable and enthusiastic,” Chelesnik says.
Baker is looking forward to getting started with the BayBears, and the opportunity to work with Shackil, who is also an STAA client.
“I’ll start in April. I’m really excited to not only work with Justin, but also the BayBears staff and the Mobile community. Although I have a lot of experience in a few different areas from my time at Georgia Southern, this position will give me the knowledge and experience I need to become a valuable asset to the broadcasting field.”
A 2011 graduate of Georgia Southern University, Baker has been working for the athletics department of his alma mater as the assistant director of new media. Baker’s college experience also provided opportunities to call play-by-play for a variety of sports, including football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, and softball.
A relatively new STAA client, Baker already appreciates how easy it was to use his Talent Page to apply for the BayBears position. He also appreciates the new frame of mind that comes with being part of STAA.
“Funny how just a couple of weeks ago when I signed up for STAA I was telling [Jon Chelesnik] how I was tired of seeing all these posts reading ‘Filled by an STAA client.’ I kept wishing it was my face up on the STAA home page with a success story.”
“I kept wondering what they had that I didn’t. The answer was simple. It was STAA. It was Jon Chelesnik, it was confidence, peace of mind and trust in the system.”
(Visit Justin’s STAA Talent Page).