Home > Get Involved > STMA News Online Archive > August 2007
 
August 2007
News You Can Use

Seeking an assistant? Contemplating a job change?

STMA’s Career Center can help three ways.

  1. Job Postings. STMA members can review employment openings on-line, so if you are seeking a job change or just want to keep up with industry trends on compensation and benefits, use this service to find out who is hiring. Any employer can provide an employment listing for STMA to post, but only STMA members have access to view them. Check back often, since new listings are posted often.
  2. Résumé Posting. This service is perfect for student members seeking their first position after graduation, or any member seeking an assistant position or a technician position.
  3. Internships. In this section, STMA’s sports turf managers post internships that they have available at their sports facilities. The internships typically list the duration of the internship, compensation, benefits, qualifications required and how to apply. This is a great way to learn from the best and become more prepared for an assistant position after you graduate.
The Career Center is a Members Only benefit. To access it, go to www.STMA.org, put in your user name and password, and then click on Career Center. Forgot your password? Call 1-800-323-3875 and we can quickly get it for you.


New Partnership Benefits Youth

STMA is working closely with the National Recreation and Parks Association and USA Football to provide educational resources for volunteers and non sports turf managers who are managing youth football fields. The work is being completed by STMA’s Information Outreach Committee, chaired by Darian Daily. The committee has begun developing instructional guides and check lists to help provide basic information for maintaining safe and playable fields to those who do not manage sports fields as their primary profession.


Timely SportsTurf Delivery?

The on-time delivery of your magazine, SportsTurf , to you each month is extremely important to us. If you are experiencing any problems with the monthly delivery of your magazine, please call us at 1-800-323-3875, or send us an email at STMAinfo@STMA.org.


75 Days left to Apply

Oct. 15 is the deadline to submit your Field of the Year application. Use the easy-to-fill-out application on the website, include the photos required, which are in the application, and your field is on its way to becoming a winner.


Conference Credentials Delivered to You

To improve our service to you at the annual conference, STMA headquarters will be mailing conference credentials to those who register prior to Dec. 14. Bring your badge and tickets with you and avoid waiting in lines or getting up early to pick up your credentials prior to your first conference event. We’ll have badge holders readily available on site, so you won’t have to wait.


Have a Burning Question?

Do you have a burning question that only sports turf managers can answer? Let STMA use it for a Quick Poll question. Have you wondered about your peers purchasing habits? Use of IPM? Number of Fields STMA members manage? To submit your question, send it to STMAinfo@STMA.org.


Plant a Tree – Benefit Billions

The United Nations Environmental Programme has launched a major worldwide tree planting campaign. Under the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign, people and organizations are encouraged to enter tree planting pledges on line. STMA encourages you to participate in this effort and in all efforts to be good stewards of our environment.
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The 2-Minute Tip for Success
5 Tips to Readying Your Résumé

Your résumé is your calling card. It should provide enough information about you to persuade the prospective employer to invite you for an interview. That’s it – the total purpose of your résumé is to get your foot in the door for an interview, where you can sell yourself to the interviewer. To make your résumé a most effective tool for your job search, consider these Top 5 Tips:

  1. Customize your résumé for the position to which you are applying. The easiest way to do this is in the “Objective”, which should be at the top of your first page. For example, let’s say your objective is “to be employed by a sports facility that is committed to providing the highest quality fields for its athletes.” You find out through the STMA Career Center that a position becomes available at a soccer complex. Then you would change your objective to “… be employed at a soccer complex that is committed ….”
  2. Use white space. It is o.k. to have your résumé go to two pages. Two pages is standard, especially if you have any experience. Do not use small type and all available space to present your résumé on one page. You want the prospective employer to read it, so make it easy-to-read. Be sure to also use an easy-to-read type style, too. There are hundreds of fun fonts available, but don’t use them on your résumé. Again, you want the prospective employer to spend time reading about you, not trying to figure out the words.
  3. When describing your previous job responsibilities, write in an active voice, showing how your work provided value, and use bullets. For example, don’t say,” I was responsible for mowing the football field prior to weekend games.” Instead, say, “Improved football field conditions by implementing a consistent mowing program.”
  4. Do include your community and professional organizational involvement, but do not include personal information, such as marital status, number of children, religious affiliation or other information that is not relevant to the job.
  5. Think about what qualifies you for the job and include it in your résumé, typically under a heading called “Summary of Qualifications”. This section can change to meet the requirements that the employer is seeking. It can also be more global and highlight the overall qualities that make you a top sports turf manager and a desirable employee. For example, you might list:
  • Certified Sports Field Manager, the credential that validates experience and knowledge, and the commitment to continuing education
  • Highly experienced in field renovation
  • Strong team management skills
  • Bilingual in English and Spanish
Don’t confuse the “Qualifications” with your “Accomplishments” , which should be another section that highlights the noteworthy activities that you successfully completed.
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TURF RUNDOWN
Strip Seeding: A New Approach for Converting Cool-season Turf to Warm-Season Grasses

Researchers from Kansas State University and Oklahoma State University teamed up to evaluate how effectively a perennial ryegrass turf could be converted to ‘Riviera’ bermudagrass in small plots, and then developed a strip seeder that would allow the conversion to be accomplished on a larger scale. The research was subsequently applied at a golf course in Grandview, Missouri. Click here to access this research.
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