Meet Andriana Oliver, Sport Science Officer AND Customer Experience Officer at the Geelong Cats FC - This is how she got her jobs (plural) 👇

What made you want to work in sport?

Sport has always been my favourite hobby and where I feel my most confident, so I've always wanted to work in sport from a young age.

What was the biggest challenge you found trying to get your foot in the door?

Knowing where and what jobs to look for. Growing up in a rural community and moving to Geelong to go to uni, I wasn't sure where you find jobs in sport and what jobs there were besides the really obvious jobs. Also having the confidence to apply for jobs I felt were out of my reach.

What have been some of your key work experiences?

My casual job's working in customer service in other industries has really helped me. Going into my customer experience officer role at Geelong

How has networking played a role in your journey?

To be honest, it's something I still do struggle with. I definitely think it's something I can continue to work on, however putting myself out there to join SportsGrad is what led me to my Customer Experience role.

What does a day in your new role look like?

Customer Experience Officer - most mornings start with a meeting/debrief of new things that may have arisen that the members may be calling us about. Then during our phone operating hours, it’s answer calls and help with their enquires. Depending on how busy the day is then we reply back to emails and any follows up.

Sport Science Intern - My day sees me arrive 1hr before the training session, where I set up the GPS & heart rate devices. While training occurs I am capturing the data and ensuring everything is working and providing live data to physio etc. After training we download and clean the data up, i.e. removing bits where they are standing/walking.

How did being a SportsGrad Member help you break into sport?

It's where I saw the customer service role advertised. However, SportsGrad has shown me so many skills through its webinars and resources and helped me learn how to answer interview questions and create a professional looking resume and cover letter.

What do you love most about working in sport?

Helping people and giving them the opportunity to experience live sport. I love hearing members’ stories about how the club has impacted their lives and helping them access the game or making use of their membership is pretty special

What advice would you give to someone else trying to break into sport?

To try things either through volunteering or paid work, especially if you don't know what it is exactly you want to do. I still don't know myself but it helped me narrow it down and gave me the opportunity to meet new people & opportunities

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