Meet Steph di Julio. Steph is the HR and Recruitment Executive at Melbourne Football Club - one of the AFL's most storied clubs.
Steph is one of the few people who built a career in sport entirely from the ground up. After graduating with a Sports Management degree, having originally enrolled in PE teaching before pivoting in her final year, she cut her teeth in retail management before finding her way into sport through a volunteer role at Football Victoria. She was even rejected three times before landing her first paid role in the industry. What followed was seven years and four progressively senior roles from Summer Sevens Coordinator to MiniRoos Development Officer to Administrative Coordinator, all while completing her HR Management qualifications on the side.
When she finally made the leap to the AFL level, both Melbourne Football Club and Carlton came calling in the same week. She chose the Dees and hasn't looked back since.
Now she sits at the centre of Melbourne FC's people and culture operation, responsible for recruitment, onboarding, training and development, policy, performance reviews, and keeping the club's engagement scores where an AFL club's need to be.
If you want to hear straight from the source on how to break into sport, handle rejection, and build a career from scratch, tune into this week's episode with Steph!
We Cover:
(03:04) - Interview starts
(16:01) - What Steph learnt from working in retail
(23:23) - How the HR role at Melbourne FC came about
(26:23) - What does a typical day/week look like in Steph's role
(29:18) - How HR performance is measured and what initiatives MFC take to improve workplace culture
(35:06) - What the recruitment timeline in sport looks like
(39:56) - How many people land jobs through references
(42:46) - DOs and DON'Ts of applying for a role
(45:48) - How Steph tackled the challenges of being a female in a male-dominated industry
(48:59) - What challenges Steph faced in landing a job in sport
(51:15) - How Steph decided what career path to take when she was lost for career direction
(53:31) - What helped Steph stand out in each of her roles
(54:24) - Why you need your own 'Board'
(57:05) - Why Steph enjoys 'giving back' to people
(58:34) - How to land a job in sport in the next 30 days
(59:23) - Biggest 'pinch me' moment in Steph's career
(01:01:41) - What Steph would have done if not a career in sport
(01:02:17) - What a perfect day at work looks like
(01:03:34) - Steph's question for next guest
If you liked this ep, give these a go:
#286: Inside the GWS Giants Social Media strategy with Jacob Gaynor
#284: Journey to Football Operations Manager at the Sydney Swans with Steph Maiolo
#193: How to be a psychologist in the AFL with Suzie Rhydderch
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Thanks for listening, much love!
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