Why Hire Student Athletes
There’s rarely a lack of early-career talent on the market. After all, it’s replenished every year. But as a hiring manager, how do you decide who gets an interview and who doesn’t?
Frequently, applicants coming straight out of school can look pretty similar to each other on paper. They’re all new grads with degrees. Do you pick based on what school they went to? That bias could exclude a lot of ideal candidates. GPA then? Sure, GPA can be a good indicator of work ethic, but it hardly tells a story.
This issue is one that EpicHire is trying to solve. We want to expand the early-career profile beyond the black-and-white resume. Extracurriculars can easily make a profile stand out and participation in collegiate sports has been one of the best indicators of a successful hire.
So what is it about student-athletes that make them great hires? From our experience hiring early career talent, as well as working with many of the student-athletes on our platform, here are a few reasons why.
Teamwork and Leadership
Many student-athletes are going to bring years of collaborating experience to their new position. This is invaluable to a new hire as they will likely need to work with different personalities, understand how their tasks contribute to the company overall, and willingness to, metaphorically, put their arm around others during difficult periods. Early career hires rarely jump straight into a leadership position per se, but new graduates who can showcase their ability to be leaders will be seen as possessing a valuable skill set.
This doesn’t mean every student-athlete considered for a role needs to be a team captain though. Athletes, regardless of their captaincy, will have leadership experience, whether that is the pump-up/ra-ra variety or the calm, lead-by-example type.
Some may ask what about tennis players, golfers, or gymnasts? Those are individual sports. True! But collegiate programs will always have more than one athlete in a sport, so you’ll rarely speak to a student-athlete who hasn’t used teamwork to strive toward a common goal.
Coachability
Essentially every new hire requires some form of coaching when they start their position. New hires who are receptive to learning how things are done and are willing to learn new approaches are going to start quicker than their peers who aren’t.
Managers who bring former athletes onto their team can think of themselves as head coaches because most student-athletes will naturally look to their leaders for instruction, feedback, and goal setting. This eagerness to work with their managers puts former collegiate athletes on a fast track toward success.
Time Management
College can be a lot for a young person to manage. Classes compete with coursework and coursework competes with social engagements every step of the way. Even without extracurriculars, having to manage newfound independence and responsibilities can be difficult.
But now throw in the commitment that student-athletes have made to their sport. In many instances, playing a sport can double the hours a college student would need to account for on a week-by-week basis.
For students, some of these responsibilities don’t always come with built-in accountability. They don’t need to go to that party, that boring lecture is too big for anyone to notice if they skip it, and studying can always wait for tomorrow.
Sports aren’t like that. Student-athletes need to make it to practice and games and the weight room or else their teammates and coaches will know and they’ll face consequences. Because of that, time management is a required skill for all four years of college for student-athletes.
Goal-oriented Mindset
Athletes are trained to set goals, develop strategies to achieve them, and continuously assess their progress. This goal-oriented approach can ensure that once hired, former athletes are focused and driven.
Going from the field or court and into a boardroom or desk will mean that student-athletes must redefine what “winning” looks like. But if a trophy—whether that’s a raise, promotion, or task—is put in front of them, they’ll know how to go after it without motivational handholding.
Resilient
Think back to your first couple of years in a professional setting. Did you ever experience pressure, setbacks, and unexpected changes? From our experience, the answer is an emphatic yes. Resilience is arguably the best trait for handling these types of twists and turns.
Athletes have this in spades because pressure, setbacks, and unexpected changes are all part of thriving in an athletic setting.
Work Ethic
The discipline to train regularly and the work ethic required to strive for excellence in sports translate directly to professional diligence and a strong commitment to job responsibilities.
College athletics is a grind, so if there’s a great candidate that has put in 4 years of a sport, it is probably a pretty safe bet to assume they’ll understand the definition of hard work.
Competitive Spirit
A healthy competitive spirit drives athletes to excel and push their limits. In the workplace, this translates to a drive for excellence, innovation, and a desire to contribute significantly to their organization’s success.
Graduates often find themselves working in environments that look for individuals to outpace their peers. This level of competition that is common in sales, agency, or recruiting roles can add decent amounts of stress to new grads because they aren’t used to this type of pressure. Meanwhile, student athletes have been competing for their spot on a team for years and will likely meet this competition in stride.
Want to Hire Student-Athletes?
EpicHire can be your partner in discovering top university talent across the country in a number of different categories. If you’re interested in the possibility of what a student athlete hire could do for your business check out one of our curated Playbooks below: