Translating Your Athletic Experience for a Job Interview
As a former student-athlete, I know firsthand the challenge of balancing sports with career planning. That’s why I want to help you bridge the gap and effectively communicate your athletic experience to employers in a professional job interview. Many student-athletes feel their background isn’t valuable to employers, but this is false. Your time as an athlete has helped you develop unique and highly sought-after skills. The key is to prepare interview stories that speak directly to what employers are seeking. Let’s look at the skills you possess, how to prepare your stories, and how to use them to ace your interview.
Understanding the Value of Your Athletic Experience
Employers are currently looking for candidates with strong “employability skills”—the personal attributes essential for good performance in the workplace. As a student-athlete, you’ve likely mastered many of these. The article highlights several, including: teamwork, as you’ve collaborated with others to achieve a common goal; coachability, a skill that allows you to take constructive criticism and use it to improve performance; interpersonal skills, learned from working with teammates of different personalities; and conflict management, from resolving differences for the good of the team. Your work ethic is evident in your tireless commitment to accomplish goals, while your time management is proven by balancing a full-time student load with practices, games, and study halls. You’ve also demonstrated grit by pushing through setbacks, as well as strong goal setting and communication skills with coaches and teammates. The list goes on, but it’s a great start to help you recognize the valuable skills you can offer.
Using the STAR Method to Tell Your Story
Behavioral and situational interview questions are common, and they both require detailed stories about your past experiences. You should prepare and rehearse five to seven stories before your interview. The STAR method is a great framework to ensure your stories are thorough and effective. Situation: Provide the background information for your story, including what was happening and your role. Task: Describe the challenges or problems you faced. Action: Explain the steps you took and why you took them. Results: Conclude with the outcome in a tangible way, including what you learned and how you would apply it in the future.
Example Story
As a softball pitcher, I had many opportunities to demonstrate leadership. A time I’m particularly proud of was at the end of my sophomore season. We were playing a doubleheader and our head coach was ejected from the game after disagreeing with a call. My team was left with an inexperienced assistant coach in a very tight game. In that moment, I calmly called a team huddle on the mound. Although I wasn’t a team captain, I gave my teammates a positive talk, reminding them that we were a strong team and had the situation under control. I instructed everyone to focus on getting the next batter out while being mindful of the runner on third. We got the third out, played two extra innings without a coach, and won the game. That day, we all learned the importance of keeping our emotions in check, staying positive, and rallying the team for a common goal. This story can also be used to answer questions about overcoming obstacles or disagreeing with a supervisor’s decision, highlighting the versatility of a well-prepared story.
Having at least five to seven practiced stories will help you feel confident and ready for almost any behavioral or situational question. As a former student-athlete and current career coach, I am passionate about helping students highlight their best skills and accomplishments. If you need help preparing your interview stories and landing your dream job, please reach out.