Chances are, if you’re a college student, you need to be making money. We all have way too much stuff to pay for: tuition, housing, food, gas if you have a car, not to mention the little things you do or buy so life doesn’t suck 24/7. That doesn’t even account for unexpected expenses like a broken phone or car repair. The more money you can make, the better. Except making money takes up time, which is a real problem for student athletes.
Your sport could take 15 hours of your week or more. That makes it hard to get a job or join orgs that could build your resume. On Tuesday, Apr. 17, Hamline’s Career Development Center (CDC) ran a seminar for student athletes to help them use their athletics to their advantage when trying to land a job. Here’s an overview of some of the tips they offered, many of which are not limited only to student athletes.
Time Commitment Equals Time Management:
Sports take up a ridiculous amount of time. Not to mention, on top of that you also have a full course load and God help you if you have more responsibilities on top of that. This requires balance. In an interview, let employers know that you know how to prioritize commitments and manage your time. A busy schedule is same-old-same-old to a student athlete. That being said…
Don’t Make the Interviewers Guess:
Don’t just say “I compete on [insert Hamline athletic team here]” and make them guess that you have time management skills. Tell them. Directly. Also, go into more details. If you’re a captain, what does that entail? Tell them you have awesome communication skills because you act as the middleman between the coach and the other athletes. Every advantage and asset athletics gives you, tell them. Don’t make them assume, because they won’t bother.
“Tell Me About Yourself”:
This is a super standard, super terrifying question. What do they want to know? Well, they don’t care about where your from and that you like to watch Netflix in your free time. What relevant activities have you done? What previous work? This is a great opportunity to mention your athletics and what exactly that has taught you about time management and work ethic.
Practice, Practice, Practice:
You don’t have to go into an interview unprepared. Practice what you expect might come up, especially behavioral questions that tend to start with “Describe a time when…” Fudge the stories if you need to, but have something ready. You can even have notes with you when you go into an interview so you don’t draw a blank in your panic. Also, the CDC has practice interviews you can sign up for and get feedback on!
The CDC is super helpful. Schedule an appointment and practice your interview or let them look over your resume. You can also use their job finder, called the Hamline Career Link and it can be found here, to find jobs that match your interests and might even be looking for Hamline students specifically. The CDC website or office is a must stop during the job hunt process.