We asked a few LaSallians who were student-athletes in college to answer questions and share their tips and tricks on transitioning from the sports-world to the professional-world.
Here’s what they had to say:
Q: What’s the best part about your job?
A: The people are by far the best part of my job. Athletes are used to working their butts off and I’m surrounded every day by people who give it their all day in and day out.
A: The team aspect…Here at LaSalle, you’re here with the same team members working towards similar goals.
Q: What’s the worst part about your job?
A: For me, the best and worst part are the same. It’s the unpredictable nature of this industry and environment. You go to work every day and something new happens. You’re dealing with people and they are unpredictable. You have to get comfortable knowing that some things are out of your control.
A: There’s no off season, no breaks, no summers off.
A: In sports, you know that if you work hard and give it your all, you’ve won (and likely the outcome of the game is that way too). But at work, you aren’t always winning. It’s out of your control sometimes.
Q: What skills do you need to be a great recruiter?
A: You have to have a strong work ethic. You don’t have to be the smartest person in every room, but you have to work hard. Similar to hockey I wasn’t the most skilled, but I worked hard and the results speak for themselves.
A: You need to be personable. You need to be able to talk to people because you are cold-calling, sourcing and interviewing all day.
A: You have to have accountability. Just like if you miss a day or week of practice and working out, you see the results down the road. The same is true at work. If one day or week you don’t set a plan or goals and keep yourself on that path, it’s easy to get sidetracked and your results will show it.
A: You need to have the ability to bounce back after a bad day. Just like in college, somedays you’d have a bad practice or game, but if you let it carry over into the next practice or game, that’s when you have a problem. You have to be able to flush a bad day, reset, start fresh and do something to change and improve.
Q: When you were interviewing for the job, what separated you from other candidates?
A: My competitiveness – hands down. I came into the interview with no teeth because they had been knocked out during a hockey game. I showed them I was willing to show up and get the job done.
A: I had no experience in recruiting, so it definitely wasn’t my tenure or aptitude for the space. I believe it was my confidence that set me apart and my ability to authentically be myself
A: I also didn’t have any recruiting experience, but I believe it was my competitiveness. I got my MBA after my undergrad and after I was done, I wasn’t 100% sure what I wanted to do, but I was willing to work hard. I was honest about that and I believe LaSalle like my vulnerability.
A: In my interview, I talked about my accomplishments, but I also talked about how I achieve those – I explained how I set goals, how I made a plan and how I executed those plans.
Q: Was there one thing you wish you had taken advantage of in college that you didn’t?
A: Notre Dame had a good career consultation department. They did resume reviews and mock interviews and I didn’t take advantage of it. You’re going to be nervous going to your first few interviews, and being more prepared would have helped ease my nerves.
A: Networking more. Within college you have alumni networks, professors, other students, but I just stayed within my lane within hockey. Knowing now that my job is to network, I wish I would have went back and done that more.
A: Not taking being part of a team for granted. When you graduate, it’s hard to be reconnected, my friends are scattered across the nation, so really enjoy the time while you have it.
If you are interested in joining our team, apply today!
