Many people who have played or followed sports feel a common bond with you and have a genuine desire to give you access to the work world-that all-important chance-that every job seeker needs. For some reason that we don't fully understand, people in this network generalize their own athletic involvement (as fan, participant, or both) to an affection for all athletes. It is as though you belong to an immense fraternity-sorority in which you hold life membership.
You may be worried that to work with contacts successfully you must have a dazzling personality. That is not true. You need only have enough social skills to meet people with some ease, even if you don't feel especially easy about it. You don't have to be highly gregarious; simply introduce yourself to an individual and then be your usual self. People even expect you to be somewhat shy or hesitant at first; this is part of any get-acquainted process. In fact, people are often turned off if you approach them like a tornado.
Questions to Ask Your Contacts
The point of developing contacts is not to immediately ask the person you meet for a job. Remember, this is not a job interview. The first contact should be to exchange information-you ask about the field of work, and your contact will inevitably ask information questions about you and your plans. Your information-gathering will generally be in one of the three following areas:
General nature of the work: Typical questions that you might ask include "What kind of work do you do? What kind of qualities do you look for in an employee? What are the rewards and pressures of this field?" (Every line of work has its positive and negative aspects.) Be curious about everything that a person does. As a recent (or soon-to-be) college graduate, you will be aware of only a small fraction of the jobs that exist in the marketplace. Use the information-gathering session to expand your knowledge.
Entry routes: "How might I get into this field of work? What kinds of training or experience would you recommend? How can I get an edge on the competition?" The people you talk to know their field of work from the inside. Learn from their experience.
Nature of specific jobs: "What is involved in your particular job? How does it fit with the organization? How can I work toward a job like yours?" People love to talk about themselves. Use this to your advantage. You may even find that these information-gathering sessions propel you even further into the network. It's not unusual to have the person you are talking with get on the phone and say, "I've got this guy/gal here who is interested in what you folks are doing. Why don't you two?"
Be curious: Temporarily ignore your own crying need to get a job and focus your attention squarely on your contact. Treat the meeting as if you are conducting an interview rather than trying to sell yourself. Often, if your background is suitable and you and the individual get along well, he or she may suggest to whom you might apply for a job interview. On occasion, what begins as an information exchange may even conclude as a job interview, so come prepared to talk about your capabilities and goals.
Why Work at Job hunting if they’ll Take Care of Me?
You may be translating our message so far to mean: "Good, someone will come along soon enough and find me a job." Your experience as a college athlete may have encouraged you to believe this. Let's face it. Some college athletes are pampered (although others, obviously, aren't). Coaches and other mentors may have made life easy for you, taking over some of the daily decisions in your life-where and what to eat, where and whom to room with, what to do with your time from 3 to 5 in the afternoon, etc. Your coach may have decided for you what kind of summer job to take and even have found the job for you. It's easy to get used to being taken care of and you may now be counting on coaches, fans, or others to find you a job, assuming that the loyalty they feel toward you for your athletic efforts will last forever.
Yes, a network of contacts is available to all job seekers and is potentially very large. Yes, it gives you superior access to successful people. But your contacts are not likely to find a job for you; rather, they will help you find it for yourself.
Your success in the job market may well swing on this one crucial variable-your attitude toward the network of potential helpers. If you wait for the network to produce a job for you, you will be disappointed-and out in the cold without a job. However, if you understand that people are there as vehicles for your firsthand investigation, you will reap the benefits. In short, go to them; don't wait for them to come to you.
How to Use the Network Fully
To maximize the benefits of establishing a network, use each meeting as an opportunity to practice your self-presentation skills. Because you're merely looking for information, not for a job, consider each session as a trial interview rather than the real thing.
As you repeat the information-gathering process, you will become more familiar with the questions you want to ask and more at ease in talking about yourself. Once you are accustomed to making calls, meeting people in person, and requesting additional referrals, you will discover these activities can be enjoyable. Especially if you tend to be shy, this is an excellent way to overcome your fears and move closer to an interesting career in the same stride.
How do you present yourself to people in your network? Do you just say, "Hi there, I played college hoops?" NO! If you were referred by a coach or other athletics-related person, the contact will probably already know what sport you played and will open the conversation that way. However, if he or she does not mention it, you may include this information in your introduction of yourself, but soft-pedal it from there and rapidly move on to the real focus of your meeting.
If you are not sure the person knows you have been an athlete or has any special interest in athletics, simply include the relevant information on your resume" and mention it during the general conversation in connection with job qualifications ("I learned to commit myself to a team effort in basketball and recognize that teamwork is important here in your organization"). It's OK to mention your athletic background when contacts ask you to talk about yourself, but don't try to impress them with it; let them form their own conclusions.
