Research by British Universities and Sport (BUCS) 2013 found that involvement in sport can boost students’ employability skills. Sinead D’Arcy, Head of Jameson International Graduate Programme at Irish Distillers believes there are “many transferable skills between the sports world & the business world. Such as time management, the ability to take feedback onboard, being a team player & being accountable.” Likewise, Alex Taylor, head of performance sport at the University of Birmingham stated in an interview with the Guardian Newspaper stated that “Employers have said that sporting students have the traits they’re looking for, particularly an ability to balance their academic and other commitments, like training for competitions, plus teamwork and decision-making,”
Top skills developed as a student athlete
Time management: managing academic schedules, training schedules and sometimes even part time work schedules while also trying to fit in a social scene, a student- athlete must effectively manage their time through the year so that performance in any area does not suffer. Dr. Eoghan Clifford, Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering, NUI Galway and Paralympian Gold medallist expresses that a major challenge for student-athletes is to be “able to manage time -college and training and rest” especially in demanding courses such as Bachelors in Engineering where students are routinely in 9-6pm. If a student- athlete has proven to have manage their time in third level effectively they can easily transfer this skill to industry which will be valuable for the company and the individual. , An example of an intercounty GAA player in Ireland who needs to manage training schedules with their club, county and third level institution which could mean engagement with 4 of more teams. David Burke , Galway All Ireland winning Hurling Captain describes this experience as “a balancing act throughout the year because we played club championship games after Leinster championship games so you’re trying to win those games as well”. However, when this student- athlete pursue their career in any industry they will be able to apply this skill of time management by effectively planning and managing deadlines for clients and managers without much additional training.
Motivated: Athletes are goal orientated, they train with the end in sight and plan with the vision of success in mind. Employers need driven individuals who can continuously “raise the bar” through self-motivation and in some cases motivate and lead others. A captain of a University Sports Team can transfer their motivational and leadership skills developed on the pitch such as encouraging fellow player during the last 5 minutes of championship final, in the dressing room, speeches as a means to inspire and encourage the rest of the group, liaising with management and coaches. These experiences have developed skills that employers spend years trying to embed in the workplace environment so a student- athlete can bring a lot more productivity that just their own individual contribution. This is echoed by Sinead D’Arcy, Head of Jameson International Graduate Programme at Irish Distillers who states that “Performance is key in sport and it’s key in business. A key trait of an athlete is determination to perform to their best level to achieve their goals. This translated into the business world means they can be target driven and will aim to deliver on KPI’s set. They will take on work projects with the same persistence as they do their training. This is a benefit to any employer.” Consequently, research by British Universities and Sport (BUCS) 2013 found that graduate would participated in University sport earn 18% more on average per year.
Resilient
A number of companies in Ireland and abroad seek student-athletes as employees after graduation for example: Haken Enver, operations director at recruitment firm Morgan McKinley, states that “Athletes show a strong drive and determination to be successful. They work with others towards a common goal and show strong resilience. From a young age sports men and women have both success and failures, get used to picking themselves up and continue to monitor their performance. They also have very strong time management after juggling their diet, training and matches.” Irish Senior women’s Hockey team narrowly missed out on qualification to the Rio Olympics 2016 through a shootout against China which Manager Graham Shaw quoted as “horrific”. However, they regrouped and went on to become World Cup Finalists and Silver Medal holders in 2018.
Communication:
Whether it is a team sport or an individual sport, the coach and the athlete must communicate effectively. Irish Hockey player Anna O’Flanagan speaking about new coach Gareth Grundie “When Gareth speaks we all listen and really respect him as a coach.” He has “done a lot of analysis and presented to us in meetings”. At a high level of support communication is at a professional standard. In the workplace good managers communicate effectively at all time especially to their staff. As a student- athlete who is about to enter the work of work, they can transfer their communication skills developed through observing their coaches in sport and through communicating to their teammates on the pitch in a high pressure environment in to the workplace effectively.
Teamwork:
Teamwork is an essential part of business therefore as a graduate you must be able to show that you can work effectively and harmoniously in a team environment. Student- Athlete especially those involved in team sports have embedded teamwork skills throughout their years playing sport. They understand the importance of teamwork for success. Tuckman (1965) proposed a model of group development where every team follows the following stages: forming–storming–norming–performing. The student-athlete usually already has experience each stage when playing with difference teams and through after match analysis has evaluated why the team performed or underperformed. Most graduates who have played Gaelic football/ Hurling/ Camoige/ Badminton/ Basketball/ Rowing/ Soccer/ Rugby etc in Ireland have played as part of a team from a very young age therefore teamwork is one of their main strengths which is why companies like to employ them. This is confirmed by Dee Mahoney Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Boston Biomedical; “Being able to work on a team is a crucial part of my hiring process.” Furthermore, research by British Universities and Sport (BUCS) 2013 found that more than half (51 per cent) of graduates said sporting involvement has helped them develop team work skills and leadership qualities in the workplace.
Self- Care and Resilience: Successful student- athletes will have learned how to avoid burnout on the field to maintain performance which can also be a transferred to their employment. A 2016 ESRI study also found anxiety, stress and depression were the second highest causes of work-related illness in Ireland. This is a real cause for concern for companies as valuable employees are not able to contribute effectively at a consistent level which according to the Irish Examiner “approximately 11 million days are lost annually through absenteeism, costing the Irish economy €1.5bn.” A successful student- athlete presenting at interview should be able to display how they have already embedded the importance of self-care and managing pressures into their everyday life as part of their journey in third level as they had to maintain performance in academic studies and their sport. Galway All Ireland winning Hurling Captain 2017 David Burke talks about dealing with pressure on the pitch “there’s going to be pressure all the time. So we just have to believe that we’re good enough to be at the top table all the time.” This mentality and confidence is what makes athletes such strong employees.
Resilience is a key skill employers seek and as a result companies in Ireland and abroad seek student-athletes as employees after graduation for example: Haken Enver, operations director at recruitment firm Morgan McKinley, states that “Athletes show a strong drive and determination to be successful. They work with others towards a common goal and show strong resilience. From a young age sports men and women have both success and failures, get used to picking themselves up and continue to monitor their performance”. Most athletes more have encountered some disappointing losses throughout their sporting career for example Irish Senior women’s Hockey team narrowly missed out on qualification to the Rio Olympics 2016 through a shootout against China which Manager Graham Shaw quoted as “horrific”. However, they regrouped and went on to become World Cup Finalists and Silver Medal holders in 2018. A student- athlete develops this resilience through collaborating with their support network such as coaches, managers and teammates to reflect on their wins and their losses, using this to then design an action plan and implement with the next goal in sight. This grit and resilience is very important for employers the increasingly competitive market as they need employees who can deal with failure e.g. losing on a promotion or client contract, reflect on it effectively and move on toward the next goal. This can be even more important for team based work places as resilient team will be a successful team.
