Interview Excellence: Beyond Sports, Beyond Expectations

"Playbook for Success" is your go-to resource for navigating the unique challenges of transitioning from college athletics to the professional world. This newsletter aims to empower college student-athletes and alumni with practical insights, easy-to-follow strategies, and inspiring stories to equip you on your journey. It's time to score big in your post-college journey by building a strong foundation for professional success.

Hi student-athletes and alumni,

As you gear up for the next chapter in your journey towards the professional world, nailing your interview is paramount. As mentioned before, dedication, teamwork, and the ability to balance a demanding schedule make you an excellent candidate for any endeavor as these are the relevant skills that employers are looking for in today's professional environment. In this edition, we’ll jump into how to best prepare for your interview. Before you read more, make sure to check out previous Playbook for Success editions on mastering communication, crafting a powerful resume, identifying your leadership qualities, and more – all essential reads that lay the foundation for interview success.

Employment Outcomes for NCAA Student-Athletes

Being a college student-athlete has many advantages, and those benefits can extend beyond your college years. Whether you're pursuing a post-graduate degree or looking for a full-time job, being a student-athlete can give you an edge in finding your footing after you graduate. Take a look at some key statistics below, which were pulled from Gallup Inc. "A Study of NCAA Student-Athletes" report.

• NCAA student-athletes are 1.3x more likely to earn a postgraduate degree than their non-athlete counterparts.
• Almost two-thirds of NCAA student-athlete alumni (64%) had obtained a good job in six months or less after the completion of their undergraduate education.
• NCAA student-athletes are slightly more likely (33%) than their non-athlete peers (30%) to have had a good job waiting for them upon their college graduation.

These statistics show that you have a unique opportunity to set yourself up for success after graduation. Take advantage of the support, the resources, and your experiences to successfully transition into the professional world.

10 Tips and Strategies for Interview Excellence

The interview is the place where your skills, experiences, and personality take center stage. The interview process typically follows a structured path, so it is best to have a gameplan. Before interview day arrives, take a look at the 10 tips below to put yourself in position to ace the interview:

1. Research the Company: Understand the organization, its culture, and the role you applied for. Showcase this knowledge during the interview to demonstrate your genuine interest. A great way to research any company is to look at their LinkedIn company page for recent posts. Additionally, you can type the company's name into a search engine like Google and click on the "news" tab for the latest information.
2. Understand the Role: Make sure you understand the job description and how your skills match the requirements. Recall examples of how your athletic and academic experiences have equipped you with the necessary skills. Bonus points: While the majority of your focus should be on the role you applied for, try to connect the dots on how the role could potentially set you up for long-term career growth at the organization.
3. Review Your Resume: Learn to speak confidently about past events, emphasizing how they align with the position’s requirements. Double click into this previous "Playbook for Success" article, which highlights all the ways in which you, as a student-athlete, can craft a powerful resume.
4. Prepare Questions: Have insightful questions ready to be asked about the company and role. It shows you’re genuinely interested in contributing meaningfully to the immediate team and larger organization. Ensure your questions are specific and relevant to the conversation. Here are three high-level questions as an example: "Could you provide more details about the daily responsibilities of this role?", "How does the company foster collaboration and teamwork among employees?" and "What opportunities for professional development and career advancement exist within the company?"
5. Dress the Part: Whether your interview is virtual or in-person, wear attire that aligns with the company culture. First impressions matter.
6. Arrive Early: Punctuality is key. Aim to arrive 10-15 minutes early, if in-person, to compose yourself before the interview. If you are participating virtually, secure a quiet space with a strong internet connection to avoid disruptions.
7. Positive Body Language: Project confidence through positive non-verbal cues, such as maintaining eye contact and sitting up straight.
8. Tell Your Story: Craft a narrative about your experiences, emphasizing key skills and how they make you a perfect fit for the role. Most employers use a behavioral-interview format to learn more about you as a candidate. Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to illustrate your achievements in specific scenarios.
9. Connect with Interviewers: Build rapport by connecting on shared interests or experiences. It humanizes you in the eyes of the interviewer.
10. Follow Up and Reflect: Express gratitude for the opportunity and reiterate your enthusiasm for the position in the form of an e-mail or handwritten note, whichever you feel is most timely and appropriate. Lastly, reflect on your interview experience - what went well and what could you improve on? This is also a great time to assess your perspective of the company. Did anything rub you the wrong way in the interview? Take note of it all and use it as a learning experience for future interviews.

Common Behavioral Interview Questions

Employers often ask about past experiences to predict future behavior. As mentioned in the previous section, use the STAR method to structure your answers, focusing on situations where you demonstrated leadership, teamwork, or overcame challenges. Let's dive into common questions asked and the framework on how-to effectively respond:

Tell me about yourself.

This particular question (or more so polite request) is asked in almost every interview. It sets the tone for the remainder of the interview so be sure to speak with confidence in a concise manner. Avoid reading your resume and instead tell your story. Below is a template to get you started in mastering this question:

• Start with a brief introduction: "Sure! My name is [your name], and I'm currently a [your year] at [your university]."
• Connect your studies to your career goals: "I'm pursuing a degree in [your major] because I'm fascinated by [specific area of interest]. My long-term goal is to work in [desired industry/role], where I can [your aspirations]."
• Highlight Student-Athlete Experience and Transferable Skills: "During my time at school, I've had the opportunity to [athletic team overview]. Through this experience, I've developed strong [specific transferable skills].
• Passions & Interests: "Outside of academics and sports, I'm passionate about [specific interest]. I believe my interest in [hobby] complements my skills in [relevant area]."
• Wrap Up: "In summary, I'm an enthusiastic student-athlete, majoring in [your major], and I have the drive to contribute to [industry/company]. I'm excited about the opportunity to [specific role] and bring my [relevant skills] to the table."

Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a team member. How did you handle it?

• Situation: Describe the context or situation where the conflict occurred (e.g., during a group project).
• Task: Explain your role and responsibilities within the team.
• Action: Detail the steps you took to address the conflict (e.g., active listening, finding common ground, proposing solutions).
• Result: Summarize the outcome (e.g., improved communication, better collaboration, resolution).

Give us an example of a goal you failed to meet, and how you handled the situation.

• Situation: Describe the goal or project you were working on.
• Task: Explain the importance of the goal and your responsibilities.
• Action: Discuss the challenges you faced and the steps you took to address the failure (e.g., analyzing mistakes, seeking feedback, adjusting strategies).
• Result: Highlight any lessons learned or improvements made as a result of the experience.

Tell me about a time when you demonstrated leadership.

• Situation: Describe the setting (e.g., on a sports team)
• Task: Highlight your role on the team and what is expected of you from coaches, trainers, etc.
• Action: Talk through the activities that you typically do and call-out the activity that truly put you in the "leader" role for this scenario.
• Result: Showcase the short-term and long-term benefits gained by the team from your actions. Include those transferable skills too!

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Best of Luck!

Remember, much like your athletic career, you have prepared for this moment. You’ve honed your communication skills, you crafted an amazing resume, and you know how you show up as both a leader and a team player like the back of your hand. Now, let it shine in your interviews. Embrace the opportunity, stay true to yourself, and confidently showcase the incredible, young professional you are bound to be. Best of luck – the future is yours!

This article references results from the Gallup Alumni Survey, which is highlighted in the following report, A Study of NCAA Student-Athletes: Undergraduate Experiences and Post-College Outcomes. Please use the hyperlink to find the full research report.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn if you have specific questions - always happy to help in any way that I can.

This article was co-written using AI and was then heavily edited and optimized by the author, Evan Coleman.