1. Exapnding your network
2. Helping to define your career path
3. Finding out about job/internship opportunities
4. Latest industry and company news
5. Learn about companies within your field
6. Practice your elevator pitch
7. Develop your communication skills

Preparation is essential.

As a student-athlete, your time is limited so developing a winning plan for attending the career fair is important.

BEFORE THE FAIR:

1. Get your resume revised.
2. Make at least 10 copies of your resume and  make 5 extra copies.
3. Find out what companies will be attending the career fair.
4. Make a list of at least 10 companies you want to talk to about opporunities.
5. Rehearse your elevator pitch.
6. If required, register for the career fair.
7. Purchase clothing for the event.  Check with your school career services office the JcPenney SuitUp or about them possibly having a Career closet.
8. Have questions for each company recruiter.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION YOU NEED TO KNOW:

1. Company Name
2. Headquarter location
3. Mission/Vision
4.  Products/services
5. Company clients/competitors
6. Size of the company 
7. Recent company news

WHERE TO FIND THE INFORMATION:

1. Company website
2. Vault
3. LinkedIn

DURING THE FAIR:

1. Silence or turn off your phone.
2. Go alone.
3. No chewing gum. 
4. Be confidence.
5. Smile and look the recruiters in their eyes.

AFTER THE EVENT:

1. Send thank you emails to each person you spoke with.  In the message, add something you and the recurtier talked about in the conversation.  

RESOURCES:

1. UConn Center foe Career Devekopment- YouTube
2. A guide ro Crafting an Elevator Pitch for Career Fair

CHALLENGES:

Write out your goals for attending the career fair, then create a plan to achieve them,  After the event, review your goals to see how you did, what you would have done differently and then what improvement you will make to reach your goals the next time.  

1. Analytical writing

2. Solving problems

3. Exploring new places

4. Designing things

5. Photography

6. Studying art

RESOURCES

1.  Strong Interest Inventory 

2. O*Net Interest Profiler

CHALLENGES

Take one of the above assessment to help find your interests.

I-Interests

P-Personality Traits

S- Skills

A career assessment test will help you clarify your VIPS.  

Values are things that are important. 

VAULES 

DIRECTION:

From the following list, check each value that is very important to you, then list your top 3 values at the end of the list.

CATEGORIES:

____Knowledge: Engage in research of information, understanding and new ideas.

____Recognition: Recognize for work well-done.

____Help others: Be involved in helping people directly, either individually or in a group.

____Independence: The ability to work with little close supervision.

____Location: A place to live which is conducive to my lifestyle.

____Advancement:  Gain opportunities for growth.  

____Teamwork: Work as a group for a common goal.  

____Time freedom: Establish own schedule and have time and energy to spend outside of 

          Work. 

____Learning: The opportunity to learn new skills.

____Travel: Opportunities to travel for work

____Variety: Experience change in work responsibilities and enjoy different tasks. 

____Physical challenge:  A demanding job that requires physical strength, speed or ind_____. 

____Community: Live in a town or city where you can become actively involve

____Moral fulfillment: Feel that your work is contributing significally to a set of moral 

         standards which I feel are very important.

____Excitement: Experience a high degree of stimulation

____Creativity: Create new ideas, program or structure never developed before 

____Supervision: Directly responsible for work done by others. 

____Security: Be assured of keeping my job.

____Competition: Engage in activities which pit my abilities against others.

____Intellectual Status: Become an “expert” in a given field or subject

____Adventure: Have work duties which involve frequent risk-taking.

____Affliction: A member of a particular organization 

____Precision work: Deal with task that have exact specifications, that require careful, accurate 

         attention to detail. 

____ Work with others: Have close working relationship with a team.

____Stability: Have work routine and job duties that are largely predictable and not likely to

          change over a long period of time.

____ Influence People: Be in a position to change people’s attitudes and opinions or Be in a 

          position to change attitudes or opinion of other people. 

____ Help Society: Do something to contribute to the betterment of the world. 

____ Profit, Gain: A chance to accumulate money and goods.  

____Make decision: Have the power to decide courses of action, policies, etc., Have the power 

         To set policy and determine a course of action

____ Fast pace: Work in circumstances where there is a high pace of activity, work must be        

          done rapidly. 

List your top 3 values:

1.)

2.)

3.)

Download the 2024-25 NCAA college-bound student-athlete guide.

The guide will have you understand the following:

The three NCAA Divisions

Recruiting

Final Amateurism 

Academic Requirement- The three NCAA Divisions

Follow the NCAA Eligibility Center on social media.           

            X (formerly Twitter): @ncaaec

            Facebook: @ncaaec

            Instagram: @playcollegesports

            YouTube: @ncaaec

Hone your athletic skills.

Research career and majors.

Resources: 

1. Look at the major list of the school you want to attend.
2. Occupational Outlook Handbook- htpps://www.bls.gov
3. CareerOneStop- https://careeronestop.org
4. Candid Career
5. O*Net OnLine
6. Focus 2

  Research scholarship and other financial aid.

          -Not every high school student-athletes will receive an athletic scholarship. That is why it is           

            important to make good grades, volunteer your time, 

TYPES OF SCHOLRSHIPS:

1. Academic 
2. Athletic
3. Community services
4. Demographic
5. Need-based
6. Scholarship for women
7. Identity-based 
8. Merit aid
9. Military 
10. Major
11. Creative
12. Religious

Federal, state, university, and private funding sources.  

COST OF ATTENDENCE INCLUDES:

1. Tuition and Fee
2. Room and Board
3. Books and Supplies
4. Transportation
5. Miscellaneous expenses

Here are some ideas to make your Academic year fruitfully/productive:

FRESHMAN YEAR

1. Meet with your career counselor

2. Take a career assessment.

            - It will help you identify your skills, values, interests and personality trait.
 

3. Conduct an informational interview.

            - Do at least three informational interviews.  They will give you insight into the career, what it takes to feet your foot in the                  

               door, current industry news, etc.

4. Get to know your faculty and advisors 

5. Create a resume and have it critique by a university career staff member.

6. Explore major options and potential for a good fit.

SOPHMORE YEAR

1. Declare a major

2. Update your resume.

JUNIOR YEAR

1. Get involved in student organizations.

2. Learn about resumes, cover letters and interviewing.

3. Update resume.

4. Investigate possible post-graduate education or professional schools.

5. Start gathering information from references.

6. Conduct research to determine the types of entry-levels positions for which you might quality.

7. Create a job search criteria.  

SENIOR YEAR

1. Schedule a mock interview

2. Identify full-time opportunities.

3. Brush up on professional etiquette, hone the resume, and learn to interview successfully.

4. If pursuing graduate school, take the professional test (GRE, GMAT, LSAT, etc.)

5. Start looking for a full-time employment.

1. Find out the date of the career fair.
2. Know why you are going to the career fair.
3. Create a list of companies you would like to talk to at the career fair.
4. Create a list of questions you would like to ask each recruiter.
5. Purchase professional attire.
6. Look at the list of employers attending the fair.
7. Have your resume revise by Career Services.
8. Create an elevator pitch.
9. Make at least 10 copies of your resume.  You may print an extra 5 copies for just in case.  

EXTRA:

• Create a list of companies you would like to talk to at the career fair.
• You may have to create different questions for each company.

WHAT TO BRING TO THE CAREER FAIR:

1. Copies of your resume
2. Padfolio
3. Pen
4. Questions for recruiters.

Now I will talk about what to do during the career fair.

1. Go alone.
2. Shake the recruiters’ hand firmly and look them in the eyes.
3. Turn off or on silent your phone.  You do not want to be distracted by your phone while talking to a recruiter.
4. Be enthustic and positive during the fair.
5. Thank the recruiter for their time.
6. Collect business cards from recruiters.

After the career fair:

1. Send thank you email to each person you talk to.  In the message, recount what was discussed.
2. Follow the company and the recuiter on Handshake as well as LinkedIn.
3. If the recuiter request information from you, submit immediately.

THEY OFFER:

1. Career Counsleing
2. Career-related workshop[s and seminars
3. Career Assessment
4. Professional Development
5. Networking opportunities with employers and alumnus
6. Review your resume
7. Career Resources
8. Planning for Graduate School
9. Practice Interviewing
10. Job Search Strategies
11. Career Planning

BENEFITS OF CAREER SERVICES:

1.  They will help you develop a career planning suited just for you.  
2. Assist you in finding ways yo gain work experience.
3. Help you prepare for interviews.
4. Revise your resume and cover letter
5. Give advice on how to network effectively.

Take advantage of their services.

Schedule an appointment to find out what they have to offer.  

BENEFITS OF TIME MANAGEMENT:

• Reducing stress
• Build your confidence
• Accomplishing more in less time

SOME WAYS TO HELP MANAGE YOUR TIME WISELY:

1. Look at how you are using your time now.  Make a list of task you do daily, weekly, and monthly and how long it takes you to complete each task.  
2. Keep of your time for about a two weeks to a month.  It will help you find your time waster.
3. Find a time management method.  

TYPES OF TIME MANAGEMENT METHODS:

1. Getting Thing Done (GTD)
2. Pomodoro
3. The Eisenhower Decision Matrix
4. Eat That Frog- Great book
5. Time Blocking
6. Zero to 
7. Timeboxing Technique
8. The ABC Method
9. The "ABCDE" Method
10. The Pickle Jar Theory

If you have any show suggestions or want to send in your questions?  Send them to thestspodcast1@gmail.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

INSTAGRAM: the_stspodcast1

TWITTER: @the_stspodcast1

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/thesportingtowardssuccesspodcast

Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center.

There three accounts:

Profile Account: Free

Amateurism- Only Certification Account- If you are aninternational student-athleteplanning to compete at an NCAADivision IIIschool,$70Amateurism

Academic and Amateurism Certification Account- to compete at aDivision I or IIschool-$100Domestic/Canada|$160International

Check with your guidance counselor to see if you qualify for a fee waiver. 

Read at least 2 books.

Read a couple of books that interest you and will expand your mind.  For example, books about leadership, career field, investments, etc.

Hone your athletics skill set.

Go to camps and summer workouts to better yourself and help your team achieve the main goal, A CHAMPIONSHIP

Contact your guidance counselor to upload your official transcript.  For graduates, the counselor will need to upload your official transcript with your graduation date.  

1. Gain experience 

Internship- usually 4-12 weeks long,hey are mostly paid and involve working on live work projects and tasks

Micro-Internship

Volunteer-

Job shadowing- usually unpaid and just for a day or two where you spend time observing someone in their role at work

Part-time- Commonly in retail, hospitality, healthcare, tutoring and office roles, many with a customer service focus. These give an excellent opportunity to proactice your skills, and see how organisations work first hand.

Research- at universities, research institutes, charities, governmental departments and companies can help you to build on skills developed during your academic studies and develop data collection and analysis, technical skills, funding and report writing, especially useful if you are considering an academic or research career.2.  Update your handshake and liknedin accounts.

Leadership in student or professional organization- Positions of responsibility: this could include roles such as course representative, elected role in the Student Union, a role in a committee or society, ambassador or mentor at university or in the community. These show that you are willing to lead, and show what you can deliver.

3.  Hone your athletic skills.

4. Read at least three books.

5. Conduct at least three informational interviews.  

SELF-ASSESSMENT

Self-assessment is exploring and discovering your VIPS.  

VIPS stands for values, interests, personality, and skills. 

Values are things that are important to you.  Examples of values are creativity, growth, acceptance, etc.  

Interests are things you like doing.  Examples of interests are music, painting, writing, etc.

Personality traits are who you are.    Examples of personality traits are ENFJ- People Visionary, ISFP- Everyday Artist, ENTJ- Hardworking Visionary, etc.

Skills are things you are you good.  Some examples of skills are drawing, problem solving, analyze data, etc.

The way to find out what your VIPS are to take career assessment.

There are several career assessment tests available online.  For high school student-athletes check with your guidance counselor, college student-athletes talk with your academic advisor or someone in career services.  For professional athletes check with your Players association.  

There are no wrong or right answers with career assessment.

RESEARCH

Make a list of careers of interest.  Research each one.  Here is a list od career research resources: Occupational Outlook handbook, Glassdoor, How to become, Indeed, The Balance Careers, just to name a few.

Research information such as job responsibilities/description, work environment, education/training/certification, career path, examples of job positions, and salary.

EDUCATION

Learn as much as possible.  Don’t just get a degree, get an education,  

GAIN EXPERIENCE

TYPES OF GAIN EXPEREINCES:

1. Internship- allow students to apply classroom knowledge with a professional setting.
2. Micro-Internship- project-based positions that involve a much smaller time commitment.
3. Job Shadowing- offers you an opportunity to observe a professional currently working in a career field of your interest.
4. Research- participate in research in your academic department.
5. Externship- temporary job-shadowing programs that last anywhere from an afternoon to a few weeks.
6. Job Simulations- 6–7-hour virtual roles where students can explore what it’s like to work at some of the largest companies in the world.
7. LinkedIn Learning- can help develop all kinds of transferable skills.
8. Part-time jobs- can take place on or off campus.  
9. Volunteerism- giving of yourself within expecting anything in return.
10. Student organization- gain management and leadership while collaborating with peers to organize various projects.

Where to find internships Handshake, LinkedIn, Indeed , Internships.com, professional organizations, or company websites

JOB SEARCH

Create a job criteria.  

An Example:

POSITION: Human Resources Specilaist

LOCATION: Houston area

TYPES OF ORGANIZATION: Medium size

CAREER AREA: Compensation

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Remote or Hyrid

TRAVEL: A little

TYPES OF BENEFITS: 401(k), Health, Life , Dental and Vision Insurance, Disability Insurance, Paid Vacation, 

Maximize your resources and your network.

CAREER MANAGEMENT

Personalize your plan.

One thing you can do is keeping learning.  

HERE IS A LIST OF THINGS THE PLAYERS ASSOCIATIONS OFFER AND DO:

- Negotiate the collective bargaining agreement (CBA)

- Prosecute grievances on players behalf

- Counsel players on benefits and educational opportunities

- They certified sports agents.

- Help with salary arbitration 

-Offer professional development opportunities

- Improve working conditions and safety for players

- Manage the group licensing program

- Help players with their Community initiative

* The terms and conditions vary per league. 

It is very important that read what is in the CBA so you can know what the players association is doing on your behalf whether you agree or not.  

Who is eligible for membership in the Association?

Any players on the roster but some players associations extend membership to coaches, trainers, etc.  

.CHALLENGE

Look at the CBA table of content and read one selection.  If you don’t understand or want a better of understand on what is being offered, ask your team player representative or contact the player association.  

The Player Assoication advocates on behalf of the best interest of all players.

Every opportunity to interact with people is a networking opportunity.

BENEFITS OF NETWORKING

1. Building relationships
2. Allow access to new information
3. Collaborations
4. Grow your network
5. Share knowledge
6. Gather career advice and find out about career opportunities

Networking can be formal and informal but mostly informal social setting.

Determine what you want to learn.

Networking opportunities may occur at trade shows, seminars, conferences, career fairs, alumni events, etc.

Research shows that people with stronger networks end up with higher salaries and promoted more. 

Networking also happens on online,  LinkedIn is the largest professional social media platform.  They have over 1 billion members.  It provides opportunities for people to engage with other professionals, join groups, post, and share information.  

An elevator pitch is a short (30-60 second) professional introduction.  You can have more than one elevator pitch for different setting.

Elevator Pitch should consist of your name, what you are doing now, what you are seeking, what you have done in the past, what you have to offer, what you are desiring to accomplish in the future, what make you unique and what do you want a person to remember about you.  

TIPS:

1. If you enter into a space/room, say HELLO.
2. Find a common interest, talk about the event, the food, the place it is being held at, etc.

CHALLENGES:

Make a list of everyone you know.  write their name, email address, phone numbers, your relationship (classmates, co-worker/teammate, neighbors, church members, etc.) what they do for a living,  

Filling out the FAFSA form will qualify you for grants, scholarships, work-study and loans.

Set up an account to receive your FSA ID.

In order to complete the form you will need:

1. Parents/Guardians W-2
2. Last year's tax return
3. FSA ID 
4. Parents/Spouse contributor name
5. Social Security Number
6. Date of Birth
7. Email address
8. Income and asset information (if required)

You must apply for aid every year.

To fill out the form go to https://studentaid.gov.

Check with your school/university to find out the deadlines for the federal, state and school.

You can list up to 20 schools on your form.

• List some of the topics that will be discuss in 2024.
• The mission of The Sporting Toward Success podcast

FOLLOW ME ON:

TWITTER:@the_stspodcast1

INSTAGRAM: the_stspodcast1

EMAIL: If you have any suggestions on a topic you would like for us to do or just want to make a comment, please send your message to thestspodcast1@gmail.com.

Benefits of the Mentor

1.       Commitment to professional development of self and mentees.

2.       Help mentees in avoiding common professional pitfalls.

Benefits of the Mentee

1. Opportunity to ask questions and get advices from professional about career.

2. Learn from mentor pitfalls.

3. Watch your mentor achieve their goals.

4. Access to a professional network.

QUALITIES OF A GOOD MENTOR

1. A Good Listener
2. Experience in your area of interest
3. Dependable
4. Honest 
5. Well-rounded
6. Teachable
7. Wo can challenge you

ROLE OF A MENTOR

1. Motivator
2. Encourager
3. Give direction
4. Supporter
5. Trainer

WHERE CAN YOU FIND A MENTOR?

1. At Church
2. At School
3. Athletic Department
4. Family member (other than your parents)

1. Take a career assessment.
2. Make a list of at least 10 careers that intrigue you.
3. Research career options.
4. Narrow your list to 3 careers.
5. Conduct at least three Informational Interviews.
6. Select a career.
7. Set some career goals.
8. Create an action plan.

CAREER ASSESSMENT: Take at least one

1. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
2. Strong Interest Inventory 
3. StrengthQuest
4. MAPP Test
5. MyPlan.com
6. MyNextMove
7. Holland Code
8. Focus 2

WHERE TO SEARCH:

1. Occupational Outlook Handbook
2. CandidCareer.com
3. CareerOneStop
4. Learn How To Become

WHAT TO SEARCH:

• Job Description
• Education/Training
• Salary
• Other career options
• Important Skills