The job market after baseball

Dominik85 posted:

BTW do you think it helps if the recruiter is a Baseball fan? Of course you still Need to have the qualifications but if you can connect it might help.

Absolutely it does, I review 50+  resumes every year when we go through our "Recent Grad" recruiting period for federal law enforcement.  In total, our team (not HR specialists but other agents who the candidate would work with)probably gets upwards of 500+ resumes annually.  Obviously I am a baseball guy so seeing the candidate who can balance the educational and athletic workload is nice and I would likely give him a bump because I understand the environment.  But does it push them over the top -- no.  Not everyone sees it the same way.  In fact, I'd say a large percentage of my counterparts would simply move on.  How do I know you say?  Because I have seen them favor the non athlete on many occasion.  The other so called "regular" students who also work full time jobs while going to school, summer internships in their chosen profession, serves in the community, takes a language course over the summers while still exceling at their academics generally score just as well if not better.   Commitment is just that commitment -- whether it be to an athletic endeavor or busting your tail to put yourself through college, the effort is still being expended.  With all that said, I liked the fact it was creative, showed a commitment to a goal, etc. and would have argued to go to round two of evaluations -- beyond that?  ehhhh      

You know this is just a really great topic started by someone some of us have known for many many years. Its an example of how many come here to really help but it's just a shame this place has gone Sesame Street (juvenile joker).

TPM posted:

You know this is just a really great topic started by someone some of us have known for many many years. Its an example of how many come here to really help but it's just a shame this place has gone Sesame Street (juvenile joker).

  

You seem to be one of those parents who have complaints about everything and everyone.  Does anyone, IYO, do anything right?  

lionbaseball posted:

TPM posted:

You know this is just a really great topic started by someone some of us have known for many many years. Its an example of how many come here to really help but it's just a shame this place has gone Sesame Street (juvenile joker).

  

You seem to be one of those parents who have complaints about everything and everyone.  Does anyone, IYO, do anything right?  

Lion baseball, did you just leave that in your copy/paste bin just waiting for the right time?

For those that are confused, TPM posted that exact phrase to lionbaseball the other day.

CaCO3Girl posted:

lionbaseball posted:

TPM posted:

You know this is just a really great topic started by someone some of us have known for many many years. Its an example of how many come here to really help but it's just a shame this place has gone Sesame Street (juvenile joker).

  

You seem to be one of those parents who have complaints about everything and everyone.  Does anyone, IYO, do anything right?  

Lion baseball, did you just leave that in your copy/paste bin just waiting for the right time?

For those that are confused, TPM posted that exact phrase to lionbaseball the other day.

How did you know? 

lionbaseball, Your posts are totally inappropriate in this thread! Why not move them over to the Unusually Unusual Forum?

TPM posted:

CaCO3Girl posted:

That was a great read, thank you for posting.  What area of work did he get a job in?  Poly sci seems wide open.

Corporate position with UPS.

We often complain about the NCAA but reality is our sons would not have many opportunities without them.  

My son caught the coaching bug, the game is in his blood. Will be interesting to see where it takes him.

I might be looking for a pitching coach next year if I am able to get the head coaching job at my school.  Would he be willing to for coach and be poor while he does it LOL?

Best of luck to your son.  He will LOVE coaching.

Rob,

Thanks for posting and best of luck.  Your son is smart, accomplished and driven.  To Dominik, Redsdad, and RedBird's point, I think it is less about him and more about the employer recognizing this is an extraordinary young man.  If the hiring manager understands he is a "diamond in the rough" then he'll get that opportunity.  The question then becomes what is it that your son wants to do, and what value can he bring to the organization.   That is something only he can answer.  

Over my career, I've worked for a few large tech manufacturers.  Almost all of our top salespeople are former successful college athletes.   They know how to lead, compete, communicate, and work as a team.  It is in their DNA. Just my two cents.....

Good luck!

I always put the resumes from military and athletes on top. Neither consider losing an option. They understand how to overcome setbacks without complaining.

Rob,

Terrific work on the resume.  Glad things are going well for Jeff.  I'm also glad that I got to see him play a few times, and to meet you when we played at Duke.   As fate would have it, my son ended up rooming with one of Jeff's teammates at Duke, Dave Putman, when they played together in Great Falls, MT.  Baseball is truly a small world.

Terry

RJM posted:

I always put the resumes from military and athletes on top. Neither consider losing an option. They understand how to overcome setbacks without complaining.

Well done RJM.  Having experience as a team member is a crucial skill to any organization.

When my oldest son left college in 2010, the job market was next to non-existent.  It's better now, but still tough.  All those grads from 2008-11 are still out there competing with the younger set for entry-level options.

My baseball son graduated in 2012.  Due to injuries, his pro hopes never materialized. 

He had ZERO difficulty finding work.  He excelled at his first job and was head-hunted to his next position, which he enjoys and which pays him quite nicely.

Two takeaways for me.  First, don't compromise your academic level to pursue baseball.  That's short term thinking.  Rob's son went to Duke.  Doors will be open.  Mine went went to a school where his business major is ranked on some lists as the top undergraduate business school in the nation.  Doors opened. 

Second, anyone who learns what these kids do on a daily basis understands why their resumes should move to the top of the stack. 

I hire people for my firm.  This year, I finally went so far as to state in our information package that those who had played intercollegiate sports would be given preference.  Why?  Because I'm sick of seeing young people who are well into their 20's but who have never so much as held a job.  I am not interested in hiring someone who has yet to prove that they can pry their heads off the pillow on time every day.  I am not interested in teaching someone how to work.  I want them to have an internal motor already running before they get here, so we can move on to more substantial points that are key to their long-term success.

And BTW, all those public service things that kids list on their resumes are worthless.  Translation:  I did some stuff where I showed up when I felt like it, didn't when I didn't, left when it suited me, and suffered no consequences if my work effort was pathetic.  Give me a kid who flipped burgers on 8-hour shifts any day.  And if a kid did sports, worked, and still excelled in school, he gets the job!

Midlo Dad posted:

First, don't compromise your academic level to pursue baseball. 

I've always felt this was something not talked about enough in recruiting conversations on this site.  I couldn't agree more.  It's exactly what my son did in spite of many opportunities to play at much better baseball schools.  Everyone has their priorities and I wouldn't second guess anyone's choice but this was a biggie for our family.  In the end, if he's good enough, he'll get drafted.  Maybe he'll make a career of it, maybe he won't.  Either way he's going to have an education that he'll be proud of that will serve him for the rest of his life. 

Never compromise, never.

Rob - Thanks for posting Jeff's "resume".  I will keep this one in a file.