How not to get a job in Strength and Conditioning

Posted On Wednesday, 19th October 2011 at 07:18

"How can I get a job in strength and conditioning?"

Is a question I get asked a lot. Having recently advertised for several positions (paid and unpaid) I was appalled at the standard of application.  Here are some of the key errors that were made:

• Get the name of the employer wrong on the application.
• Attach a cv which is called "West Ham Football" or "Bristol Rugby" to a job with Excelsior.
• Do not write a covering letter which states your reasons for working with the company you are applying for.
• Apply for a job in the South West of England, then tell the employer that "they got it wrong on the advert" when you live in Milton Keynes or Sussex and can't get to the workplace.
• Turn up to the interview unshaven or with a shirt that is unironed.
• When asked to prepare for the interview, don't research the company website.
• When asked where do you research thoughts and ideas, answer "google" or "youtube".
• Don't over egg your coaching experience when talking to a panel with over 100 combined years of experience and you have done 2 hours coaching a week for 6 weeks.
• Blag your practical skills and miss the key points of what an athlete is doing in front of you.
• Tell your future employer how Olympic Lifts are the best thing since sliced bread as part of your understanding of Long Term Athlete Development.
• Say your main reason for working with the company is "to gain access to your contacts" or "to rack up my coaching hours"
• Rely on University lecturers to help you prepeare for the workplace, when most of them have never worked with athletes for anything longer than a research study.

Luckily the interns I have hired are proving to be pretty good at their jobs. It is a shame that the overall standard was so poor, with such easily rectified mistakes.

If you want to get a job here are 5 tips on getting started