I am an elite runner (sub 4 mile) with an MBA. I am getting into the work force. For those of you that do some hiring, will my athletic background help or hurt me? My experince is lacking because I have been training full-time for a number of years. Just looking for some insight. Thanks!
If you have a resume gap, the employer will want to know why. Chasimg after personal athletic dreams, while maybe not lending direct experience to the position you're vying for, is not all that bad. So, it may not help you tons (unless someone like me was the hiring employer (smile)), but it is a lot better than nothing. Good luck, and congrats on the enviable mile time!
where did you go to undergrad and bschool?
It depends on what you want to do. If you want to go into sales for running related stuff it will obviously help, but in all reality noone will really care how fast you have run a mile. I was decent coming out of college, and I put a lot of my college running stuff on my resume (ie Captian of team, making it to nationals, school records) thinking it shows dedication but none of those were ever even brought up in an interview.Unless your mile time can help a company earn money then you might as well have run an 8:00 mile from my experience.
linmil wrote:
I am an elite runner (sub 4 mile) with an MBA. I am getting into the work force. For those of you that do some hiring, will my athletic background help or hurt me? My experince is lacking because I have been training full-time for a number of years. Just looking for some insight. Thanks!
JEH
Thanks for the info. This real world stuff sucks!=)
I went to college in Oregon and grad school in Calif. for the person who was asking.
it'll probly hurt you. your boss doesnt care that much if u jog/bike/are sub 4 miler whatever. the pt is u dont have good work experience. its gonna take awhile to make good money
It will hurt you in trying to land an interview...your resume will be overlooked due to your not having the experience of your peers.
However, if you land an interview, your running accomplishments will be a big plus. Anything that makes the interviewer remember you is a positive! I once got a second interview with a company after missing a scheduled first meeting (they thought it was their fault). I was hurried and late to my acutal interview and forgot to button my collar (it was sticking out like wings above my tie). And finally, I had a flea on me from helping my girlfriend debug the cat earlier in the day.
Good luck!
phylis? is that you?
Yes. I do the real world sucky thing so that I can do the family & running thing.
Don't get discouraged by the negativity of some these posts. Not having a lot of direct experience will hurt a little. BUT, a lot of employers are not as clueless as some are saying. Most know they can't break 10min, and they know that it takes a min to cover a mile when gong 60mph. So, a 3:50-whatever mile is good.
That said, you might want to even proactively bring up the wonderful experience that the running has provided (unlike the person who waited to be asked about it) - might as well address what is obviously a question/concern of the employer. Be sure to not only mention how good that is specifically (ie. you were the 15th (I'm just guessing) fastest mile in 2003 in the United States, an Olympic Trial Qualifier in the premier Olympic event), but also how that experience will translate beneficially for whoever/whatever you're applying for. Be confident, bordering on cocky. Notice how I said that the mile is "The premier Olympic event"... that is really up for discussion isn't it? But, you want to come across very confident in your abilities. While showing respect, interview with your potential employer as if you are going to go for a run afterwards.
linmil wrote:
I am an elite runner (sub 4 mile) with an MBA. I am getting into the work force. For those of you that do some hiring, will my athletic background help or hurt me? My experince is lacking because I have been training full-time for a number of years. Just looking for some insight. Thanks!
Like other posters have mentioned, it probably won't help if you're not pursuing an athletic related career. BUT, I'm a recruiter and when I see a qualified resume with additional competitive running experience, I must admit to giving that candidate an extra look and will probably "push" the hiring managers to interview the candidate. Again, it probably only helps if you're already minimally qualified (in my case). You didn't aski, but I would certainly put your running experience on your resume because you never know when you're going to run into a recruiter or hirining manager who values that experience. I know of a hiring manager at my company who looks favorably on ex-athletes because he feels they will be more "competitive" in the sales world.
I'm a partner in a major law firm. I really like to hire folks with athletic experience. They tend to be hard working and analytic, and they do what they are asked to do.
Pose22 wrote:
I'm a partner in a major law firm. I really like to hire folks with athletic experience.
dude, i know its the internet but you don't have to make things up.
The lack of experience will hurt in the short run, but with a strong and determined work ethic, you should succeed. Since you will have a lack of work experience, use your connections from running to help you get your foot in the door for an interview or other connections for the job. Since you have most likely traveled quite a bit use that to your advantage.
One thing that I struggled with after college and when I entered the REAL world, is the mundaness of the jobs I found, working 8-5, inside an office, around overweight people. Most jobs will not compare to the excitement and enjoyment that running brings to us, it is hard to carry forward to a career. You most likely have a good work ethic, a good education, just need to transition it .
linmil wrote:
I am an elite runner (sub 4 mile) with an MBA. I am getting into the work force. For those of you that do some hiring, will my athletic background help or hurt me? My experince is lacking because I have been training full-time for a number of years. Just looking for some insight. Thanks!
For the time you were training rather than working i'd put 2 lines on your resume:
1) Trained to qualify for US Olympic TEAM (not just the trials, the team)
2) Ran <4:00 mile X # of times.
This will get you a meeting. After that, you are on your own.
I've hired (and fired) many people and seen '00's of crappy CVs. They point of a CV is to beg for a meeting, where you then can put on a show. These accomplishments will register with the general public and people will be curious.
If they don't bring up running in the meeting, dont mention it - it has nothing to do w/ work. If they do, great.
But like B-school itself, this is all part of a process to try to get yourself dealt into the game. Use any trick you can, and <4:00 is as good as any.
My US$0.02
Pose22 wrote:
I'm a partner in a major law firm. I really like to hire folks with athletic experience. They tend to be hard working and analytic, and they do what they are asked to do.
it will hurt you at the top level jobs only where they not only like but absolutely require previous high-level employment experience. this poster is absolutely right; everyone in the world knows what a sub-4:00 mile is. they also know that hard work, attention to detail, focus, drive, and all those other things which are hard to determine from a resume --or even meeting a person-- went into your success. and those are the attributes an employer really wants. you can have fancy credentials but employers love the people who get down in the trenches and roll up their sleeves. you're clearly a smart guy so be sure to highlight these attributes when interviewing.
and one other general point: the whole putting running accomplishments on the resume can be an excellent or worthless tactic. like many things you put on the resume other than your education and direct work experience, what the interviewer focuses on other than those totally depends on their own interests. if you meet with a fellow runner, you are absolutely money. i got my first job out of law school at a firm i really had no business getting a job with based on my education and work experience. but the guy i initially interviewed with was a marathoner and we shot the shit about running for a while and he was writing down my pr's because he was impressed. got the call-back interview, wowed some people there and i was in; the fact that the guy i initially interviewed with went to bat for me in the hiring committee helped, too. i think of the 25 or so interviews that i had, my running got mentioned maybe in a third of them and probably in 2 or 3 it was a big factor. yeah, that's a small percentage but the thing about job-hunting (especially if you want the desirable jobs) is that you'll strike out way more often that you'll hit.
i don't see how putting your running accomplishments on your resume will hurt you; the worst that happens is that they just skip right over it. if it helps you get a second interview or a job even in 5% or less of the interviews, it's more than worth the space. to continue my baseball metaphor from above: it's not a high percentage hitter but, when it makes contact, it tends to be a homer.
I'd explain the gap in the cover letter. Listing your running accopmplishments in your resume would look stupid. If your running comes up in the interview, let them know that running is now just something you do recreationally, so they don't fear that next Oly year you'll be getting the itch.
Regina Jacobs works for a real estate broker in the Bay Area, and as her list of qualifications, it lists her running accomplishments. Unless you are a runner impressed with a drug cheat, I'm sure most would ask "what does setting an American record have to do with selling my house?".
Just hope that the person that makes the final decision is athletically inclined. I once hired a person because she ran on the same JC team as one of my collegiate teammates.
i've had several bosses who were interested and impressed by the running.
i think it's helped me get interviews in the past. dont' make it the centerpiece of your resume, but in the personal section list that you're an elite sub-4 minute miler. in the cover letter, explain that you've spent a few years focusing on becoming an elite athlete.
hell, if i were in a position to do so, i'd give you an interview just for that.
Find a company that has a corporate track team, look to find the members and see if anyone is in personnel. Lockeed might give you a look.
I am a CFO, I always am interested in people with athletic backgrounds, people who can balance school and a sport have time management skills and disicpline.