I grew up playing sports and everyone loved to go on about how athletes are so successful in their careers and have all kinds of transferable skills they bring to the workplace. I was comforted by that concept when I was young. I thought job offers would be hurled at me when it came time to apply. But, when job postings came out, it felt like those skills had left me high and dry. How was I supposed to write in my résumé that I was a hard worker and make it believable?
Was the whole world going to read my cover letter and take me at my word that I was a team player with strong leadership skills?
I learned quickly through the summer student application and interview process that all those soft skills we learn and develop through life aren’t always marketable. They are demonstrated, proven, and reveal themselves through our experience, and otherwise might feel cheap or inauthentic when written down on paper.
This outlook may seem bleak, and as I write this, I hope I am not scaring anyone off. However, the bright side is this: those who praised my soft skills were not wrong. When they spoke of those skills leading to success in my career, they weren’t talking about getting a job – they were talking about being successful when doing the job.
Every working day, I not only use the strategies and skills I developed through sports -- I depend on them.
I have balanced full courseloads, volunteering, work, and 25 hours a week of practice and games, and still find time for a social life! This taught me how to balance priorities between work obligations, hobbies, family, and friends. I learned how to recognize when coaches and teammates were actually upset, or when they were just stressed, Now I use that same skill when I speak to insureds and opposing counsel.
The skill transference list could go on. Before I get off my soapbox, this is my final message for every student who is preparing for interviews and rehearsing their ‘elevator pitch’. Your laundry list of learned skills may feel unconvincing, but they are the reason you will survive and thrive once you get the chance to prove yourself. Good luck.
by Angela R