I've always been told, "it's not about what you know, but who you know." As much as I hate this phrase/idea, I must admit that there is quite a bit of truth in it. In my ideal world, the person who is truly the most qualified for a position would be awarded that position. However, that is not the case in our world. I have found this to hold true in many situations, but for the purpose of this blog I will zone in on how it affects the professional field of strength and conditioning.
In the field of strength and conditioning, one searching for a job is going to be competing against many other applicants who are just as qualified. When a strength and conditioning position is posted online, there will be thousands of qualified people apply for that position. When one is competing against such a large number of qualified applicants, there has to be a way to stand out from the others. One way to accomplish this is through networking. The more people one has connections to in the field, the greater the chance of securing that highly sought-after job. Obviously, an employer will be much more likely to higher a qualified applicant whom they know or whom they have a connection to, than a random qualified applicant.
As part of this assignment, I took a step in making some networking connections by emailing five different head strength and conditioning coaches. In the emails, I inquired about characteristics of an ideal graduate assistant. I hope through those inquiries that I am able to broaden my network, as well as gain some insightful knowledge as I prepare for the next step in my career.
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