High-performing athletes have all the personal skills and attributes employers are looking for, according to employers and academic research. However, making the transition from full-time athlete to the world of work is not easy, and even Olympic medal winners can benefit from help, support and advice. 

That was the key message from a jobs fair attended by around 300 Olympians, Paralympians and other high-performing athletes at Coventry’s Ricoh Stadium in November. Among the 48 employers who attended the Athlete Futures event were P&G, Allianz, Lewis Silkin, London Stock Exchange, Bank of Canada and Adecco.

Gill Pinder, resourcing advisor at Allianz, said athletes were exactly the type of people Allianz and other employers were looking for. Pinder told Recruiter: “The world of work is changing, and people who have shown they can adapt and be flexible as well having determination, drive and competitiveness are what employers want.”

Earlier, Professor David Lavallee, head of sport at the University of Stirling, told the audience that evidence that world-class athletes make great employees was not just anecdotal. His own recent study showed that retired athletes outperformed their peers in the workplace in two particular aspects:

• Proactive behaviour; the tendency to act without being asked

• Ability to craft their job depending on the needs of the organisation.

This built upon his previous work in 2014, in which employers marked out student athletes as highly employable. Their attributes included motivation to get out of their comfort zone, and the humility to put the team ahead of the individual.

“The world of work is very demanding, and it's getting tougher. Employers are interested in employability potential and the ability to work in increasingly complex roles and environments. In terms of the skills that athletes possess, they are exactly what employers want,” said Lavallee.

Athletes at the event agreed their elite sports background gave them many attributes and skills. Mandip Sehmi, a three-time Paralympian, who represented GB at wheelchair rugby, told Recruiter top level athletes are “very driven, have great determination”, as well as the ability to dig deep in themselves. “These are skills which are transferable, and can give provide employers with a different dimension.”

However, Sehmi admitted his own transition from athlete to work was “very scary”. “When you have been an elite sportsperson for so long you are blinkered from the outside world,” he explained. 

Sehmi, who has a degree in engineering, said the workshops at the event, giving practical advice on how to make the transition from full-time athlete to the world of work, had been “really useful” in helping him “to package” himself in a way that was attractive to employers. Workshops run at the event included personal branding, networking, and how to produce a professional and attractive CV.

In her address, Liz Nicholl, chief executive, UK Sport, urged athletes to make use of the UK’s network of lifestyle performance advisers, who could “help them plan their career”. 

Sophie Hitchon, who won a bronze medal in the women’s hammer competition at the recent Rio Olympics, attended the workshop on networking. Hitchon, who is studying for a degree in business and sports management at the University of Hertfordshire, told Recruiter it was important for athletes to start planning for their career after sport as early as possible. 

“By doing this as early as possible, you can build up your qualifications in different areas, meet and build relationships with new people, and avoid the panic at the end of your career to find a job,” she said.

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