Study: Look for sports experience when hiring
October 24, 2008 by Sam NarisiPosted in: Assessing the right candidate, In This Week's E-Newsletter, Latest News & Views, Salary negotiations
Employers weigh many factors in a candidate’s background when making a hiring decision. Should experience on a sports team be one of them?
Many companies take that experience into account, according to a recent German study. At least, people active in sports are earning more pay.
An extensive survey by the Center for Economic Policy Research compared employees with a similar backgrounds and careers. The result: Folks who played sports typically earned between 5% and 10% more than their less active peers.
Possible reasons include:
- employers want employees with better health
- athletes have more networking opportunities, so they get hired more often, and
- the competitive drive athletes tend to have makes them more successful at work, too.
What do you think? Do you care whether or not an applicant plays sports? Let us know by dropping us a comment.
Tags: German study, pay, sports
October 24th, 2008 at 10:45 am
I think it still depends on the applicant’s personality. Someone who is “driven” in sports may do well in a sales type environment, but may have difficulty following various guidelines and rules. I’ve played ball with plenty of folks that I would never work with. Successful athletes may have a “win at all costs” nature about them. Ultimately, you still want people who thrive in a team environment and that doesn’t always mean they did so in an athletic setting.
October 31st, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Anyone who has played on any team, even a chess team or cheerleading team as a youth learns what teamwork is. I believe their higher pay may be because they know how to interact well with others and know how a team functions. I have worked with many people who have not participated on a team and it shows! From what I’ve seen they don’t share well, they do not share credit with others etc. and consequently, they are “left out” and end up either voluntarily or involuntary separating from the company. A lot of folks who have not played on teams are also driven to succeed, often at the expense of others. Those who play sports are driven to succeed, and want to see their department and company succeed as well.
October 31st, 2008 at 1:49 pm
I have found that especially young workers just coming into full time work that have come from team environments such as a sport, or band, etc. have a good work ethic and know their responsibilities to a good working team. They seem to understand the importance of attendance also.
October 31st, 2008 at 3:42 pm
I see the correlation with networking abilities for people who play team sports. However, I find it rediclous when I receive an application that mentions that the applicant is on a sports team. It make us feel that the person is trying to find filler to make their resume look longer. Many people who play on sports teams are ball hogs and not good team players. Some people think the football coaches wuld make good retail store manger however, in the studywe conducted this is not the case because motivating a team to win a game is not the same as motivating a staff for good sales.
November 3rd, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Our president and manufacturing director both played college football and I can tell that they learned a great deal about teamwork through their experience. They both want the “team” to win – meaning everyone within the company – and their thoughts and actions are dictated by this desire. On the other hand, we have a VP of engineering who is all about promoting herself, making herself look good and everyone else be damned. I think it’s the “self-promotion vs. team promotion” thinking that makes the difference, not whether that person played sports. But I do think the intelligent people who did participate in sports and who learned this lesson are better employees than those who have not yet learned how to play well with others.