A record of 4.7 billion viewers tuned in to watch the last Beijing Olympics, or nearly 70% of the world’s population. Although for two weeks every four years amateur athletes are on the world stage, too often afterwards these same athletes are forgotten by the countries and societies they represented. After training for more than ten years on the focused objective of winning for their country they have often prioritised their life where studies and their career have come second to their pursuit of athletic success. Consequently, after retiring, the transition for athletes back into the workforce can be extremely challenging.
HR Magazine recently had the opportunity to interview Pang Chung, Hon. Secretary General of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) and Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Athletes Career and Education Programme (HKACEP) Committee. We also spoke with Patrick Glennon, Adecco Vice President & Adecco Global Director of the International Olympic Committee Athlete Career Programme—run in cooperation with the Adecco Group. Glennon and Pang are working on developing programmes to assist athletes in the transition from their sporting career into the workplace. Hong Kong has the distinction of being the first country in Asia to launch the IOC ACP. Since its launch in 2005, the programme has supported more than 5,000 athletes in over 40 countries. The Hong Kong agreement was recently renewed earlier this year, on 27 May.
The difficulties of transitioning from one’s sporting career are well documented within the sporting community though little known outside of it. A 2001 study by Monster.com of retired Olympians found that two thirds of retired athletes reported experiencing disappointment during their post Olympic job search, while nearly half surveyed said they had problems re-entering the workforce after the Olympics. Speaking on athletes in Hong Kong, Pang described the grim story that many athletes are forgotten after their sports career. Pang states “After devoting their golden time to competing for their country, we see many athletes fail to find work after their competition era and end in a miserable life.”
According to Glennon, one of the challenges that athletes face is that their CV is quite different from other job applicants. They tend to be older when they enter the workforce after dedicating many years to competing and training rather than working on their professional career. This does not preclude them from being a successful employee and Glennon explained, “Athletes may have a slightly different background, but that does not mean they are less likely to succeed in the future.”
The challenge arises in the filtering stage of CVs, in that many athletes—due to their unusual backgrounds—might not get through though this process, even though they are perfectly good candidates for the position. Glennon stated, “If HR managers look at what they [the athletes] have done, rather than just in terms of what an athlete can provide, they could be missing one of the best candidates they have.”
Pang knows firsthand the challenges athletes face, having competed in athletics for Hong Kong in the 1960s in both the Olympics and the Asian Games. He explained, “As a former athlete I did not get any funding, I worked myself and then went back to university. After graduating I went back to competing.” This juggling of sport, study and career is common among many elite athletes. Often just looking at athletes’ CVs on the surface, many employers view their lack of work experience as a liability.
However, Glennon argues an athletic background can demonstrate the very skills that many employers are looking for. He explained, “They have the drive and the unwritten elements that lead to success.” Teamwork, discipline and the ability to handle competition are commonly discussed virtues of athletes.
The other things athletes can bring to the workplace are less obvious Glennon explained, “Potentially, corporate people may or may not recognize the transferable skills that athletes have. Athletes have the discipline to put together a training plan and then stick to it. They can also put time management in place so they can accomplish what needs to get done—which in other terms equates to a project plan.”
The Athlete Career Programme in this way helps athletes to identify these skills which are transferable to the business world.
Speaking on the philosophy of the HKACEP, Pang stated, “We are not providing the fish, we are teaching them how to knit a net. In other words we are trying to show the way how to educate them in order that they can make their own living after sport.” Aside from providing skills the programme also helps raise awareness of the positive contribution athletes can bring to a company.
Glennon sees part of his mission as changing the norms and perceptions of employers. He stated, “Many business people do have some type of stereotype of athletes, some are very positive and some may be that athletes are without a lot of experience. But a lot of athletes do have the education; they just have a different background. And if we can help athletes help the employer understand how they can add a lot of success to their company then you really have a much higher likelihood of success.”
An additional challenge for the programme is the variability of participants. On discussing the athletes in the Hong Kong programme, Pang stated, “The spectrum is so wide because our athletes are coming from different backgrounds. Some have very good educational backgrounds; some have prioritised their sport over their studies. The good news is that there are as many types of careers as there are athletes.”
The programme succeeds best in helping athletes identify their own transferable skills. Glennon said, “What I enjoy in the job is helping athletes recognize that the power of what they have done is also transferable to the business world. And if you put those two things together they have a lot of what it takes to be successful, even though their past experiences are different.”
For HR the challenge in hiring has always been to select the right people for the right position. Glennon recognizes the difficulties inherent in this challenge and said, “HR managers have the opportunity to create the backbone of the future of the company.
It is challenging when you get a thousand CVs that come in and try to process them to find the best candidate for the job.” To avoid missing some ideal candidates Glennon advised, “One of the strategies is to recognize the potential that athletes have going forward without them being sifted out—without getting a chance to see them.”
Pang added, “Athletes are good material, they are raw material, if you hire them you can guide and coach them and bring out the best part of them and they will become a successful element of the company.”
Glennon, in hoping to change the current mindsets that exist, suggested openness with athlete jobseekers. He advised HR managers, “Look to the future, meet and talk with athletes, and discover their potential…Athletes can bring together some of the best synergy and energy to help you win in the businessplace. It is exciting to look ahead with athletes integrated in your workforce.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
