GETTING HIRED IN STRENGTH & CONDITIONING IN 2025
Recently I was catching up with a former intern who is preparing for graduation and applying to open S&C positions. I’ve had similar discussions with some younger coaches in the back end of 2024 too. So it spurred me to write this article. One particular thing that inspired me to write this post was one of their comments which was common across the individuals I spoke with…
This was primarily related to preparing for a real world interview. A general theme seems to be that younger coaches aren’t guided that well surrounding the interview process. Seemingly a lot of their discussions with other people had been centered around training approaches, knowing your stuff, and S&C principles (and rightly so). However I was shocked that no one had discussed real world interview prep in much detail.
All the foundational knowledge stuff is definitely needed – but as Richard Branson once famously said:
A little along the lines of fake it till you make it. You can always figure out the nuances of training through experience in the environment. But for that to work you have to be able to get your foot into the door and get offered the opportunity.
SO WHAT WAS MY ADVICE?
Simply there are two key areas that need some attention and focus, which I have found to be successful both personally and with others:
-
THE APPLICATION
-
-
BUILDING YOUR ARSENAL
Both of these are your first impression tools. Without them a hiring comittee wont know who you are. The application is like your passport – it gives you access, the arsenal is your passport stamps and then some to display what evidence you have of your experiences.
THE APPLICATION
This is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of separating yourself from others. You have to realize there are likely a minimum of 20 other people (and that’s being generous) just like you applying for this position. So what makes you the one the people should bring in to interview.
Credentials are important to pass the first round of screening, typically performed by HR to remove non-qualified candidates. So an obvious one is make sure you meet the minimal requirements (if not you best have someone in your network to help you out here). It’s become pretty commonplace that certifications and degrees are more about checking boxes than actually the quality of that degree (at least in my opinion). But nevertheless make sure you meet the minimum requirements and this is clearly stated in your resume.
Generally speaking, a lot of resumes look and feel the same these days. With the online application processes you are typically entering your resume details. Personally I’ve tried to get creative with some visuals (e.g a timeline of my experiences etc…) within my PDF upload of my resume, to help go beyond the screening process and engage the hiring committee. But I honestly don’t think the resume matters much at all other than to check the credentials box. So this doesn’t have to be fancy at all. But should be formatted to easily see your experiences.
Being a part of hiring committees in the past I have generally gravitated to the what & where contained in the resume:
- What athletes/sports the person has worked with and where.
- Where have they been (have they bounced from position to position).
- Good quality references
But again beyond that I personally don’t use the resume all that much, so i’m willing to bet neither do others.
THE BIGGEST MISTAKE I SEE IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS:
However this is the biggest mistake I see most people getting wrong is the cover letter! Why?
Well, simply individuals just regurgitate their resume and don’t really expand enough to tell the reader anything more than they could have already figured out on their own. There’s nothing worse than a missed opportunity and being on a hiring committee reading verbatim the same thing you just saw on the resume is a rather boring endeavor. So you should try and avoid this…
📝 COVER LETTER Less of an interview tip but one ALOT of people get wrong. This is what’s going to get you your interview…. So it’s related. When assessing a resume if you tick the criteria for experience, then typically I’m interested in where and then what… I’m sure most…
— CT (@CTsportsci) May 31, 2024
SO WHAT CAN YOU DO TO ENHANCE YOUR COVER LETTER?
Well to start off, think about telling a story that demonstrates why you are a good fit for a role. This is the time to take the reader on a journey of who you are. Don’t worry if you’re early career, this doesn’t have to be the final product, just your journey so far. Here are some prompts I’ve used during the early part of my career;
- Something I found impactful in my early career which changed my mind on a topic and impacted my practice.
During my time at (ENTER ORG) i was exposed to several new training methods and processes related to athlete development (give example method), I found this fit well within my own personal philosophy (give where and how). This expanded my programming skills and enhanced my delivery (give example of some feedback).
- My belief in how the organization I’m applying for can enhance my development and how that can help them… highlight the ambitions (but keep these centered)
- Something I have found interesting to implement and changed the thoughts and practice of others to benefit where I’ve been at previously
A lot of people may do this already, but for those who don’t, don’t miss an opportunity here to tell the person more about you and your story. Always treat the cover letter as a story and avoid repetition of the resume where possible. I think this enhances the application process and helps give a tiny little bit more insights into who you are!
THE CAVEAT
If you have made it this far, you may already be saying none of that matters. We have likely all heard the saying – your network is your net worth. In today’s climate this has never been more true. Ultimately this is your other way in. No matter how good you are on paper, having insider help will always trump a cold call application, unless you are really well known already and on the organization’s radar. Therefore having some good contacts in your network is important. Use the people who have mentored you and lean on their network too.
However that being said I now see more and more random messages and have heard of some horror stories in people reaching out to experienced coaches. Cold DMs can be fine, but just make sure you choose the right people to contact (and if you do make sure if using a template you change the names and organizations etc… be thorough). Warm introductions are always best. Get to a conference and try and bump into someone – after all these are networking events.
My preference here is LinkedIn as I feel Instagram and X are more informal, so when I get a DM like “Yo CT I’m interested in this job”, I automatically delete (but that’s just my opinion, others may prefer to be contacted this way). But if someone is going to the same event then any platform I think works.
BUILDING YOUR ARSENAL!
Once upon a time, when I was in my first year as a sport scientist / S&C coach a well established coach said one thing at a conference I’d never fully forget (though paraphrasing now as I don’t remember exactly what he said):
Simply put – you need an arsenal to support your why and ultimate win the battle (i.e. progress through the interview and impress). But how does one go about this?
In my opinion this is where building a portfolio comes in. A lot of us have very good work and yet inevitably some of us never put pen to paper (our keyboard to screen these days). As a younger coach it’s likely your portfolio is fairly new. But like all processes you have to start with something…
At a bare minimum you should have examples of the following:
- A needs analysis (i wrote more about this HERE)
- An annual plan (Every good training block starts with a general outline of your approach – informed by the needs analysis)
- An example training block (outlining the goals, approach and strategy – go beyond the weightroom with this and show synergy within your programming of strength & CONDITIONING work)
- Program evaluation (how did you determine success in your role? How did you monitor adaptations and improvement in the qualities related to the goal / intervention).
Then there may be a specific topic to present on or a practical demonstration of how you coach and work with an athlete. Be sure to always read the application thoroughly and if ever unsure message the hiring manager for more information and prompts (‘ill tell a story about why this is important below).
Beyond that here are some some bonus ideas that can’t harm to build into your portfolio:
- Return to play processes (examples of applied programming an progressions for a common injury(ies) you see in your sport)
- Monitoring processes (how do you establish KPIs and then continue to monitor them).
- Research collaborations (have you contributed to the literature or helped perform research in your environment)
- Presentations on a specific topic of interest (a great way to learn is to teach – pick a topic and create a presentation – apply to present posters at conferences, try and get at a small clinic and present. You don’t have to be the finished article – cause honestly none of us truly are!).
Your portfolio should be something you continue to revisit throughout your career adding certain elements as you go along.
IF IN DOUBT GIVE THEM A SHOUT!
As I begin to wrap up this post one thing I will touch on is always reaching out to the hiring manager if you ever have any questions. You have a unique opportunity to get on a person’s radar by showing some initiative and asking for further clarity especially if it’s needed!
To demonstrate the importance of clarity here is a quick story of mine, so you can hopefully learn from my mistakes as to why this is important.
In 2016 I was applying for a bunch of different positions. I had just finished my PhD and was highly motivated to pursue the next challenge. I had the opportunity to interview for an academic position teaching on a S&C masters program.
The following prompt was given for the interview prep:
Present a practical on field change of direction session you would perform with the students.
Before I continue below, I’ll stop and ask you a question – What would you do with that prompt?
Well here’s what I did…
I rock up to the interview in my suit, with a set of change of clothes in my bag. I sign in, ask the HR lady what is the order of events, “your presentation will be first”. I thought great – I’ll slip into my coaching gear real quick and off we went. Expecting to be “presenting” an on-field practical.
To my despair I got led to a small lecture room with the judge panel sitting there (I can only imagine what they thought). Luckily for me I had a powerpoint prepped that I’d presented a few months ago. I was upfront about my informal attire – “I thought there may be some need for practical demonstration”. I presented the powerpoint, red faced. and even brought one of the panel out to help me with some demo’s.
I thought at the end fuck how did i mess that up so bad! The key word was “present”, but I just interpreted it as oh that’s presenting on-field practical ideas of change of direction. On the train ride home I couldn’t help but think how I should’ve emailed to gain some clarity around the prompt and ask exactly what they meant.
Needless to say I didn’t get the position – but did get some kind feedback surrounding the process which was nice.
More recently, I experienced this from the other side. I had tasked some students with presentations for their final class project. One of the students when I say okay load up your presentation: “I didn’t realize we needed to have a powerpoint presentation”. Anyways they found a way to present with some data, but clearly they didn’t put much thought into the task. But the key message here is, don’t fall into the complacency trap, and always be more than prepared than sometimes needed.
FINISHING UP...
The last thing I’ll mention here is the stuff beyond the hiring process. Getting your own processes down on paper and creating an approach to training. One thing I spoke about with one individual is creating a framework of progressions, regressions and lateralizations (this concept isn’t new or my own – one I have been inspired by many along my way as a coach). The first step is formalizing stuff and getting it on paper – thus creating more tools at your disposal in your arsenal. Ultimately your portfolio will grow as you do.
The second is reflection. It is always nice to get some early career wins and get hired, but you may not always get the job. Use the process as training. What were the key questions you were asked. Which areas did you struggle with and so on. Use one interview to prep you for the next.
Finally always ask for feedback (especially if you got an in-person interview). You may not have been the right fit, but its always great to get some feedback if the organization is willing (most good people will do this).