The reality is that you will either have the good fortune to bow out on your own terms, or the decision will be made for you.

This summer will see the end of many a footballing career. During the transfer window, some players will sign lucrative deals and be lauded by media and fans alike. But there’s another side of the coin. What happens to the players whose contracts are not renewed, who have suffered a career-threatening injury, or who are simply getting too old to continue playing at a professional level?

Following retirement, you may wake up not knowing what you want to do with the day, let alone with the rest of your life. So, what can you do now to prepare for the next stage? Follow these five tips to create the retirement of your dreams:

• Cultivate self-awareness

In Western society, our self-esteem is often tied to what we do rather than who we are. Consistent with this, when you hang up your boots for the last time, everything that made you feel good about yourself will be cast aside.

Before that day arrives, consider your strengths. What do you do well? How can you use your strengths to your advantage and in an area you’re passionate about? Long before retirement, you should start looking for other ways to boost your self-esteem outside of sports to gain a balanced perspective on your personality, values, and future goals.

• Take control

We all want to feel at least some degree of control over our lives and have the autonomy to make our own free choices. If you’re forced into retirement on account of an injury or age, then you don’t have any control over that decision.

My best advice is to not leave it all to fate. Accept that you will have to retire at some point and start planning now. Doing so will give you a sense of direction and control that you can hold onto long after your final game. In fact, planning for a career after sport may actually improve your athletic performance in the interim.

• Know what’s important to you

Without sugar-coating it, after retirement you might feel as though you’ve lost your family. After all, you’ve literally been kicked out of the locker room from one day to the next. The same fans who once begged for your signature no longer give you a second glance. Not surprisingly, many former athletes end up feeling lost, lonely, and as though their best years are behind them.

That’s why it’s vital to know what you want in life, what you value, and to be clear on your future goals. Above all, seek out new experiences that are personally meaningful and rewarding.

• Grow your support network

As an athlete, you’re connected to your team, your fans, and feel a strong sense of belonging. In a word, you’re never alone. After retirement, unless you have a very supportive family or circle of friends, you’re likely to feel a significant void.

Surround yourself with the right people throughout your professional career, rather than relying on hangers-on and teammates to boost you in the end.

• Make time for hobbies

For many athletes, nothing compares to the adrenaline rush they experience when they cross the finish line or score the winning goal. And perhaps nothing ever will.

However, if you pursue other hobbies and interests throughout your career, you’ve got a much better chance of finding pleasure again. It’s also worth emphasizing that you can still enjoy the game post-retirement.

No matter your career stage, retirement is inevitable and you need to take responsibility for it. Embracing this can help you to prepare for your life after sport. Although the transition may be challenging, following these five steps will help you on your way.

The post Athletes Beware: Avoid the “Superman Syndrome” by Planning for Retirement appeared first on Career After Sport.

Over the last few years, retiring athletes’ problems moving into second careers have made the headlines as yet another athlete faces financial or emotional issues. But what actually happens when you enter the work force? What further issues can you expect?

We know that some skills transfer easily from sport to the work force. Leadership, commitment, drive and attention to detail are attributes that work in both settings. However, some behaviours are no longer appropriate. Take job history for example. Many athletes have been accustomed to changing teams frequently – concepts such as loyalty and longevity are not often a priority for club or athlete. In today’s world, employers still expect to see stability on a CV; too much moving between companies and you are labelled unreliable and disloyal…and the job offers dry up.

Then there is job purpose: having been used to knowing what you had to do and why, at work you may just not “get it”. You may feel that you have entered a “mundane world of ordinariness”. With no obvious reason for doing what you are doing, you end up questioning the sense of it…and getting frustrated.

When it comes to goal setting, in sport, everything is geared to success. You know what you want to achieve and how you will get there. In organisations, goals tend to be fixed annually, if at all. They may even be imposed on you. And they are often less tangible than ones you are used to.

As for feedback on your performance, you will often have to wait until year end to hear how you are doing. You may need to learn to read the signs. The “no holds barred” type of performance assessment you may be used to just won’t happen.

And remember that whilst teamwork is a transferable skill, it often requires more cooperation than competitiveness. Using the same drive and single-mindedness you have shown in the past may not always be appreciated.

Experience has shown us that transition into the work place can be tough. You are behind your peers. You require new skills. You have to adapt to a way of operating which is foreign to you. Preparation is key. Gain awareness of the pitfalls by talking to people who have already been through it and learn from them. If you have the opportunity, try job shadowing or an internship. Get as much prior exposure to the world of work as possible. The more you plan for your future, the easier it will be.

The post Life After Sport: Entering the Workforce appeared first on Career After Sport.

And what about sport? We have seen postponement of major sporting events such as the Tokyo Olympic Games, the UEFA Euro 2020 and Wimbledon. The 2020 sporting calendar has been decimated with cancellation upon cancellation of major events with no one able to say for certain when “normality” will return.

In this climate of uncertainty, you may be asking yourself what happens next. Not just looking to the continuation of your sporting career, but afterwards. Do you have a plan for life after sport?

Retiring from playing sport professionally can be overwhelming. Preparation is key. As an athlete you wouldn’t dream of approaching a game or performance without a plan. In the same way, you now need to plan and prepare for life after sport.  Career Transition Workbooks have been developed specifically with this in mind. With a series of targeted exercises, they will help with everything from developing your self-identity and marketable job skills to finding support and building a professional network to make the change easier.

Here is a three-step process to help you manage your transition:

• STEP 1: Download the FREE Career Transition Questionnaire. Your responses will reveal your key concerns and will indicate the right workbooks for your progression.
• STEP 2: Based on your answers, choose the Workbooks that will address your needs.
• STEP 3: Subscribe to a monthly package that includes all the workbooks AND personal coaching from Julie.

Don’t leave your future up to chance. Download the FREE workbook NOW and discover how you can plan for an easier retirement.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Julie here to set up a chat.

The post Life after sport: what next? appeared first on Career After Sport.

• Challenges faced when changing career
• Useful tips for anyone confronted with a career change
• Transferable skills
• Similarities (and differences) between the business world and the world of sport
• Transition from sport into a “normal” life

Listen to the interview HERE

If you are interested in speaking to me about your own career challenge, feel free to email me at julie@sc-careertransition.com to set up a call.

The post Transition, Change and Career Reorientation (even for Sports Stars) appeared first on Career After Sport.

But whether athletes achieve their dreams or not, when the Olympic flame is extinguished at the end of the games, the dying embers of the flame signify for many the start of a challenging journey into the unknown. And this is not just limited to Olympic athletes. For all professional athletes, whatever their sport and wherever they compete, they are all faced with similar concerns upon retirement from sport.

My own career journey took me away from sport into the corporate world, where I worked in human resources. I grew to understand the demands of the business world and spent many years supporting companies and their employees in their quest for excellence. But I never forgot the world of sport. Frequently I would read stories in the press of a former sporting star fallen on hard times. And I began to wonder how I could help.

Putting pen to paper, I started writing down what I knew about tough transitions and the world of employment. I used the information gathered from years of work, study, and research in order to produce a document that, I hope, will serve as a useful resource for people contemplating life after sport. This book combines the information gained from my own business experience, from my own tough career transition, from research in the fields of sports psychology and positive psychology as well as from many aspects of life and executive coaching to provide a framework to help athletes succeed in their life after sport.

Whether you are a professional athlete, uncertain of what the future holds, or already retired and seeking direction, this book will provide you with an excellent basis to start your search for meaning and purpose for life after sport. If you are a partner or spouse of an athlete, it will give you an overview of the concerns your partner may be facing and, if you are also unsure of your own future, it will provide concrete exercises to get you thinking about your own next goal.

Transition out of sport can be challenging. Advance preparation is very helpful. This book will serve as your stepping stone to life after sport. So start your journey of discovery now.

Career After Sport: Career Planning Guidance to Help You Move On is now available on Amazon.

The post Career After Sport: Career Planning Guidelines to Help You Move On appeared first on Career After Sport.

In the past sport and money didn’t really mix. People competed at the highest level for glory rather than cash. However, over the last thirty-five years, sport has become big business. The significant increase in amounts paid for television rights for sporting events like the Olympic Games as well as developments in the FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions League formats have made the world of sport more competitive than ever. Many other sports have followed this trend, leading to a circle of elite sporting professionals who have made a lot of money from sport, with no need to work afterwards.

“Always sunny in the rich man’s world” sing Abba. So why do we continue to hear of stars who have fallen on hard times? Whether it be anecdotal evidence from social media or official studies, such as the research published by the world players’ union FIFPro in 2015 which found that depression and anxiety issues affect over one third of former footballers, it is clear that there is an ever-growing problem which needs to be addressed urgently.

Studies into the lives of lottery winners before and after their win show us that money doesn’t change our happiness levels. Initially, we may be happier after the windfall than before. But we soon go back to the same level of happiness. If you were unhappy before the lottery win, there is every chance that you will return to that same emotional state within a year. So how does this relate to athletes?

If you are a retiring sports star, does an abundance of money really guarantee sunshine in your world, as Abba would like you to believe, or do you need something else to fulfil you when you stop competing? Is money really the answer to all your problems or do you need to look for other things to cope with the challenging transition?

Despite walking away with their financial future assured, many sports stars still have a lot to give up when they leave the field of play for good. Success in sport offers far more than financial rewards alone. The list of what retiring athletes stand to lose is long: status, entitlement, self identity, camaraderie, routine, goals to strive towards, social support, security, self-esteem, self-belief, and a feeling of being better than anyone else at what they do. The adoring fans may still recognize them for a while but interest soon wanes as they move on to the next big name. Over time the motivation to get up in the morning may disappear, together with the dwindling number of true friends and, at a deeper level, feelings of self-confidence and self-worth. Is it no wonder that ex-sports stars often experience a rollercoaster of emotions including loneliness, sadness, frustration, emptiness, fear and anger?

If money doesn’t ensure permanent sunshine in your world, metaphorically speaking of course, what can you do to cope? Transition out of sport can be challenging. Just as you wouldn’t go into a race or a match without ensuring that you had done everything to optimize your chance of success, retirement from sport should be no different. It requires preparation.

So, if you are due to retire in the coming years or have already retired but have no clear plan for the future, take a step back and ask yourself what you need to do today to help yourself. Contact a specialized career coach or someone who has already successfully retired from sport. Seek advice from people who know what you could be going through and how to assist you. Importantly, if you are feeling really anxious or overwhelmed by your situation, seeking help from a medical professional should be your first port of call.

If you are retiring from sport and you imagine that life will always be sunny, think again. Make sure that you get the support you need. After all, it is an undeniable fact that life is way more complicated and challenging than the lyrics of an Abba song would have you believe!

The post Retirement from sport: does the winner really take it all? appeared first on Career After Sport.

With more than 10 million active job listings on the site, according to the LinkedIn blog, the company also has half a billion members in 200 countries and access to over 9 million companies.

So, is LinkedIn right in claiming that a job may be no more than a few clicks away? Maybe for some, but of course with so many fish in the sea, how can you hope to get noticed above the potentially millions of other candidates?

Your goal is to convince the recruiter that you are not only very keen but also a perfect match for the position. Whilst this may seem obvious, the ease of a one-step quick application offered by LinkedIn means many candidates apply without making any effort to individualize their application according to the role. This offers you a great opportunity to stand out above the rest.

Follow these 5 simple steps to get hired on LinkedIn:

• Submit your CV: Be aware if you decide to rely on your LinkedIn profile alone to showcase your career, an option now frequently used by applicants, the recruiter only sees a brief overview of your job titles, education, recommendations and connections. As a recruiter I would need to click on “View full profile” to see your LinkedIn profile page. Also, recruiters often need a hard copy to show to line managers and the PDF version generated by LinkedIn mysteriously omits important details from your profile such as language skills.

So, although it’s optional, do submit your curriculum vitae, as this means you are in control of what the recruiter sees. You will also have the opportunity to highlight the skills and experience specifically asked for in the advertisement. It may take time to adapt your CV to each application but, compared to the majority of candidates who use the quick “one click” option, you will stand out.

• Prepare a cover letter: These days very few candidates prepare a short letter highlighting their interest in the position and how they can add value. Although this takes time, it shows interest and will differentiate you from the other candidates.

Keep the letter brief, though (approx. 4 concise paragraphs) and address it to the recruiter directly if you have the name. In contrast to the many “To whom it may concern” application letters I get, I once received a letter starting “Dear Julie, I know that you must be so busy sorting through all the applications but I would love you to take time to.” I noticed the candidate, so much so, I felt like kissing the screen at that point, as it seemed someone had understood my hectic day and, in fact, she got hired! She was the best candidate for the position but her letter really made sure that she wasn’t overlooked.

As LinkedIn only allows you to forward one document of 5 MB, create one PDF document containing both your cover letter and CV in order to submit together.

• Check your contact details: If you apply for a job, make sure that your private email address is the one a recruiter receives. Too often the only contact email I have for candidates is their professional email address. Any reply referring to the recruitment will then be sent to the company address, which may cause unexpected problems for you.

• Optimize your profile: Even if you forward your CV to the recruiter, he or she will look at your LinkedIn profile. It is important to ensure your photo is professional, your details are up-to-date and your profile is informative. I quite often review profiles that have job titles and no further information – and this from candidates who haven’t forwarded any additional documentation to support their application.

• Consider your location: Your country of residence is part of your LinkedIn profile. If you are looking to work in a country which is not your place of residence, be aware that your application may not be received. LinkedIn offers the recruiter the possibility to hide applications from abroad. I was recently contacted by an American claiming to have applied for 200 positions in Europe without receiving a single reply. I wonder how many of his applications actually reached the hiring companies. You may need to contact the recruiter directly to check that your application has been processed.

This is also an issue when a recruiter does a direct search. Based in Switzerland, it is quite common for people to live in France, Germany or Italy and cross the border each day to come to work. However, be aware that if this applies to you, your profile may not be flagged in a direct search if the recruiter has pre-selected Switzerland as the source country. You may need to change your location to the country in which you want to be found.

The face of recruitment has changed dramatically over the last few years. LinkedIn has made it much easier to apply for positions and to be found in a direct search. However, the increased number of applicants also brings with it many difficulties. Make sure that you leverage the advantages LinkedIn has brought to the recruitment market to help you stand out from the crowd.

Julie Schladitz works as a recruiter and a career coach, helping executives and athletes manage their careers. For further information contact Julie at julie@sc-careertransition.com

The post Get hired on LinkedIn with these 5 simple steps appeared first on Career After Sport.

Retirement from sport is challenging and even the most successful can struggle. David Beckham, whilst appearing to have slipped effortlessly into life after football in 2013, admitted in an interview on BBC’s Desert Island Discs earlier this year that he had also had doubts about the transition.

So how can you assist former athletes during this difficult time? A brand-new approach, grounded in neuroscience and psychology, is being used to help professional footballers, ice hockey players and other athletes move on to life after sport.

The SCOAP approach is usually applied to train business executives but I have incorporated its principles into my coaching programme to help sports stars avoid the end of the game blues. It is built on five basic human needs, which have to be fulfilled in order for a person to perform well and be emotionally fulfilled. They are: Self-esteem, Control, Orientation, Attachment and Pleasure. If an athlete or sportsperson fulfills these needs, his or her move into life after sports becomes much easier.

One of the reasons David Beckham’s transition was smoother than some of his counterparts is because the five SCOAP needs had been met.

TIPS for retiring athletes (or anyone facing retirement!) using the SCOAP approach:

1. Self-esteem: Separate the man/woman from the athlete

The first basic need of every retiring athlete is self-esteem, a sense of self-worth, value and appreciation, recognition and status.

For many athletes, self-esteem is closely linked to being an athlete or sports star. So, when they hang up their boots for the last time, everything that made them feel good about themselves disappears overnight.

Beckham’s self-esteem was never limited to what he did on the field. He soon became known for his other pursuits such as modeling, being ambassador to various global companies, as well as being a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and for his role as a family man.

Start looking long before retirement for other ways to boost your self-esteem. Don’t only rely on sport. Learn more about yourself and appreciate your strengths outside of sport to gain a balanced view of yourself.

2. Control: Don’t leave it all to fate

The second basic need is control.

We all want to feel that we have some degree of control over our lives and the ability to make our own free choices. If you’re forced to retire because of injury or age, you don’t have any control over that decision.

Beckham retired when he was at the top of the game, having just won the French league. It was his decision – even though he’s admitted that it hadn’t been an easy one.

Don’t leave it all to fate. Accept that you will have to retire at some point and start planning now. It will give you a sense of direction and control when you leave. In fact, it has been shown that planning for career after sport actually improves your athletic performance.

3. Orientation: Know your values

When you retire as an athlete, you could end up feeling like you’ve lost your family – you’ve literally been kicked out of the locker room from one day to the next. Fans who once begged you for signatures, now don’t give you a second glance. Many athletes end up feeling lost and lonely.

How did Beckham fulfill his need for orientation? As a family man and UNICEF Ambassador he seems to have always had a good sense of how he could contribute and use his skills and former celeb status to connect him to the world.

Know what you want in life, your values and how you fit into the wider scheme of things. Seek new meaningful experiences.

4. Attachment: Don’t rely on hangers-on

As an athlete you’re connected to your team, your fans – you’re never alone. There is a real sense of ‘belonging’. However, when you retire – you’re no longer part of this group and unless you have a very supportive family and circle of friends, you’re likely to experience a real void.

Beckham has a supportive family and a wide circle of friends, who are not limited to the football world. Even though he admits to having felt the void, the blow would have been cushioned. Surround yourself with the right people and don’t rely on hangers-on and teammates to ensure that you don’t find yourself out on a limb.

5. Pleasure: Remember why you started playing sport

For many athletes nothing compares with that feeling of crossing the finishing line or scoring the winning goal.

And perhaps nothing ever will.

However, if you actively pursue other hobbies and interests from early on in your sports career, you’ve got a much better chance of finding pleasure again.

Also, accepting that you don’t have to stop practicing your choice of sport just because you’re forced to quit competing. You can still enjoy the game.

It is this mind shift that is difficult for many athletes.

Beckham learned to find pleasure watching his children play sport as well as pursuing other interests.

Take up a new sport or mentor others. Remember why you started sport in the first place. What else can you do that will give you enjoyment?

Not every sports star has the abilities, brand and financial security of David Beckham or tennis star Roger Federer. However, most retiring athletes can benefit from applying the SCOAP principles to their lives at an early stage to ensure their own transition is not a rocky one.

To find out how ready you are for retirement, visit www.careeraftersport.com and complete a short questionnaire.

Contact me to find out about my Career Transition Programme or how I can use the SCOAP approach to help you.

The post Retirement from sport: Bow out like Beckham appeared first on Career After Sport.

For many athletes the extinction of the Olympic flame represents the end of a sporting career. Some achieved beyond their wildest dreams in Rio, ending on a high. But for every success story there are also many tales of bad luck, injury or underperformance on the world’s biggest stage.

So what now for the retiring athletes? For those who didn’t reach their goals, bouncing back after retirement may be much harder. They may question all the years of hard work and sacrifice and wonder what comes next.

A career transition takes time, whether you’re an athlete or not. You need time to understand and weigh up your options, to test them against your beliefs and values and to discover what feels right. Do you know what your choices are? Do you have the necessary skills and training? Do you even know what you want? Working out what you want may take years.

Building your resilience is crucial for bouncing back after retirement and to help you navigate this often uncertain and difficult period of your life.

Tips for building your resilience

• Continue to exercise

Don’t stop sport from one day to the next. Talk to your coach to find the best exercise programme for you for the transition out of sport. And remember what made you do sport in the first place. Find another activity that will keep you fit and be fun.

• Learn from the past

Think back to when you suffered a setback in the past – an injury, not making the team or failing to meet your goal. What helped you in this situation? What didn’t work so well? What coping skills can you take from this experience to help you with your transition out of sport?

• Be grateful

Learn to take the positives out of any situation and be thankful for them. Take time out each day to reflect on what went right for you in the past 24 hours. Perhaps you had a great meal or met someone really interesting. Think back on why it was so special and relive the experience. Make this daily reflection a habit and you will see the benefits. And remember to surround yourself with resilient people. Their resilience will rub off on you.

• Get support

We often hear about former stars down on their luck and struggling to cope. You wouldn’t go into a game or a race without preparation, discussion with your coach, training and a game plan? So why do so many athletes believe they can cope on their own with retirement? Help is available, all you have to do is ask. Talk to a career coach about what you can do next. And if you are feeling depressed, know that you’re not alone. Negative emotions are very common among retiring athletes. See your doctor. Being able to ask for help is a sign of strength.

We know that transitions are tough. They are also unpredictable. We never really know how we will react until we get there. Build up your resilience and your transition will be smoother. Good luck and let me know if you need help bouncing back after retirement from sport.

Find out more about my programme to help professional athletes transition smoothly into life after sport or contact me for an informal chat.

The post Resilience: bouncing back after retirement appeared first on Career After Sport.

Swiss cycling legend Fabian Cancellara, also known as Spartacus, won a gold medal in the 2016 Olympics in Rio and plans to retire in the same year, but how will he cope when he’s no longer a champion cyclist?

Coping with a loss of identity is common for athletes at the end of their careers.
And the more their identity is based on their performance, the harder it is to work out where they belong.

A no-man’s land – loss of athletic identity

They have lost their identity. They don’t know where they belong – almost in no man’s land between sport and the “real world”: with a foot tentatively in each camp but not feeling part of either.

The problem is that in order to practice sport at the top level, you need to be totally focused – often to the exclusion of all else. By devoting all your time and attention to one aspect of your life you often don’t develop other interests and feel a massive void when that activity is taken away. After all, if you remove the sport from the athlete, what is left?

Your self-worth diminishes

Feelings that you have no place or value anymore are common. Self-esteem from a young age has been based on sporting excellence. Take the sport away and your self-worth tends to diminish.

Your identity as an athlete does not only affect you. Those around you may have difficulty letting go. It may be your spouse, partner or family questioning where it leaves them or the fans who still want to revel in your former glory. Conflicting interests may make it difficult to turn the page.

The more exclusively you identify with your role of athlete, the harder the transition may be. In order to make the transition smoother, you should consider broadening your horizons and your interests. Just a few minor changes will already help. The earlier you start to do these before you retire, the better it will be – but it is never too late:

If Fabian Cancellara is a well-rounded person with other interests apart from cycling, his transition into sport, although still challenging, will be made easier.

If you are facing retirement after a career in sport and need some advice, contact me. If you’re not sure whether you’re ready for retirement, fill out my questionnaire for a quick heads-up and how prepared you are. LINKS

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