As the student athlete experience is a highly desirable experience to employers, it is important for student athletes to be prepared for questions about their experience in a professional setting. When answering questions in regards to your student athlete experience, it is important to utilize the STAR tool to clearly articulate answers to employer questions.
S-Situation
T-Task
A-Action
R-Result
For additional assistance and resources for interviewing visit our interviewing guide [HERE].
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Example: Tell me about yourself
Practice an elevator pitch that displays who you are, your major, the athletic teams and extracurriculars you are a part of, and how it translates into the role you are applying for. I am a rising senior student-athlete at Roger Williams University Bachelor of Arts in Communications. As a member of the Women’s Varsity Basketball Team as well as Inter Class Council, both experiences have given me valuable skills in communication, leadership, time management, and teamwork to thrive in a professional environment. I believe my academic, athletic, and professional experiences align with your company’s values, and look forward to discussing how I can be an asset to your team. -
How do you manage your athletic responsibilities, academics and extra-curricular activities?
Employers are looking to see how successful you are as a problem solver, and time manager, and how you handle multiple projects or deadlines at a time. Speak on your organization and management techniques, for example, utilizing a Calendar or checklists. When tasked with a busy schedule during peak volleyball season, along with a heavy course load and additional extracurriculars, I heavily rely on my Calendar to keep me organized. I track every practice game, away travel, event, and class, additionally, schedule time for myself to breathe, reset and relax during the week. I stay physically organized in my living spaces, backpack, and equipment bag to ensure I am prepared for every day and to minimize stress. I prioritize my academic course load and try my best to utilize all the time I can, for example, using the away travel time to study for upcoming tests and get ahead on homework so I can be as productive as possible. -
How would your teammate or coach describe you?
Employers typically ask this question to understand what role you take on a team. Are you a leader? A strategist? How do you articulate your opinion in a team environment?
It is important to communicate positive traits that you believe you possess and what makes a great teammate. Be sure to include examples to back up your statements.A coach would describe me as someone who is passionate, has a strong work ethic, and is dependable. During my senior season, I served as one of three captains. My specific activity was to create a calendar and come up with team-bonding activities that were accessible for all, within our team budget. First, I held a brainstorming session with our team during preseason on what activities and events they would like to see us do as a team, and we discussed our team values and how they correlate. From there, I was able to generate a list of ideas, narrowed down between 10-15 activities ranging from team ice cream trips, pizza parties, and organizing the team formally. Upon reflection on the season, I was praised by my coach with the Hawk Leadership Award for my dedication to the team and how our team activities generated team comradery and contributed to the success of our season. -
How do you prepare for a big game/match? What are your steps to preparation and organization before a big event, game or practice?
How do you prepare, organize, analyze, and strategize? This question is your chance to walk through the employer and how you attempt to prepare for big projects or reach goals. Be prepared to give an in-depth analysis of how you prepare yourself, your teammates, and your coaches when tasked with a big event. To prepare for a big rugby match, I start with preparing for the team we are playing against. I lead my team in a strategy and film session on what we can expect from the other team and the strategies we need to utilize to be successful. On the day of the game, I prepare my body to be physically ready for competition by utilizing the treatment facilities, hydration, and full meals before the game. I make sure all of my schoolwork is taken care of prior to the match so I can focus on the team. I assure my teammates are of high energy and pumped up for competition by listening to music and getting in the zone in the locker room. As a result, I can thank myself for organizing my day so that I can solely focus and prepare for the game at hand, and preparing my body for strenuous activity to limit soreness and tiredness. -
In what ways have your collegiate athletic experience prepared you for a career?
Make connections between the skills you have developed through your athletic history and/or the skills you have used during your athletic career to connect to the position. Likely, you will not have a direct connection but you can easily adapt how you use a skill for various situations and needs. My collegiate athletic career has prepared me with essential skills to thrive in a professional environment such as accountability. As a member of the tennis team, playing both single and double matches have extreme pressure and responsibility to do well. As an individualized sport, technique, drive, and success is dependent on myself, and it is up to me to uphold high standards for myself and my team to achieve our like-minded goals, similar to how I would operate in a professional environment. -
Can you provide an example of a long or short-term goal you had with your team and the steps you took to achieve it?
Like the question above, employers want to know the exact steps on how to reach a goal, how you hold your teammates accountable for that goal, and how the positive energy, communication, and excitement you bring in a team-oriented environment. When crafting an answer to this question, think of objectives or goals you hoped to accomplish and reflect on the processes it took to work towards. A long-term goal as part of the Women’s lacrosse team at Roger Williams University was to be back-to-back Commonwealth Coastal Conference Champions. We started to brainstorm how we would achieve the goal by setting team expectations, standards, and team-oriented activities outside of our practice schedule. We were successful in holding each other accountable, supporting each other, and fostering a positive environment that led our team to reach the Commonwealth Coastal Conference. -
What is the most valuable takeaway you have had from collegiate athletics?
This question specifically provides employers with an understanding of your sports experience, what inspires you about your sport to continue to play at the collegiate level, and how you can apply what you have learned off the field to a role on their team. To craft your answer, think of positive takeaways, soft skills, and recognition you have received. The most valuable takeaway from my collegiate sports experience was how to successfully be a part of a team. I learned the importance of patience, collaboration, and adaptability. I recognized how my actions impact my team, and how to adapt to coaches, teammates, and environments while working towards a common goal. -
How did you keep your teammates feeling positive and motivated during a loss?
Interviewers want to know how you maintain positivity and how to encourage others to do the same, despite the circumstances. Around Mid-Season, I felt the team’s energy was low, we had a 4-game losing streak that would affect our playoff eligibility. I decided to exercise my leadership abilities to try to help the team out of a slump. I talked with the coaches to express my concern and to brainstorm ideas on what we might do to boost morale. After one of the practices, I asked if the team members could stick around for 10 extra minutes. I facilitated a conversation regarding our low energy and morale and told them I wanted us to start to have fun again playing a sport. After that conversation, some other teammates and I planned Friday morning breakfasts after practice, played motivating music during warm-ups, and took turns planning social events outside of practice. By creating intentional practices and more team bonding off the field, further motivated us to succeed and support one another with great energy during games. -
How do you handle constructive criticism?
In athletics, you understand very early to not take individual or team feedback personally, as coaches always act in the best interest of their players. Employers look to see how you react to criticism and instruction, therefore, demonstrating you have a fundamental understanding that feedback is intended to help you improve. I understand that constructive criticism is not personal, and intended to help me improve my performance. During lacrosse preseason, I was struggling with successfully completing the fitness tests. During my meeting with my coach, He expressed his concern about my fitness and we reviewed my statistics for each test. From there, I was able to take his feedback and implement extra cardio and agility into my workout routine to improve. -
Tell me about a time when a team member was not pulling their weight.
Being part of a team is being able to recognize each other’s strengths, supporting one another, facilitating hard conversations, and holding each other accountable. Be sure to provide a specific example, for example, a time when a teammate showed a lack of commitment and energy that impacted the team and how you approached the situation. Part of being on a team is working together utilizing one another’s strengths and being supportive. As a senior captain, I had to approach a team member on the sailing team about my concerns for him missing practice and low-energy during meets. I approached him after practice indicating I wanted to sit down and talk with him. I was careful not to use language that made me sound overly aggressive or angry. As our conversation progressed, I found his frustrations as a team member and encouraged him to talk with our coaches. As a result, He seemed to understand how his lack of commitment and energy impacted the team as a whole and worked tirelessly to work towards being a present member of the team.
