This is me on the night that I received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Columbus State Community College Sport and Exercise Studies in June 2020. Photo by John Glaser Photography
I've seen a lot of job announcements lately in college athletics.
New SIDs. New athletic communications assistants. Graduate assistants getting their first opportunity. People moving into bigger roles.
I enjoy seeing every one of them.
But I've also been thinking about the people we aren't seeing.
The person who applied and didn't get the job.
The person who made it to the final interview and finished second.
The recent graduate who keeps applying and is still waiting for someone to say yes.
The person who watches another "I'm excited to announce..." post appear and wonders:
When is it going to be my turn?
Recently, I shared part of my own career-search story on Facebook.
More than 300 people acknowledged that post.
What stood out to me wasn't the number.
It was who those people were.
People from different jobs I've held.
People from different schools.
Former colleagues.
Friends.
People I've met through college athletics.
People from completely different parts of my life.
Some I've known for decades. Others I've met much more recently.
It reminded me of something I've believed for a long time:
You don't build a network when you need something. You build it long before you know what you might need.
And networking isn't collecting connections on LinkedIn.
It's staying in touch.
Helping people when there's nothing in it for you.
Asking questions.
Making introductions.
Following people's careers.
Being someone others remember for the right reasons.
Because when your career doesn't go according to plan — and at some point, it probably won't — those relationships matter.
That's why I keep thinking about the people who haven't gotten their opportunity yet.
If you're still looking, don't disappear because you're discouraged.
Keep meeting people.
Keep strengthening the relationships you already have.
Keep asking for feedback.
Keep telling people what you're trying to accomplish.
And most importantly, don't wait until you need a job to start building your network.
Your next opportunity may come from an application.
But the relationship that helps you find it, prepare for it or get introduced to it may have started years ago.
That's the power of building a network before you need one.
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