• Home
  • Choose a career
    • No idea what to do?
    • Career path guides
    • Top graduate employers
    • Further study
  • Apply for internships
    • Find an internship
    • Top graduate employers
    • Career Calendar
    • Internship Experience UK
  • Apply for jobs
    • Find a job
    • Top graduate employers
    • Career Calendar
    • Immediate start jobs
  • Career advice
    • No idea what to do?
    • CV advice
    • Aptitude & numerical tests
    • Interviews
    • Assessment centres
    • Commercial awareness
    • Core career skills
    • Entering the world of work
    • Graduate Careers Guide 2020/21
  • Academy learning
    • Free courses
    • Free psychometric tests
  • Events
    • Bright Network events
    • Virtual University Series
    • Society of the year awards
    • Employer events
    • Previous event highlights
  • Success stories
    • Member success stories
  • About us
  • For employers
Home
  • Login
  • |
  • Signup
  • About us
  • For employers
  • Choose a career
    No idea what to do? Career path guides Top graduate employers Further study
  • Apply for internships
    Find an internship Top graduate employers Career Calendar Internship Experience UK
  • Apply for jobs
    Find a job Top graduate employers Career Calendar Immediate start jobs
  • Career advice
    No idea what to do? CV advice Aptitude & numerical tests Interviews Assessment centres Commercial awareness Core career skills Entering the world of work Graduate Careers Guide 2020/21
  • Academy learning
    Free courses Free psychometric tests
  • Events
    Bright Network events Virtual University Series Society of the year awards Employer events Previous event highlights
  • Success stories
    Member success stories

Seven key career skills you pick up playing sport

Research by British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) has found that graduates who participated in sports at university earn on average 18% more than their non-sporting counterparts.

If you want to know exactly what benefits sport at university can bring, or just need help articulating what exactly your hours of training have brought to your CV, then fear not; we’ve picked out some of the skills that give the active among us an edge.

Seven key career skills you pick up playing sport

1. Team work

‘There’s no I in team’.  It’s the most used term in the sporting skills index, and yet the reasons for this are well earned.  A boat will only race at its fastest when all rowers move in one rhythm, whilst a goal scored in football is thanks to the varying skillset of the team.

Learning to work with others and appreciating how different talents can contribute to one goal is essential in every workplace and industry.

Learn how to work as a team.

2. Leadership

From captain of your team to a captain of industry, developing leadership skills in sport is crucial to any future employment, whether you’re in charge or not. 

Making tough decisions about the team list or the workforce; developing the ability to inspire, motivate and lead your colleagues; these are skills that are always in demand.

Want to know how develop leadership skills? Learn how with this insightful module from Bright Network Academy. 

3. Time management

Any university athlete who still wanted to achieve their desired academic grade will know the importance of this. 

Juggling daily training sessions with the demands of lectures, seminars and coursework (as well as maintaining a social life!) act as essential practice for maintaining a work- life balance in the ‘real world’.

7 tips for getting the most out of your day.

4. Competition & sportsmanship

Wanting to win goes hand in hand with accepting defeat and there is no better teacher. A drive for success is sought by every employer, and found in all athletes. However, learning to accept loss is a much tougher lesson, but can be much more valuable. 

Whether that teaches you to brush off rejection or learn from your mistakes is your call, but sooner or later most of us will face that in the workplace. 

5. Handling pressure

It’s all about adrenalin! From preparing for the big game to standing on the start line of the final race, coping with high-pressure situations is a natural occurrence in sport.

Whilst not all careers are high stress, companies always value an individual capable of coping when times get tough; whether that be staying calm in an interview or meeting a short deadline. 

Read: Why Avid Travellers May Be Miles Ahead in the Job Race

6. Management & responsibility

Sports clubs don’t run themselves.  Securing new equipment, raising funds and maintaining club numbers are just some of the tasks required of committee members; providing a brilliant environment to develop and practise managerial skills before leaving university.    

Learn how to trick yourself into tasks you don't want to do. 

7. Commitment

Last but not least, no medal is won without dedication, early starts and personal sacrifice. It’s that grit, determination and focus given by all university athletes to their sport that is valued so highly by employers. 

So what are you waiting for! The research from BUCS also found that 94% of employers agreed to a clear link between employability and university sport participation. 

Don’t be afraid to emphasise your sporting triumphs, and enjoy the benefits.  University is one of the few places where such a large and diverse range of opportunities is available.  So whilst you may not have been the sportiest at school, why not give a new something new a try?

Develop core career skills with Bright Network Academy

There are many skills you can be working on during the application process and throughout your career. Develop your core career skills with Bright Network Academy and stay ahead when applying for jobs and navigating the world of work.

Take the course

 

←
Prev:
Find out why avid travellers may be miles ahead in the job race
→
Next:
Five things we've learnt from business leaders

Related content

  • 5 top tips: Get career ready before university
  • Find out why avid travellers may be miles ahead in the job race
  • Five things we've learnt from business leaders
  • Why you might need to give up perfectionism
  • How to trick yourself into tasks you don't want to do
  • Seven tips for getting the most out of your day
  • How should you budget your career resources?
Careers - work for us Get in touch Terms and Conditions Community guidelines Privacy Policy
Bright Network © 2021