Finding a job in college sports administration has always been a challenge. Not only has it been difficult to hear about job openings, but it has proven nearly impossible for individuals to get themselves in front of prospective employers.

That has changed in the last three years, due largely to the success of NCAA Career Connections, a student-focused job fair hosted in conjunction with the Association’s annual Convention.

Career Connections was held for the first time at the 2004 Convention in Nashville and experienced modest success. The event has grown exponentially since its debut, receiving rave reviews from both athletics administrators and young professionals trying to find their first job in intercollegiate athletics.

"Career Connections has been well received by the membership and by the folks who have participated in it," said John Johnson, NCAA director of promotions and events. "It allows students and student-athletes exposure to entry-level jobs. Our intent is to help facilitate the process."

While most career fairs concentrate solely on pairing prospective employees and employers, Career Connections has had to take a different approach due to the lack of certainty over job openings each January. The event has made networking a priority, promising all attendees an opportunity to meet and forge relationships with established professionals in the field.

"We realize that it’s impossible to forecast which jobs and how many of them will be open each time Convention rolls around," said Jaye Pearlman, who works in the NCAA’s promotions and events department and is charged with putting together this year’s event. "We try to provide ancillary activities for those students who attend Career Connections so that they leave the event confident that their foot is in the door."

While many on-site interviews take place each year, the event’s growth also can be attributed to its focus on providing attendees with a well-rounded experience that includes professional-development sessions and an emphasis on creating networking opportunities.

Part of the event’s success is due to its relationship with the Convention, which brings thousands of athletics administrators to a central location each year. After signing up for Career Connections, registrants are invited to spend the next few days attending Convention sessions developed for the membership. In past years, Career Connections has had its own networking reception. This year, career fair attendees will mix and mingle at a reception open to all Convention delegates.

The extension of networking opportunities is related to some of the success stories from the past three years. In a testimonial he submitted, NCAA Assistant Director of Membership Services Byron Hatch said he had a chance to network with NCAA President Myles Brand at the 2005 Convention.

During the job fair, Hatch happened to see Brand walking through the Convention hotel, so he decided to introduce himself and let him know why he was there. Hatch later
e-mailed Brand and asked if he had any advice about how to obtain a job in intercollegiate athletics. Not only did Brand provide advice, he set up a conference call with Hatch and suggested afterward that he apply for a job at the NCAA. Hatch has spent the last two years working for the NCAA’s membership services department.

Member institutions also are turning to Career Connections to make hires.

Last year, Stacy Kelly attended Career Connections for the first time and left the job fair having established essential contacts with administrators from Mitchell College. She is now the school’s associate director of athletics.

"Mitchell had a position approved and was one of the last-minute additions to Career Connections. They wanted to talk with some of the people there," Kelly said.

She benefited from the national exposure of the NCAA Convention, which allows administrators from small colleges and universities an opportunity to meet with prospective employees from across the country, rather than just regional candidates.

"There were prospects from a national base that Mitchell was able to look at. The money they have to fly people in for interviews is limited," Kelly said.

Just a couple of months after meeting Mitchell’s administrators in Indianapolis, Kelly was hired. Her successful experience is just one of the many produced by the relationships created at Career Connections.

Now an administrator, Kelly said she would return to Career Connections in a heartbeat if she were looking to make a hire. In fact, she believes Mitchell Athletics Director Teg Cosgriff will attend anyway.

"I wouldn’t doubt that he’d stop by the career fair. I know he was pretty excited about the people he met there last year," Kelly said. "Even though we may not have a job open at the time, he can find out how other schools are going about hiring. It was a great opportunity for him as well."

Athletics administrators attending Career Connections know they will meet quality candidates for entry-level positions, regardless of whether they have a job opening to promote.

"It’s so specific to our industry and is a great opportunity to meet young people, get resumes and establish some relationships," said Patricia Thomas, senior associate director of athletics at Georgetown University.

The NCAA collects resumes from all attendees before the career fair. Each administrator receives the book of resumes in advance of Career Connections and — even if they’re not hiring at the time — can keep the book as a resource for future job searches.

Thomas served on a panel at last year’s event and looks forward to having another opportunity to share her experiences with the next generation of athletics administrators. Although Georgetown didn’t hire anybody last winter, Thomas has maintained a number of relationships with individuals she met at Career Connections.

She found the event so valuable that she has started to spread the word among her colleagues in the Big East Conference.

"I spoke about it with my counterparts in the Big East and encouraged them to consider going," Thomas said.

At this year’s event, attendees will have a number of professional-development sessions to choose from, including "A View from the Top: How to Prepare Yourself for a Career in Intercollegiate Athletics" and "Success Stories: Trials and Tribulations of Breaking into Sports." Horizon League Senior Associate Commissioner Alfreeda Goff and Boston College Senior Associate Athletics Director Jody Mooradian will participate in the first session. NCAA Vice President for Education Services Ron Stratten and Jim Riordan, director of Florida Atlantic University’s sport management program, will participate in the success-stories session.

Many of the individuals who attend Career Connections are former student-athletes, and for that reason, this year’s event will feature a presentation from Scott McGowan and Sherard Clinkscales of AfterSport group, a firm dedicated to easing the transition from the field to the office. The session is titled: "What Lies Ahead: Schooling Yourself for Success."

"We’re really excited to have Scott and Sherard at this year’s event," said the NCAA’s Pearlman. "Our goal is to not only help students forge relationships and interview for open positions, but also to help educate them about the best ways to prepare for a professional career. Attendees will have a chance to learn best networking practices from Scott and Sherard and put them to the test immediately at Convention networking sessions."

Johnson is enthusiastic about the growth of Career Connections, especially because it has become an integral part of the Convention each January.

"Jaye made a really good observation — she asked why Career Connections was treated as if it wasn’t part of Convention," Johnson said. "It’s gained traction and is now seen as a valuable asset. It brings a whole new level of energy and is changing the complexion and feel of the Convention."

With more than 100 administrators and students already registered for this year’s Career Connections in Orlando, the fourth edition of the career fair promises to be its most successful to date.