Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.
SPECIAL GUEST POST FROM DAN CHRISTENSEN
When coaches prepare for interviews, they often focus on:
All important.
But based on our recent research at Bechler Leadership, they’re not the primary focus.
We asked Athletic Directors a simple question:
“What’s a favorite interview question you ask when hiring a coach?”
The answers told a very different story.
Selecting team captains is one of the most important things that you’ll do all year for your program. You want to select the right individuals who’ll best lead, influence, and impact their teammates.
Utilizing an application during the captain selection process can be beneficial. This article will outline some of the reasons you might want to use this tool, as well as some things to consider if you decide to take advantage of this resource.
SPECIAL GUEST POST FROM DAN CHRISTENSEN
In college athletics, most coaches believe the hiring process starts when they submit an application or land an interview.
In reality, it starts much earlier.
By the time a search officially begins, athletic directors and search committees often already have a working list of candidates in mind. That list is shaped by reputation, relationships, trajectory, and trust, not just resumes.
If you want to become a serious candidate for jobs, you have to think beyond just applying to a ton of opportunities.
You have to position yourself.
SPECIAL GUEST POST FROM DAN CHRISTENSEN
Every coach wants to know the same thing going into an interview:
“What actually separates candidates?”
Not in theory. Not in a generic “be yourself” sense.
But in real search rooms…what do Athletic Directors actually notice?
As part of our recent national coaching search study at Bechler Leadership, we asked Athletic Directors a simple but revealing question:
“What have candidates done to stand out during the interview process?”
Their answers were consistent, and instructive.
While many things matter in a search, three themes rose clearly above the rest.
SPECIAL GUEST POST FROM DAN CHRISTENSEN
There’s a hard truth in the college athletics hiring process that many coaches underestimate:
You are being evaluated long before the interview.
In fact, based on our recent study of Athletic Directors, many candidates never even make it to that stage, not because of experience, but because of what shows up (or doesn’t show up) in their resume and cover letter.
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about signals.
And right now, too many candidates are sending the wrong ones.