That One Moment in Time: How the NFL Draft Can Help You Prepare for Your Upcoming Job Interview

This is a very exciting week for the NFL. It’s NFL draft week where tens of thousands of people attend the exhilarating, live television broadcast and millions will tune in to watch on their flat screens at home to see what will happen to their favorite player. Have you ever considered that the manner in which football players prepare for the NFL draft is very similar to how a person should prepare for a job interview?

Each year, the NFL interviews players to determine their physical skills, talents and abilities. This IS their job interview for the NFL. The prospective players may go to the NFL Combine or participate in a Pro Day at their respective college or university. The fans can’t get enough of watching this, as they want to know which team will likely draft which player and at which position in the draft.

What the fan doesn’t see is the hours and hours these men prepare for these finite periods of time where their talents are on full view of these perspective teams. These young men don’t go it alone either. They hire a specialized coach, specific to their own unique football position who will expertly guide them through the pre-draft period, honing their skills and providing them expert feedback on what is great about their abilities and what will need improvement by the time the draft begins.

The coach will observe their workouts and providing the player with honest, objective feedback that will solidify and strengthen their skills so they are ready for observation by the NFL. The players train day after day, week after week, month after month for that one moment in time when they can display their skill on the national stage hoping for their one shot in the draft – one chance for their dream to become a reality. Their coach (or coaches) is with them every step of the way, keeping a watchful eye on every aspect of their play, providing discipline or positive slaps on the back as needed. The coaching feedback is the magic! Without this level of coaching, the player’s chances of making it into the NFL are significantly diminished.

In a job interview, you have a finite amount of time to showcase your skills, talents and abilities. Your opportunity literally comes down to a tiny amount of time to effectively sell yourself to a prospective employer and if you are not completely 100% prepared, your chances of being offered the job are dramatically reduced. Sure, you can go it alone using the resources available, your experience in previous job interviews, getting your spouse or roommate to role-play with you, etc. You deserve better! Your spouse, roomie, or Google is not an expert coach. My argument is simple: hire an expert job interview coach who will provide you a comprehensive preparation process along with invaluable feedback. Without it, your dreams of landing that new job may not come true.

Feel free to contact me for a complimentary thirty-minute discussion at tom@interviewcoachingsolutions.com.