Recruiting for Coaching Jobs

In recruiting endeavors, the recruiter generally needs to bring something to the table to entice the potential recruit; this is true in recruiting for coaching jobs. For example, if recruiting for a college football coach position, the assistant coach for a rival team may want higher pay and a head coaching job in order to be motivated to leave his current position. A head coach at a good college may take a comparable job simply because the other school offers more prestige, such as a long history of winning.

  1. Targeting Coach Recruits

    • When recruiting for a coaching position, the first place many recruiters look is at rival schools or teams. College coaches often spend long careers at one school, so recruiting head coaches from rivals is usually quite difficult. Targeting assistant coaches, however, is usually quite simple, because all assistant coaches have the ultimate goal of becoming a head coach one day. For professional teams, recruiting assistant coaches is also easier than going after head coaches, but a head coach with a history of trouble with a particular team, such as a losing streak, problems with team members or team owners, may be motivated simply by the change of scenery a new job offers.

    Incentives

    • Once the potential recruits have been selected and listed in order of desirability for the coach job, incentives should be the next step. Having incentives as the first step will result in poor recruiting efforts, since not every coach is enticed by the same offers. Consider the top coach recruit on your list and what he currently has at his job. Pay rate, contract length, team history and other aspects of his current position should all be considered, and appropriate incentives outlined in your proposal before contacting the coach.

    Be Understanding

    • Coaches tend to be with a team for a long time, and this can result in a sense of obligation and attachment to current positions. It is best to respect this attachment when dealing with a coach who has a history with his current team. Approaching him like a sales person or underplaying his current position, team or job will likely result in poor rapport development and a stern "No" to your offer. Additionally, job aspects are not the only thing coaches must consider when approached by recruiters; his family may have an established life in the current location, and this is often reason enough to turn down a job offer.

    New Coaches

    • Recruiters may opt for brand-new coaches with little or no experience, or little experience in the target level. For example, a recruiter may come across a high school football coach who has a lot of respect and coaching potential that may work well at the college level. For optimal recruiting results, do not underestimate the value of experience, but do not overestimate it, either. Recruiting a fresh-to-the-business coach may be just the "second wind" the team needs.