5 Sports Psychology Tips To Navigate The Recruiting Process

Navigating the recruiting gauntlet, whether an executive or MBA student can be challenging. As we have now entered the collegiate recruiting season, I thought I would seek insight from a former professional athlete turned MBA student on how to leverage sports psychology tactics to navigate the challenges of recruiting.

Kelly Okun is the founder and CEO of Fairway to Green, a former professional golfer, and an MBA student at the Darden School of Business (UVA). Below Okun explains how being a professional athlete is similar to the challenges faced during recruiting and she shares five tips from sports psychology to navigate the journey.

Similarities Between Recruiting and Professional Competition

Okun believes that “the recruiting process is akin to being a professional athlete. It’s a highly competitive environment where only some aspects are in your control; however, those ‘controllables’ can be gamechangers.”

Okun suggests that one of her “biggest learnings from golf is that acceptance is the key to success. Practicing acceptance during MBA internship recruiting can lead to a more positive experience.”

Tip #1: Break Down the Controllable vs. Uncontrollable Factors

Okun explains that “when you’re on the golf course, you can control the amount of training you put in, the strategy you’ve prepared and your attitude. What you can’t control, however, are your opponents, the weather or your score.

The same idea holds true for recruiting, where the uncontrollable factors include the outcomes or your interviewers. It’s important to note from the beginning that you can’t control who gives you a job offer.

While it could be easy to blame a lost opportunity on a poor connection with an interviewer, the truth is that leaning into what you can control will give you a greater chance of success. Coming into the process with a positive mindset will not only reframe misses as opportunities, but it will also shine through when networking with prospective employers.

The key is to have a game plan. Who do you want to talk to first? Have you thoroughly researched your priority targets? What is your plan to reach out to them? And when you connect, what is the objective of the discussion and the agenda? If you walk into the process with a plan, you’ll have clear criteria for what you’re looking for and be able to quickly filter out some opportunities that wouldn’t be a great fit and would only take up more of your precious time. You can control how prepared you are.”

Tip #2: Be Process-oriented, Not Outcome-oriented

Okun highlights the importance of “trusting the process” and leaning into the power of routine. “It’s important to create a routine – or process – that helps you feel well-prepared before each networking session or interview. Perhaps it’s a checklist with certain tasks that will boost your confidence.

Whatever it is, take time after each interview to note how well you stuck to your routine. If you followed it, you can consider that recruiting opportunity a success and celebrate that victory. If you strayed, note where you can improve and try again next time.

If you strayed for good reason, it’s okay to be open to adapting your routine in a way that will find you more success. However, constantly pivoting will prove inefficient and leave you without a routine – or a feeling of success – at all.

Building off the first tip, your process is a controllable, but the outcome is uncontrollable. Make the most of your routine, and you’ll feel confident in both your interviews and your time management skills.”

Tip #3: Give Yourself a Time Limit to Let Your Emotions Take Over (in Private)

Interestingly, Okun indicates that “in golf, we give ourselves 10 seconds to react to the outcome of our shot and then we need to accept it and move onto the next one.

Remember that you are human and need time to process and recharge. Whether it’s going for a walk or chatting with friends for an hour, it’s imperative you find the time during this stressful period to regulate your emotions and feel like yourself – that authentic self is what will get you the job.

When a rejection undoubtedly comes your way, remember that feelings are valid, but they don’t need to drive our actions. You may feel like giving up the recruiting process after a few too many hits, but remember motivation comes from discipline, and your routine can get you back in action in a flash.”

Tip #4: Express Gratitude for All Acceptances and Rejections

As a former professional athlete, Okun suggests that “being gracious in defeat says a lot about your character and can lead to opportunities in the future. Let’s say your summer internship wasn’t what you were hoping for – you’ll want to lean into some of the previous recruiting connections you made, but did you leave them with a positive image of yourself?

No matter how those conversations ended, be timely with thank you notes and polite with all your follow-up conversations.

Not only will gratitude be beneficial in the long run, but research suggests it can also alter how your brain perceives the recruiting process and even your physical health. You’re much more likely to reduce stress and navigate challenges more smoothly when you’re focusing on the positives.”

Tip #5: Create a Trigger to Help You Refocus

Okun suggests that creating a trigger can help refocus effort and attention. “Have you ever noticed how athletes seem to have superstitions? Perhaps they dribble the basketball three times before every foul shot, or they take a deep breath before stepping up to a putt.

This is how they snap back into their routine and focus on the next shot, no matter what just happened beforehand.

You can do the same with your recruiting journey. Create a trigger word or action that will remind you to begin your preparation process again. It could be as simple as saying, “On to the next one!” or opening a new page of your notebook to signify a fresh start.

No matter what you choose, if you repeat it often enough and believe in its intention, the trigger will become second nature, and you’ll find it easier to accept the past and move onto the future more quickly.”

As Okun suggests, professional athletes constantly train their brains to accept the outcomes as they come and move forward. There is no reason people can’t do the same with the recruiting process.

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