One of my hobbies is looking at swim job postings. Although I'm self employed, I'm always curious about what's out there. Most of the time, I'm disappointed.
But yesterday, Lehigh University put up a job posting with a typical title "assistant coach". What was inside that posting was anything but typical. It avoids many of the pitfalls typical job postings make and speaks to some innovative thinking going on in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
So let's break down what makes this job posting so much better than most of what's out there:
1. Specific Job Role: Many job postings have a boilerplate description that gives little insight as to what you might actually do when you arrive on campus. Many college programs are also run without enough delegation of responsibility to be truly efficient.
This job posting has recruiting on there yes, and that's a normal thing for an assistant coach to do. Then it takes an immediate hard turn. This is a job where they want someone with specialized skills. Can you help with strength and conditioning or team building?
From their, you find out that there is a part of this role that includes digital marketing of the team. How many programs even consider their own digital marketing as a strategy to be more competitive?
2. It appears to be a job that a talented person can do well- Many job postings list a group of tasks that easily add up to 1.5 or even 2 jobs. There are a lot of talented people in swimming doing multiple people's jobs and making an admirable effort.
Doing multiple jobs often means it's just impossible to do them well, or you must throw your personal life and well-being totally out the window to make it happen. This job posting is for an actual job that an individual could do well and still have time to live a good life. This a point they make emphatically clear when they
3. Create value beyond a salary- Many swimming jobs do not pay well. Job seekers value good salaries, of course, but there are also a lot of other things of value you can offer in a job. Lehigh's posting promises "the opportunity to travel extensively", a "flexible work schedule". They emphasize "healthy work life balance" and a retirement package with a 50% match.
So bravo to Lehigh for putting something together that should attract some talented applicants. I hope there are many that follow their lead.
Do you want advice on how to structure your team or hire creatively? Write me