We were lucky to catch up with Amber Harris recently and have shared our conversation below.

Amber, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry?

That “experience” is the great differentiator on a resume. It’s not.

What separates the good from the great is what is in between the lines.

Experience will show you someone that can arrive to a workplace but not if they got there early or stayed late.

Experience will show you that they can complete a task but not how much effort they put into it.

Experience will show you that they can commit for a period of time but not what kind of attitude they bring with them.

It’s about the PERSON behind the resume and the intangibles they possess that will make them your best hire.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I walked onto the rowing team my first year of college at UC San Diego (thanks, Nicky). I didn’t know what to expect, especially after someone told me that people pass out during the workouts…

As a Novice we were up before 4am to carpool to the boathouse, use the equipment before Varsity, and make it back to campus in time for our 8am class. Running in sweaty, sandy, and almost late – I would fall asleep.

For context, my high school GPA was a 4.895. My first quarter of college was somewhere in the 2.0 region (I prefer not to remember that detail). All I remember is, I had some figuring out to do and I wasn’t going to give up rowing….

The next 3 years were an absolute battle. BUT, by the end of my senior year, I double majored in Political Science and Communication, competed in the Varsity 8, held every leadership position I could, worked part-time during school, took summer internships, and finished with a 3.25 GPA!!

I was so proud of everything I went through and accomplished, but when it came time to finding a career I was lost and didn’t know the first thing about finding a j.o.b.

My story is what makes our business model stand out in the world of staffing and recruiting. We work with established and Fortune 500 companies that are looking for the person that would run through the fire before they back down.

The challenge is… athletes are busy doing the things they committed to: being a student-athlete.

We understand that which is why we build relationships with Athletic Departments, Coaches, and Life Skills to be the Career Coach I needed when I didn’t know where to look.

Through complimentary and live 1:1 coaching, we help athletes understand what life after sports looks like, where their traits might translate, and how to market themselves in an interview.

For those interested in the business world, we help secure interviews with our corporate partners and are with them throughout the interview process – the goal is to get a job offer or two!

We are the bridge that helps connect an untapped, and eager to compete, talent pool with some of America’s finest companies.

Our business model is a true win, win, win.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Go above and beyond for the clients you have now!!

Referrals are the greatest reflection of a job well done.

We’ve have grown as a business because we take the time to put in the work that others are not.

We ask questions to understand, are not afraid of raw feedback, and can put it all together to DELIVER.

Good word spreads fast. Bad word spreads faster.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Howie took a chance on me and hired me right out of college. We joke that that it’s the best mistake he ever made… because I didn’t know better. I trusted him and a job was a job.

What I didn’t know was how the heck to help athletes start their career when I barely knew myself…

It was a true sink or swim period of my life. 6 months full of tears.

Here’s what I learned:

* Listen to what people are saying – they are giving you the answers to the test constantly!!
* Learn from other people’s mistakes – if you see someone failing, don’t do what they’re doing!!
* Ask questions – don’t suffer because of your pride. There’s always something to learn from someone.
*Be honest with yourself – what does success look like and how can you quantify if you are having it or not. (Have these check-ins often)

Reading books is wonderful but they may not land the way they are intended if you are not living your life with eyes, mind, and ears wide open.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.athletestocareers.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachamberharris/