Browsing by Subject "huippu-urheilu"

Previous studies indicate that a background in elite sports is seen as a positive experience in recruitment. However, concurrently many elite athletes feel that finding the first job after a sports career is both challenging and time-consuming. Studies addressing generic skills have shown that skills especially valued in work-life in today`s society are good co-operative skills, goal orientation, persistence, and commitment. Studies made in the field of elite sports show that these skills are found and highlighted precisely among employees who have an elite sports background. The purpose of this study is to examine recruiters’ viewpoints on how they find a job applicant’s experience in elite sports and what type of generic skills they associate with elite athletes. Moreover, the purpose is to clarify how recruiters feel that their own background influences their perspective as recruiters. There were eight recruitment consultants from an international company in the recruitment industry participating in the study. The study used qualitative research method and the data was collected using semi-structured theme interviews and analysed using a theory-based content analysis. The analysis was guided by the data as well as the hypothesis formed based on Mustonen (2016) whereby a sports background of a recruiter is felt to have an influence when recruiting elite athletes. Theoretical background was also conducted by previous research on present-day generic skills and elite athletes’ transition from sports into working life. Recruiters who are former athletes felt that they understand the demands and sacrifices of elite sports and value the skills gained through sports. Recruiters that did not have a sports background comprehended elite sports more often as a hobby or as an experience similar to collective activities, whereas recruiters with sports background saw elite sports as work experience. The recruiters had rather similar views on elite athletes’ generic skills, which highlighted good interpersonal skills, co-operative skills, commitment, and goal orientation, as in the earlier research. The study showed that elite sports experience is seen in varying ways depending on the recruiter, and it articulated the importance of the ability of job applicants with elite sports background to verbalize their generic skills during a recruitment process.

It can be challenging to combine studies and purposive sports training for a young athlete. However, education facilitates the transition to working life after the sporting career. The objective of this study is to explain the experiences of Finnish top level football players who combine a sporting career and simultaneous studies. In order to be able to research combining top level sport and studies at different levels of school, the development of a footballer to the highest level, should also be understood. For the purpose of the study, seven Finnish football players who have had successful football careers and who also have had varied study experiences, were interviewed. The data was collected using focused interviews. The phenomenographic method of analysis was used in order to analyze the collected data. The results of this study support the early engagement theory. Successful football players started their football career at a young age. They have always participated in high volumes of organized football training as well as participated extensively in non-organized or social football as well as personal football training throughout their career. The top level players were always very motivated with regards to their football training. They also received encouragement and pressure-free support from their families. There is no need for special arrangements when combining sports and studying in elementary school. However, football players who attended sports schools while in elementary school enjoyed having more sports in their curriculum. The sport high schools were excellent institutions for combining upper secondary education and studying in Finland. Purposive sports training and studies can be combined in normal high school as well, if school staff members have the desire to support young athletes. On the contrary, purposive sports training was difficult to combine with studies in the higher education institutions for football players. However, with high motivation as regards to studies, studying alongside a top level football career was possible. Athletes need support for combining a sports career and studies, especially after completing studies at the upper secondary level. The development of sport academies is important, so as to enable an increasing number of athletes to achieve success in fields of sport as well as studies in the future.