One of the main traits of a successful athletic administrator
is the uncanny ability to hire an effective administrative and coaching staff. The
hiring of the perfect employee is a challenging, yet satisfying process in
which many factors contribute. Suggs recommended “that institutions structure
and finance athletics as they do academic departments, finding ways to control
costs, including rationing televised football, shifting to need-based
scholarships, reducing the number of coaches (especially in football), and so
on” (pg. 17).1 Hiring the wrong employee is expensive, time
consuming, and costly to the work environment as well as the reputation of the
administrator. Hiring the right employee begins with an administrators ability
to intricately analyze the job position to be hired and create an accurate job
description.
A very important aspect when analyzing the job
description is to ensure the employee is fully aware of the standard of
excellence that will be required. An athletic administrator must lay out the
details of a job and assure that the new employee will have a hands-on, fully
participative role within the overall success of the staff. Kerwin &
Doherty note “when individuals have the opportunity to actively participate in
a task (i.e., decision making) they become more invested in that task and its
outcome. This increases an individual’s positive feelings toward their work
environment, which may in turn reduce the negative emotions that are further
associated with relationship conflict. (pg. 225).2 In conclusion, it
is important that the job description should be intently created initially in
order to plan a strategy to hire the right employee for the job and not settle
for anything less.
References
1Suggs, Welch.
(2009). Old challenges and new opportunities for studying the financial aspects
of intercollegiate athletics. New
Directions for Higher Education, 148, 11-22. DOI: 10.1002/he.364
2Kerwin, S. &
Doherty, A. (2012). An investigation of the conflict triggering process in
intercollegiate athletic departments. Journal
of Sport Management, 26(3), 224-236.
Very interesting Blog. I like that you broke down why it is important to hire the right employee for a job, basing it on costs, scholarships, and so on. The job description really does play a huge part in being able to hire the correct person for the position. An administrator must first understand the needs of the job, and expectations from the candidate, along with the vibes of the colleagues in which the candidate will have to work with. I like this blog. I believe it will help other administrators in the hiring position in making better job descriptions and choosing candidates.
ReplyDeleteI agree, a good job description is key to hiring the right employee. Having exactly what you want from a prospective employee in print will not only help to reduce the number of applicants but will also help to attract the type of employee that has said requirements an make your job of hiring a new employee that much easier.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it interesting how the brief descriptions on job boards can speak so much to the atmosphere of a job search? With the right syntax and a well-thought-out plan for expectations a job description can hone in on the right candidate and weed out the wrong ones. It can also set the tone for the employer-employee communication process from the very beginning. Employers and potential employees can learn a lot about each other in this initial step.
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