Recruiting Coordinator: How to Start Your Career

Becoming a recruiting coordinator is an exciting endeavor for anyone looking for a career in sports. When looking to become a coordinator, you must consider the sport and level you would like to work for, such as college baseball or professional football. The majority of sports recruiters work in football, and typically, they stick to recruiting colleges. 

If you’re looking into a career as a recruiting coordinator, considering salary, job opportunities, and goals is crucial. Recruiting coordinators work incredibly hard and spend a lot of time in the office bettering their program through rigorous work. If you have familiarity with a sport and a desire to utilize it in your job, becoming a recruiting coordinator may be the career for you.

What Is A Recruiting Coordinator?

Many people are invested in sports and want to make that part of their full-time job but do not know how to incorporate it. Since most recruiters work in football, it is important to consider that as a career seriously. 

Typically, a recruiting coordinator researches players interested in attending the school. Then, they will connect players to coaches, creating a network of opportunities for the coach, players, and school. 

They also track the academics of players and students they are interested in. Even if a player is phenomenal, a recruiting coordinator needs to look at him/her as a student to ensure they are the right fit for the school. 

Overall, a recruiting coordinator is more than just a connection to a team. Instead, a recruiting coordinator becomes an integral part of each team as the beginning of a player’s career starts with them.

What Does A Recruiting Coordinator Do?

Recruiting coordinator jobs are some of the most challenging jobs on a team. A recruiting coordinator spends long hours in the office and on the field. They must have a four-year degree and experience evaluating athletes both on the field and in the classroom. 

Education

Aspiring recruiting coordinators should have a goal of obtaining a four-year degree in something such as kinesiology or sports management. Kinesiology will give them experience in understanding athletes’ bodies and movements required on the field. Sports management will allow recruiting coordinators to gain experience on the sports’ managerial and business side. 

Roles and Responsibilities

After obtaining a recruiting coordinator job, a recruiter should reach out to athletes, which will better the school’s program as a whole. Finding athletes who are strong on the field and in the classroom will positively impact the program. 

The roles of a recruiting coordinator require managerial skills and knowledge of the sport you are recruiting for. When focusing on recruitment, a recruiter will meet with players and their parents, which will help make connections and gauge interest in the school from the athletes’ perspective. Often, recruiting requires travel to locations of certain players, games, or tournaments. While there, a recruiter must try and convince athletes that their program would be the best fit for them. 

A recruiting coordinator will also evaluate talent, which requires analyzing athletes’ skill sets and where a knowledge of the sport comes in handy. If you have played the sport for years, you will have an advantage in being able to properly analyze the players. This recruiting component can be rigorous as it requires watching players in person, analyzing game films, and occasionally watching practices. 

In addition to on-field assessments, a recruiting coordinator is required to assess a student’s academic ability. Doing so often means a recruiting coordinator will track an athlete’s grades over their years in high school. Eventually, if their grades are good enough, a coordinator can help them obtain scholarships for playing and academics. 

Finally, a recruiting coordinator needs to do a character assessment. If a player has a strong character, they will be a better asset to the team and the school. These assessments can frequently require recruiting coordinators to reach out to school coaches and teammates to gauge the player’s performance on and off the field. 

Recruiting Coordinator Salary

Although a recruiting coordinator is not the coach of a team, they play an important role in its success. Depending on the program, pay will vary, and it will also vary due to experience and degrees. Typically, college football recruiting salaries range from $22,000 to $72,000 per year. However, top-tier schools and teams may pay upwards of $100,000 depending on experience in the field. 

Skills You Need for the Job

There are a few skills that are crucial in becoming a recruiting coordinator. The first skill would be knowledge of the sport. Not only will this set you apart from other candidates, but it will make the job easier. In addition, previous knowledge will allow you to focus on more important aspects of recruiting instead of learning the sport from scratch. 

The next aspect would be a degree. A four-year degree is almost always required to obtain a job of this caliber. While obtaining a degree, getting an internship is a great opportunity. Interning with a professional recruiting coordinator not only helps you get your foot in the door, but it gives you insight into the job. It also helps you network for when you graduate and apply to become a recruiter yourself. 

How to Get Started

In the end, becoming a recruiting coordinator at a college is a very rewarding job. If you’re passionate about a sport and will work hard, a recruiting position may be the right place for you. Furthermore, if you are accountable and have the knowledge and skills necessary, landing the right job should be simple if you network with the right people.