How to hire an athlete

How to hire an athlete, step by step

Here's a step-by-step athlete hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an athlete job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new athlete
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an athlete do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The athlete hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect athlete also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents athlete salaries for various positions.

   Type of Athlete	Description	Hourly rate
   Athlete	Athletes and sports competitors participate in organized, officiated sporting events to entertain spectators.	$11-51
   Head Baseball Coach	The head baseball coach provides supervision and leadership for teams, individual sports, and works with the staff and administration. They promote an appreciation of physical fitness, sportsmanship, and teamwork... Show more	$13-33
   Performance Coach	The duties of a performance coach depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. In a company setting, their responsibilities revolve around conducting inspections and observations to identify the workforce's needs, understanding the vision and mission of the company, and developing programs to train employees and improve their skills... Show more	$13-37

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Team-Oriented Environment
   • Math
   • Apparel
   • Visual Displays
   • Customer Service
   • Nike
   • Proactive Customer Service
   • Drive Sales
   • Teamwork
   • Service Techniques
   • Sales Floor
   • Entry Level Associates
   • NCAA
   • Assist Leads

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Apply time management, goal setting, leadership and teamwork to achieve academic success while fulfilling training and competition requirements.
   • Manage supervision of elite and NCAA pipeline development.
   • Certify to represent athletes in the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB and WTA.
   • Participate in soccer and volleyball athletics
   • Organize and participate in basketball camps.
   • Provide efficient customer service by executing mobile transactions in apparel departments and meeting sales goals.

   More athlete duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the athlete job description is a good way to get more applicants. An athlete salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an athlete in Nebraska may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level athlete. Additionally, an athlete with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average athlete salary

   $51,729yearly

   $24.87 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level athlete salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average athlete salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$68,794	$33
   2	Connecticut	$67,631	$33
   3	Massachusetts	$65,152	$31
   4	New York	$63,400	$30
   5	District of Columbia	$63,110	$30
   6	Virginia	$59,843	$29
   7	Michigan	$58,584	$28
   8	North Dakota	$57,633	$28
   9	Nevada	$57,002	$27
   10	Arizona	$56,525	$27
   11	Texas	$55,440	$27
   12	North Carolina	$52,245	$25
   13	Utah	$50,082	$24
   14	Iowa	$49,731	$24
   15	Hawaii	$49,548	$24
   16	Illinois	$46,540	$22
   17	Oklahoma	$44,852	$22
   18	Tennessee	$42,565	$20
   19	Georgia	$42,334	$20
   20	Mississippi	$39,038	$19

   Average athlete salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Erlanger Health System	$195,745	$94.11
   2	Excelsior Orthopaedics	$141,601	$68.08
   3	SSM Health	$108,529	$52.18
   4	Park Nicollet Medical Center Inc	$100,567	$48.35
   5	Boston College	$95,692	$46.01
   6	Hospital Sisters Health System	$95,631	$45.98
   7	Sanford Health	$87,666	$42.15
   8	Emory Healthcare	$86,280	$41.48
   9	PSEA	$84,350	$40.55	6
   10	Dean Health Plan	$76,099	$36.59
   11	Eastern Washington University	$71,320	$34.29
   12	University of Hawaii Foundation	$66,891	$32.16
   13	Dartmouth-Hitchcock	$65,316	$31.40	1
   14	Beacon Health Options	$63,455	$30.51
   15	Spectrum Health	$55,931	$26.89	2
   16	University of Oklahoma	$53,392	$25.67	2
   17	University of Wisconsin-River Falls	$49,494	$23.80
   18	City of Austin	$46,111	$22.17
   19	Americorps	$45,335	$21.80	2
   20	Regent University College Of Science And Technology	$43,891	$21.10	2

4. Writing an athlete job description

   A job description for an athlete role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an athlete job description:

   Athlete job description example

   As a patient-focused organization, University of Utah Health exists to enhance the health and well-being of people through patient care, research and education. Success in this mission requires a culture of collaboration, excellence, leadership, and respect. University of Utah Health seeks staff that are committed to the values of compassion, collaboration, innovation, responsibility, diversity, integrity, quality and trust that are integral to our mission. EO/AA
   
   This position is responsible for optimizing the physician's practice through team work and overseeing the patient load. The incumbent is responsible for providing medical care assessing, diagnosing and rehabilitating all patients as directed by their attending physician The Athletic Trainer will work under the direction of the attending physician to ensure proper care and optimum outcomes in a cost effective manner consistent with professional standards of practice.
   
   Corporate Overview: The University of Utah is a Level 1 Trauma Center and is nationally ranked and recognized for our academic research, quality standards and overall patient experience. Our five hospitals and eleven clinics provide excellence in our comprehensive services, medical advancement, and overall patient outcomes.
   Responsibilities
   
   * Aligns with the goals, strategy, policies and procedures of the department.
   * Works within scope of an athletic trainer according to NATA and NBCOT guidelines.
   * Coordinates the patient load of assigned provider and/or team.
   * Reviews patient records, obtains patient history, reviews radiographs and performs initial physical exam.
   * Documents condition, progress and assessment in patient's chart for review by the orthopaedic physician.
   * Assures all documentation is kept up to date and in a professional manner, according to clinic and hospital protocols.
   * Educates patients/caregivers about their diagnosis, discharge and recovery.
   * Provides physical therapy treatments, prescribes exercise, and sets functional goals for the patient.
   * May administer various therapeutic techniques including: electrotherapy, heat therapy and cryotherapy.
   * Applies, adjusts and removes casts, splints, braces, as well as any skin, skeletal, and manual traction devices and instructs patients in their use.
   * Obtains medications from Omnicell/Med cabinet and prepares medication and patient for therapeutic and diagnostic injection
   * Assists in training and education of staff and lead and participate in clinical program development.
   * Required to participate a predetermined number of hours each year in outreach activities including athletic event coverage, health and fitness exhibitions, presentations, and lectures.
   * May obtain preoperative consents and research informed consents.
   * May assist physicians in research with an emphasis on a post-operative database and follow-up with post-operative patients, as needed.
   * May support the clinical and didactic education of the University's CAATE approved Athletic Training Education Program students and graduate staff and participate as an approved clinical instructor. Responsibilities may include instructional lectures as adjunct faculty within the College of Health.
   
   Knowledge / Skills / Abilities
   
   * Demonstrated potential ability to perform the essential functions as outlined above.
   * Ability to provide care to the population served.
   * Ability to multi-task and work in a fast paced environment; excellent critical thinking skills, ability to work independently, and manage time effectively.
   * Demonstrated knowledge of the principles of life span growth and development and the ability to assess data regarding the patient's status and provide care as described in the department's policies and procedures manual.
   * Demonstrated human relation and effective communication skills.
   * Ability to be energetic, quality driven and able to be a productive member of cohesive team of peers dedicated to providing optimum patient care.
   * Ability to maintain professional attitude towards patients and an excellent and collegial working relationship with other coworkers.
   
   Qualifications
   
   Qualifications
   
   Required
   
   * One year of experience as an athletic trainer.
   
   Licenses Required
   
   * Current RQI Healthcare Provider eCredential through the University of Utah Health RQI system. The eCredential is to be obtained within 30 days of hire.
   * Certification as an Athletic Trainer with the National Athletic Trainers Association issued by the Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer
   * Current licensure to practice as an Athletic Trainer in the State of Utah.
   * Additional license requirements as determined by the hiring department.
   
   Qualifications (Preferred)
   
   Preferred
   
   * Experience as an athletic trainer in an outpatient orthopaedic clinic setting.
   
   Working Conditions and Physical Demands
   
   Employee must be able to meet the following requirements with or without an accommodation.
   
   * This position involves intensive work that may exert up to 100 pounds and may consistently requiring lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling or otherwise moving objects, such as medical equipment, or patients while providing medical care. The worker is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions.
   
   Physical Requirements
   
   Carrying, Climbing, Color Determination, Crawling, Far Vision, Lifting, Listening, Manual Dexterity, Near Vision, Non Indicated, Pulling and/or Pushing, Reaching, Sitting, Speaking, Standing, Stooping and Crouching, Walking

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right athlete for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with athletes they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit athletes who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your athlete job on Zippia to find and recruit athlete candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with athlete candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new athlete

   Once you've found the athlete candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new athlete. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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