Job Search

Lifting the Cloud of Mystery of Search Commities
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For most observers, the process colleges use to find a head coach appears swathed in mystery. You hear reports, rumors and innuendo in the mass media, and sometimes surprise candidates are selected, not the obvious or “smart-money” choices.

But this is the glamour job at most high schools and colleges. How do schoolssearch for the right candidate? Well, many high-profile programs go to smallfirms that specialize in suggesting lists of coaches and administrators and thenvetting them. These small firms are often built around one man, and those whoare successful in this field are as “inside” as inside can be. They’vemade their names by working in the college environment, and they’ve usedtheir expertise and experience to gain the trust of school administrators. Thesemen have an enviable record of success.

WHY USE A SEARCH FIRM?

“A.D.’s always did their own searches (in the past) because it wassuch a critical hire for them,” says Bob Beaudine of the Eastman-Beaudineexecutive-search firm. “They’d keep a hot list of head coaches andoffensive and defensive coordinators. But sports-talk radio, the paparazzi, sportsinvestigative reporters always track this stuff. And boom they follow where aprospective coach is going, and boom he’s in the paper the next day. Wekeep the searches quiet. If you’re the coach at Bowling Green, and I’mtrying to get you to Purdue, you don’t want your current boss knowing you’relooking.

“(These days college) presidents are hired by search firms. A.D.’sare hired by search firms. ... All the high profile jobs, women’s and men’sbasketball, and football are all hired by search firms.” Beaudine got hisstart working in the food industry at Carnation, but he switched career gearsand is now one of the top names in this business.

Says Bill Carr: “My network is within collegiate circles – particularlyin football and basketball. We help universities hire coaches, administrators,executives – any position that helps collegiate sports.” Carr runsCarr Sports Associates and was formerly athletics director at Florida and Houston.

Says Chuck Neinas of Neinas Sports Services: “A.D.’s like to havesomeone they can trust to maintain confidence as they assist them in a search.”

Neinas has extensive contacts within the college ranks courtesy of former positionsas executive director of the College Football Association as well as being Commissionerof the Big Eight. Among Neinas’ accomplishments are working with Oklahoma,Georgia and Texas to bring in coaches Bob Stoops, Mark Richt and Mack Brown,respectively.

According to Joe Castiglione, Athletics Director at Oklahoma, the coaching searchdepends on how a university wants to utilize a search firm. “Sometimesa university isn’t sure who they want, or how the process should go. Otherschools have a specific idea of that person. But they may have a number of individualsthey want to talk to, even though they have the individual they want in mind.

“I had Chuck (Neinas) work with me on my background checking (for the BobStoops hire). Chuck is very insightful in the world of college football and hasworked with a number of universities over time in leadership positions.”

SCHOOLS’ CRITERIA

So what does a college administrator seek when he or she is trying to hire acoach or an A.D.?

“You’re looking for leadership and a comfort zone or fit – wherethe individual would be comfortable with the institution. And the institutionwould be comfortable with the individual,” Neinas says. “Some coacheswould be good on the East Coast and would not be so good on the West Coast.”

Carr, couldn’t agree more: “The key is all about the fit. It’sabout the objective qualities and the subjective chemistry. Understanding theenvironment you’re working in and meeting challenges successfully.”

Some criteria are simple.

“One of the great advantages of (trying to fill a coaching position) isthat wins and loses are undeniable standards of achievement,” Carr says.

Others are more complex.

“You want someone who has not had difficulty with NCAA violations,” Neinassays. “Someone who has integrity and character. You want to evaluate acandidate’s past. Most are clean, but things happen on occasion.”

Like his colleagues, Neinas is prepared.

“I have a four-page memo, basically a questionnaire, I provide to institutions.It encompasses most of the questions a prospective coach would ask. Things suchas the budget, the hiring of staff, to questions about expenses for a coach’swife. It’s professional and personal. I also have a list of questions forthe A.D. to ask. I try to anticipate questions from both sides.”

Says Carr: “We try to understand the environment that a coach will face,and find the challenges. ... What are the constraints? What are the advantages?What are the things the administration has done that helped the school or limitedits success? If there are some things surrounding the program that are keepingit from being successful, the administration must address those issues or youmight be headed for the same scenario 3-4 years down the road, where you firethe coach and look for a new one.”

Most major schools know who the candidates are when the process begins. “Beingat this level, we have our fingers on the pulse,” says Georgia AthleticDirector Damon Evans. “Search firms can gain a lot of pertinent informationand can help you with background checks and provide different bits of information:what the type of individual was to work with. We’re looking for a goodteacher, whether they have high integrity, and are a good fit. We need to knowif someone will fit in with the culture of the university.”

TRUST BUT VERIFY

It’s not just finding a good fit for each school, the experts say – it’skeeping things low-key and also making sure schools get what they pay for.

Says Beaudine: “We help the A.D. identify and present a well-diversifiedslate of candidates. We review the candidates’ backgrounds. Make sure youdid graduate from the school you said you did. One huge issue is to find outif someone really will move. Do schools have the right budget? Will they hirethe right people? A lot of coaches don’t want a raise then come in andfind out they won’t have the budget to hire assistants.”

Says Carr: “You try to get a strong sense of what the coach is all aboutand how he functioned in his previous positions. How his colleagues and formerbosses consider him. Has he had some positive and negative habits that have helpedor hindered him? What about his assistants?”

“I try to do a search ‘inside-out,’” he says. “Ilook at it as if I were the A.D. What would I be concerned about? I also lookat it as a coach. There should be no surprises. As soon as the coach knows whatthe problems are, the sooner he can decide if this is the right job for him.The sooner the school knows about the coach, and possible situations such asa buyout clause in his contract, or a personal situation: Does he have a sonin his senior year in high school? Does he have a family member who requiresspecial medical attention? The coach might consider that move in a differentway because of a family situation.

Carr says “I can’t know all the details about coaches, but the one’sdoing well, the one’s most likely to be considered in the process, I tryto know as much about them as I can. That way, I can communicate with them asquickly and quietly as possible. I spend time interacting with coaches, I don’ttake them as clients. But I actively seek them out to talk with them and learnabout their backgrounds and their aspirations.”

ADVICE ON MOVING UP THE RANKS

“(The coaching) business is all about relationships,” Beaudine says. “Whodo you know and what do these folks know about you? Are you an offensive or defensivecoordinator? How are you branded? Are you a recruiter? You have to be good atsomething.”

Says Carr: “People of achievement – the people who are making decisionsand making hires – respect ambition. That’s how they got to theirposition. But they respect class and focus when that ambition is displayed bya younger person. There are certain ways of showing good judgment and restraint,proper etiquette.

“There’s never a shortcut that avoids the hard work and the ability.You have to understand the game or other coaches – your peers – won’trespect you. They know who knows how to make adjustments on the sideline. Theyknow who puts players in a position to win. Nothing replaces winning and hardwork. If you’re the linebacker coach, and you prepare your kids to play,and they play well, that’s the best you can do. But keep your eyes openand be prepared to move frequently.”

Says Beaudine: “J.D. Brookhart was a graduate assistant who got marriedand went off to Xerox for 13 years. Then he went to Denver (Broncos coach) MikeShanahan and worked for him for two years for free! You’ve got to do whateverit takes to go to the next level.”

Brookhart went to Pitt and made a name for himself as an assistant, particularlyas a recruiter. When the University of Akron was looking for a coach, Beaudinehelped bring Brookhart and the Zips together.

“He had the passion and the focus,” Beaudine says. “There aretons of guys who are good technically. I am interviewing the personal qualities.Today being able to interview very well is a must... Most coaches don’thave a plan. They do a great plan for their team, for their school, but theydon’t have a plan for their life. ... If you and I sat down, and I wasmentoring you on how to get your next job, I’d ask you tough questions.You have to do some soul searching to find out what you want.

“You’ve got to be persistent. Coaches tell their players to give100 percent, then they call to express interest in a job, and say, ‘I called,and he never called me back’ and give up.”

SEARCHES VARY WIDE AND FAR

The strategy for a coaching search varies throughout the country. Often timesit is dependent on timing, budget, and resources. The search process can be differentat Division I-A as compared to Division II or Division III.

For example, Grand Valley State is a perennial Division II power. Their athleticdirector Tim Selgo had an interesting dilemma when his head coach Brian Kellybecame head coach at Central Michigan. A Division II power, Grand Valley Statehad won back-to-back D-II Championships in 2003 and 2004.

“This was an unusual search for us. We promoted our defensive coordinator,Chuck Martin, to the job. There was no consideration of going outside. We thoughtwe had the best candidate on our staff.

“When we hired our new men’s basketball coach, we put a search committeetogether, narrowed our candidates down to four who we brought in for on-campusinterviews. This committee was made up of a former player who graduated fromour program, along with our academic advisor for athletics, our faculty rep,associate AD/Senior women’s administrator, our marketing and promotionsdirector, and myself. We always want to have a faculty member involved and wealso like to have a recent graduate from the program. Someone who has graduatedcan see the bigger picture while a current student-athlete may be put in a toughspot if involved with the search committee.

“We’re always trying to move quickly because of recruiting but Iwould say a month or less is about how fast we move. The nice thing about thesejobs is that you don’t have to advertise a lot-the grapevine usually ensureswe’re inundated with resumes quickly.”

WHAT IT BOILS DOWN TO ...

In the end, though, it comes down to basics. If a search firm is involved, theyfind the candidates, check their credentials to see if there is a potentiallygood fit, then get the schools and the individuals together.

“What appeals to one (coach or A.D.), might not appeal to another,” Neinassays. “You can’t identify exactly how someone will come across tothe institution. There is no template that is going to satisfy every institution...The only thing I’m helping them do is assist them with a list of candidates,to make sure the candidates are good enough to make the decision difficult.”

Castiglione offered this assessment of the overall process: It’s criticalin any coaching search to know the type of individual they want – the profile,the skill set, the level of experience. And how that profile best fits the institution.Because once they get into a search, various ‘stakeholders’ willtry to get into the process and influence it. Sometimes a university will feelpressure to make a splash hire. It’s important for the institution to knowwhat they’re looking for and they need to be confident enough to make theright hire despite the popularity of the move.”

Bob Beaudine’s Tips to Coaches:

• A key to success is access. The ability to get to someone and get associated with someone who is great. Great people give you great ideas and access. Good people will give you fair ideas and fair access because they don’t want you to become good.

• After doing research and soul-searching, come up with 40 jobs you’d like to have. Find out who are the key guys at USC, Cal, Michigan. Think about 100 people you know and run those key guys’ names by your 100 people. You’re trying to get them used to a standard you’re setting. At first, someone will think ‘no, no, no, no,’ then he’ll go ‘This guy has really done his homework, I know someone at Oregon.’ Then you go, ‘Can I use your name?’ And you can now call the guy at Oregon. He might say, ‘I don’t have anything, but I know someone at Oregon State.’”

• The personal qualities you have transcend the technical. Character, integrity, the ability to interact and talk about a broadrange of subjects.

• What are the extra things you do? Are you a great speaker. Are you writing a book? If you are just one of 100,000 coaches, how do you differentiate yourself?

• The difference between unsuccessful and successful coaches: Unsuccessful coaches don’t ask tough questions. What training have I had? What do I need to do? Where would I live?

• You gotta have great passion. When 15 guys come in to interview, I can tell the winner because he comes in with passion

• Most people don’t do their homework, but the people I’m looking at do. I look for the people who do the things necessary to get to the next level.

Bill Carr of Carr Sports Associates on “Control”

What a coach can’t control.
• They can’t control the politics around the job.
• They can’t control the timing of the hiring.
• They can’t control the competition – who else is interested in a job.

What a coach can control.
• They can control their own preparation.
• They can control their character.
• They can speak at clinics.
• They can network, go to conventions, get to know people.
• They can write articles in magazines such as (American
Football Monthly).
• They can do other things to raise their profile.

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