As part of your New Year’s resolutions, you may be mapping out your career plan and want to make sure that you are investing your time and energy into a strategy that best prepares you to compete in today’s golf marketplace.  Or maybe you have heard about a job opening, plan to pursue the position, and want to give yourself the best opportunity to be selected.  How can you know what the employer wants so you can tailor your cover letter, resume, and interview materials to that particular position? 

 

As part of the PGA CareerLinks service, PGA Employment Consultants assist employers in assessing their needs, creating position profiles, and identifying skills desired of job candidates.  Through working with hundreds of employers annually, PGA Employment Services has identified some trends in the top skills employers seek from PGA Professionals.  And at the 2009 PGA Annual Meeting, a panel discussion with industry leaders provided a perspective on current golf market conditions, what employers are looking for, and how PGA Professionals can play a key role in developing strategies to help their facilities succeed. 

 

Employers expect a high standard of golf related skills from their PGA Professionals and assume a substantial level of expertise from those who have obtained PGA membership.  As a result of the successful positioning of the PGA Professional as the expert in golf operations and traditional golf skill sets, employers are increasingly looking for other attributes to separate job candidates.  Most employers are seeking the highest and best combination of people, game, and business skills in their desired PGA Professional. 

 

The common theme from the panel discussion centered on the need for PGA Professionals to refocus or “reset” the way they do business.  Employers are placing their confidence in those PGA Professionals who can provide value to their facility by enhancing the customer experience through exceptional service, while at the same time taking the lead on the “generation” side of the business, including the following:

·          Generating play / participation

·          Generating revenues / sales

·          Generating profits / return on investment

·          Generating new customers / retaining existing customers (public/resort)

·          Generating new members / retaining existing members (private)

 

Along with the informative panel discussion at the Annual Meeting, breakout sessions were conducted in three areas – private facilities, public facilities, and instruction – to identify critical skill areas for 2010 and to develop a collection of best practices to help PGA Professionals demonstrate their value.  The results of the breakout sessions were included in the December issue of PGA Magazine and are also available on PGALinks.  As you prepare for 2010, I would encourage you to review and utilize the “2010 Best Practices” developed at the Annual Meeting, as well as all the PGA Best Practices and Growth of the Game Programs available on PGALinks.

 

If you are in the process of updating your resume or applying for a new position, it’s also important to target the content of your resume, cover letter, and materials to the needs and key priorities for the job you are seeking.  While this can vary depending on the facility, most employers at all facility types are looking for PGA candidates with a proven record in many of the areas listed above.  When you list your job activities on your resume, don’t just include your basic duties, which can make your resume read like a generic job description.  Instead, highlight your accomplishments and involvement with developing successful new programs, increasing rounds and revenues, and enhancing the customer experience, and use statistics wherever possible to quantify what you have done.  You can see examples of this by viewing the sample resumes on the PGA Employment Center area of PGALinks.

 

So whether you are applying for a new job or working to enhance your current job security, it’s becoming increasingly more important to understand what your employer (or future employer) is looking for and to demonstrate the benefits and value you provide as a PGA Professional.

 

Important Reminder – 2010 PGA Compensation Survey

Make sure that you and all members of your professional staff complete the 2010 PGA Compensation Survey on PGALinks beginning January 5, 2010.  Your participation will help provide you and your fellow PGA Professionals with accurate compensation information when you need it for negotiations, job searches, and budgeting.  It will also assist those of us who work with employers on your behalf in our efforts to upgrade compensation for all PGA positions.

 

All individual responses are completely confidential, so please take a few minutes and complete the survey.  PGA members who complete the survey will receive 2 MSR credits (maximum 5 survey credits per MSR cycle year).  More details will be forthcoming on PGALinks.

 

Update Your CareerLinks ProFile

The beginning of a new year is also a good time to review and update your CareerLinks ProFile, located on the PGA Employment Center of PGALinks.  This is especially important if you have recently changed jobs or PGA classifications, gained additional experience, or would like to modify your future employment preferences.  Please contact me if you have any questions about your ProFile.

 

Best wishes for the New Year and for a successful 2010 season!

 

Dick Bradow is an Employment Consultant for the PGA of America and a PGA Certified Professional.  He can be contacted at (502) 458-2002 or by e-mail at dbradow@pgahq.com.