As recent graduates hit the job market this summer, traits that made athletes successful on the field can point to promising career paths, writes Hilary Potkewitz for the Wall Street Journal.

Water polo players may thrive in tech marketing because both environments prize fast-moving teamwork. Wrestlers—used to competing as individuals—may make great solo-focused salesmen. The precision to succeed in baseball and diving help those athletes excel at accounting.

Asher Raphael and Corey Schiller played soccer together at American University and landed entry-level jobs at Power Home Remodeling, a Chester company that retrofits homes for energy efficiency, in 2003. Neither had interest or experience in home renovations, but the company’s training program created a team-oriented environment they enjoyed.

They are now co-CEOs. They often target team-sport athletes for new hires, which now has about 2,500 employees. “We want to recruit great teammates,” Raphael said. Of the 29 staffers in human resources, for example, 16 are former college athletes in either soccer, lacrosse or football.

“We also don’t want people winging it. We want them following our processes and playing their role,” he said. “Team athletes are accustomed to that.”’

Read more about the link between college sports and career.

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