Athletic trainers in today’s job market, while having increased opportunities across multiple sectors, are also facing novel challenges in the application and hiring process. From the rise of applicant tracking systems (ATS) to screen candidates, to broadening overlap between aligned health and performance professions, athletic trainers need the appropriate tools to proactively adapt their job application processes in order to have the best chance at professional growth. 

Much of the current research and discussion around the athletic training job market focuses on salary and work-life balance negotiations - however, the actual utilization of these tactics is dependent on the ability to get in the room for an interview first. There has also been a focus on educating employers around the desirability of employment of ATs across varied practice settings - however, ATs now need to learn how to adjust their application processes to reflect the needs of the employers, rather than just tout their experience and skill set. And of course, there are copious amounts of discussion and research on student selection of athletic training as a career - and while we have numerous continuing education opportunities for professional development, there is much less available to facilitate actual professional upward mobility. 

Resources on interviewing for an athletic training job are scarce and outdated, as evidenced by a journal search that turned up recent articles only in the previously mentioned categories, with most results on hiring criteria, application best practices, and interviewing skills being 20+ years old. While mentorship, personal connections and luck all factor into the hiring process, as a profession, athletic trainers deserve current and data-driven resources to help them advance into the career paths of their choosing in the same way that they have these same resources to help them develop their clinical skills.