The Gators Experience houses the personal enhancement, social engagement, career development, and leadership programming for all Gator student-athletes. Through class specific meetings, experiential learning opportunities, and individual goal mapping the program aims to help every Gator student-athlete leave the University of Florida as a prepared professional. You can follow the Gator Experience on Twitter at @GatorsExp.

The Career Development component of the Otis Hawkins Center for Academic and Personal Excellence is designed to assist current and former student-athletes with their career and life planning. Resources and programming are available to student-athletes to develop them into prepared professionals when they leave the institution.

The Hawkins Center employs a full-time Coordinator of Career Development, who is responsible for addressing student-athlete career development needs to better prepare them for the transition from college to the workforce. The Hawkins Center also works in collaboration with the Career Connections Center (CCC) to provide student-athletes with the most current career related information and services. Between the Hawkins Center’s Coordinator of Career Development and the Career Connections Center, services provided include:

• One on One career counseling and assistance with career decision-making
• Guided Job search for summer jobs, internships and full-time jobs
• Career fairs including Recruiter Roundtable, a student- athlete specific event
• Resume, cover letter and personal statement assistance
• LinkedIn and networking assistance
• On-campus interviewing and employer informational sessions
• Job shadowing experiences
• Graduate and professional school search and application assistance

The Gator Athlete Network is a group on LinkedIn to connect former and current UF student-athletes, equipment managers and spirit squad members to each other and to the University Athletic Association. This network provides career and mentoring opportunities as well as job postings for the members.

Gator Athlete Network

The University Athletic Association invites companies and UF graduate school programs to visit specifically with student-athletes. This event is held once a semester in line with the Career Connections Center’s Career Showcase event. Recruiter Roundtable brings approximately 30 hand-picked organizations of all sizes that network and discuss internship and career opportunities with our student-athletes. Many representatives are former student-athletes sharing their experiences and advice to the current student-athletes and allowing for additional networking opportunities. The UAA brings in Fortune 500 companies located throughout the country as well as local businesses for this event.

Selected student-athletes complete an internship with a company in the Gainesville area for at least 20 hours a week. In addition, on Fridays, they participate in professional development with the Coordinator of Career Development and professional staff from the Career Connections Center. During these meetings, the student-athletes share their internship experiences, learn more about themselves professionally, update their career documents, practice their interview skills and build their network and professional brand

A networking night for female student-athletes to interact and learn from over 40 professional women working in various areas of the athletics industry. Student-athletes are provided information on different career opportunities that will allow them to work around athletics. The professionals share their career paths, insight on their job, and career development advice with the student-athletes.

Student-athletes interested in continuing to a graduate or professional school can seek assistance searching for schools and programs along with application and personal statement guidance. Representatives from common graduate and professional schools at UF attend the Recruiter Roundtable career fair and the Graduate and Professional School Prep workshop hosted by the Hawkins Center allowing direct interactions for the student-athletes.

The Coordinator of Career Development within the Hawkins Center meets one-on-one with student-athletes throughout their career at UF concerning their career decision-making and career development. Student-athletes can discuss future careers, update career documents including resumes, cover letters and personal statements, build their professional brand through LinkedIn, network with professionals, prepare for interviews along with additional resources and services tailored to each specific student-athlete.