Are Former Athletes Ahead of the Game in the Job Market?

Former athletes may be a bit ahead of the game when it comes to certain job opportunities.

A recent study, conducted by researchers at Cornell's Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management in New York, found that people who've competed in sports teams may also be more likely to successfully get better gigs.

"Participation in competitive youth sports 'spills over' to occupationally advantageous traits that persist across a person's life," said lead researcher Kevin M. Kniffin, postdoctoral research associate at Cornell's Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, in a news release. 

Researchers found that those who played varsity high school sports were typically perceived as more confident and capable of properly demonstrating leadership skills than those who were part of other extracurricular activities.

Study findings also revealed that former varsity athletes were significantly more likely to volunteer and engage in other charitable organizations.

"In our study of late-career workers, those who earned a varsity letter more than 50 years ago do demonstrate these characteristics more than others - plus, they donate time and money more frequently than others and possessed great prosocial behavior in their 70s, 80s, and 90s," said Kniffin.

More information regarding the findings can be seen in the Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies.