AUBURN, Ala. – It's what you know and who you know.
That's one observation former Auburn baseball player Casey McElroy noted during the third annual SEC Career Tour in Atlanta.
"It seemed like everyone we talked to ended up in the position they were in because of a person they had met along the way who helped open a door for them," McElroy said. "You never know when an encounter could turn into a potential opportunity."
Or as South Carolina swimmer Jackson Smith put it, "Treat every conversation like it's an interview."
McElroy, who played for the Tigers from 2009-11 before playing six seasons of minor league baseball, and Bria Johnson, who played women's basketball from 2014-18, represented Auburn on the tour from Nov. 27-29.
Along with fellow student-athletes from all 14 SEC schools, the attendees visited executives at UPS, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, The Home Depot and the Atlanta Hawks organization.
"These are billion-dollar companies and they need every major from communications to graphic design," said Johnson, an Auburn Athletics graduate assistant who will earn her master's in information systems in 2019.
"Being around those kids and knowing I would be there to make a difference really made me consider that industry more," said Johnson of the hospital visit.
McElroy and Johnson with SEC commissioner Greg SankeyThe student-athletes also visited with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and heard from former participants, including Auburn swimmer Beatriz Travalon, on how the SEC Career Tour aided their job search.
One of Johnson's takeaways? The value of social media as a networking tool.
"LinkedIn is the best way to connect to professionals," she said. "No matter what career you'd like to pursue from coaching to broadcasting, people will tell you to connect with them via LinkedIn. If your profile is nonexistent or not up to date you probably missed an opportunity."
One week away from earning his media studies degree, McElroy appreciated the momentum the SEC Career Tour created as he embarks on his post-baseball career.
"I was blown away by the amount of effort the SEC put into this tour to ensure that we had every resource available to us to start our career," he said. "It was first class. An amazing experience.I really believe this will help put our foot in the door somewhere.
"All of the employers we met were eager to employ former student-athletes because of our work ethic, perseverance, dedication, etc. This encouraged all of us because we don't have the work experience of other students because we don't have the time for internships and extracurriculars.
"It's opportunities like the SEC Career Tour created that help student-athletes get their foot in the door, and learn about the job search process. I found the experience so valuable."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer