It is said most people spend more time thinking about where they are going on holiday than their career. For those golf professionals who really want to succeed you need to think what your ultimate career goal is in order to satisfy all the things you want to achieve. Having worked with hundreds of PGA Members every one of them has different goals.

Some want a top club professional job, some want to be the best coach, some want to work abroad, some want to turn to club management and become a General Manager. So its is important to research and understand what steps are needed to get to your individual career goal.

Networking and marketing yourself to the right people is one of the most powerful tools in getting you to the next stage. For example I knew my career goal was to be a General Manager at one of the top clubs in the world. I started writing to Dick Kopplin the leading headhunter in the USA in 1998.

At first I never got a reply as he didn’t know me and at the time I was living and working in Dubai. When I moved to St Andrews in I attended the CMAA World conference presenting the Opening Education Address to 1,800 people in 2004. This was the first time I met Dick.

In 2005 I invited Dick to speak at a conference that I promoted which he accepted. In 2006 he got me the interview for the position of CEO at Loch Lomond that resulted in me being successful in fulfilling my career goal. It had taken me 8 years but the work I did along the way helped me pave the way to getting me what I had set out to do some 15 years before.

Improving your own PR is also vitally important, most golf professionals I know are confident in presenting themselves due to the hours coaching their students and retailing to their customers. Think about putting yourself forward to speak at conferences, writing articles for magazines or websites. This will grow your brand and attract potential employers as the more often your name and picture appear the more chance you have of being reminded to or meeting owners, CEO’s, headhunters etc.

For golf professionals I think Linkedin is a must to help promote themselves and open up career opportunities. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 120 million members and growing rapidly. LinkedIn connects you to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals giving  you the keys to controlling your online identity.

You should Google yourself? You never know what may come up. LinkedIn profiles rise to the top of search results, letting you control the first impression people get when searching for you on line. You should know how to best set up your account and by having the right CV would help your Linkedin profile. Whether you’re looking for a career opportunity, winning new clients or building your professional reputation, LinkedIn can if used properly connect you to jobs, sales leads and ideal business partners.

So please remember that Networking can be very helpful to your career its just not a buzz word it actually works. Develop a network of friendly people who share information to help each other. I believe it is best known as a strategy for opening the hidden job market. Since 80% of jobs are not advertised, it is essential that you develop friendly relationships with people who can tip you off to job openings — perhaps even introduce you to the person who is doing the hiring. There is some truth in, “It’s not what you know, but who you know.”

Since the start of this series of articles on helping Professionals with the very best career advice in sport we are pleased to report that we are now working with a large number of PGA members currently 10 professionals a week are becoming clients helping them to have a better chance to improve their careers and networking opportunities which Club Inc can provide.

Niall’s top 10 suggestions:

1. Attend events that are relevant to you and your business.
2. Arrive early so you don’t walk into a room full of people who are already in conversation.
3. Be confident in your language and actions- people buy certainty and confidence, but turn away from arrogance- be careful.
4. Listen more and talk less.  It is no coincidence that you learn more when someone else is talking.
5. Become the gatekeeper and the go-to contact.  Build your strong contact network over time so that other people think of you first when they need help and advice.
6. First impressions count, so make yours positive.  Everything from appearance and handshake, to your attitude and body language.
7. Know your elevator speech – a short, sharp explanation of what you do.
8. Self-management of your time.  Don’t spend too much time in one discussion.
9. Be a farmer not a hunter – avoid selling and trying to get a deal on the day.
10. Always follow up with the contacts you make.

1. Always try and get an early flight

This gives you more time for meetings during the day so you can arrive somewhere and get straight down to business.  It might mean waking up earlier but can be worth it if you get everything completed in a day – you could even fly back that evening so you’re not away from your own bed too long. You can review and plan where needed if you make regular flights and it’s worth experimenting to get the most efficient timings and costs.

2. Organise your travel documents

There’s nothing worse than not being able to find your passport when you get to an airport, so it’s always worth keeping copies of your boarding cards, ticket receipts, or your passport in a pack in your luggage.

3. Keep a check on your home time

I always keep one clock set to my home time zone so I can keep up with what’s going on back at the office, and ensure I don’t call at unearthly hours of the day too!

4. Stay hydrated!

This is so important to ensure you stay alert and have full concentration in every meeting.  Nowadays you can’t get water through security so once through Passport control head straight to a vendor and get a water for the flight or journey (which should hopefully be cheaper than buying it on a plane as well!).

5.     Adapt and survive

Travel with the correct travel adaptors – You can’t always purchase the right ones when you’re abroad so this is really important to make sure you can keep yourself powered up!  Maybe even invest in a new portable emergency USB and device charger and keep it in your bag at all times.

Networking and marketing yourself to the right people is one of the most powerful tools in getting you to the next stage.  For example, I knew my career goal was to be a General Manager at one of the top clubs in the world.

I started writing to Dick Kopplin the leading headhunter in the USA in 1998.  At first I never got a reply as he didn’t know me and at the time I was living and working in Dubai.  When I moved to St Andrews I attended the CMAA World conference presenting the Opening Education Address to 1,800 people in 2004.  This was the first time I met Dick.  In 2005 I invited Dick to speak at a conference that I promoted which he accepted.  In 2006 he got me the interview for the position of CEO at Loch Lomond that resulted in me being successful in fulfilling my career goal.

It had taken me 8 years but the work I did along the way helped me pave the way to getting me what I had set out to do some 15 years before.  My story illustrates just how important networking can be in your career – below are 3 more benefits of networking when it comes to advancing your career…

1. Improves your PR within the industry

Improving your own PR is also vitally important.  Most golf professionals I know are confident in presenting themselves due to the hours coaching their students and retailing to their customers, but think about putting yourself forward to speak at conferences, writing articles for magazines and/or websites.  This will grow your brand and attract potential employers as the more often your name and picture appear, the more chance you have of being mentioned or meeting owners, CEO’s, headhunters etc.

2. Helps unlock the job market

Networking can be very helpful to your career.  It’s not just a “buzz word”, it actually works.  Develop a network of friendly people who share information to help each other.  I believe it is best known as a strategy for opening the hidden job market.  Since 80% of jobs are not advertised, it is essential that you develop friendly relationships with people who can tip you off to job openings – perhaps even introduce you to the person who is doing the hiring.  There is some truth in, “It’s not what you know, but who you know.”

3. Allows you to meet people that are outside your circle broadening your knowledge and skill sets

Finally attending events both inside and outside the industry can help you learn so much that you can add to your skill set.  It really is amazing the number of people you meet who play golf and will get talking to you because you are a golf professional – you never know where this may lead.

Golf is a fascinating and varied industry with much history and it employs many thousands of people across the UK & Europe offering a variety of roles and opportunities within different areas of the sport.

Most of us will spend 30 – 40 years of our lives working in different roles and organisations so it is important that we make the right choices and think through how best to make the most of our assets to create an interesting and fulfilling career.

Considering options when it comes to a career can be challenging and difficult, and knowing where to go for insight and advice can be daunting, which is why it’s important to review and assess where you are currently in your career, identify realistic and achievable goals that can support your progression within the sport and club industry, and also to create a clear plan to take you to where you want to go.

Two Club Inc. success stories are qualified PGA Professionals Matthew Hough and Karl Whitehead.  Matthew was one of our very first candidates having met me at a PGA course regarding working in China.  Matthew, 26, was employed as a qualified assistant at a traditional golf club in the North of England.  He was frustrated in his role, ambitious to take his career to the next level and had targeted Asia as the ideal place to work and live.

“At first I wasn’t sure what this assessment would bring me and it was going to be a big investment for me.  I worked with Niall to understand what my strengths really were, how I could turn my weaknesses into opportunities, how to grow those opportunities and realise any possible threats just like a business.

“Niall even sent me his CV and showed me a template that was clear and helped me to really highlight my achievements.  I grew to realise that a CV is not a job description – it really needs to show perspective employers very quickly who I am and what I have achieved.  With my CV transformed I was then eager to make the next step of undertaking a role-play interview.  This was just like an interview I even put on my jacket and tie on and felt really nervous.  Niall showed me a recording of the interview and offered his advice on where to improve, from this experience the next role-play session was much better and gave me confidence for when the real thing came along.

“We then looked at my LinkedIn and Twitter accounts and gave me a much better brand even changing my email address which made me look more professional.  Finally Club Inc showed me the importance of networking opportunities and I visited the Open Championship where they introduced me to so many people, which is really Club Inc’s unique skill as between Mark, Niall and their associates they know nearly everyone in industry.”

Another example is Karl Whitehead, now Head Professional at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, who had a clear career goal of working in the Middle East:

“I contacted Club Inc, as I knew they could help me achieve my goal of working in the Middle East. Niall was a GM in Dubai I tapped into his knowledge about the area and his contacts.  My CV was transformed to be specific and was worth the time and resource investment to get my dream job.

“My CV and cover letter certainly played a pivotal role in my success in achieving my dream move to Saadiyat Beach Golf Club in Abu Dhabi.”

Both these examples show the difference that a clear, concise and targeted CV can make when applying for career opportunities.  But what they also highlight is that it’s not just the CV that is important – a full mix of skills involving your CV, interview technique and preparation of your own online presence is required to help you achieve your career goals.

Club Inc. offer an un-matched career coaching service in the golf sector, and Shaun is just one example of the great work they have done, and are capable of doing.  The Confederation of Professional Golf are delighted to be partners of Club Inc. and it’s evident why.  Club Inc. fully support professionals within the industry, and are actively sourcing placements for those who wish to fulfill their potential at the world’s finest golfing venues.

“I wanted to further my career, set myself new challenges and make the most of my knowledge,” says Shaun.  “I knew that in order to do this I would need some help from experts such as Niall Flanagan, who has the contacts to help, so it was natural for me to turn to Club Inc.  After sitting down with the Club Inc. team and discussing my strengths, goals and aspirations, I felt confident in applying to Castiglion del Bosco and now, I’m living out my dream in one of the most spectacular estates in Europe.”

Shaun is working under English head professional Alex Douglas.  Together they are responsible for offering a high quality service to members and guests, as well as running a professional retail operation and giving their guidance through tuition.

Emanuela Setterberg, General Manager of Castiglion del Bosco said “We are absolutely delighted to have Shaun at CdB.  His passion for golf, and in helping people to improve is the perfect fit for the work we are trying to do here.  Shaun and Alex are becoming a formidable team who are paramount to the success of CdB.”

Club Inc. are also working with Castiglion del Bosco to develop their brand within golf in order to encourage more international players to visit the venue, and join the aspirational membership.

The estate is hidden within the Val d’Orcia, a renowned landscape of great beauty and universal appeal within the Tuscany region.  It plays host to the stunning Tom Weiskopf designed 18-hole golf course, spa and winery, and also boasts 23 luxury hotel suites and 9 villas.  Quite possibly, Italy’s best kept secret.

Club Inc. will host the networking event to provide an opportunity to see a world-class venue with a money-can’t-buy tour behind the scenes of the FA headquarters set in the National Forest, in 330 acres of beautifully landscaped parkland, where the centre will be the training base for the 24 England teams.

Delegates will also hear the views and insights from Ian Randell, whose time and experiences as Chief Executive of the association, together with his position as a Ryder Cup Board member, will mean attendees will be sure to gather a huge amount of knowledge to take with them.

Benefits also include the ability to network with a number of CEO’s, GM’s, DoG’s, course managers and suppliers from the club and sport industry, learning more about opportunities that may exist within the industry.

Places at the Networking event are £55+VAT per person and you can reserve your place by completing an application form and returning it to info@clubincorporated.com.

For more information visit http://bit.ly/X2uXkq, or download an application form here.

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For more information about Club Inc. visit www.clubincorporated.com.

For more information on the Confederation of Professional Golf visit the CPG.com, follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.