Written By: Adam Dince

Meet Abiola Aborishade. Abiola’s dream is to play professional football for the New England Patriots. At the time of writing this article, Mr. Aborishade has waited outside of Gillette Stadium for a month, with the hopes of landing his dream job.

Aborishade did the work in the classroom and on the football field to make a strong case for a tryout with the Pats. However, so do many college football players with dreams of going pro. The reality is that open spots for professional football jobs are extremely competitive. In fact, only 1.6% of NCAA athletes make it to the professional ranks. But, Aborishade knows that in life, sometimes we have to make our own opportunities. So, Abiola is taking matters in to his own hands,

There are a lot of talented people out there who haven’t been discovered yet, and that’s because they haven’t separated themselves from everyone else,” Aborishade explains. “You have to put yourself out there — literally put yourself out there. – Source

Keep in mind that Aborishade isn’t just standing outside waiting for someone to give him a job. He shows up everyday with:

• The equipment needed for a tryout
• A board that advertises his desire for a tryout
• The intention of making a great impression on Patriots athletes and staff as they arrive at Gillette Stadium
• The mindset of success

Patriots players and owner Robert Kraft have noticed Aborishade’s relentless commitment to his dream! Patriots Malcolm Butler, cornerback for the Patriots posted this on his Facebook page:

Aborishade’s statement echoes the sentiment I share in “Hopeful to Hired”. In today’s competitive job market, you’ve got to set yourself apart from the rest. If you want to be noticed by employers, you have to get their attention. And if you wait until you’ve graduated from college to start standing out, you’ll be way behind the curve.

According to 247Sports, thus far, Aborishade’s logged 130 hours of canvasing for a tryout. What if you put in 130 hours of effort, while in college, to build the type of personal brand that makes you a top job draft pick upon graduation? Imagine what a 130 hours of effort could do you for building your professional network and industry reputation.

If this article resonates with you. If you’re thinking to yourself, “I really need to get the ball rolling on getting personal brand in to shape”, I highly recommend you order, “Hopeful to Hired”. I promise that it will provide you the insights and strategy you’ll need to be successful post graduation.