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Making the move from assistant superintendent to superintendent is about more than just doing good work. Professional growth is much different from turf growth, but it’s just as important to a career, says Chris Carson, superintendent at Echo Lake Country Club in Westfield, N.J.

Carson’s “Assistant Superintendents: How to Improve Your Chances of Making the Step to Superintendent” seminar Tuesday helped attendees come to grips with the job market, and find out how to improve their odds.

“Golf is no longer expanding. In fact, it’s shrinking, which means there’s a saturated market out there for golf course superintendents,” says Carson. “There are a lot of assistants who aspire to become superintendents. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it’s going to be difficult.”

Fewer openings means more qualified people applying for the same jobs, and what it comes down to isn’t often strict turf knowledge.

“The whole purpose of this seminar is to give some insight into how to best show your strengths to committees, how to outcompete others, how to do well in the interview and a lot of the nuances of interviewing and preparing your documents,” says Carson.

Carson started teaching the course as an extension of Rutgers University’s turfgrass program, after sharing war stories with students and getting interest in how to make the cut when a new job hangs in the balance. Turfgrass students can handle growing grass, but navigating some of what he calls “soft skills” isn’t as easy: Presenting to a greens committee, dressing for an interview, or going to a cocktail party.

Assistants learned to be able to tell their story and sell themselves as the right person for the job, as well as to anticipate questions a potential boss might have in mind.

“I’m trying to get these young people thinking in terms of who’s across the table from them,” says Carson. “It’s a negotiation, and anytime you can learn or think about what’s in their head, you’re going to be better prepared.”

Attendees learned a few of the places that an assistant can get tripped up in looking for a new position. First, the quality of their written materials might not be up to standard with flaws and grammatical problems. Second, a cover letter could lack excitement and miss the opportunity to tell their story. But the last is key to any interview – preparation.

“Probably the most important is that they’re not preparing fully for the interview and to succeed in the interview,” says Carson. “When people say, ‘I’m doing everything I can to become a superintendent,’ are you really?”