In his sporting career as a professional handball player for Romania and then as a player/coach in Italy, Catalin Popovici went from success to success. Between 1985 and 2004 Catalin, represented his country on over 200 occasions including at European and International championships. Translating his success in the handball court to the world of work proved more challenging and upon returning to his native Romania he spent several months pursuing various jobs without success. After learning that the NOC and Adecco launched the ACP in Romania – Catalin made the right move and called the ACP representative. As Catalin explained it was the first step to win beyond sport, “in this new competition that was standing in front of me: the labour market. It was not a magic tool that would immediately bring me that perfect job – but it was a route to train myself and get prepared. I had a series of meetings during which I learned how to build an effective resume, how to present myself at an interview, how to emphasize my qualities and how a selection process works.”

After a few unsuccessful job interviews, Catalin had the support and tools to analyse and learn from the experience and identified how to, “emphasize the abilities that bring value to the employer.” Success followed and a position was secured with foreign company acting in the financial services field. Catalin commented, “Now, it’s more than a year since I have been working in this company and I can proudly say that I am highly appreciated and I like very much what I am doing here. For all sportsmen, I advise you from all my heart to truly believe: the finish line is just the beginning!”