How Resilience and Preparation landed T.J. Jones on Microsoft’s Roster
It's the night before a big performance and TJ Jones has been locked in studying, accompanied by a cold coffee to his left and a laptop to his right. There’s a shifting pile of notes coating his desk, all inscribed in jargon that would appear indecipherable to any regular passerby - almost as foreign as an NFL playbook.
But Jones is not studying an NFL playbook, nor is the former wide receiver preparing for an NFL matchup. He’s preparing for an interview with Microsoft.
It’s almost as if Jones has been in this situation before. Whether it’s needing to quickly and thoroughly learn NFL playbooks for the Detroit Lions and New York Football Giants – or the business-side of Microsoft – his preparation remains the same.
But this level of preparation isn’t even half of Jones’ story.
The story of T.J. Jones simply cannot be told without introducing another character: resilience.
Being dealt a path flooded with significant roadblocks, Jones missed entire rookie season as a sixth-round draft pick due to unforeseen injury and recovery complications. Other roadblocks include Jones undergoing double hip surgery, and his Summer 2021 experience, where he spent his time caring for his newborn while studying extensively for a sports agent exam, only to be falsely led on and left without direction for more than six months with a family of five.
Still, Jones remained resilient while finding his footing after football, catching his first break when he dropped his daughter off at school one morning. He ran into the father of his daughter’s friend, who happened to be a Microsoft employee. A bond ensued, leading to a genuine long-standing friendship and mentorship that ultimately helped Jones navigate his roadblocks and into a well-earned interview process with Microsoft.
There’s a message here for NFL Legends. Specifically, that to reach the level in which you competed at the NFL – whether it was one game or 10 years – it likely required a degree of resilience and preparation unlike anywhere else on earth. When it comes to navigating change after football – don’t forget that.
Today, Jones now finds himself as an Azure Digital Specialist for Microsoft. But how did Jones get Microsoft to take a chance on him?
One look at the wide receiver’s LinkedIn profile tells a valuable story: Despite a lack of corporate experience, Jones parlayed a sixth-round draft selection into a lengthy six-year NFL experience, which isn’t easy. In other words, Jones’ resume not only proves that he knows how to make a roster but that he’s worth a roster spot.
Alongside resilience, the coveted soft skills of being a self-starter, a quick learner, a team player and having the innate desire to improve daily were already ingrained in Jones.
So, he verbalized that in his nearly two-month long interview process with Microsoft.
TRANSFERABLE SKILLS
“When I was signed to the Giants on a Thursday and received their playbook that night, I could play all three wide receiver spots by Monday morning,” verbalized Jones in one of his interviews. “I know there’s a learning curve when it comes to Azure and being in corporate America for the first time, but what I can assure you that I am aware of how I learn best and how to apply that to the targeted material.”
Jones is right. He knew that his greatest strength was his knowledge – and the proof was in his utility, playing upwards of half-a-dozen positions during his NFL experience at times.
The proof was also in his interviews, where he spent weeks extensively studying and preparing in order to learn the required hard skills and familiarize himself with the job responsibilities.
Other strengths include discipline and effective communication, two skills acquired in the NFL that are transferable to careers in tech or sales.
“I need to be able to listen to customers, articulate solutions, generate buy-in that a given solution provides value worth implementing and work with my team effectively,” says the former wide receiver. “It’s like I’m playing quarterback sometimes.”
Jones will also tell you that being able to perform well in high-pressure situations is crucial.
“You can get cut with one bad practice, one bad game, or one dropped pass – I’ve seen it,” adds Jones. “So, being able to perform while not getting overwhelmed has definitely helped me.”
Jones continued, “Learning to turn the everyday stresses of the NFL experience into motivation has allowed me to cope well with the stresses of corporate America, such as hitting sharp deadlines and speaking with C-level executives.”
Being an NFL Legend means you have a platform – is there anything else you’d like to tell NFL Legends reading?
“You never know when or where your next opportunity is going to come from but what you can control is being ready to accept the challenge,” says Jones. “My opportunity began as casually meeting the father of my daughter’s first kindergarten friend at drop-off, which turned into a genuine friendship and mentorship between our families.”
Jones concluded, “God is good.”
