In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Jared Watts, Director of Talent at Vantaca, a community-managed performance software company based in North Carolina.
Previously, Jared worked on the agency side in executive search and spent five years playing professional soccer in the MLS. He played for both the Colorado Rapids and the Houston Dynamo, and was the 33rd overall pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft.
He captained the Under 17 World Cup team in Nigeria and he won the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup when he was playing at Houston. He was also finishing his MBA during his soccer career!
Listen in as Jared talks about his storied career as an athlete and his transition into the world of recruiting. He explains why recruiting might just be the perfect job for ex-athletes and how sports psychology can profoundly help in the business of recruiting. Finally, he talks about the life of an agency recruiter versus an in-house one.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
● [02:15] What led Jared into soccer
● [07:50] Lessons learned from playing professional soccer in the MLS
● [11:39] Managing stress and anxiety as a professional athlete
● [13:26] Getting clear on the growth trajectory of the candidate
● [15:14] Applying the power of visualization to recruiting
● [18:44] Focusing on daily wins
● [23:50] Mindfulness practices
● [27:57] Dealing with loss and failure
● [30:43] Why the recruiting industry has a high turnover rate
● [33:02] How to develop a winning mindset
● [36:06] How recruiting for a software company is like recruiting for a D1 college sport
● [39:54] Jared’s approach to the interview process
● [42:20] Why recruiters always need the “agency mindset”
Key quotes:
● “[In professional sports,] you’re only as good as your last performance. There are no days in which you can take shortcuts.”
● “Just like in sports, recruiting is so much a mentality and the way that you react to situations that arise, whether that’s the pressures of performing or the ability to solve problems on the go, and solve them quickly.”
● “Visualization is everything. You’ve got to be able to see yourself succeeding, whether in sports or in the business world.”
● “It’s not about the recruiter. It’s about who you’re reaching out to and why they should be interested.”
● “The sign of a great recruiter is how many people come back to you that you haven’t placed, and want to work with you again.”
Marcus Edwardes: The Winning Mindset for Recruiters
Patrick Sirmeyer: Success in Recruiting - From Order Taker to True Consultant
Andrew Lewis: It's a Very Interesting Time to Be a Recruiter!
Vanessa Raath: Leveraging AI to Become a Better Recruiter
Joel Lalgee: How to Go Beyond Cold Outreach and Build Your Brand
Chris Allaire: It's The Tough Times That Define You as a Recruiter
Scott Whiteford: Identifying and Developing Talent the Steph Curry Way!
Julie Coucoules: Ten Great Movies Recruiters Need to See!
Adam Conrad: How Great Recruiters Deliver the Best Candidate Experience
Khang Nguyen: The Difference Between Communicating and Connecting in Recruiting.
Ryan Musselman: Why Recruiters Need to Create and Share Content on LinkedIn
Marcus Edwardes: The Biggest Missed Opportunity in Recruiting & How to Resolve!
Brian Fink: Why Psychological Safety at Work is So Important
Marcus Edwardes: Why Tenure is Overrated as a Measure of Loyalty
Hannah Jane: Structured Intake and Interview Strategies for The Win!
Robin Choy: Sourcing Strategy and ChatGPT Use Cases for Recruiters.
Marcus Edwardes: Why You Might Consider a Move Back to Agency Recruitment
Vanessa Raath: Sourcing Secrets, Better Boolean and Chat GPT Has Arrived!
Maddie Loomis: What Does It Take To Start an Agency Today?
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The emPOWERed Half Hour
Reaching your Goals
Insights@work
The Ken Coleman Show
Redefiners
Elevate Your Career