The 7th edition of The Post Game Newsletter features James Grugan, founder of Five Star Hiring, a staffing agency that specializes in connecting student-athletes with job opportunities.
James spent the majority of his career with JG Wentworth before pivoting into the recruiting world and has found his niche in educating student-athletes on how they can translate lessons learned from their sport into careers.
Here are a few takeaways from the conversation with James:
Athletic Experience as An Internship
James hammers home the idea that student-athletes should view their experiences playing high level sports as their “internship”. I remember going to interview for an internship my junior year of college. I’m pretty sure the reason I didn’t get it was because when they were wrapping up and asked if I had any questions I said, “nope I think I’m good.” (Great answer). Turned out going to play one last year of summer ball was one of the most fun summers I’ve ever had.
A traditional internship isn’t always possible as a student-athlete, so James encourages them to identify the transferable skills (work ethic, time management, performing under pressure, resilience, and teamwork) and communicate those effectively in interviews.
The 3-5% Follow Up Advantage
James talks about how a shockingly low percentage of job applicants send a note to hiring managers after applying for a job. This is just one example he uses that highlights the need for student-athletes to get creative in order to differentiate themselves when trying to find a new job, break into a new industry, etc.
Doing The Little Things for Resumes
He touches on a few things to keep in mind when putting together a resume. Seems pretty basic, but he said he receives resumes from strong candidates that don’t have basic contact info, are saved as “Resume5” without a name attached to it, and don’t quantify accomplishments with numbers, percentages, etc. He talks about the little things on a resume that demonstrate professionalism and make resumes easier to sift through for hiring managers.
Not to mention, James is a Delco guy. Pleasure having him on the pod to hear about how he’s helping athletes prep for what’s to come when the game ends.
Check out The Full Episode Below:
McConaughey on Rogan
I didn’t listen to the full episode yet, but saw McConaughey was on Rogan the other day. This sparked me to go back through the McConaughey archives and realized I bookmarked this Tweet from over two years ago.
I did the classic, bookmark Tweet, I’ll definitely go back to read this at some point in the future and change my life with the advice, then never looked at it again.
McConaughey talking about how he had 5-6 things going and felt like he was “making B’s” in all the areas, decided to cut a few things out so he could “make A’s” in less areas.
At one point, Matthew McConaughey had his acting career, his family, a foundation, a film production company, and a record company.
In 2008, he shut down the production company and the record label.
"I was making B’s in 5 things," he said. "I want to make A's in three things."
— #Billy Oppenheimer (#@bpoppenheimer)
8:19 PM • Jun 4, 2023
Former NHL Hockey Player Drew Shore on the Pod
Just had Drew Shore on the pod the other day to talk about his NHL career, what it feels like putting the biscuit in the basket, struggles he experienced after retiring from the NHL, his podcast Betting The Limit, and his company Amalfi - where he’s bringing together retired athletes, business executives, and more.
Riverside made a flattering Thumbnail of the episode:
Michael Smoak / Chris Voss
I’ve listened to Chris Voss on podcasts in the past, but have never fully read through his book “Never Split the Difference". Went and listened to Higher Up Wellness (Mike Smoak) episode with him and thought it was great.
Best quote from it IMO - “Be willing to change your circumstances if you see a better fit or if the current circumstances don’t fit. Be willing to quit your way to happiness.”
Kind of deep but also true.
World Series Prediction
Phillies over the Tigers in 6 games. Schwarbo MVP and statue in front of CBP.
Upcoming PGP Episodes:
9/25 Jay Yang - Author of You Can Just Do Things. He’s currently producing content for Alex and Leila Hormozi, inspiring people to take the “permissionless approach”
10/2 Stephen Bienko - Founder & CEO of 42U, partnering with university athletic departments and student-athletes to help them develop personal brands, enhance NIL opportunities, and prepare for life after sports
10/9 Aidan Melograna - Intro from James Grugan actually. College basketball player who quit playing hoops for now to build an info marketing agency
Thanks for the support and checking out the pod / newsletter. Feel free to pass along to any friends, co-workers, or All-Fill employees, Murph.
See you next week,
Joe