James Grugan is the founder of Five Star Hiring, a recruiting firm specializing in helping student-athletes and former athletes transition into successful careers.

After spending most of his career at JG Wentworth, James identified a gap in the recruitment space, specifically working with student-athletes and helping them translate skills learned from the field to the workforce.

What You'll Hear About:

• Why James left corporate life to focus on recruiting student-athletes
• Building a professional network that opens doors and how to leverage it
• LinkedIn strategies that get recruiters' attention
• How to identify and articulate transferable skills from sports
• Positioning athletic experience as equivalent to internships
• Why sales roles can be great careers for athletes
• Resume essentials that separate you from 95% of applicants
• The one-minute follow-up email only 3-5% of candidates send
• Interview preparation tactics borrowed from elite athletic preparation
• Creative outreach methods in the application process

Timestamps:

(0:00 ) - Introduction to James Grugan

(3:10 ) - Background at JG Wentworth and career transition

(4:30 ) - Discovering the student-athlete recruiting niche

(6:20 ) - Starting Five Star Hiring and early business strategies

(7:20 ) - "People want to help people"

(9:00 ) - LinkedIn strategy

(11:30 ) - Authentic follow-up techniques

(13:15 ) - The "Going Pro" presentation overview

(16:00 ) - Making skills transferable from sports

(18:30 ) - Performing under pressure and real-world application

(20:30 ) - Why sales is ideal for student-athletes

(23:00 ) - Resume essentials and common mistakes

(24:15 ) - Networking as the #1 strategy

(28:30 ) - Small actions that can lead to big advantages

(30:15 ) - Interview prep strategies

(36:50 ) -Universal job search principles

(38:15 ) - Current job market conditions and opportunities

(41:30 ) - Company partnerships and placement approach

(43:00 ) - Future plans for Five Star Hiring

(45:30 )- Specialized approach vs general career services

(46:15 ) - Contact information and where to find James

Links:

Email: jamesg@fivestarhiring.net

https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-grugan-713246169/

https://www.fivestarhiring.net/

Social Media: @fivestarhiring (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, X)

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