19. Life of an Executive Recruiter in Sports with Jeff Yocom, Senior Partner at Elevate Talent

Farrell Sports Business

Episode 19 of the Farrell Sports Business podcast - Host Matt Farrell talks with Jeff Yocom, an executive recruiter, aka headhunter, in the sports business industry. He shares insights into his role and the changing landscape of executive recruiting especially in sports business. He discusses his background and how he got into recruiting, as well as the evolution of his career from working for a company to starting his own and eventually being acquired by Elevate Talent. Jeff also talks about the impact of Elevate on his work and the expanded resources it provides. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the needs and culture of clients when conducting a search and highlights the role of communication and feedback in the recruiting process. Jeff also discusses the changing job market in the sports industry and the challenges of attracting talent in a post-pandemic world.
Chapter
00:00 Intro of Jeff Yocom, Elevate Sports
01:46 Jeff Yocom Background
04:25 About Elevate Talent
06:07 Skills Needed for a Career in Executive Recruiting
08:04 Director, C-Suite and Roles that Use an Executive Recruiter
09:22 Process an Executive Recruiter Uses
12:19 Learning the Nuance of an Organization as a Recruiter
13:54 Negotiating a Compensation Package
16:12 Trends in Sports Jobs
19:12 Difference in Candidates from 10 Years Ago to Now
21:07 Pandemic Impact on Sports Jobs and Candidates
22:35 Is it Cool to Say Headhunter?
24:45 A Career Break for Jeff
27:11 Re-inventing with Fear as a Motivator
28:30 Matt's Shameless Plug of Other Podcasts in the Vault
Takeaways
- Executive recruiting in the sports business industry requires critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, good judgment, and strong communication skills.
- The role of an executive recruiter is to understand the needs and culture of clients, build the right pipeline of candidates, and provide feedback and guidance throughout the hiring process.
- The job market in the sports industry has changed, with a greater emphasis on data and analytics roles and an influx of talent from outside the industry.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift towards remote work and has made it more challenging to attract talent to specific locations.
- Effective communication and feedback are crucial in the recruiting process to ensure a positive candidate experience and successful placements.
Intro Song: All World
Artist: JMPSCR
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