The Pro Athlete Mindset That Creates World-Class Recruiters

Nov 24, 2025

Jared Watts, a former MLS soccer player and founder of Next Play Search Group, brings his elite athlete mindset to the recruiting arena. He shares how skills like performance tracking and visualization translate into recruiting success. Jared emphasizes the importance of treating recruitment like a sport, discusses negotiating contracts using data, and highlights building trust through generosity. With tips on achieving precise KPI tracking and fostering strong relationships, he inspires recruiters to elevate their game continuously.

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ADVICE

Measure Like An Athlete

Track everything and tie daily activity back to numeric goals like an athlete tracking a scoreboard.
Reverse-engineer annual revenue into average fee, close rate, and pipeline required.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

In-House With Agency Economics

Jared went in-house but structured his compensation to mirror agency upside with commissions on placements.
He charged the investor a discounted flat fee and kept most of the fee while giving the company a small share.

insights

INSIGHT

Review Game Tape To Spot Patterns

Review your 'game tape' by listening to your calls and tracking lost offers to spot patterns.
Fix recurring issues faster by documenting why candidates said no or offers failed.

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From MLS Draft Pick to Recruiter

Negotiating His Own MLS Contract

02:32 • 3min

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Evaluating Performance Like Game Tape

05:31 • 4min

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Translating Athlete Habits to Recruiting

09:12 • 7min

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Early Recruiting Wins and Mindset

16:02 • 3min

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Winning Rapid Placements at a Boutique Firm

18:59 • 1min

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Going In-House to Build Scale

20:13 • 5min

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Working with PE/VC and Internal Search Model

Launching Next Play Search Group

29:20 • 59sec

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Tracking Metrics Like an Athlete

30:19 • 1min

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Studying Negotiation and Reviewing Calls

31:45 • 3min

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Give Without Expectation to Scale Relationships

34:17 • 4min

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Weekly Outreach: Intros and Free Agency List

37:52 • 1min

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Visualization and Treating Clients as Equals

39:11 • 2min

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Daily Routine, Calendar Discipline, and Reminders

41:19 • 4min

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Why Athletes Make Great Recruiters

45:15 • 1min

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Old-School Touches: Handwritten Cards

46:30 • 1min

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Advice for New Recruiters: Cut Your Teeth

47:41 • 2min

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Tech Stack and Automation Aids

49:15 • 59sec

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Biggest Challenge: Saying No and Focus

50:15 • 1min

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Reflections: First-Year Lessons

51:27 • 2min

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LinkedIn Strategy: Be Real and Tell Your Story

52:58 • 2min

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Choose Niches You Enjoy

54:42 • 3min

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Where to Follow Jared

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This book, written by former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss and co-author Tahl Raz, provides a masterclass in influencing others through negotiation. It distills the Voss method, revealing skills such as establishing rapport, creating trust with tactical empathy, and transforming conflict into collaboration. The book is filled with real-life examples from Voss's career, illustrating how these techniques can be applied in both professional and personal life to achieve goals and defuse potential crises.

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This book by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin focuses on the principle of 'Extreme Ownership,' where leaders take full responsibility for their actions and decisions. The authors use their experiences in the U.S. Navy SEALs to illustrate how this mindset can lead to success in any organization. The book covers various principles such as believing in the mission, checking ego, and leading by example. It emphasizes that leaders must own all failures, develop plans to overcome them, and ensure their teams are well-conditioned and aligned with the mission. The authors also stress the importance of humility, discipline, and effective communication in leadership.

The Pro Athlete Mindset That Creates World-Class Recruiters

What happens when a former professional athlete brings elite discipline, visualization, and competitive fire into recruiting? You get a recruiter who treats the desk like a sport—and builds a fast-growing search firm in record time.

In this episode of The Elite Recruiter Podcast, former pro athlete Jared Watts, founder of Next Play Search Group, reveals how the athlete DNA that took him from youth national teams to the professional level translates directly into high-performance recruiting. From reviewing “game tape,” embracing pressure, and tracking everything like a scoreboard to building trust with PE/VC firms, Jared breaks down the exact mindset and systems behind his rapid rise.

He shares how he structured an in-house role to mimic agency upside, launched his firm intentionally, and built a relationship engine where candidates often become future clients. If you’re looking to grow your desk, strengthen your business development, or operate with more precision and confidence, this conversation will push you to level up.

If you want to:

• Stop guessing and start tracking the right KPIs

• Build a repeatable client engine

• Improve your negotiation and influence skills

• Create a personal operating system that compounds

• Develop the self-belief and discipline of a pro athlete…

This episode will change how you work.

Key Takeaways

• Elite recruiters track like athletes. Jared reverse-engineers every goal using metrics, patterns, and daily habits.

• Relationships scale revenue. Giving without expectation—introductions, notes, referrals—creates a pipeline of repeat PE/VC clients.

• Visualization drives performance. Confidence comes from preparation and treating every conversation like a high-stakes moment.

• Do things that don’t scale. Personal touchpoints create leverage automation can’t match.

• Protect your time. BD, candidates, and high-value conversations come first—everything else waits.

Listen, subscribe, share, and connect with us!

SPONSORS & LINKS

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▶️ YouTube Episode: https://youtu.be/CPI43bV5cgI

🔗 Connect with Jared Watts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-watts-1799339b/

👤 With Host Benjamin Mena (Select Source Solutions):

http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benlmena/

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