This week on Up Close In Personnel with Alex Brown, Marshall Cherrington from Cal Berkeley joins us to break down his career path to Cal, lessons learned along the way and advice on building real, genuine relationships with recruits.
There's so much to pull away from this episode, especially if you want to learn the mindset of one of the top recruiters in the country. Marshall understands the importance of promoting the brand of Cal football and the connection that must exist with the target audience of recruits.
Below are some of my notes from this show, be sure to let me know what you took away and thanks for tuning in!
"Getting a foot in the door" - LIVE IN THE MOMENT
If you want to break into the football industry, you must have an open mind to working in a role that may not be exactly your desired "end state". Marshall started out in equipment and instead of complaining that he wasn't working in recruiting, he excelled in the role he DID have. Learn all the "little things" and become a master in the work you're given. As you do a great job "where your feet are", THEN you can seek out additional work to display your ability to perform a different type of role. Marshall found ways to assist recruiting while working in equipment, and the bottom line is that people in the building recognized his work ethic and performance.
Leadership Lesson 101 - MAKE YOUR PEOPLE FEEL VALUED
To be a good leader, you have to learn your people and their perspectives. Be considerate of what they may be going through and take time out of the day to check in with where they are at mentally. Give out responsibility and meaningful tasks to create a sense of value.
The Role of a Director of Recruiting Strategy - PRIMARY TOUCH POINT
In Marshall's position as Director of Recruiting Strategy, his primary role is to serve as main touch point to recruits. That includes: providing facts on the university, the football program and the local region; overseeing and organizing the communication strategy with recruits; relationship building and character assessment; maintaining a pulse on the recruiting landscape nationally; and assisting in the evaluation process.
Best advice for FaceTime Calls with Recruits - TALK ABOUT LIFE
Recruits get hit up constantly about ball and school. Talk about life with recruits and show that you care about them as a person, not just as an athlete. Equally important, you must get them on the phone and in front of the right faces -that's the area coach, position coach, coordinator, head coach and at least one person in recruiting. That way they know who to go to with questions.
If you enjoyed listening to Marshall, you can follow him on Twitter at @MWCherrington!
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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-close-in-personnel-with-alex-brown/id1504584632
Stitcher: https://stitcher.com/s?fid=516832