Much like in any other industry, there are many different ways to express a value proposition, make a sales pitch, generate revenue, and run a business. The recruiting world is no different.When most people think about a recruiting firm, they probably imagine a firm specializing in short-term contracts offering guaranteed hours to the employee and guaranteed labor to the employer, all in exchange for a cut of the hourly wage. But there are other ways to position a recruiting service.Some agencies work on what are known as retained agreements. They get the exclusive rights to fill a given job posting for a set amount of time, say 30 days. These agreements are typical when the prospective employee has a highly specialized skill or is required for an executive or leadership role.Most experienced recruiting firms will hope to earn a retained agreement because they get paid in advance, but the most likely outcome of that pitch is a different arrangement with no guaranteed advance, known as an MPC agreement.MPC stands for Most Placeable Candidate. In an MPC arrangement, the recruiter must possess a unique eye for talent. They pitch that talent to the employer and earn a commission if the candidate is hired. Should the candidate move on or not be the right fit, most companies would expect the recruiter to have other viable candidates already in their pipeline as a replacement.A less exclusive version of the above agreement exists, which is simply a straight-up contingency arrangement where the recruiter only gets paid if they are the one that fills the job. There’s no real commitment on either side of this agreement other than the employer pays whichever recruiting firm finds the right candidate. Recruiting firms just starting out with no reputation will go with this model because it’s easier to get a foot in the door.At the same time, there is a higher level of risk involved as there is no guarantee of incoming revenue or exclusive rights to a specific job opening.

Nowadays, professional leagues like the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB and national Olympic associations like the Canadian Olympic Committee work to connect athletes to job opportunities, employment training, and various career planning-related workshops.Professional leagues work with their respective player associations, and amateur sports associations typically team up with large companies and networks of athlete alums who might already be in the working world and maintain a certain open-mindedness when it comes to giving other athletes a chance to get into the boardroom.The Canadian Olympic Committee offers its athletes My Gameplan, a program involving a significant partnership with Deloitte. Through the program, athletes can get help with all of the above and gain access to an entire network of alums ready to hire them.The same goes for a similar program in the NCAA called Game Plan, which works with collegiate sports programs, minor leagues, and major leagues offering similar services.Even with the above resources, it’s estimated that 78% of professional athletes are financially broke within three years of retiring. Naturally, issues surrounding the management of finances and investments gone awry significantly impact that 78%. For most athletes (the ones that don’t get hundred-million-dollar contracts), steering clear of financial ruin starts with having a game plan in place for pursuing a career.That’s where a former athlete turned tech sales recruiter like JR Butler, and his recruiting company Shift Group comes in.