Communication: Cornerstone of Success for Scott Krepps

The Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network almost always serve as the basis of success for Preferred Members of Top Echelon. And while Top Producers utilize all of the Pillars at one time or another—Quality, Communication, Trust, and Active Participation—one usually stands out above the others for individual recruiters.

For Scott Krepps of Hiring Solutions Group, that Pillar is Communication.

Scott has made nine split placements in the Network during the past two years, generating nearly $112K in extra revenue in the process. When Scott joined Hiring Solutions Group, the agency was already a Preferred Member firm in Top Echelon Network.

“I just dived into it and started to make use of it,” said Scott. “I wanted to realize its potential. At the time, there wasn’t an established process for utilizing the Network, so I created a process out of whole cloth. At the time, the Network was going through some changes, transitioning from the old version of the software to the new version. Now everything is baked into the ATS.”

Some recruiters join the Network, find a great trading partner with whom to work, and then make a flurry of placements with that person. While there is certainly nothing wrong with that approach, Scott has made his nine split placements with nine different trading partners. This speaks to the depth of his commitment to both networking and the Top Echelon Pillar of Communication. The nine recruiters with whom Scott has made a split placement include:

• Mark Udulutch of Markent Personnel
• Kerry Boehner of KOB Solutions, Inc.
• Amy Chapman of Key People Staffing
• Steve Kohn of Affinity Executive Search, Inc.
• Kristy Staggs of Byrnes & Rupkey, Inc.
• Steve Schanz of CPS Recruitment
• Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC
• Errol Neider of EGN Technical Resources
• Holly Weber of Global Talent Resources Corp.

It’s an impressive list of trading partners, a “Who’s Who” of Top Echelon Top Producers. Scott, who works in Manufacturing, Engineering, and Sales & Marketing, among others, has developed positive trading partner relationships with each one.

“We work very well together,” he said, “and communication is the central element. There is also a mutual trust (another Pillar). I trust that they’re going to take my candidates seriously and give them an honest look. They know that I’ve already put effort into it. We may not have a hit all of the time, but the effort is always there.

“I also know that they will provide back-and-forth communication. Every single one of these people will either answer the phone or return a phone call. I really do think that communication is one of the big keys to success.”

As an exporter, Scott lets his candidates know that he’s part of the Network and that he’s working with another recruiter to help facilitate the placement. He believes transparency in that situation is very important.

“I let my candidates know that I’m part of a network of recruiters and that I’m assisting one of my partner recruiters,” said Scott. “That way, they know it’s not my position or my client’s position. I’m always up front about that.” This is another example of how Communication is key to his success.

“I do screen people before I share them with my partners,” Scott added. “There is a level of interaction between me and the candidate before they speak to the other recruiter. That way, they’ve already been acclimated to the job description, the salary range, and everything else. When you’ve already taken care of that, then it makes your partner’s job a lot easier, since they’re dealing with a lot of people.”

In terms of advice that Scott has for newer members of the Network, he suggests being proactive and reaching out to other recruiters.

“I would advise them to communicate with other members,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Ask some of the more experienced recruiters questions [about the Network]. They are more than happy to share their knowledge. And if you have the ATS, I would also recommend attending the Training Tuesday webinars.”

In the pursuit of networking and communication, Scott believes that attending Top Echelon events is also an excellent way to enjoy success more quickly as a Network recruiter. In fact, he “put his money where his mouth is,” so to speak, by attending Top Echelon Connect 2023 in New Orleans earlier this month.

“I went [to a Top Echelon event] for the first time last spring in Las Vegas, and it was an excellent experience,” he said. “I had the opportunity to meet new recruiters that I had not worked with yet, and I’ve placed people with those recruiters in the time since I attended that conference.”

Because while Scott has enjoyed tremendous success in a short amount of time in Top Echelon, he knows that he still hasn’t reached his full potential as a Network member. And when it comes to communication, nothing beats communicating with trading partners—and potential new trading partners—face-to-face.

“The relationships that I’ve built since last year’s spring conference have definitely been important,” Scott said. “And I’m looking forward to meeting new people and making new relationships.”

And of course, making more split placements.