A Top Echelon Network Case Study in Trading Partner Perseverance

Some split placements in Top Echelon recruiter network happen more quickly than others . . . but some are definitely worth the wait.  And it helps when you’re working with Trading Partners who are patient enough and persevere enough to help make the split placement happen.

Such was the case with a recent split placement between Denise Milano Sprung of Joseph Associates and Gail Williams of Williams Recruiting, Inc.  The two eventually placed a Head of Cancer Biology, but the deal was over a year in the making and took many twists and turns before finally coming to fruition.  Despite everything that happened, though, Milano Sprung and Williams worked together as Trading Partners to ensure that this split placement story had a decidedly happy ending.

How happy?  Well, you’ll have to login to the Members’ Area to see the placement fee that the two split, but rest assured that it might just win this year’s “Largest Split Placement Fee Award.”  Below are the comments that Milano Sprung included with her Completed Placement Form:

“Gail and I have been working on this placement for over a year.  Throughout that time, Gail has been outstanding to work with, a true partner.”

Milano Sprung had the job order in this split placement situation, and Williams contacted her about the candidate way back in February of 2010.  (To put things in perspective, the two received their fee just last month).  According to Milano Sprung, the drawn-out process was a reflection of current economic conditions.

“It says a lot about the economy,” she said.  “[The candidate] interviewed with the client, but it took a while to get the interview.  Although they liked him, they didn’t think he was ideal, and then they put the job on hold.  After a while, the company took the job off hold.  However, by that time, there was another problem.

“The candidate had taken another job.  He had already moved from Seattle to San Diego, but he was in the market again.  So he re-interviewed in Chicago, where the job had been moved to.  In the end, he received an offer.”

Milano Sprung indicated that it was one of the more challenging placements she’s made, although ultimately, she believes that the candidate Williams provided was unquestionably the most qualified for the position.

“I have to say, for all the back and forth that went on, he was the right gentleman for the job, I really believe that,” she said.  “We had to work with four separate HR people, the hiring manager was very tough, the location changed, the HR person kept changing, and two times the candidate stopped returning calls to both Gail and I.

“It’s really a tale of everything that a recruiter can experience in a year with one placement.  Literally, the candidate’s date of submission is more than 12 months from the day he started.”

Milano Sprung praised Williams for her hard work and dedication as a Trading Partner throughout the entire process.  At no point did Williams become discouraged and quit.  She stayed with Milano Sprung on what amounted to a roller coaster of a split placement—and it paid off, big time.

“Gail was wonderful,” said Milano Sprung.  “We would bounce stuff off each other about this or that.  Gail was wonderful throughout the whole process.  With some recruiters, if a candidate stops returning phone calls, they wash their hands of them, but Gail never disappeared.  She was there the whole way.”

It wasn’t just her persistence that Milano Sprung admired about Williams.  It was also the way in which she worked, which reflected all of Top Echelon Network’s Four Pillars—Quality, Communication, Trust, and Active Participation.  (Both recruiters needed ample doses of all four to see this placement through to a successful completion.)

“Gail is a classic candidate recruiter,” said Milano Sprung.  “She has relationships with candidates, not just resumes.  By her first interaction with me, she had already called the candidate about the job and got him interested in it.  That’s what I want in a partner—somebody who sends a candidate and not just a resume.”

The Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network, plus patience and perseverance . . . this split placement was a case study of all of this and more, a perfect example of the good things that can happen when two recruiters are true partners in the process and treat each other the way in which they would want to be treated.

What’s YOUR story?  Have you made a placement with a Trading Partner that can serve as a case study for the way Top Echelon Network was designed to work for the recruiters who are part of it?  If so, contact me, and your story could be in a future issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.

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MDeutsch@TopEchelon.com
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