Policy #12 and VMS “Middle Man” Job Orders

I’m writing this post for The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog for a specific reason, which has to do with Network recruiters who are sharing jobs that fall outside of Network parameters. In fact, these job orders are not within the parameters of the official Top Echelon Network Policies.

Below is Top Echelon Policy #12: Candidate and Job Order Submissions:

“Members may only distribute their own candidates and their own job orders through Top Echelon Network. Submitting resumes and job orders for distribution through Top Echelon Network for a non-Network Member is prohibited.

“Job orders submitted to the Network must be for actual openings, where a client company has given an assignment to the recruiter.”

In March of 2018, we announced that only job orders for which your client has engaged you directly for a set fee and guarantee are permitted for sharing in Top Echelon Network.

It has come to my attention that there have been recent instances in which Members who didn’t fully understand the comprehensive nature of Policy #12 have attempted to share jobs associated with third-party vendor management systems (VMS).

I’m not going to name any of these VMS “middle man” entities here, because more than likely, you already know the ones to which I’m referring. And to drive my point home, I’m going to reiterate why we’ve taken a hard line stance against this practice and will continue to do so:

• There is no guarantee that the “middle man” service or entity accepted the job order and wrote the job description with a strong grasp on the position, the company culture, and the full picture of what it will require to make the placement happen.

• There is also no guarantee of connection or relationship with anybody working at the “middle man” service or entity. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the “middle man” service is reliable for proper response, feedback, or follow-up. As a result, Top Echelon Network split partners who are working these job orders may not know what is going on, when it is happening, and with whom. Relationships and communication are two of the cornerstones of our recruiting network.

• If a Top Echelon Network Member submits a candidate through one of these “middle man” entities, that candidate could end up in a “black hole,” with no right of referral attached to them or accountability to the entity to fully honor that candidate submittal.

• You joined a split network to leverage your time and resources, not to waste those precious commodities. These type of job orders add a layer of unnecessary and unwanted complexity to the Network dynamic.

Also as I stated previously, a lot of thought has gone into this decision. Our goal is to help our Network Members make more split placements. And we believe that the absence of third-party VMS “middle man” service providers will help us to more effectively accomplish that goal.

If you have questions regarding this issue, please contact me. You can do so by calling 330.455.1433, x156 or by sending an email to drea@topechelon.com.