We’re combining the Recruiter of the Week and the Recruiter of the Month in one Pinnacle Newsletter Blog post. That means there will be not one drum roll, but TWO drum rolls.

Let’s start with the first one. Drum roll, please: the Recruiter of the Week in Top Echelon Network is . . .

Michael Agen of New Solutions Group, LLC!

New Solutions group joined Top Echelon’s recruiting network in October of 2016. Since that time, Michael has made 11 split placements. Not only was Michael one of the members to make their first Network split in 2017, but he already has a verbal this year.

Michael started recruiting in 1999. He has 35 years of Healthcare sales and operations management expertise. In addition, he’s an importer. He’s been the job order recruiter for all 11 of his Network placements.

Michael is the perfect example of somebody who has “hit the ground running” as a new member in our recruiter network. Now, let’s move on.

Another drum roll, please . . .

C’mon . . . we all know who won the Recruiter of the Month Award for December. The same person who won every single Recruiter of the Month Award in 2017: Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group! (Who, as you may or may not know, is close to his 700th Network placement.)

But as you can see below, Michael Agen cracked the top five. He’s #5 on the list for December. That means he’s picking up more steam and making more placements.

So congratulations to Michael, to Trey, to the others on the list below, and to everybody who made placements in our split network during the month of December!

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Recruiters of the Month:

1st Place: Trey Cameron
Agency: Cameron Craig Group
Placements: thirteen (13)
Commission: $97,210

— — —

2nd Place: Shree Kumar
Agency: Max Populi, LLC
Placements: nine (9)
Commission: $156,436

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3rd Place: Steve Kohn
Agency: Affinity Executive Search
Placements: Seven (7)
Commission: $43,792

— — —

4th Place: Matt Scheihing
Agency: J. Miles Personnel Services
Placements: three (3)
Commission: $26,771

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5th Place: Michael Agen
Agency: New Solutions Group, LLC
Placements: three (3)
Commission: $19,396

— — —

Top Echelon determines the monthly and quarterly winners of its split recruiting awards based upon two criteria, which are listed below in order of importance:

1.) The number of split placements made
2.) The amount of “cash-in” dollars earned as a result of those split placements

This explains why, when multiple recruiters are tied with the same number of placements during a given month or quarter, the recruiter with the largest “cash-in” total is deemed the winner.

— — —

If you’re looking to make more placements with your Top Echelon recruiter network membership, contact Director of Network Operations Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS. You can do so by calling 330.455.1433, x156 or by sending an email to drea@topechelon.com.

At the end of every year (or the beginning, depending on how you look at it), we compile certain statistics for our recruiting network. This includes placements by discipline in Top Echelon Network.

And we’re back with those numbers again this year!

Of course, these represent final numbers for the calendar year 2017. That’s defined as January 1 through December 31.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s present the numbers first, shall we? Below are the placements by discipline in Top Echelon Network for 2017:

The winning discipline: Industry & Manufacturing

Once again, the most placements in the Network were made in Industry & Manufacturing (27.5%). This discipline has long been the most productive discipline in TE. That’s been the case since the Network was founded as Nationwide Interchange in 1988.

Not only, but a lot of the “usual suspects” are found within the top five:

• Engineering—17.2%
• Healthcare—12.8%
• Sales & Marketing—10.9%
• IT/Information Systems/Data Processing—10.5%

The fact that Sales & Marketing reached double digits is a good sign. That means companies are will to spend money on sales and marketing personnel. That, in turn, means that companies have the money to spend on sales and marketing personnel. (Which, of course, means that they have money to spend on recruiting fees to hire said sales and marketing personnel.)

Other disciplines of interest include Accounting and Construction, both of which accounted for 4.9% of the placements in the Network. Scientific also made mark at 3.6%.

The bottom line: if you work in these disciplines, then are placement opportunities for you in Top Echelon’s split network!

If you haven’t made any split placements in TE yet, then it’s time join the party. And our party organizer is Director of Network Operations Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS. You can contact him  by calling 330.455.1433, x156 or by sending an email to drea@topechelon.com.

Several months ago in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, we looked at “5 Misconceptions Candidates Have About Contracting.” This week, we’re going to address how flexible contract staffing is for candidates.

It’s no secret that the American workforce is changing.  More households have two working parents now than at any other time in history.  Both mothers AND fathers need time off to care for sick children or attend their school events.  And many of them are also taking care of their own elderly parents.

Meanwhile, Millennials who grew up with cell phones and laptops are entering the workforce, challenging the traditional model that forces them to be “chained to a desk” from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, and older workers are reluctant or unable to retire, but don’t want to work full time.

All of these factors lead to one conclusion: American workers want, and in many ways NEED, flexibility.

So if you could provide candidates with the flexibility they desire, you would have a better chance of attracting the highest quality candidates, right?  Well, the good news is that there’s a whole crop of flexible work arrangements out there in the form of contract assignments.

Below are three ways that contract staffing provides flexibility for workers:

1. Flexible: convenient hours

Because contract assignments are typically project-based, the company usually allows a flexible daily work schedule, as long as the work gets done on a timely basis.

2. Flexible: not tied to an office

Again, as long as the work gets done, many companies don’t care if the contractor is in the office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  If a candidate has the tools they need at home, they can often work between their home and office.

3. Flexible: vacation time

When a candidate is hired direct, they may get one week of vacation, two tops, at least while they’re a new employee.  Even if they’re willing to take the time unpaid, they often are not allowed.  With contracting, if they want to take an extended vacation or take the summer off to be with their children, they simply don’t take an assignment during that time.

By the way, contract staffing provides flexibility for your clients, too, allowing them to easily add or reduce staff when needed.  So contract staffing truly is a win-win-win for you, your candidates, and your clients!