As you can see, we’re saving the date again. Why are we saving dates?

Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS

Well, if you think about it long enough, there can really be only one explanation. And I shall explain that explanation to you right now . . .

Top Echelon is excited to announce that TE Connect Spring 2026 will be held in vibrant Tampa, Florida . . . at the stunning Hotel Haya!

So go ahead and block your calendar now for Thursday, April 23, 2026, because this is going to be a spring gathering you won’t want to miss.

Event Details

If you’re a bullet point fan (we know many of you are), below is the essential information for TE Connect Spring 2026.

• Main Event Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026
• Icebreaker: Wednesday, April 22 | 5:00–6:30 p.m.
• Location: Hotel Haya, Tampa, Florida
• Room Rate: $219 (limited availability); click HERE to access the hotel booking link

We highly recommend booking your room early. Our group rate is limited, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Why Tampa? Why Hotel Haya?

Whether you’re escaping colder climates or simply ready for a high-energy spring reset, Tampa delivers.

What You Can Expect

TE Connect Spring 2026 is designed to help you build momentum heading into the heart of the year. Below is a sneak peek at what’s in store . . .

• New Connections: Meet recruiters from across the Network and expand your trading circle.
• Strengthened Partnerships: Turn online partnerships into real-world relationships.
• Live Networking Sessions: Exchange job orders, candidates, and ideas in real time.
• Software Training: Learn how to maximize your Top Echelon tools and leverage the platform more effectively.
• Energy and Camaraderie: Because there’s nothing like being in the same room with people who truly “get” this business.

We’ll kick things off with a relaxed Icebreaker on April 22 from 5:00–6:30 p.m., giving you time to connect before the main event begins on April 23.

Why You Should Attend

Attending TE Connect Spring 2026 isn’t just a “nice-to-have.” Instead, it’s a growth strategy.

Below are the reasons why you should join us for this event.

1. Boost Your Billings: More relationships = more splits.
2. Sharpen Your Skills: Stay competitive with practical training and real-world insights.
3. Build Real Trust: Face-to-face conversations accelerate partnerships.
4. Recharge Your Focus: Step away from the desk and come back energized.

Spring is the perfect time to reset, refocus, and reconnect with your trading partners in TE Network. And create new trading partner relationships.

Let’s Connect in Tampa!

We can’t wait to gather with you in sunny Florida this April. Whether this is your first TE Connect or your 10th, Spring 2026 can deliver the connections, knowledge, and momentum to power your recruiting business forward.

Mark your calendar for April 23, 2026; book your room at Hotel Haya; and get ready for another unforgettable TE Connect experience.

We’ll see you in Tampa!

Matthew Deutsch

We’re excited to introduce TE Recruit’s new Open API, a powerful enhancement designed to give recruiting teams more flexibility, connectivity, and control over how they use the platform.

As recruiting operations grow more sophisticated, so does the ecosystem of tools that support them. From analytics platforms to reporting dashboards and internal systems, modern teams rely on multiple technologies to stay competitive.

TE Recruit’s Open API makes it easier than ever to connect those tools directly to your ATS, all without manual workarounds or one-off solutions.

Making YOU the Center of the Universe

Recruiting teams shouldn’t have to reshape their workflows around their software. With API-enabled integrations, TE Recruit can now adapt to YOU.

With the Open API, teams can:

• Build custom integrations tailored to their business needs.
• Automate data flow between TE Recruit and external systems.
• Reduce manual data entry and repetitive administrative tasks.
• Extend TE Recruit to support evolving or highly specialized workflows.
• Maintain cleaner, more consistent data across platforms.

The result? A more flexible, efficient recruiting operation that scales as your business grows.

What Can You Do With It?

TE Recruit’s API unlocks a wide range of possibilities, including:

• Syncing candidate, company, job, and activity data with other systems.
• Powering internal dashboards, reporting tools, or third-party analytics platforms.
• Supporting advanced automation and workflow customization.

Whether your team is building lightweight integrations or more advanced technical solutions, the Open API provides the foundation for deeper customization and smarter connectivity.

Built for Power Users

The Open API is available as part of TE Recruit’s Pro Tier, alongside other advanced features such as:

• Sequencing
• Automations
• Smart-TE AI
• And more

Together, these capabilities help recruiting teams move quickly, work smarter, and focus more time on placements, not processes. But don’t take it just from me (although you can if you’d like to). See what TE Recruit Professional Tier user Taylor Ashley of Modern Machining Solutions has to say about our Open API feature:

“Top Echelon’s API has been crucial to the customization of our CRM/ATS. The well-structured, clearly documented endpoints have made deep integration with our automated workflows seamless. Their support team has been consistently responsive and helpful whenever we’ve had questions or edge cases. Among the platform APIs we’ve worked with, Top Echelon’s stands out as one of the cleanest and easiest to implement.”

Already on the Pro Tier?

You’re ready to start building. API access is available in your account today. Explore the documentation, connect your systems, and begin shaping TE Recruit around your workflows.

Click HERE to learn more about TE Recruit’s Open API!

On the Standard Tier?

If you’re ready to scale your recruiting workflows and maximize the power of TE Recruit, upgrading to the Pro Tier is the next step. Unlock deeper integrations, advanced automation, and the flexibility that modern recruiting demands.

Click HERE to upgrade to the Professional Tier of TE Recruit!

Not Using TE Recruit Yet?

If you’re evaluating recruiting software, start with a platform built for adaptability and growth. The Pro Tier of TE Recruit gives you the tools to integrate, automate, and scale from day one.

Click HERE for more information and to schedule a live demo of TE Recruit!

TE Recruit’s new Open API empowers your team to integrate, automate, and scale with confidence. Instead of adjusting your workflows to fit your software, you can shape the platform around your operation.

So what are you waiting for? Get started today! (No, really . . . quit looking at me. Get started today.)

At Top Echelon, our mission has always been to help you grow a stronger, more resilient recruiting business.

Matthew Deutsch

That’s why we’re excited to spotlight a powerful new resource created by one of our trusted partners, Signature Back-Office Solutions.

In the first part of this series of blog posts, I addressed the first three steps involved with “Proven Protocols for Working a Job in TE.” Those steps were as follows:

1. Read the Network recruiting instructions and job description.
2. Evaluate the job.
3. Check your inventory.

Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS

If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to read that blog post. In the meantime, we’re going to move on to the next part in our series, which involves asking questions of the job order recruiter.

Now of course, you did read the Network recruiting instructions, correct? And the job description?

Because if you ask the job order recruiter a question and the answer to that question is already in the Network recruiting instructions and/or the job description, then chances are good that they will not be amused. (And, incidentally, neither will I.)

You have read them? Good. Then let’s proceed. Below is a list of questions that you can ask the job order recruiter about the position they are trying to fill:

• How long have you had this client?
• How long has this job been open?
• Is this a growth position or a replacement position?
• Have you presented anyone yet? If so, what experience were they lacking or what did the client NOT like about them?

And, as you might expect, there is a question that you should NOT ask the job order recruiter during that initial phone conversation. That question is “Who is your client?”

While this will help you recruit for the position, it is NOT a “first date” question.

Note to the job order recruiter: Keep in mind that if the recruiter calling to work your role is exceptional at what they do, you may want to share the client information with them. That way, they do not accidentally identify excellent candidates in the region and niche of the job in question AND contact candidates who actually work for the client. That can end badly.

As always, trust is the key. That’s why it represents one of The Four Pillars of TE Network.

When you ask questions of the job order recruiter, be sure to listen! They have built a relationship with the client and they have an understanding of how to be successful with them.

If the job order recruiter makes suggestions regarding submissions, communication methods, or candidate requirements . . . hear them out and follow their lead. That will save frustration for the both of you!

What happens after this initial call? I will address the answer to that question in the third and final blog post in this important series.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about this blog post or if you want to be more successful in the Network right NOW, then please contact me.

You can do so by calling 330.595.1742 or by sending an email to drea@topechelon.com.

Top Echelon offers a free monthly webinar as part of its Expert Recruiter Coaching Series.

Matthew Deutsch

These webinars touch upon a variety of recruiter-related topics. These topics deal with both job candidates and clients. As always, our goal with these webinars is to help agency recruiters and search consultants just like YOU make more placements.

We record these webinars for recruiters who can’t attend the live presentation, and we’re now pleased to offer the video from our most recent webinar by industry trainer Bob Marshall of TBMG International.

The title of that webinar (and corresponding training video) is “How Top Recruiters Secure Hiring Manager Access.”

Below is the official description for this training video:

— — —

Most recruiters aren’t struggling because they lack effort. They’re struggling because hiring managers won’t engage.

Bob Marshall

In the next webinar video in Top Echelon’s Expert Recruiter Coaching Series, industry trainer Bob Marshall of TBMG International introduces a modern hiring manager access approach designed for how hiring managers decide today whether to take—and stay on—a call.

This is not a new theory. It’s a sequencing correction that immediately lowers resistance and increases real conversations.

During this FREE webinar video, attendees will learn:

• Why traditional MPC-based openings are failing before conversations even start
• The most common sequencing mistake recruiters make in the first 30 seconds . . . and how it kills engagement
• How top billers earn permission for meaningful dialogue before asking transactional questions
• Where the MPC really belongs in today’s hiring manager conversation and why timing matters more than technique
• How relevance, credibility, and market insight change call outcomes instantly
• A simple, testable framework recruiters can apply immediately in their own market

This session introduces the TBMG Big Biller Fusion Overlay System, a precision overlay that aligns recruiter conversations with modern hiring manager behavior.

Watch this free training video!

 — — —

Recorded versions of our Expert Recruiter Coaching Series webinars are posted on our website as free online recruitment training courses in the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Library.

Keep an eye out for the next free webinar in our Expert Recruiter Coaching Series!