Although recruiter Al Katz of First Search, Inc. is not a Charter Member of Top Echelon Network, he would be inducted into the Top Echelon Hall of Fame. If there was a Top Echelon Hall of Fame, that is.

Al Katz

During his recruiting career (which is alive and well), Al has made many split placements in the Network and also many contract placements through Top Echelon Contracting . . . which is now known as FoxHire.

And now, there is another Katz who is making a name for themselves in Top Echelon Network. And that person just so happens to be Sarah Katz, the daughter of Al Katz!

Sarah has made 11 split placements since starting her Preferred Membership as part of First Search, and she’s made nine of those splits since the beginning of 2021. The recruiters at First Search fill executive-level openings within many industries, including Telecommunications, Manufacturing, Sales, and Human Resources, among others.

According to Sarah, her father has been instrumental not only in her entering the recruiting profession, but also in her using the resources of the Network.

“He’s been part of Top Echelon since before it was called Top Echelon,” she said. “He’s always had positive things to say, especially about the conferences. That’s where the relationships get built and you learn more about each recruiter. For many years, my parents were gone twice a year traveling to the conferences.”

Al, of course, lends a hand to his daughter in any way that he can, and she credits him with helping her to experience recruiting and Network success in a relatively short amount of time.

“Before I joined [Top Echelon], I had no idea what a Production Supervisor, Automation Engineer, Transportation Manager, etc. did,” she said. “But I took the time to learn and members in the Network who I was helping explained in more detail. My dad has extensive knowledge about most industries, and he’s been tremendous in helping me source candidates.”

Sarah Katz

While Sarah is impressed with the features and functionality of the Top Echelon split placement software, she emphasized that her success has also been the result of the relationships that she’s built and cultivated with other Preferred Members. She works as an exporter in the Network, which means that she typically supplies the candidate side of the split placement equation.

“It took me a bit to learn the software and all of the tricks, but after I learned, it’s been a great way to store candidates,” she said. “I get a lot of requests to view my candidates to see if they’re a fit. The success I’ve had is because of the relationships I’ve formed. There are many recruiters who send me emails asking for help because they know I can produce. I might not find the right candidate every time, but I find them quality candidates.”

According to Sarah, teamwork within First Search has also been a major factor in not only her success, but the success of the agency as a whole within Top Echelon.

“It’s a great way to make extra money when your own clients don’t have any work,” she said. “First Search had nine splits in the Network last year. That may not seem like a lot, but we worked very hard for those as a team.” (In addition to her father Al, the other member of the First Search team is Bill Griffis.)

In fact, the members of First Search work so often and so closely with their split recruiting partners, they consider those partners to be team members, as well.

“Speaking of team, all of the split partners we work with, we consider them as part of our team,” said Sarah. “You have to work as a team in order to make splits. We might be asked to prescreen candidates or help along the interview process, and have no issue helping in whatever way we need to. Our split partners are an extension of First Search.”

According to Sarah, she has definitely adhered to The Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network in her quest to evolve as a trading partner. Those Pillars are Quality, Communication, Trust, and Active Participation.

“I provide quality over quantity and communicate with each split partner to know their needs and how to best help,” she said. “Everyone in Top Echelon has their own way of working together, and figuring out how to best work with each other is key! You have to be able to talk with your split partners. I have some split partners who I talk with each day, getting updates about my candidates.”

When it comes to experiencing success quickly in Top Echelon, Sarah singles out one of The Four Pillars as being the most important for newer Preferred Members of the Network.

“Communication, communication, communication,” she emphasized. “We all understand life gets in the way and sometimes you aren’t by your email. But if we have candidates for your positions and you aren’t responding to calls, emails, or texts, you might lose out on a split. When a candidate is in play, updating the split partner along the way speaks volumes about you.”

And regardless of what her father and First Search accomplished before her arrival, Sarah’s stellar performance in Top Echelon Network speaks for itself.

Let me tell you the story of a phone call that I received from a Top Echelon Network member once upon a time. I’m relaying this story because it’s instructive and insightful regarding your split recruiting membership in Top Echelon.

This recruiter called me, and she was NOT happy. Allow me to explain why.

This recruiter had shared jobs with the rest of the Network, as she had done for many years. (In fact, she had been part of the Network for over 10 years.)

One of their job orders caught the attention of another Network member. Unfortunately, that Network member did not read the comments that the job order recruiter submitted with the job.

The reason it was unfortunate is because the job order recruiter left specific instructions in the comments section. Those instructions included a request to call the job order recruiter before working the job.

Instead, the candidate recruiter proceeded to call the job recruiter’s client by mistake, in an attempt to source candidates for the job. And yes, by the job recruiter’s client, I mean the client with that particular job opening.

The hiring manager became apprised of the situation and called the job order recruiter. So now you probably have a better idea of why the job order recruiter was upset. That was, at best, an awkward conversation.

And now, the rest of the story

But wait! Our story doesn’t end there.

That’s because another candidate recruiter in the Network saw another one of this member’s jobs. It just so happened that it was a different job with the same client. So what happened?

Yes, you guessed it. The candidate recruiter did NOT read the comments associated with the job. And then that recruiter called into the client.

And as if that was not bad enough, the candidate recruiter also contacted a candidate within the organization who was at least three rungs higher on the ladder than what the job called for.

Once again, the hiring manager became apprised of the situation. And once again, they called the job order recruiter.

So now you really know why the job order recruiter was upset, especially since this was exactly what they did NOT want to happen after sharing these jobs with the Network.

Now, I will say that the candidate recruiters in question were not rookie recruiters. They weren’t even new Network members. In fact, they had been successful recruiters in Top Echelon Network for quite some time.

And yes, there was no malice involved. The candidate recruiters were not trying to get away with anything, nor did they do anything unethical.

No malice . . . but costly oversights

However, their collective oversights were costly for the job order recruiter.

I can not emphasis enough how much you must strive to avoid situations like these in Top Echelon’s recruiting network. And everything that I just detailed could have been avoided if the candidate recruiters had done two simple things:

1. Read the comments that the job order recruiter submitted with the job.
2. Called the job order recruiter prior to working the job.

And that is why you MUST call the job order recruiter before working their job. Even if there are no comments associated with the job, you should call them for information that could be vital to the search. At the very least, you need to make sure that you’re “on the same page.”

Communication is one of The Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network. So is Quality, for that matter. Both are necessary to make every Network interaction the best that it can possibly be.

Do you think the job order recruiter will want to work with these candidate recruiters again? What would be your reaction, if you were the job order recruiter?

When in doubt, communicate with your split network trading partners! Even if you aren’t in doubt, communicate anyway.

And absolutely, positively call the job order recruiter before working their job!

If you have any questions about this blog post or about your Top Echelon Network membership, please contact me. You can do so at 330.455.1433, x156 or at drea@topechelon.com.

We’re almost there! To the end of our wrap-up of The 5 Stages of a Networker, that.

This week, I’ll be taking a close look at the Stage 4 Networker. At this stage, recruiters are highly productive in networking circles and are generating income as a result of their proficiency. In fact, these recruiters work harder at being a networker than anybody.

Next week, we’ll wrap up our series with my final post, which will deal with the Stage 5 Networker, a level to which everybody should aspire. That’s because more networking = more split placements = more revenue = a better 2023.

Stage 4 Networker

Recruiters’ development as a Stage 4 Networker is “growing strong and healthy” at this point. They have established roots and are beginning to flourish.

Mindset:

They have the frame of mind that split business is a percentage of their business that is no longer optional. In other words, they work at it. They expect split placements and work to make them happen.

Trust:

They are willing to share all of their candidates and job orders. In addition, they will not hold back their exceptional items for themselves. They share everything.

Effort:

Stage 4 Networkers probably work harder than any other Stage of Networker. They have entered more candidates, submitted more job orders, and will respond to as many of their peers as time will allow. They are only a couple of steps away from being a really BIG producer!

Maneuverability:

They’re logged into the Network Dashboard from early morning through the end of the day. They view the Network’s recruiting database as being an extension of their own computer’s hard disk. As such, they can locate any type of candidate in seconds or minutes. They recognize the power of having access to millions of resumes through the Network Candidates sourcing tool with the click of a mouse. They’re truly proficient at using the Network software at this point.

Expectations:

They know how much Network activity is needed to generate revenue. They try to budget their time accordingly and take their split recruiting business seriously.

Submissions:

They’ve found the necessary combination in their office, which permits them to keep their pipeline of candidates and job orders flowing regularly. Like clockwork, they send candidates and job orders to Top Echelon Network every week.

Quality:

They deal in quality. Their “I’s” are dotted and their “T’s” are crossed! They expect the same from their core group of trading partners, but are somewhat forgiving of everybody else who isn’t in their core group.

Trading partners:

They’ve experienced interacting with almost every type of recruiter and not much gets them “worked up.” They treat their trading partners like they would treat a client company. That is, they give them respect in everything that they do. They now have at least one very solid trading partner on whom they’ve come to rely and vice-versa, and they trust this trading partner implicitly. They both have mutually agreed to assist each other in completing a minimum of one or two placements each year. In order to do so, they try to “screen in” the other’s candidate rather than find reasons why a candidate doesn’t fit.

Network billings:

Typically $45,000 to $85,000 during a 12-month period. They know that their split business is important to their bottom line in both a good economy and bad economy.

Network satisfaction:

They recognize that Top Echelon Network is a partner in their business. In addition, they know that the Network is here to help them, and vice-versa. They treat Top Echelon Network like a business partner, and they expect the same in return. They recognize the value of a good recruiter network. A good network will not only attract good recruiters, but retain them, as well. They begin relying on the Network to continue surfacing good trading partners.

If you that believe that you’re a Stage 4 Networker and you want to evolve as quickly as possible, please contact me at 330.595.1742 or at drea@topechelon.com.

We can discuss how you can take the next step in your development in Top Echelon Network.

Now that we’ve addressed the fourth stage of networking as a recruiter in TE, we’ll turn to Stage 5 next week.

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

Brad Bialy

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 professional recruiters and executive 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 Brad Bialy of Haley Marketing.

The title of that webinar (and corresponding training video) is “LEVEL UP: 12 Strategies to Drive Sales in a Down Economy”

Below is the official description for this training video: 

— — —

The recruiting industry has had an amazing run over the past decade, but times have changed. Selling recruiting services has become harder . . . a lot harder! And to make matters worse, recruiting top candidates is still a major challenge.

Approximately 30% of staffing and recruiting firms did not survive the past two recessions. Don’t be a statistic!

Instead, join us for the next webinar video in Top Echelon’s Expert Recruiter Coaching Series, as Brad Bialy of Haley Marketing skips the “doom and gloom” and shares practical ideas to LEVEL UP your marketing. We’re talking about generating more leads, improving sales efficiency, and outperforming your competitors in today’s economy. Key takeaways from this free training video include:

• 12 specific strategies to LEVEL UP your marketing by strengthening your positioning, messaging, website, online reputation, and more
• How to make account managers more productive by modernizing your sales tools
• The best lead generation tactics for today’s economy

Are you ready to LEVEL UP? Then watch this video to see Brad Bialy’s “12 Strategies to Drive Sales in a Down Economy”!

Watch this FREE training video!

 — — —

Recorded versions of our Expert Recruiter Coaching Series of 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!

Top Echelon Software Product Owner Todd Bossler recently conducted a special Training Tuesday webinar titled, “Sourcing Tips, Tricks, and Shortcuts for More Success!”

Todd Bossler

You may have attended this free webinar on Tuesday, February 7. On the other hand, you may not have been in attendance.

Regardless, we have the recorded version of the webinar, which I am presenting to you now. (The recording is also located in the Top Echelon Help Center.)

If you are not a user of our recruiting software, then check out the video, anyway, to see how the software could benefit your recruiting desk and firm.

We at Top Echelon are continually working to make the resources that we provide to our customers better, and this is yet more proof!

Below is the official description of this training video:

— — —

Sourcing top talent is a big part of your job as a recruiter. After all, you can’t place the right candidates if you can’t find the right candidates.

That’s why you should watch this Top Echelon Training Tuesday webinar video, during which Product Owner Todd Bossler will share his extensive expertise and experience.

As a “student of recruitment geekery” for more than 20 years, Todd will walk you through the sourcing tips and tricks he’s learned from some of the brightest sourcers in the recruiting and staffing industry. He’ll also share time-saving shortcuts that could help shift your recruiting desk into overdrive.

You only have so much time on your desk to find the candidates you need to make more placements. Learn how to maximize that time by watching “Sourcing Tips, Tricks, and Shortcuts for More Success!”

Watch this Help Center training video!

Remember to check The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog every week for more updates regarding Top Echelon software improvements and upgrades.

If you have any questions about how you can maximize your Top Echelon split network membership, please contact Director of Network Operations Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS.

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