When you get a job order from a new client, the first thing you want to do is impress them. Ideally, you want to impress them by filling that job order with an outstanding candidate and making a placement.

Sometimes, though, you can’t accomplish that with the candidates that are in your own database.

And you can’t accomplish that by any other sourcing methods at your disposal.

So what should you do? You should use your trading partners in Top Echelon Network, that’s what!

Trading partners: the path to repeat business

As you can see by the first placement listed below, using your trading partners to fill a job order from a new client is an excellent way to impress that client, make a placement, earn a placement fee (let’s not forget THAT), and help ensure repeat business with that new client.

Your trading partners in Top Echelon Network are a true resource for your firm. They can have candidates that you do not have. They have job orders that you do not have. They have other resources that you do not have.

Tap into those resources, share your own candidates and job orders, impress your clients, and make more placements. C’mon . . . all of that sounds just about awesome, doesn’t it?

If you want to fully leverage the resources of your trading partners, then I encourage you to contact Top Echelon Director of Network Operations Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS at 330.455.1433, x156 or via email at drea@topechelon.com.

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Nick Stoia, CPC

Veronica Snyder

“It’s been far too long since Nick and I completed a split placement! He sent me the ideal candidate for a job order with a new client. Nice working with you, Nick, and THANKS for the help!”

Submitted by Veronica Snyder of Career Professionals, Inc. regarding her Network split placement with Nick Stoia of ASAP Search & Recruiters

Position Title—MACHINING ENGINEER

Fee Percentage—25%

(Editor’s note: This is the second Network split placement that Snyder and Stoia have made together in Top Echelon.)

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Pam Copeland

Russ Hovendick

“Pam Copeland is an absolute pleasure to work with. She always goes above and beyond to understand the needs of our clients and does everything with a wonderful smile. Great trading partner!”

Submitted by Russ Hovendick of Client Staffing Solutions, Inc. regarding his Network split placement with Pam Copeland of fulltimeGiGS

Position Title—MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR

Fee Percentage—27%

(Editor’s note: This is the second Network split placement that Hovendick and Copeland have made together in Top Echelon.)

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Carol Martin, CPC

“Carol is a great trading partner. This is our second placement in just a couple of months!”

Submitted by Steve Moore of J.D. Cotter Search, Inc. regarding her Network split placement with Carol Martin, CPC of Martin Management, Inc.

Position Title—PRODUCTION ENGINEER

Fee Percentage—25%

(Editor’s note: This is the second Network split placement that Moore and Martin have made together in Top Echelon.)

My, how time flies!

Seems like it was only yesterday that Top Echelon President Mark Demaree wrote a blog post titled, “27 Little-Known Facts About Top Echelon on Its 27th Anniversary.”

It wasn’t only yesterday. It was only last year.

So—that makes today the 28th anniversary of Top Echelon Network! That’s right: March 8 is the date recognized as the first day of the Network’s existence.

Now, Top Echelon Network was not called Top Echelon Network on March 8, 1988. Instead, it was called Nationwide Interchange Service (NIS).

It stayed NIS for 10 years, until March 8, 1988. On that date, Top Echelon founder Mike Kappel changed the name to Top Echelon Network . . . and it has been that way ever since.

On that fateful day 28 years ago, Mike sent out the first issue of The Pinnacle newsletter (hardcopy, of course, sent through “snail mail”) to 20 Charter Member firms. The only firm still a member of the Network today is Executive Resource Systems, run by Steve Brody.

Lou Michaels of Lou Michaels Associates joined Nationwide Interchange Service in October of 1988. That still makes Lou a Charter Member, even though he wasn’t with NIS from the very beginning.

As you might imagine, we’ve created a Facebook Photo Album to celebrate our 28th anniversary. This album is chock-full of nostalgic photos from our storied past. Some of them include recruiters who are still part of the Network . . . while others include recruiters who are not.

Click here to celebrate with our photo album!

But it doesn’t matter if they’re current or past members—they’ve all contributed to the history of Top Echelon Network.

In fact, you’re contributing to that history right now. So we want to thank you, too, for your allegiance to the Network, your commitment to your trading partners, and your belief in the Top Echelon way.

Here’s to 28 more years!

(Even though, you know, some of us won’t be here in 28 years. But that’s no reason not to celebrate.)

In the past, we’ve asked you to submit your craziest recruiting stories. In fact, we even had a contest one year.

Guess what? We’re doing it again! (Well, maybe not the contest part.)

You may have noticed that we recently made an announcement on the official Top Echelon Blog about wanting crazy recruiting stories. However, we’re now making a specific request of Network recruiters regarding these stories.

The reason we’re doing this is because historically, Top Echelon Network recruiters have provided the best and craziest stories.

Now all recruiters have crazy stories, but Network members have come through with unique tales of woe time and time again. For example . . .

• The candidate taken hostage by Mexican drug cartel wannabes

• The candidate who brought a boa constrictor to their interview

• The candidate who got into a fistfight with the hiring manager during their interview (for a good reason)

These are just a few of the gems that Top Echelon Network recruiters have sent to us through the years. But we’re betting that you have more stories—many more stories, as a matter of fact. There is always something crazy happening in the recruiting profession.

So even though we’re not holding a contest this time, we’re still seeking the craziest stories you have. This invitation is open to all recruiters in Top Echelon Network, both firm owners and individual recruiters.

As we’ve mentioned before, these stories could be about clients. They could be about candidates. They could even be about another recruiter. They could be about all three. It doesn’t matter. They just have to be unusual in a way that stretches the boundaries of believe-ability.

There are two ways you can submit your craziest recruiting story:

• You can email your story to marketing@topechelon.com.
• You can add the story in the comments section at the end of this blog post.

Keep in mind that you can remain anonymous if you would like, and by submitting your story, you give us permission to include the story in a future blog or social media post. Because we don’t just want to collect the crazy . . . we want to share it, as well!

Over three-quarters of Top Echelon Network members use the Big Biller recruiting software.

That percentage has been increasing steadily during the past several years, and we expect it to increase even more. One reason is the upcoming release of the new version of Big Biller.

If you’re a Network recruiter, and you’re attending the Top Echelon National Convention in Las Vegas next month, then you can get a sneak-peek of the new version. Top Echelon trainers Krista Ridgeway and Todd Bossler will be on hand in Vegas to provide that sneak-peek, as well as other training regarding the software.

Complete slate of Big Biller training

In fact, we’re offering an expanded schedule of Big Biller training at the National Convention. This training will cover a wide array of the software’s tools and features.

Top Echelon’s mission statement is to help recruiters make more placements. We strive to do that with the Network’s split placement opportunities, as well as with our applicant tracking system.

Below is a sampling of some of the sessions at the National Convention that deal with Big Biller, including titles and descriptions. (You can view the agenda for the convention in its entirety in the Members’ Area.)

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“Job Orders: Set Them Up for Success”

This session will cover everything you need to know about entering job orders. This includes how to take a great job order and tips for creating job descriptions. (Say “Yes!” to contract job orders with our help.) We will also review how to maximize exposure for your jobs through the Big Biller Job Board and Top Echelon Job Posting. Get more eyes on your jobs by posting them to personal/company social media platforms.

— — —

“The Pipeline: Perfect Your Placement Process”

Master the power of Pipelines! In this session, we will review the best ways to utilize Pipelines to speed up the placement process. This includes the most efficient ways to add candidates to a Pipeline and managing Web candidates and Job Posting candidates. Track candidates all the way through the placement process with confidence.

— — —

“Planning and Metrics: Inspect What You Expect”

Get organized and on track with the Big Biller software! In this session, we’ll review everything you need to know about Activities and working the Planner. This session will also cover the best ways to track your metrics through Reports.

— — —

“Power User Tips: Stuff You Thought You Knew”

This session will cover time-saving tips and tricks for working more efficiently and increasing your productivity. These include maximizing the power of social media within Big Biller, tips for editing records, “geek” shortcuts, utilizing Hotlists effectively, and navigational features.

— — —

To sign up for the convention with a credit card, login to the Members’ Area. Then locate the convention registration links on the left-hand side of the page. Click on the appropriate links and follow the instructions to submit the correct information.

Below are additional details regarding the convention:

• The dates are Tuesday, April 19, and Wednesday, April 20.
• The cost of Regular Registration is $365 per person.
• The site is the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino.
• Greg Doersching of Bullseye Mentor will be the keynote speaker.

If you have any questions about the National Convention, please contact Director of Network Operations Drea Codispodi, CPC/CERS at 330.455.1433, x156 or via email at drea@topechelon.com.