In this week’s episode of “Top Echelon TV,” Communications Coordinator Matt Deutsch and Membership Development Coordinator Drea Codispoti discuss how the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) affects what a recruiter does and how a recruiter works.

By following the guidelines set forth by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, recruiters can avoid trouble, legal or otherwise.  Because if the EEOC doesn’t get you . . . the “Karma Police” will.

Next week, when you login to Top Echelon Network—specifically the TEN Menu—you might notice something different.  That’s because the TEN Menu will have a slightly different layout and some added functionality.

In this article in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, I’d like to not only announce these changes, but also explain them.  So . . . that’s what I’ll do.  First and foremost, though, please note that much of the same information that was there before is still there.  It just might be presented in a different format.  (In fact, there’s actually more information there now than there was before.)  Here’s what I mean:

• The News Section and The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog articles are now side-by-side at the top of the page.  The News Section is on the left, and the newsletter articles are on the right.
• “Top Producing Recruiters” have been moved from near the top of the page to the left-hand column.
• There is now a “Recent Job Orders” tab AND a “Recent Candidates Tab,” both of which show the 30 most recent that have been added to the system.
• The tab for “New Recruiters” has been joined by a tab for “Recently Left.”  These are typically recruiters who have left the Network during the past week.  Anybody who has a question regarding a recruiter who has left the Network can contact me.
• “Recent Offers Accepted” and “Recent Completed Placements” are still on the page, but they’re also in a tabbed format.  Simply click on the tab that you wish to view.

Okay, here’s the biggie—by popular demand, The Discussion Forum is now back on the main page of the Members’ Area.  I thought I’d address this one last, considering its impact and the number of recruiters who are interested in the fact that it’s back on the main page.

Below are two crucial points regarding the return of The Discussion Forum:

1. When you click “New Post,” you’ll be able to build a very solidly formatted discussion thread. (Go ahead. Try it. You’ll like it.)
2. You can now “block” other recruiters whose posts you don’t want to see.  In other words, if you don’t like what someone is posting, you can block them so you don’t see their posts.  To do this, click on the orange circle with the line through it.  Once done, that recruiter will be hidden from view in The Discussion Forum and also in “Splitsville.”  If you wish to unblock them, navigate to “Settings” and then “Splitsville Settings.”  There will be a section for “Blocked Recruiters” that shows the recruiters you are currently blocking.  Uncheck the box next to the recruiter you wish to unblock and save your changes.

Of course, as with everything that we do at Top Echelon, these changes were made to help you, our Preferred Member recruiters, make more split placements.  If you have any questions, I encourage you to contact me via phone or email.

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(330) 455-1433, Ext. 156
Drea@TopEchelon.com

When you join a split placement network, split placements can happen in all sorts of ways . . . including ways you never even dreamed of.

Take the recent case of Top Echelon Network Preferred Member recruiters Judy Kaplan of Prof’l Recruiting Consultants and Glenda Smith of Metaljobs Network.

Kaplan was at her local gym when one of the gym’s trainers overheard her talking about work.  The trainer asked Kaplan if she was a recruiter and then told her that her husband was looking for a new job.  Kaplan said she was a recruiter, and the trainer then asked if she could email her husband’s resume to her.  Kaplan said she could, and she gave the woman her email address.

According to Kaplan, when she heard the industry in which the trainer’s husband worked—which was outside of her niche—she automatically though of Smith.  And the reason she thought of Smith was because she met her face-to-face in the past.

“I met Glenda years ago at a [Top Echelon] conference, and I knew that she worked Metallurgy,” said Kaplan.  “I figured she probably had a job in the system that this guy might be interested in.”

Kaplan searched through the shared job orders that Smith had posted on Top Echelon and came across one that seemed to be a good fit for the candidate.  The position was for a Technical Manager, and Kaplan emailed the candidate’s resume and RDS (Resume Data Sheet) to Smith, and she also called her.

“Glenda said she recognized the name [of the candidate], but that it had been five years since she had talked with him,” said Kaplan.

Smith then presented the candidate to her client, setting off a chain of events that ultimately ended in a successful split placement.

“I received the job order on January 6, submitted Judy’s candidate on January 10, they interviewed him on January 14, made him an offer after that, and he started work on February 14,” said Smith.  “All because Judy talked with a trainer at her gym.  Now the trainer and her husband are happily settled in South Carolina, near the beach.”

February 14 . . . Valentine’s Day.  Because after all, who doesn’t love when these types of split placements occur?  They’re unexpected, but oh, so satisfying.

“You never know where you’ll find a placement,” said Smith.  “It’s a wonderful split time of year!”

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Top Echelon Network tools used to make this split placement:

1. Top Echelon Network conferences for networking and building a Trading Partner relationship
2. Big Biller recruiting software to send the resume and RDS and also to track the submission
3. Top Echelon Network Split Jobs Database to search for Glenda’s job

The next meeting of the Northeast Ohio Regional Core Group is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 24, at Shula’s Steak II in Independence, Ohio.  It’s recommended that attendees arrive at 5:45 p.m. if they’d like to engage in some pre-meeting networking.

There will be a special guest speaker at this meeting.  That speaker is Greg Reynolds, Director of Client Development at Dise & Company, a regional HR consulting firm specializing in retained search, outplacement, and coaching.  Reynolds also runs the Chagrin Valley Job Seekers Group.

A Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC), Reynolds worked as a recruiter for Aim Executive, where he was consistently in the top 20% of the recruiting team in billings.  He then transitioned into the delivery of outplacement services at Aim as that practice area grew.

Prior to joining Dise & Company, Reynolds worked for two of the national outplacement firms.  His work has taken him all over the United States, portions of Canada, and even to Panama to assist employees affected by the handoff of the canal to the Panamanian government.

“Greg is a self-described recovering HR Weenie who came to the other side 25 years ago,” said Core Group member David M. Sgro of True North Consultants, Inc.  “He says he still goes to WA (Weenies Anonymous) meetings one night a week to maintain his Weenie Sobriety and his sanity.”

What meeting attendees can expect to gain from Reynolds’s 30-minute presentation:

• Why outplacement is a valuable service for your clients
• How being connected to job search support groups and outplacement firms can shorten the time to placement
• How to grow your business by setting more sales meetings

Following the presentation, those in attendance will share hot job orders and candidates.  There is no need to RSVP for this meeting.  If you’d like attend, just show up!

Below is the address and phone number for Shula’s Steak II:

6200 Quarry Lane
Independence, Ohio 44131
216.901.7852

If you’d like to promote your Regional Core Group meetings in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, send an email to marketing@TopEchelon.com.

Every week, Preferred Member recruiters in Top Echelon Network make placements.  Regardless of the state of the economy, they keep making them and in the process, they maximize their Network Membership and receive a huge return on their investment in the Network.  Who are these recruiters?  Well, they’re the Top Producers in the Network, which you can see when you login to the Members’ Area.  But they’re also the recruiters listed below, who made placements—the large majority of them split placements—just this past week.

Michael Foster of Mike Foster & Associates, LLC placed a Quality Engineer.

Carol Brinkman of Corporate Resources, LLC and Amy Dunn of Technology Recruiting Solution placed a SAP PP.MRP Business Analyst

Carol Brinkman of Corporate Resources, LLC and Debbi Reiger of Reiger Technical Search placed a Peoplesoft Manager.

Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC and Rose Langhals of Bridgeway Professionals, Inc. placed a Mechanical Design Engineer.

Twanda DeBorde of CMD Associates Executive Search and Georgette Sandifer of Gallman Consulting placed a Plant Operations Manager.

Larry Baker of Computer Careers and Ram Kola of Stewart Cooper & Coon placed a MS Exchange or Server or Network Administrator.

Marla C. Ray of Scientific Resources, Inc. and Lisa Greer-Boland of Stewart Cooper & Coon placed a Director of Pre-clinical Lab Operations.

Tim Moran, CPC/CIPC of Professional Recruiters, Inc. and Bob Ferris of Ferris & Associates, LLC placed a Linux Systems Engineer.

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Be sure to check The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, as well as the Members’ Area, in the future for more recent placements made through Top Echelon Network.  Because there will be more.

The beat continues.  In what might be a reflection of the fact that the economy is continuing to recover and improve, there are even more recruiters applying for Preferred Membership in Top Echelon Network.  And although it’s one week later, we still want to save you time . . . so we’re combining “Applying for Membership” and “New Preferred Members” once again.  No, no need to thank us.  Just keep making split placements.  That’s all the thanks we need.

Below are the names of recruiters who have applied for Preferred Membership.  If you have comments regarding any of these names, please contact Membership Development Coordinator Drea Codispoti at (330) 455-1433, Ext. 156 or via email at Drea@TopEchelon.com.

APPLYING FOR PREFERRED MEMBERSHIP

Recruiter: Michael Petras
Firm Name: Michael Petras Recruiting
Location: Mishawaka, Indiana
Specialties: Engineering, Purchasing, Lean Manufacturing, Sales, Plant Management, Directors, and Executives.  I serve the following industries—Automotive, Agricultural Equipment and Machinery, Construction Equipment and Machinery, Electromechanical Products, Electronics, Factory Automation Equipment, Hand Tools, Heavy Truck, HVAC, Industrial Equipment and Machinery, Material Handling Equipment, Medical Device, Metal Forming and Fabrication, Plastics, and Recreational Vehicles.

Recruiter: Fred Khachi
Firm Name: JK Consultants
Location: Sonora, California
Specialties: Accounting, Banking, and Finance; Agriculture; Broadcasting, Radio, and Television; Business Services; Construction and Architecture; Consumer Goods and Products; Engineering, Manufacturing, and Production; Entertainment; Food and Beverage; Human Resources; Management (all management); Purchasing; Inventory Control; Materials Management; Quality; Testing; Diagnostics; Restaurant and Hospitality; Retail and Wholesale; Transportation and Distribution; and Sales, Marketing, and Advertising

Recruiter: Jennifer Fahlsing
Firm Name: Aldis Associates
Location: Huntington, Indiana
Specialties: /IS within the Healthcare industry and Software Engineering—embedded

Top Echelon Network would like to welcome the following recruiters and their firms as New Preferred Members.  We encourage the rest of the Membership to reach out to these folks and introduce yourself to our newest Members.

Click on the recruiters’ names to visit their Recruiter Profile within Top Echelon Network.  (Note: You may be prompted to login to the system before being able to view their Profile.)

NEW PREFERRED MEMBERS

Recruiter: Dixie Agostino
Firm Name: Switchgear Search & Recruiting
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Specialties: Engineering and technical positions within the Energy, Oil and Gas, Aerospace, and Manufacturing industries

Recruiter: Kristine Mercurio
Firm Name: Smith, Harney, and Daly, LLC
Location: Tampa, Florida
Specialties: N/A

We’d like to welcome Dixie and Kristine to Top Echelon Network and congratulate them on becoming new Preferred Members!  Send them an email or give them a call to welcome them to the Network . . . because everybody likes to feel welcomed.