Yes, you’ve seen the emails in your inbox. You’ve seen the advertisements in the Members’ Area. And you’re still not registered for the 2017 National Convention. But I’m here to change your tune about the convention!

Enough with the baloney!

You say you’re too busy? You can’t afford to be out of the office? I say that’s baloney!

That’s because you know the value of face-to-face meetings. After all, your clients value them. If they didn’t, they’d just hire your candidates without interviewing them in person.

You joined this network of recruiters because you want help making more placements. Attending events like the National Convention is one of the best ways to get that help.

And I have a little video shot in freezing-cold temperatures that explains the whole thing better. Take it away, me!

Okay, now it’s time for the nitty-gritty:

• The dates of the convention are Tuesday, April 25, and Wednesday, April 26.
• Jordan Rayboy of Rayboy Insider Search will be the keynote speaker for the convention.
• The location is the DoubleTree Hilton located at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
• The cost of Regular Registration is $465 per person.
• The Regular Registration period ends on Friday, March 31.

That’s right, the Regular Registration period ends in a little more than a week! You can register for the convention online in the Members’ Area with a credit card.

New tune, new trading partners

It’s not too late to take advantage of the value and the opportunities that the National Convention offers. I’ve been doing this for over 10 years. I have never had somebody say that they regretted attending one of our recruiter networking events.

If you attend the National Convention, I doubt that you’ll regret it, either. Change your tune and join us in Orlando!

You’ll be singing the praises of your trading partners and making split placements!

Shelli Saunders of The Recruiting Pro in Buford, Georgia recently celebrated a Top Echelon Network anniversary. She and her agency joined the Network on February 28, 2014. That means she’s been in the Network for a little over three years.

During those three years, Shelli has made 12 Network placements with a cash-in total of over $126K. So . . . her average split fee in the Network is over $10K!

Shelli Saunders

Here’s Shelli’s placement breakdown:

• Five (5) placements in 2014
• One (1) placement in 2015 (although the fee for that placement was $47,500)
• Five (5) placements in 2016
• One (1) placement so far in 2017

Shelli Saunders: committed and split-minded

There’s no doubt that Shelli is committed to her Network membership and that she’s split-minded. She’s made an investment of time, energy, and effort, and she’s received a healthy return on that investment.

For all of those reasons, Shelli Saunders is the Recruiter of the Week in Top Echelon Network!

Shelli specializes in the Healthcare industry. Read our interview with Shelli below to find out exactly why she’s been so successful.

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What do you believe have been the keys to your success in Top Echelon Network?

The keys have been getting to know the TE members I work with very well, being prompt and respectful in communication, sending qualified candidates, and maintaining a good relationship.

What value do you believe the Network provides for your firm?

The Network provides endless jobs to work in many different fields and also a wonderful database to use. I’m also very grateful for the TE executive and leadership team that gives encouragement and direction willingly. It’s as if they are a part of our team.

Who are the trading partners you’ve been working with?

Melissa Truax, Shree Kumar, Debbie Winkelbauer, Mike Ott, Cindy Sommer, Susan Ploeger, Scott Anthony, Keith Cornelison, Darrin Skinner, and some others. My teammates [at The Recruiting Pro], Darcy Morgan, Amy Catron, Kim Rice, and Rhonda Allison, are a huge part of my success with sending great candidates to these partners.

Why do the relationships you have with your trading partners work so well?

We’ve actually nurtured a personal relationship by speaking on the phone and exchanging emails. It feels like a friendship at times. It works because they give me all the information I need to speak confidently to the candidate. Therefore, I’m able to “sell” the job to the candidate. In turn, I send candidates to them that have been truly vetted and are worthy of being presented.

What advice would you give to a new Network member just starting out?

Send an email introducing yourself [to potential trading partners] and schedule a time to call. Always ask how they like to conduct their business, acknowledging that everyone has their own way of doing things. Do it exactly as they ask and always respond quickly to their communications.

What are your goals for future production in the Network?

Hopefully, I can team up with more TE partners and make more placements. As far as the future, it’s unlimited. I always say to my teammates that there is no lid. You can be as successful as you want to be, because there is so much business and money to be made in Top Echelon.

How would you describe the activity level in your niche?

I suppose Healthcare is not as large as other disciplines in TE, but there are always jobs to work on.

What’s the biggest obstacle on your desk right now, either with candidates or with clients?

I rarely face crises or obstacles, only discouragement and frustration that comes from many different things. When you can’t get a reply back from a TE partner to update your candidate, when a candidate changes their mind, or sometimes you just get tired of seemingly always pushing uphill. It’s okay to get like that . . . but it’s NOT okay to stay like that.

What’s one new recruiting strategy or technique that you’ve implemented in the past year that you wouldn’t mind sharing with other recruiters?

Developing more relationships with TE partners.

What are your thoughts on the recruiting industry overall and where it might be headed in the next 12 to 18 months?

I have a positive outlook and feel more motivated and confident than ever that this industry is going to thrive!

There has been a lot of buzz around contract staffing as the number of contract workers continues to climb. However, the talk usually revolves around why companies are gravitating toward contracting. The fact is of the matter is that candidates are also helping to drive this trend.

The days when contract work was taken only as a last resort when a direct hire job could not be secured are over. Contract work is also no longer limited to “temps” in clerical and blue collar roles. Contract staffing spans all industries in positions up to and including the C-suite.

Below are six reasons why candidates are choosing contracting:

1. Flexibility—Contractors often have more leeway in determining when and where they work, which is important to those seeking a better work-life balance.

2. Job satisfaction—Contractors are often more satisfied with their work because it is challenging and is often tied to a critical project or deadline. This makes it easier for them to see the impact of their work.

3. Financial security—Workers are starting to realize there is no such thing as a “permanent” job anymore. Contractors are more comfortable depending on their own skills to secure contract assignments that often give a tentative end date rather than relying on a single employer that could lay them off at any time.

4. Opportunity to travel—With contract opportunities spanning across the United States, many candidates use contract assignments as a way to explore new places and cultures while working.

5. Variety—Contract staffing is perfect for workers who quickly get bored of the routine of a traditional job. They can enjoy a variety of projects, work environments, and experiences.

6. Enhanced resume—With that variety comes the opportunity to pick up new skills that may be attractive to future employers.

With this in mind, you don’t need to go out and find a new pool of candidates to fill contract job orders. Your best contract candidates are likely some of your existing direct hire candidates. Simply ask them if they would consider working on contract.

Candidates are choosing contracting. You may be surprised at just how many of your existing candidates are interested in it.

(Editor’s note: This article is intended for informational purposes only and should NOT in any way be construed as legal advice.)

What’s the only thing better than a placement? A placement you didn’t even know you were going to make! In other words, you were surprised by the placement.

There are recruiters in Top Echelon Network who made “surprise placements” during the Network’s 29-year existence. That’s one of the perks of membership.

But how many placements are we talking about here? Well, let’s pose that question to you and the rest of the membership, shall we?

How many times have you been surprised by a placement you’ve made in TE?

The choice of answers that we provided is listed below, along with the percentage of Network recruiters that selected each one:

• Never — 31.3%
• Once or twice — 53.0%
• Three or four times — 10.8%
• Five or six times — 0.0%
• More than six times — 4.8%

Surprised: let me count the ways . . .

Let’s start with the bad news this time. Nearly a third of respondents (31.3%) have never been surprised by a placement in our recruiter network. Okay, that’s out of the way.

Now for the good news! Over half of all recruiters participating in our poll (53.0%) have been surprised “once or twice.” Another 10.8% have enjoyed a surprise placement “three or four times.”

Curiously, nobody has experience such a placement “five or six times.” However, another 4.8% of recruiters have enjoyed that experience “more than six times.”

Of course, there are different ways of being surprised. Below are three such examples:

1. You fill a job order that you did not think you had a chance of filling.
2. One of your trading partners fills a job with a candidate you posted on the Network. Then they call and say, “I placed your candidate. I’ll be sending a check soon.”
3. Another Network recruiter gives you permission to post their jobs on your website. Lo and behold, a candidate applies for that recruiter position through your website. The other Network recruiters places that candidate. Then they call and said, “I placed your candidate. I’ll be sending a check soon.”

Who doesn’t love somebody calling them out of the blue and saying, “Hey, I’m sending you [insert the average Top Echelon split placement fee here]”? Everybody loves that!

This is yet another indication of the value that Top Echelon Network offers to recruiters. Not only do Network members make split placements they expect to make, but they also make split placements that they don’t.

Surprise!

If you’d like to be surprised more often in TE, then 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.

“Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates . . . you never know what you’re gonna get.”

That’s all fine and good, Forrest Gump, but Network membership is NOT like a box of chocolates. (It’s not even like a tin of chocolates, although one is pictured above.)

Ordering up a new batch!

With Network membership, you DO know what you’re going to get. Specifically, you’re going to get experienced, high quality, split-minded recruiters. And we have another batch of such recruiters in this week’s issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.

As usual, these new Network agencies work within a number of different industries. Those industries include the following:

• Healthcare
• Accounting
• Information Technology
• Manufacturing
• Packaging
• And much, more more!

Sure, chocolate tastes good. Who would argue with that? But you know what’s even tastier? More placements, that’s what!

The firms below represent potential new trading partners for you in Top Echelon Network. They have candidates and job orders that you do not. The only way to find out what they have is to contact them and strike up a conversation.

Relationships = multiple placements

We want you to build relationships with new Network recruiting agencies. That’s because relationships lead to placements, and not just one or two, either. We’re talking about the potential for double digits here, people.

With that in mind, I encourage you to reach out to this new batch recruiting agencies and their owners. Introduce yourself, welcome them to our split recruiter network, and ask about the biggest need on their desk.

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CYPRESS MEDICAL SOLUTIONS
Date joined: February 21
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Industries:  Healthcare
Agency members: Nick Weeks

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PETERHUNT
Date joined: February 21
Location: Fallbrook, California
Industries: Accounting, Technology, and Administrative
Agency members: Hope Carter Evans and Ryan McFadden

— — —

PRO-HIRE
Date joined: February 22
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Industries: General
Agency members: Tina Jester and Jeff Wozniak

— — —

360 TALENT GROUP
Date joined: February 28
Location: Powell, Ohio
Industries: Information Technology
Agency members: Sue Johnson

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AREVO GROUP, INC.
Date joined: March 1
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Industries: Executive, Managerial, Supervisory, Technical, and Information Technology positions in a variety of industries
Agency members: Jerry Raymond, Randy Lowman, and Mike Brannock

— — —

AG RECRUITING GROUP
Date joined: March 2
Location: Nixa, Missouri
Industries: General
Agency members: Carly Fina

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THOMAS MARCH EXECUTIVE SEARCH, LLC
Date joined: March 3
Location: Vorhees, New Jersey
Industries: Manufacturing, Technical and Sales in Converting, Coating, and Packaging industries
Agency members: Denise Fanelli

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It doesn’t matter if you’re a newer Network recruiter or an established member. If you want help making more split placements, then contact me! You can do so by calling 330.455.1433, x156 or by sending an email to drea@topechelon.com.