If you’ve been thinking about attending TE Connect Spring 2026 on April 23 in Tampa, Florida, then now is the time to act.

Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS

Early Bird Registration officially ends this Friday, April 3, and with it, your chance to lock in the lowest price for one of the most impactful recruiting events of the year.

Right now, you can secure your spot for just:

• $325 per person (Early Bird rate)

After Friday, pricing increases to:

• $375 per person

That’s a $50 difference, and multiplied across your team, it adds up quickly. More importantly, waiting means risking your seat at an event designed to sharpen your skills, expand your network, and elevate your performance.

Even More Value: Expanded Top Producer Content

This year’s lineup just got even stronger.

Top Producer Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC is now delivering two sessions instead of one on April 23, giving attendees even more access to the strategies behind her standout success.

Here’s what you’ll gain from her sessions:

9:00 – 10:00 AM

Recruiting is Not for Wimps: Mastering the Intake and the Art of Walking Away
Maria Hemminger

• The Power of the Intake: Learn how to set clear expectations early and define the ideal candidate profile to win better business.
• Stop Working Bad Orders: Audit your desk, eliminate low-quality searches, implement engagement fees, and focus on what actually produces results.

10:15 – 11:00 AM

The $2.3M Performance Playbook: Mastering Onboarding, Metrics, and Market Authority
Maria Hemminger

• The Onboarding Shift: Discover how to position yourself as a strategic partner by helping clients understand that retention starts during the interview process.
• The BD Authority: Strengthen your niche by mastering key metrics—fill ratios, submittal-to-offer rates—and crafting a compelling value proposition.
• The $2.3M Blueprint: Get a behind-the-scenes look at the systems, networking strategies, and feedback loops that helped MJ Recruiters achieve 300+ placements.

New Addition to the Top Producer Panel

We’re also excited to announce that Steve Kohn of Affinity Executive Search has been added to the Top Producer Panel.

This session continues to grow into a must-attend discussion, bringing together high-performing recruiters to share real-world insights, strategies, and lessons learned from the field.

TE Connect isn’t just another conference. It’s where top recruiters in TE Network go to:

• Learn proven strategies from industry leaders.
• Benchmark their performance against the best.
• Build relationships that lead to future placements.
• Walk away with actionable ideas they can implement immediately.

With expanded sessions, new speakers, and a powerhouse lineup, Spring 2026 is shaping up to be one of the strongest TE Connect events yet.

Final Reminder

Early Bird pricing ends Friday, April 3.

After that, the price increases—and the opportunity to save disappears.

Secure your spot now at $325 per person and make sure you’re part of the conversations, strategies, and connections that will define your year.

Don’t wait . . . register today and take advantage of Early Bird before it’s gone!

Recruiting today is faster, more competitive, and more data-driven than ever.

Matthew Deutsch

The difference between a good recruiter and a top performer often comes down to tools—specifically, whether those tools are helping you move quickly, stay organized, and engage candidates at the right moment.

That’s exactly where TE Recruit Pro comes in.

If you’re currently using the Standard Tier, you’re already benefiting from a solid recruiting foundation. But for just $20 more per user, per month, you can unlock a suite of advanced capabilities designed to help you place more candidates, reduce manual work, and ultimately drive more revenue.

Let’s break down why upgrading to Pro isn’t just an upgrade—it’s a strategic advantage.

More Power, Minimal Cost

For many teams, budget is the first concern when considering an upgrade. But here’s the reality:

• Only $20 more per user per month unlocks Pro
• Annual Pro pricing = the same total cost as paying Standard monthly

That means you can access significantly more functionality without increasing your annual spend—just by switching to an annual Pro plan. It’s one of the rare cases where you truly get more for the same money.

Eleven (11) Big Pro Tier Features

The Pro Tier already includes powerful tools that can help you save time and make more placements. In fact, below are 11 big features and tools that the Pro Tier offers that the Standard Tier does not.

(We’ve recently added more enhancements to the Pro Tier, making it an even smarter choice for your team.)

1. Automations: Streamline repetitive recruiting processes with intelligent automation. Automatically trigger key actions—such as sending follow-up emails, updating candidate statuses, notifying hiring managers, or scheduling interviews—based upon predefined rules and workflows. Reduce manual effort, minimize errors, and boost team efficiency.

2. Sequencing: Build and manage multi-step workflows that guide candidates, clients, or internal teams through consistent, automated communication journeys. Use sequencing to nurture candidates, automate onboarding steps, or structure multi-stage approval processes, ensuring smooth progression through every stage of your recruitment lifecycle.

3. Smart-TE AI Job Description Generator: Generate detailed job descriptions automatically based upon key role requirements.

4. Smart-TE AI Search String Generator: Create optimized search strings with AI assistance for better candidate sourcing.

5. Custom Careers Page Forms and Questionnaires: Tailor your application process with customizable forms and surveys.

6. Organization Chart Builder for Reports: Visualize team structures effortlessly with this robust reporting tool.

7. Increased Storage: Enjoy 100 GB of storage space (compared to 10 GB on the Standard Tier).

8. Higher Email Limits: Send up to 10,000 emails per month (double the Standard Tier limit).

9. More Frequent Data Backups: Weekly backups ensure better data security (versus monthly on the Standard Tier).

10. API Access: TE Recruit’s public API provides additional flexibility for connecting TE Recruit with other systems and building custom integrations that support your workflow.

11. Inbound Email Sync (coming soon): With Inbound Email Sync, you can connect your Microsoft or Google Workspace account to automatically log incoming emails in TE Recruit.

These features are designed to eliminate repetitive tasks, enhance candidate engagement, and give your team the flexibility to scale without friction.

Ready to see the Pro Tier in action? Schedule a free personalized demo with a Pro Tier Specialist to explore how these features can transform your recruiting strategy:

Yes, I want a demo of the Pro Tier!

At Top Echelon, we’re committed to helping you succeed. We’ve been doing it for the past 37 years and we’re excited to continue this tradition of excellence.

Upgrade to the Pro Tier today and set yourself up for success in 2026!

The foundation of Top Echelon’s recruiting network are the Network Policies. Perhaps the most important policy is the “But For Rule.”

Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS

The rule is simple: “But for what piece of information caused me to act?” This rule can be applied to many recruiting scenarios, including candidate ownership, placement fees and policies, and candidate and job order referrals.

In this issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, I’d like to present some important Network Policies. Now of course, ALL of the Network Policies are important. However, these revolve around the “But For Rule.” And that makes them particularly important.

So brush up on these Policies and make sure to apply them to your dealings within the Network.

Perusing TE Network Policies

Policy #8—Duplicate Candidates in the Network

Top Echelon strives to prevent Network members from distributing duplicate candidates, thereby eliminating the questions about whose candidate to honor.  When in question, the question to ask is “But for what act would the agency have the desire to pursue the candidate?” Or simply put, “What caused the action to occur?”

Policy #9a—Candidate Ownership with Respect to Time

When determining how long a recruiter owns a candidate, refer to the “But For Rule.” If a member receives a candidate from another recruiter in the Network, but doesn’t work with that candidate until a year later, then the recruiter should split the placement fee with the originating member who first brought the candidate to their attention. “But for what piece of information caused me to act?”

Policy #9b—Candidate Ownership with Direct Hire

Top Echelon urges both recruiters to break the chain of communication with a placed candidate for a period of no less than 18 months. The placement fee is received, the guarantee period has been satisfied, and the candidate has become established in their new position. Thereafter, going forward, the candidate may work with a recruiter of their choice, as any future transaction is considered a “new beginning.”

Policy #11—Placement Fees, Refunds, Guarantees, and Replacements

Network members should never be surprised by a fee percentage, refund, guarantee, replacement, or fall-off policy, as the fee schedule must be agreed upon in writing by both agencies prior to extending the offer to the candidate. The candidate recruiter is to honor these policies that the job order recruiter executes with the client.

Policy #15a—Honoring a Candidate Referral

Once a recruiter accepts and acknowledges acceptance of candidate information from another Network member, they must honor that candidate referral no matter if they later determine they “already had the candidate.” “What caused the action to occur?”

Policy #15b—Honoring a Job Order Referral

Once a recruiter accepts and acknowledges acceptance of a job order from another Network member, they must honor that job order referral no matter how (or when) they later “receive” that job order on their own. The “But For Rule” states, “But for what piece of information caused me to act?”

Although we cover TE Network’s Policies with all agency owners who are new to the Network, we ask that agency owners be sure to share these Policies with others in their agency who are active members of the Network.

Thank you all for your cooperation!

At Top Echelon, we’re ALL about best practices. That’s especially the case with our split fee recruiting network.

Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS

Over the course of the past few weeks, I’ve been presenting some quick tips for more success in Top Echelon Network. And I’m glad to announce that I have more of them!

As I’ve stated before, success in the Network results from a combination of proficiency with both human interaction and technology, including Top Echelon’s recruiting database of candidates and job orders.

(For specific questions about Top Echelon software and/or technology, the Help Center is available 24/7 to answer your questions and provide assistance.)

With all of this in mind, below are even MORE quick tips for experiencing success in Top Echelon’s recruiter network:

— — —

Tip #1: Never Source Off Another Member’s Candidate

Never “source off” or try to gain referrals from another Top Echelon Network member’s candidate.

This is in violation of Network Policy #2.

— — —

Tip #2: Keep Your Trading Partners Apprised

Keep your split trading partners apprised of ANY activity that happens regarding their candidates. That way, they don’t have to waste their time trying to find out the status of the job order in question.

You MUST notify them in advance of any “FACE-TO-FACE” interviews that you have arranged. You SHOULD notify them in advance of any PHONE interviews that you have arranged. In addition, you MUST provide post-interview feedback to the other member, regardless of whether it’s a PHONE interview or a “FACE-TO-FACE” interview.

— — —

Tip #3: When to Break Communication

Top Echelon Network urges recruiters to break the chain of communication with a candidate for a period of no less than 18 months after:

• The candidate is placed in a direct hire position.
• The placement fee is received and split between the two recruiters.
• The guarantee period is satisfied.

Assuming the chain of communication was broken, if that candidate decides on their own after 18 months to initiate contact with either of the recruiters, that is their prerogative.

— — —

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.

I’m pleased to announce the Virtual Core Group (VCG) meeting schedule for the month of April!

Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS

For those of you who don’t know, TE Network recruiters share the following information during Virtual Core Group teleconference call meetings:

• Hot job orders and candidates
• Information about the activity they’re seeing in the marketplace and/or in their niche
• Ideas for increased production on their desks and within their agencies

These are the activities that lead most directly to making more split placements in TE Network.

So that is why I’m inviting—or in other words, strongly encouraging—you to attend one of April’s Virtual Core Group meetings. Below is the complete VCG schedule for April, including the industries involved and the time that each meeting will be held. (Note: all times are Eastern.)

Wednesday, April 8:

• 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. — Manufacturing & Engineering
• 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. — Accounting & Finance

Thursday, April 9:

• 1:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. — Law & Legal Services
• 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. — Sales & Marketing
• 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. — Construction/MEP/Civil Engineering

You can join the meeting to which you belong by accessing the information listed below.

Google Meeting link: https://meet.google.com/qba-qdic-kou

Below is the agenda for each Virtual Core Group meeting:

1. Welcome
2. Roll call of the members
3. I will share the latest software updates for both TE Network and the Top Echelon recruiting software (also known as TE Recruit).
4. Members will share their hot jobs with corresponding group discussion.
5. I will direct a software and Network protocol Q&A session to close the call.

It is my goal that this agenda will help you take away more from the meeting than just hot jobs and/or candidates. Hopefully, it will help make you more knowledgeable in terms of the Top Echelon community.

If you’d like to join one of the groups listed above or if you’d like to start a new group, please contact me.

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