You’ve probably heard the phrase, “The more, the merrier” before. Well, that saying certainly applies to Top Echelon Network . . . especially when it comes to our latest group of new Network agencies.

Network membership has been brisk lately, as you may have noticed in the last few issues of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog. We’ve published the names and recruiters of our new Network agencies in the past three issues.

But hey—the more, the merrier!

New Network agencies = more placements

Below are the seven new Network agencies that recently joined Top Echelon. Once again, they work in a variety of industries and niches. The agencies listed below specialize in the following areas, among others:

• Medical Device
• Accounting & Finance
• Healthcare
• Engineering
• Manufacturing

In terms of the phrase mentioned above, nothing makes recruiters merrier than more placements. And that’s exactly what more Network agencies mean for existing Top Echelon recruiters. When there are more recruiters operating within your niche, then there are more potential trading partners.

These are recruiters with whom you can share hot job orders and candidates for the purpose of making split placements and generating more revenue for your firm. So reach out to these agency owners. Call them up and discuss what they need right now. Then tell them what you need.

Let’s go people! It’s time to network and make some money!

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THINK PANGEA
Date joined: April 17
Location: Pasadena, California
Industries: General
Agency members: Sharron Moore

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BIOMEDICAL RESOURCE CONSULTANTS, INC.
Date joined: April 19
Location: Wilbraham, Massacushetts
Industries: Quality, Regulatory, Clinical, Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, Medical Device, Diagnostics, IVD, Biotechnology, and Pharmaceutical
Agency members: David Leo

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CONSULTING ASSOCIATES
Date joined: April 19
Location: Simi Valley, California
Industries: Accounting & Finance
Agency members: Robert Boscarino

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ABACUS SEARCH & STAFFING
Date joined: April 20
Location: Overland Park, Kansas
Industries: Accounting & Finance
Agency members: Mike Blair, Ariana Lewis, and Barbara Starr

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HAMMER CONSULTING
Date joined: April 24
Location: Bloomington, Minnesota
Industries: Software Sales Representatives, Sales Engineers, Systems Engineers, and Sales Leaders
Agency members: Kent Hammer and Andrea Hammer

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CLIQUE HIRING SOLUTIONS, LLC
Date joined: April 27
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Industries: Healthcare
Agency members: LT Ladino, Sheila DeVault, Hillary Moon, and Jacob Solenthaler

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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 I welcome you to contact me! You can do so by calling 330.455.1433, x156 or by sending an email to drea@topechelon.com.

Welcome to a new series of blog posts in The Pinnacle Newsletter! This series revolves around the power of Top Echelon Network membership.

Not only is there tremendous value in Network membership, but there’s also tremendous power. That power is on display week after week. In fact, it’s been on display for nearly 30 years, and it’s showing no signs of waning.

Tales from the membership trenches

Simply put, the value (and power) of Top Echelon Network lies in the fact that membership can help recruiters make more placements and/or grow their business in other ways. That is what we’ll be exploring with this series. With each installment, we’ll present a case study. That case study will illustrate the power of Top Echelon’s recruiting network through the value associated with that particular situation.

And there is no better way to kick off this series than with the trading partner relationship below. That relationship is between Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC and David M. Sgro, CPC of True North Consultants, Inc. Their success in the Network has been well chronicled within The Pinnacle. After all, they’ve made a total of 17 placements together!

Below is just some of the value that they’ve derived from this relationship and their TE membership:

• Making placements outside of their niche
• Filling job orders they would not have access to otherwise
• Sourcing local candidates they were not able to source on their own
• Filling hard-to-fill positions with candidates they did not possess
• Making a split off the referral of their trading partner’s candidate

Sweet stories of placements made

Hemminger and Sgro’s trading partner relationship in the Network is an explosion of value and power. (And perhaps savings, too.) That’s why they’re kicking off this new series. But don’t worry. There will be other faces and other stories of placements made and checks cashed.

If YOU are looking to make more split placements in TE, then contact Top Echelon 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.

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David M. Sgro, CPC

Maria Hemminger

“Another split by the MJR/True North Consultant teams! Our placements are a true partnership. Dave meets with me and my clients face-to-face. This process works! This was a great . . . LOCAL candidate!”

Submitted by Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC regarding her Network split placement with David M. Sgro, CPC of True North Consultants, Inc.

Position Title—ERP PROJECT LEAD

Fee Percentage—25%

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“True North Consultants and MJ Recruiters strike again! Another split placement for Dave and the MJ team. A result of a referral of a recruited candidate. Happy to split for such a great candidate. Thanks, Dave!”

Submitted by Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC regarding her Network split placement with David M. Sgro, CPC of True North Consultants, Inc.

Position Title—MECHANICAL DESIGN ENGINEER

Fee Percentage—25%

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“True North Consultants and MJ Recruiters . . . another successful placement for our dynamic duo! Thank you, Dave, for helping us fill our IT openings. This is the third completed placement this month for us. YIPPEE!”

Submitted by Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC regarding her Network split placement with David M. Sgro, CPC of True North Consultants, Inc.

Position Title—NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR

Fee Percentage—25%

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“A placement six months in the works . . . on a hard-to-fill job! So happy to have this one filled with a great candidate thanks to a GREAT partnership with Dave Sgro.”

Submitted by Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC regarding her Network split placement with David M. Sgro, CPC of True North Consultants, Inc.

Position Title—MANUFACTURING BUSINESS ANALYST/PROJECT MANAGER

Fee Percentage—25%

Why is there a photo of cupcakes above this blog post? Two reasons:

1. I like cupcakes. A lot. Especially the ones pictured above. They look like they’re some sort of raspberry cream combination . . . with icing.
2. Because we’re celebrating Network member Colleen Switala of Database Search, Inc.!

Cupcakes are celebratory in nature. You can’t deny it. You also can’t deny the fact that Colleen Switala is one of the most successful recruiters in the history of the Network. Sadly, we also can’t deny the fact that Colleen has retired from the recruiting profession.

Colleen was most definitely a top producer in Top Echelon’s recruiting network. She made 131 placements during her time in the Network. Not only that, but she came SO close to billing $1 million through TE. In fact, she was only one split placement short of that total.

So all of this—her retirement, her production, her milestones—are great reasons to make Colleen the Recruiter of the Week in the Network. It’s an appropriate sendoff for a great recruiter and a model Top Echelon Network member.

But in case you were wavering at all, below are three more reasons:

#1—Her longevity

Colleen was in the recruiting profession for over 30 years. The profession has changed dramatically during that time, but she changed along with it, adapting and evolving while still maintaining high levels of production. She was a true, dyed-in-the-wool recruiter of the first order.

#2—Her commitment to the Network

Colleen once quit the Network before—and recruiting—to pursue another business venture. Then she came back to recruiting—and to Top Echelon. Not surprisingly, she pretty much picked up right where she left off. She made eight placements upon returning to the Network, including six in 2015. She believed in Top Echelon Network, her split partners, and split placements.

#3—Her legacy of success

You might not know this, but there was more than one Switala in the Network. Her son Matthew joined her in the business at one point. Here’s the good news: Matthew made a couple of placements during his time in the Network . . . meaning that he pushed Database Search over the $1 million cash-in mark overall! So while Colleen came up just short on an individual basis, Matthew chipped in and pushed the firm over the top.

So congratulations to Colleen Switala for her retirement, her recruiting career, and her time as a member of Top Echelon Network!

(Surely now you agree that this is a cupcake-worthy announcement.)

We’re back . . . and we’re better than ever! Actually, we’re back with more Big Biller online recruiting software tips, tricks, and tools for success.

This series of blog posts is designed to show Network recruiters how to maximize the power of the Big Biller ATS recruiting software.

As you might have already guessed, we have another round of three more tips about Big Biller’s features and tools. Accompanying each tip is a link to a Help Center article and/or video that explains the feature in more detail. (Remember, the Help Center is available 24/7 to answer your questions and provide assistance.)

The next three tips for users of the Big Biller applicant tracking software are below. Get yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy. Just none of that decaffeinated stuff, okay? You’ve got split placements to make today, after all.

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Did You Know . . . You Can Email Parse Resumes?

Big Biller’s email parser helps save time by allowing you to quickly email resumes right into your database.

When you use the email parser, Big Biller parses the resume, creates a record, and attaches the resume to that record. Not only that, but the software also allows you to email parse up to 20 resumes at one time.

Click HERE for a Help Center article about email parsing resumes in Big Biller!

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Did You Know . . . About Big Biller’s Contact Importer?

Big Biller’s Contact Importer allows recruiters to add multiple records at one time, reducing the time needed for data entry.

This tool allows you to import and create new records from data in a spreadsheet. You get to choose where you map your fields, and it even has the ability to check for duplicates.

Click HERE for a Help Center article about Big Biller’s Contact Importer!

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Did You Know . . . You Can Track Your Business Development?

As a recruiter, it’s vitally important that you have a way to track your contacts and/or companies through your sales funnel.

Did you know that Big Biller can help you manage your business development workflow? The software allows to import lists of prospects, code and tag your records accordingly, manage your sales funnel through Hotlists, and schedule follow-ups.

Click HERE for a Help Center video about business development strategies in Big Biller!

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Check future issues of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog for another installment of “Did You Know?”

And if you’re ready to see what the Big Biller applicant tracking system can do for your agency, then click here to sign up for a LIVE demo!

Candidates’ perceptions of contract staffing have changed dramatically in the past several years. In fact, we are increasingly seeing candidates choose contracting as a lifestyle. Believing that they avoid it like the plague is one of the misconceptions about working on a contract assignment.

Still, those not as familiar with contract staffing and its advantages for contractors still believe some common myths.

Five candidate misconceptions about contracting:

1. “I won’t make as much as I do in my full-time job.”

In actuality, many workers make MORE working on a contract basis. How? Well, for starters, they are paid for every hour worked . . . plus overtime in most cases. The IRS and Department of Labor (DOL) guidelines even require time-and-a-half for overtime for job classifications.

2. “I won’t get benefits.”

Many contractors who are W-2 employees of a full-service back office are offered a full menu of benefits. Recruiters can set themselves apart from their competitors by utilizing a recruitment back office service that offers contractor benefits (health, dental, vision and life insurance, 401k, etc.).

3. “Only people who can’t find a regular job work on a contract basis.”

One of the biggest myths about contracting is that contractors are not the “cream of the crop” or that they only take contract jobs as a last resort when they can’t find traditional employment. But again, more candidates are purposely choosing contract assignments over direct employment. Contract staffing offers several benefits: flexibility, the ability to obtain new skills, travel opportunities, and variety, just to name a few.

4. “Contract assignments are all clerical or blue-collar.”

People who subscribe to this myth are confusing “contractors” with “temps.” Temps do tend to be clerical and blue-collar workers performing very short assignments (1 to 90 days) at a lower pay rate. Contract positions are typically white-collar in the technical, professional, and Healthcare arenas and include people at every level, up to and including the C-Suite. They are longer-term, usually lasting three to 36 months or even longer.

5. “There is less security in contract work.”

There is no such thing as a permanent job. The difference between contract and direct positions is that with contracting, the workers know the work will eventually end (unless they are contract-to-direct), and they usually know approximately when. Direct positions can end anytime without warning. Many workers would rather know ahead of time that a job is for a limited time than be blindsided by a layoff.

If you have candidates who are still buying into these misconceptions, you can help dispel them. Once they realize their fears are unfounded and they see the advantages of contract staffing, they may join the ranks of those who choose contract staffing as a lifestyle.

If you’re ready to add contract staffing services to your business model and make contract placements, then get started today with our FREE Quick-Start Guide to Contract Staffing!