It is with deep regret that we must inform the Top Echelon Network Preferred Membership of the passing of Network recruiter Bob Bornstein.

Bornstein passed on Friday, July 1, at his home in Oklahoma City, Okla., surrounded by his family and friends.  He was 64 years old.

Bornstein’s recruiting firm, Bornstein & Associates, Inc. joined Top Echelon Network on December 5, 2007.  He founded Bornstein & Associates in 1983.

Our deepest condolences go out to Bornstein’s family, including his wife, Sally, and his daughters, Rebecca and Rachel.

Memorial services were held this afternoon in Oklahoma City.  Click here for the obituary as it was published in the online version of The Oklahoman newspaper.

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330.455.1433
info@TopEchelon.com

Some split placements in Top Echelon recruiter network happen more quickly than others . . . but some are definitely worth the wait.  And it helps when you’re working with Trading Partners who are patient enough and persevere enough to help make the split placement happen.

Such was the case with a recent split placement between Denise Milano Sprung of Joseph Associates and Gail Williams of Williams Recruiting, Inc.  The two eventually placed a Head of Cancer Biology, but the deal was over a year in the making and took many twists and turns before finally coming to fruition.  Despite everything that happened, though, Milano Sprung and Williams worked together as Trading Partners to ensure that this split placement story had a decidedly happy ending.

How happy?  Well, you’ll have to login to the Members’ Area to see the placement fee that the two split, but rest assured that it might just win this year’s “Largest Split Placement Fee Award.”  Below are the comments that Milano Sprung included with her Completed Placement Form:

“Gail and I have been working on this placement for over a year.  Throughout that time, Gail has been outstanding to work with, a true partner.”

Milano Sprung had the job order in this split placement situation, and Williams contacted her about the candidate way back in February of 2010.  (To put things in perspective, the two received their fee just last month).  According to Milano Sprung, the drawn-out process was a reflection of current economic conditions.

“It says a lot about the economy,” she said.  “[The candidate] interviewed with the client, but it took a while to get the interview.  Although they liked him, they didn’t think he was ideal, and then they put the job on hold.  After a while, the company took the job off hold.  However, by that time, there was another problem.

“The candidate had taken another job.  He had already moved from Seattle to San Diego, but he was in the market again.  So he re-interviewed in Chicago, where the job had been moved to.  In the end, he received an offer.”

Milano Sprung indicated that it was one of the more challenging placements she’s made, although ultimately, she believes that the candidate Williams provided was unquestionably the most qualified for the position.

“I have to say, for all the back and forth that went on, he was the right gentleman for the job, I really believe that,” she said.  “We had to work with four separate HR people, the hiring manager was very tough, the location changed, the HR person kept changing, and two times the candidate stopped returning calls to both Gail and I.

“It’s really a tale of everything that a recruiter can experience in a year with one placement.  Literally, the candidate’s date of submission is more than 12 months from the day he started.”

Milano Sprung praised Williams for her hard work and dedication as a Trading Partner throughout the entire process.  At no point did Williams become discouraged and quit.  She stayed with Milano Sprung on what amounted to a roller coaster of a split placement—and it paid off, big time.

“Gail was wonderful,” said Milano Sprung.  “We would bounce stuff off each other about this or that.  Gail was wonderful throughout the whole process.  With some recruiters, if a candidate stops returning phone calls, they wash their hands of them, but Gail never disappeared.  She was there the whole way.”

It wasn’t just her persistence that Milano Sprung admired about Williams.  It was also the way in which she worked, which reflected all of Top Echelon Network’s Four Pillars—Quality, Communication, Trust, and Active Participation.  (Both recruiters needed ample doses of all four to see this placement through to a successful completion.)

“Gail is a classic candidate recruiter,” said Milano Sprung.  “She has relationships with candidates, not just resumes.  By her first interaction with me, she had already called the candidate about the job and got him interested in it.  That’s what I want in a partner—somebody who sends a candidate and not just a resume.”

The Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network, plus patience and perseverance . . . this split placement was a case study of all of this and more, a perfect example of the good things that can happen when two recruiters are true partners in the process and treat each other the way in which they would want to be treated.

What’s YOUR story?  Have you made a placement with a Trading Partner that can serve as a case study for the way Top Echelon Network was designed to work for the recruiters who are part of it?  If so, contact me, and your story could be in a future issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.

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330.455.1433, Ext. 125
MDeutsch@TopEchelon.com
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The bottom line is that you want to make split placements as a Preferred Member recruiter in the Top Echelon Network of job placement recruiters.  But what’s the bottom line on THAT?

Preferred Member recruiters who participate in Virtual Core Group meetings give themselves more of a chance to make split placements than if they weren’t part of a VCG.  And that’s why we hold these meetings—because they work and they result in split placements.

Virtual Core Group meetings are regularly scheduled conference calls for recruiters who work in the same industry or niche.  During these calls, the recruiters share information about the activity that they’re seeing, bounce ideas off one another, and share hot job orders and candidates.  It’s the presenting and sharing of hot jobs and hot candidates that can provide the real value, since this is what most often results in split placements between recruiters.

Below is the Virtual Core Group meeting schedule in Top Echelon Network for the month of July.  Yours truly will conduct each of these conference calls, and they’ll take place on the dates and times indicated.  If you’d like to attend any of the VCG meetings outlined below, call or email me and I’ll set you up with the appropriate conference call information.

Here are two things to keep in mind about the VCG meeting schedule for July:

1. There are NO VCG conference calls scheduled for the last two weeks in July.  The last day of conference calls for the month is Thursday, July 14, which also happens to be “Bastille Day.”  I have no idea what that has to do with Virtual Core Group meetings in Top Echelon Network, but I thought you’d like to know, nonetheless.
2. As you can see above, there’s an open space for a new Virtual Core Group.  Actually, there’s always an open space, because we’re always looking to form a new group for recruiters in a certain industry or niche.  If you think you’d like to start one, I encourage you to contact me so we can discuss it.

I hope that you can attend one of the VCG conference calls this month, and if you’d made a split placement because of a Virtual Core Group meeting, let me know.  We’ll profile you (and your placement) in a future post in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.

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330.455.1433, Ext. 156
Drea@TopEchelon.com
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For a Preferred Member, there’s nothing quite as exciting as making a split placement . . . unless it’s your first placement in Top Echelon Network, that is!

That’s the case in this week’s installment of “‘Comments’ and Compliments,” as one of the two recruiters involved made their first Network split placement recently.  That recruiter is Patrice Givens of Hire Horizons, who made the split with Terri Conroy, CPC of Executive Search Associates.  Both recruiters had plenty to say about their experience working with one another and closing the deal.  Patrice’s comments are below, followed by Terri’s.

If YOU have plenty to say about a Trading Partner regarding a split placement, email your comments and information to marketing@TopEchelon.com.

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“I recently made my first placement in TE and how exciting it was!  I worked a split with Terri Conroy, and what a team we made.  Terri was the ultimate professional, thorough and methodical throughout the process, every step of the way.  We had a few twists and turns that we took together, but in the end we made it happen.  I very much enjoyed working with her and would love to do it again!  Terri made my introduction to TE enjoyable and fun.  Let’s do it again, Terri!  I look forward to many more placements!”

Position Title—Territory Sales Manager
Fee Percentage—25%

Submitted by Patrice Givens of Hire Horizons regarding her split placement with Terri Conroy, CPC of Executive Search Associates

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“Patrice went the extra mile in providing me detailed information about the candidate and his references.  She was also a great sounding board and fresh eyes during the negotiation of his search.  I hope that we have many placements together.  She’s a pro and a delight to work with.”

Position Title—Territory Sales Manager
Fee Percentage—25%

Submitted by Terri Conroy, CPC of Executive Search Associates regarding her split placement with Patrice Givens of Hire Horizons

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Send Us Your Special ‘Comments’

If you’d like to highlight a Trading Partner in a special or unique way, email your comments and information to marketing@TopEchelon.com.  (Especially if your Trading Partner has made their FIRST placement in the Network.  We like that kind of stuff.)