Some recruiters who join Top Echelon Network are not exactly what you would call “split-minded” before becoming a TE member. For them, there is sometimes a rocky transition, even if they eventually enjoy a measure of success.
Other new members, though, are completely open to split placements, and as a result, they often enjoy success more quickly.
Sara Alexandroff
You can put Sara Alexandroff of Sterling St. James, LLC in the latter category.
Sara started recruiting as an independent search consultant in 2012, and she made 175 split placements prior to joining Sterling St. James. As a generalist, she’s filled roles in Manufacturing, Engineering, Healthcare, Accounting & Finance, Sales & Marketing, Supply Chain, Pharma, and Agriculture, among others.
As an independent recruiter for a decade, Sara joined Top Echelon hoping to expand her network and make more splits.
“I’m always looking for other recruiters to do splits with, and [the Network] seemed user-friendly, similar to social media in that I can connect with partners and work with them,” she said.
Sara is an exporter of candidates, and she found that focusing on candidates in Top Echelon was a perfect complement to the way in which she likes to run her desk.
“I’ve had a lot of success advertising, but with the amount of time I spend focused on that, it doesn’t leave a lot of time to cultivate client relationships,” she said. “I prefer to work on the candidate side of things, so finding recruiters to work with who prefer the client side seemed like a perfect solution.”
And it has been the perfect solution for Sara, who’s made 15 split placements in Top Echelon during the past year. As of the publishing of this blog post, she is 31st overall in the Network in terms of cash-in generated during the past 12 months.
According to Sara, below are four additional takeaways that have been instrumental to her success as a member of Top Echelon Network:
#1—She can maximize her time and productivity on her desk.
Sara indicated that Network membership has transformed her recruiting desk in a good way, helping her to do more of what she wants to do and less of what she doesn’t need to.
“It’s been huge for my business,” she said. “I’m free to focus on what I’m good at—getting quality candidates—and not waste my time chasing the client side.”
This focus is one of the things that makes her a quality split recruiting partner in the Network. While she is working the candidate side of the placement process, her trading partners are free to do what is necessary with their clients to ensure the best results possible.
“I free up your time to manage your clients by getting you good candidates, interviewing them, putting together presentations, reference checks, etc.,” she said.
#2—Network recruiters have been responsive.
Sara likened Top Echelon Network membership to social media before joining. However, since becoming a member, she has realized that the Network is more welcoming than the users of a social media platform. That’s made her experience in TE even better.
“Unlike with social media, everyone is nice and people actually pick up the phone and call you,” she said. “I didn’t expect to meet so many partners so quickly.”
#3—Working with vetted partners is beneficial.
Not only have Sara’s trading partners been responsive, but the overall quality of the Network’s recruiters has also helped her to embrace one of The Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network: Trust.
“I’ve been working with some top-notch recruiters who I otherwise may not have trusted to really put my resources and time into if it wasn’t for knowing they’d been vetted by TE,” she said. “It’s been wonderful to be able to work with new partners without the risk that things won’t pan out the way that they should.”
#4—Drea Codispoti is a ‘split placement sherpa.’
Drea is the Director of Network Operations at Top Echelon, having been with the company for nearly 20 years. According to Sara, he knows the Network inside and out, and his experience and expertise are valuable resources for new members trying to find trading partners.
“Speak to Drea,” said Sara. “He knows what he’s doing and will connect you with the right partners for how you do business.”
Being “split-minded” before joining Top Echelon Network is not a prerequisite for success. Neither is making 175 splits prior to becoming a Network member.
But as Sara Alexandroff has shown, it certainly doesn’t hurt.
