We want Network members just like YOU . . . and we’re willing to pay for them!

Now, you might already know that. What you might NOT know is that we’re willing to pay more for them!

That’s right: we’re increasing the amount of our referrals for Top Echelon Network membership. Previously, it was $100. We have now increased it to $130.

That number should seem familiar. That’s because $130 is also the amount of your agency’s Network membership fee. So since we’re paying $130 per referral, that’s like getting a month of Network membership for FREE!

Below are some additional points regarding our revamped and all-new Network Membership Referral Program:

• There’s no limit to the number of referrals that you give us. If you submit 12 referrals that become members, then essentially your Network membership dues for one year will be paid.

• If you’re the main contact of your firm, the $130 will be credited to your account and taken off your invoice. If you’re NOT the main contact of your firm, then the $130 will still be credited to the account of the Network firm for which you work.

• Those recruiters who successfully refer new Network members will receive special mention in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog!

• The increase in the amount of the referral fee only applies to Network membership. The referral fee for the Big Biller recruiting software and Top Echelon Contracting is still $100.

• We’re keeping track of how many referrals you give us. At the end of the year, we’ll announce the name of the Network member who has given us the most referrals! (And you didn’t hear this from me, but there might be a special prize for that person. Shhhhhh . . .)

Here’s more good news: we’ve made it easier for you to submit your references! We’ve created a special page where you can submit your information.

Click here to submit your Network referrals!

True, you can still email them to us or call us. Whatever works best for you is fine by us. That’s because not everybody is granted membership in our recruiting network. But YOU were. And since you were, you probably know other recruiters who would be a good fit.

So don’t wait!  Start sending us your referrals for Top Echelon Network membership. Earn money, receive special recognition, and bring in more quality trading partners for your fellow Network members!

We’re doubling up in this issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog! What does that mean? It means that David Austin of Austin Technology Resources is not only the Recruiter of the Week, but he was also part of the biggest split fee in Top Echelon’s recruiter network for the month of June!

Austin Technology Resources joined Top Echelon in May of 2015. Since that time, David has made 11 split placements in TE. He made four in 2016, and he’s already made seven so far this year.

The biggest split fee . . . and a whole lot more!

Not only that, but David has made those 11 split deals with nine different trading partners! That illustrates how much he’s embraced the spirit and the philosophies of the Network.

And one of those split fees just happened to be the biggest split fee in the Network for the month of June! The placement in question resulted in a fee that was more than $40,000. When you consider that TE membership dues are $1,560 per year, that’s quite a healthy return on that investment.

But that huge placement fee is just one reason that David Austin is Recruiter of the Week. He’s done everything necessary to be successful in our recruiting network. And we look forward to even more success in the months and years to come.

If YOU need help with your split recruiting efforts 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.

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Largest Split Fee of the Month:

David Austin

Greg Andera

Greg Andera of North Star Recruiting and David Austin of Austin Technology Resources

The position for this split placement was an Accounting Manager/Assistant Controller. Greg was the job order recruiter, and David was the candidate recruiter.

The action that stimulated this split placement was listed as “Offline Communication with a Member.”

The fee for this split placement was $42,500.

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Top Echelon determines the monthly and quarterly winners of its Network split fee recruiting awards in four distinct categories, which are listed below:

1.) Recruiter of the Month
2.) Largest Split Fee of the Month
3.) Recruiter of the Quarter
4.) Largest Split Fee of the Quarter

The winners of these awards are only announced in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, usually (but not always) in the issue following the conclusion of each month and/or quarter.

Unbelievably, we’re past the halfway point of 2017. The Stock Market is on fire! There is a record number of job openings in the country! So what are the attitudes of Top Echelon Network recruiters?

Great question. So great, in fact, that we decided to find out with a Members’ Area poll question. Check that. We decided to find out with two poll questions.

Those questions (and their answers) are listed below:

At the halfway point of the year, are you on track to meet your 2017 billing goals?

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

• Absolutely! — 21.7%
• Uh . . . maybe. — 27.5%
• It’s better if I don’t think about it. — 16.7%
• No. The answer is no. — 32.6%
• Billing goals? I don’t need no stinkin’ billing goals! — 1.4%

And then on the heels of that question, we asked THIS one:

What’s your attitude regarding the second half of the year on your desk?

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

• I’m going to kick the second half of this year’s butt! — 51.3%
• I’m ready for a white-knuckle ride. — 18.8%
• I’m a great second half team. — 12.0%
• It’s better to burn out than fade away. — 4.3%
• I need a hug. — 13.7%

Both ends of the billing goal spectrum

Despite the fact that it appears to be a solid year for hiring, only 21.7% of recruiters are absolutely on track to meet their billing goals. Another 27.5% might be on track. When combined, that’s nearly half of all poll participants (49.2%). However, it’s only half if everybody who isn’t sure they’re on track actually meets their goals.

Meanwhile, nearly a third (32.6%) are sure they are NOT on track. Another 16.7% claim that it’s better if they don’t think about it. More than likely, those people are not on track, either. When combined, that percentage is 49.3%.

It’s possible that Network recruiters “bit off more than they could chew” with their billing goals. Or they haven’t been able to find the candidates their clients want quickly enough.

Now, on to attitudes.

Butt-kicking attitudes and white-knuckle rides

Interestingly enough, over half of poll participants (51.3%) plan to “kick the second half of this year’s butt!” That percentage could line up roughly with the 49.2% that appears to be on track to meet their goals. Or the 49.3% that appears to NOT be on track. Or some combination thereof.

What stands out in the second poll is the percentage of recruiters that need a hug: 13.7%. That would seem to be a bit high in a candidates’ market where hiring is plentiful. In addition, almost 20% of recruiters expect some turbulence during the second half of the year. They’re “ready for a white-knuckle ride.”

And perhaps that will be one of the more accurate attitudes regarding the second half of 2017. Regardless of whether TE members meet their billing goals or not, the rest of the year might just be a “roller coaster” of ups and downs. (As opposed to a roller coaster of love.)

Let’s just hope there are far more ups than downs.

If you want to kick more butt in Top Echelon’s recruiting network and make more split placements, 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.

The month of July might just be our biggest anniversary month in terms of numbers! That’s because we have some long-standing members who have made a TON of placements.

But don’t believe me with my flowing and semi-elegant words. Let’s allow the numbers to do all the talking.

We’re recognizing eight Network agencies this month. These eight agencies have:

• Been in TE’s recruiting network for a combined 175 years.
• Combined for 772 placements.
• Combined for $6,767,969 cash-in through the Network.

Network success . . . by the numbers

As you might expect, we have firms celebrating big anniversaries in terms of tenure. In fact, we have two 25-year anniversaries, two 24-year anniversaries, two 23-year anniversaries, and one 21-year anniversary. That’s seven anniversaries of at least 20 years!

And the recruiters associated with these agencies have made a lot of placements and a lot of money through their split recruiting efforts. In fact, July could also be the most prosperous anniversary month in Top Echelon’s recruiter network.

For all of these reasons, we’d like to congratulate every agency and recruiter listed below. They have made innumerable contributions to the success of our split network. We would not be where we are today without their efforts and the efforts of other agencies just like them.

(Editor’s note: Top Echelon recognizes firms celebrating five, 10, 15, and 20-year Network anniversaries, plus any firm celebrating an anniversary in excess of 20 years.)

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25-Year Anniversary

Bio Partners Search Group, LLC
Staff Members: Fred Kaplan; Bill Lennon, CPC; Mike Hassell, Todd Porter; and Tim Oliver, CPC
Agency Join Date: July 1, 1992
Placements: 48
Career cash-in: $506,642

Corporate Resources, LLC in Cincinnati, Ohio
Staff Members: Jack Better, CPC; Tom Heeney, CPC; Dan Winters, CPC; Carol Brinkman; Chris Ramsay, CPC; Suzy Turnpaugh; and Cindy Andrew Cordell, CPC
Agency Join Date: July 17, 1992
Placements: 240
Career cash-in: $2,036,841

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24-Year Anniversary

Newman-Johnson-King, Inc. & A H Justice Search Consultants
Staff Members: Jack King
Agency Join Date: July 2, 1993
Placements: 69
Career cash-in: $489,753

The Butlers Company in Clearwater, Florida
Staff Members: Kirby Butler, Carla Zinn, and Judith Crenshaw
Agency Join Date: July 6, 1993
Placements: 27
Career cash-in: $255,460

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23-Year Anniversary

Miami Professional Search, LLC in Piqua, Ohio
Staff Members: Lloyd Shoemaker
Agency Join Date: July 21, 1994
Placements: 44
Career cash-in: $428,872

Affinity Executive Search in Hollywood, Florida
Staff Members: Steve Kohn, Sara Kohn, and Leah Kohn
Agency Join Date: July 28, 1994
Placements: 265
Career cash-in: $2,238,848

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21-Year Anniversary

Barcus Associates in Van Alstyne, Texas
Staff Members: Carolyn Barcus and Keith Laursen
Agency Join Date: July 25, 1996
Placements: 37
Career cash-in: $392,786

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10-Year Anniversary

Career Development Partners in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Staff Members: Travis Jones, Reinhold Betsch, Mike Duke, Christina Federline, Greta Guimond, Cindy Jabaay, Trey Bowen, Courtney Oliver, Doris De Guia, Shajitha Esther, Solomon Ashok, and Jackie Smith
Agency Join Date: July 25, 2007
Placements: 42
Career cash-in: $418,767

Direct hire recruiting is a study in peaks and valleys. Getting that large direct hire placement fee after putting your blood, sweat, and tears into a placement is definitely a peak. However, it comes with the deep valleys of direct hire dry spells, those times when you lay awake worrying about the chance of a fall-off or whether a candidate will accept a job offer. But what about contract money?

By simply adding contract staffing services to your business model, you can generate consistent recruiter income to sustain you during the valleys. With contract staffing, you are paid for every hour your contractors work. Rather than receiving payment in one lump sum check like you do with direct placements, you are paid on a weekly or monthly basis over the course of the contract assignment.

Below are five things that contract money can do for YOU:

#1 — Peace of mind

Worrying about when your next direct hire check is coming can negatively impact every aspect of your life. The worry invades your free time and can affect your relationships. No matter how many placements you made the previous month, you always start the next month back at square one. With contracting in your back pocket, you have peace of mind knowing you will have the money to cover your overhead. Since you don’t have to worry so much about when the direct hire placements are coming, you can enjoy your work and life again.

#2 — A recession-proof business

Hopefully, you won’t have to worry about a recession for awhile, but history tells us we will have another one sooner or later. Recessions are when stress hits a fever pitch for recruiters. They are also the time when contract staffing can become a lifeline for recruiting firms. While direct hires bottom out during a recession, contract assignments tend to increase because companies still need to get work done. Your contract income can give you enough to at least cover your overhead. You may even be able to completely make up lost direct hire placement income by taking on more contract placements. For many recruiters, contract staffing was the difference between going out of business and riding out the Great Recession.

#3 — A REAL vacation

When was the last time you took a real vacation without being chained to your laptop and cell phone? Or how about just one full day off? If you’re like many direct hire recruiters, it’s been awhile. After all, you can’t afford not to be available if a direct hire placement should come through. When you have contractors, you’re earning money for every hour they work, even when you aren’t working. So go ahead and take a day off in the middle of week. Take your family to the beach for a week. Clients and candidates love contract staffing because it provides flexibility. Contract staffing can do the same for you.

#4 — The ability to be selective

Some of the best recruiters we know are successful in part because they maintain a select group of clients and only work job orders that they know are good business. How can they afford to be so picky? Because they know they will still have money coming in from their contractors even if they don’t make direct hire placements.

#5 — A contract money exit strategy

Whether you want to switch careers in five years or you’re planning to recruit until you’re 80, you may need or want to sell your firm someday. The consistent income your contractors generate for your firm makes it much more attractive to buyers than a firm that only has a name and a list of direct hire clients to sell.

Earning this consistent recruiter income is EASY. Placing contractors is more similar to direct hire than you think. That’s especially the case if you utilize a recruitment back office service to handle the employment of the contractors. You get the job order, you recruit the candidate, and you negotiate the rates. The contract staffing back-office handles all the legal, financial, and administrative aspects of the contract placements. You can start accepting contract staffing job orders immediately. All you have to do is let your current clients know that you have the ability to place contractors.

Don’t lose sleep over when your next placement check is coming in. Reap the peaks of recruiting without the stress of the valleys by adding contract staffing solutions to your business model. And earn that contract money!

For more information, download our Quick-Start Guide to Contract Staffing. Or request a demo from one of our contract staffing specialists.