What’s in short supply in the marketplace right now?

Quality candidates, of course!

That’s been the case for quite some time now. Despite whatever it is that’s happening with the economy right now (is it bad, is it good, is it anything?), top candidates are still in demand by companies that want to hire them.

In fact, they’re SO much in demand that recruiters don’t have enough of them in their databases. As a result, Top Echelon Network recruiters are at a decided advantage because they can rely upon their trading partners to provide even more quality candidates.

And in many cases, those candidates are the right candidates, the candidates that companies want to hire.

What does that mean? Cha-ching! A placement fee—a recruiter’s best friend!

The reason we run this feature in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog is because it’s one of the most popular features in the newsletter. Recruiters love getting the candidate they need to fill a job order from a trading partner, they love getting the placement check, they even love splitting that check, and they definitely love complimenting their trading partner for a job well done.

Right now, it’s ALL about the candidates . . . and there is more than ample evidence that Top Echelon Network recruiters are providing quality candidates for tough searches.

Three more exhibits of evidence are located below. Are you leveraging the resources of your trading partners to source great candidates and make more placements? If not, you should be. You’re missing out on the fun and money of Network membership.

To find out how and for more information, contact Director of Network Operations Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS at 330.455.1433, x156 or via email at drea@topechelon.com.

Congratulations to everybody who made placements this week!

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Colleen Switala

Donna Carroll, CPC

“Way to go, Colleen!  You really have a knack for identifying quality candidates—even for tough searches.  Thanks!”

Submitted by Donna Carroll, CPC of Systems Personnel regarding her Network split placement with Colleen Switala of Database Search, Inc.

Position Title—VB DEVELOPER-HEALTHCARE PROJECTS

Fee Percentage—22%

(Editor’s note: This is the seventh Network split placement that Carroll and Switala have made together in Top Echelon.)

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Michael Stuck

Cynthia Woods

“Cynthia is such a great trading partner.  We have been working together for a long time now, and we finally got our first split together.  This was the candidate Cynthia sent to me, and they made him an offer right on the spot.  Let’s just say not all of our interviews went this smoothly, so it’s a breath of fresh air when one does.  I look forward to many more splits now that we got the first one.”

Submitted by Michael Stuck of Gables Search Group regarding his Network split placement with Cynthia Woods of Woods & Paolino Recruiting Solutions

Position Title—PHP DEVELOPER

Fee Percentage—25%

(Editor’s note: This is the first split placement that Stuck and Woods have made together in Top Echelon.)

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Mark Udulutch, CPC

Trey Cameron

“Trey’s magical website did it again.  He came up with a talented candidate who promises to be a great talent for our client.”

Submitted by Mark Udulutch of Markent Personnel regarding her Network split placement with Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group

Position Title—CNC PROGRAMMER

Fee Percentage—25%

(Editor’s note: This is the first Network split placement that Udulutch and Cameron have made together in Top Echelon.)

As I mentioned in last week’s issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, we’re adding contract staffing to our offering of FREE Training Tuesday webinars . . . and we’re ready for the first webinar in that series!

That webinar is titled, “Easy Steps for Getting Started in Contract Staffing,” and it’s scheduled for 1 p.m., EST on Tuesday, July 28.

Below is the official description of the event, as well as the link for registering for the webinar.  (Top Echelon uses GoToWebinar for its free recruiter training sessions):

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Have you ever wondered exactly what’s involved with making contract placements?  What you need, what you should do, and how you get paid?

Well, Top Echelon Contract Staffing Specialist Lisa Kovac has answers to these questions and more in our first Training Tuesday webinar about contract staffing!  That webinar is titled “Easy Steps for Getting Started in Contract Staffing,” and it’s scheduled for July 28 at 1 p.m., Eastern Time.

During this webinar, Lisa will address the following:

• Which candidates to target for contract positions
• Who to ask about contract positions at the client
• Which questions to ask the client
• You have a contract job order . . . now what?

Join Lisa on July 28 at 1 p.m., Eastern Time and find out “How to Get Started in Contract Staffing”!

Register for ‘Easy Steps for Getting Started in Contract Staffing’

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Remember, Top Echelon also offers FREE recruiter training sessions as part of our “Coaching Series” webinars.  These webinars are scheduled for the first Tuesday of every month.

Check the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog for information regarding future sessions and also check out our library of past webinar videos!

We recently conducted a poll of Top Echelon Network recruiters by posting a question in the Members’ Area.

That question was as follows:

How tough are client negotiations right now compared to a few years ago?

Results:

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

• A LOT tougher — 7.9%
• A little tougher — 29.7%
• About the same — 48.5%
• A little easier — 11.9%
• A LOT easier — 2.0%

Analysis:

There were few mildly surprising aspects about the results of this poll, starting with the fact that 11.9% of participants indicated that client negotiations are “a little easier” than they’ve been.  Not only that, but another 2.0% were the opinion that negotiations are “a LOT easier.”

In addition, 48.5% of recruiters chose “about the same” as their answer.  One might think that number would be higher.

On the flip side of the coin, 29.7% indicated that negotiations are “a little tougher” and 7.9% selected “a LOT tougher” from the answers offered.  While the economy appears to be good overall, challenges still do exist.

Conclusion:

Overall, the state of the recruiting industry is a positive one. Job orders are up, and there appears to be a sense of urgency on the part of companies to find and hire the best talent available in the marketplace.

More importantly, there’s also a willingness on the part of organizations to PAY recruiters for their ability to find and recruit this talent.  However, the manner in which they pay them varies from company to company—and that manner can change from year to year.

Based on the results of this poll, despite the positive state of the economy and the recruiting industry, overall client negotations are getting tougher for recruiters.  Not by a lot, mind you, but enough to be noticeable.

As for those recruiters who are finding it easier to negotiate with clients?  They apparently work in an industry or niche that’s currently experiencing a glaring lack of talent, which means that companies have very little leverage with which to negotiate.

Either that, or the recruiters are providing value above and beyond their clients’ wildest expectations.  Or perhaps it’s both.