We usually name a Recruiter of the Month and a Recruiter of the Week in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog. We haven’t named a Recruiting Firm of the Week . . . until now.

That’s because 10 years ago today—on August 4, 2005—MJ Recruiters, LLC in Tiffin, Ohio joined Top Echelon as a Preferred Member firm. (Back in the day, we had both Preferred Member firms and Affiliate Member firms.)

So that means today is the firm’s 10th anniversary in Top Echelon Network, and what a 10 years it has been! MJ Recruiters has made a total of 121 placements in Top Echelon during that 10-year span, a healthy average of over 12 placements per year.

Maria Hemminger has made 101 of those 121 placements, while Joanna Spaun has made the other 20. However, both Maria and Jo play integral roles within the firm, each executing their roles to perfection, especially in regards to their activity in the Network.

We’ve publicized their exploits before in the blog post “5 Reasons MJ Recruiters is the Perfect Split Placement Agency.” This article provides the blueprint for what it takes to be successful as a member firm in Top Echelon Network.

That, in a nutshell, is why MJ Recruiters is the Recruiting Firm of the Week. Not just because they’re celebrating an anniversary, but because they recognize what’s necessary to be successful in TE and they’re willing to do what’s necessary to be successful.

MJ Recruiters is indisputable proof that the Top Echelon system works for those recruiters who are committed to the system and willing to make the appropriate investment of time, energy, and effort.

Maria and Jo have received a sizeable return on their investment, they’ve made a LOT of friends along the way, and if there was ever a Top Echelon Hall of Fame (and who knows, maybe one day there will be), they would definitely be in it.

So congratulations to MJ Recruiters . . . on their anniversary and on being named the Recruiting Firm of the Week in TE.

Here’s to 10 more years and another 121 placements!

Do you need to be a member of Top Echelon Network for years to enjoy success in the Network? Absolutely not.

In fact, you don’t even have to be in the recruiting industry for years to enjoy success!

Case (study) in point: the recent split placement between Al Daum of Alan N. Daum & Associates, Inc. and Caleb Heussner of Automationtechies.com.

Heussner, fresh out of college, joined Automationtechies.com as a recruiter on June 15 . . . and less than two months later, he made a split placement with a recruiter (Daum) who started recruiting in 1976 and joined the Network in 1999.

It should be noted that Alan N. Daum & Associates and Automationtechies.com have made many splits in the past, since they both work heavily with Process Control Engineers and Automation Engineers. As he often does, Daum posted one of his job orders to the Network—a Process Control Engineer.

Caleb Heussner

At Automationtechnies.com, Heussner was given that order to fill. “It was my first job that was assigned as my own, with no other inside recruiter working on it,” he said. “It was also my first job from TE.”

Heussner began to source candidates, and he eventually uncovered a viable one through searching online. To his surprise, it was a candidate of which Daum was not aware. “It seemed rare, since Al knows just about every engineer,” Heussner said with a laugh.

Heussner reached out to the candidate and conducted a thorough phone screen to ensure that she was a good fit for the position. Then he forwarded her resume and any applicable notes to Daum.

“Al handled the rest,” said Heussner. “He was great to work with, always giving me updates on where our candidate was in the process and when her interviews were.”

Al Daum

As far as Daum was concerned, he didn’t even know that Heussner was working at Automationtechies.com. He had been working on filling the Process Control Engineer position for two months, but to no avail. He’d set up a face-to-face interview, but that was as far as it went.

“I received an email from Caleb with a candidate for the job,” said Daum. “I spoke that night with the candidate and submitted her to my client. Two weeks later, we have an offer and acceptance. Way to go, Caleb!”

Heussner started work on June 15. His candidate starts work on August 17. As a result, Automationtechnies.com and Alan N. Daum & Associates will split a $22,500 placement fee.

Once again, this is a split placement recruiter story with a happy ending.

It’s also more proof that it doesn’t matter who you are, how much experience you have in recruiting, or how long you’ve been in the Network—you CAN enjoy quick success as a Top Echelon member.

We love to recognize Top Echelon recruiters for milestones that they’ve reached within the Network, and there’s no bigger milestone than making 100 placements. (Unless, of course, you make . . . 200 placements.)

Regardless, only a handful of Network members have reached the 100-placement plateau, and we make it a point to publicize their milestone in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog. And you guessed it: yet another member has reached that milestone!

Actually, there was no doubt that Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC was going to make 100 placements in Top Echelon Network. It was simply a matter of when, not if.

In fact, Maria has already surpassed the mark, recently making her 101^st Network placement for good measure. However, it should be pointed out that if asked, Maria would absolutely share the credit for her placement numbers with the rest of the MJ Recruiters staff, especially business partner and fellow TE member Joanna Spaun.

I had the privilege of visiting the MJ Recruiters office recently to see their placement process and how they approach their membership in Top Echelon Network. Needless to say, I was very impressed with their firm, their personnel, their attitude, their passion for recruiting, and their eagerness to make split placements with other TE recruiters.

It might be just a coincidence (or it might not be), but MJ Recruiters is celebrating its 10^th anniversary as a member firm in Top Echelon Network on August 4.

So congratulations to Maria Hemminger, Joanna Spaun, and everybody at MJ Recruiters!

— — —

Maria Hemminger

Sean Napoles, CPC

“This is our first placement with Sean! Thank you, Sean, for working our opening in beautiful Lima, Ohio! Your website was able to source a local, well-qualified candidate. We look forward to celebrating in Chicago.”

Submitted by Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC regarding her Network split placement with Sean Napoles, CPC of Career Brokers, Inc.

Position Title—SENIOR PROGRAMMER ANALYST

Fee Percentage—25%

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

— — —

Doug Boyce

“Doug does a great job of sending Joanna and I entry-level engineering candidates. This is our second split with Doug since last December. Keep sending those fresh engineering grads, Doug!”

Submitted by Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC regarding her Network split placement with Doug Boyce of J.D. Cotter Search, Inc.

Position Title—PRODUCTION ENGINEER

Fee Percentage—25%

(Editor’s note: This is the third Network split placement that Hemminger and Boyce have made together in Top Echelon.)

If you’ve been in the business for any length of time, you have recruiter stories. Unfortunately, some of those stories could be categorized in the “horror” genre.

However, in Top Echelon Network, we have plenty of recruiter stories with happy endings. That’s because making placements that you might not have made otherwise is an excellent reason to be happy!

But it doesn’t stop there. There are also different circumstances that contribute to recruiters’ happiness in a split placement situation. Below are three such circumstances:

1. Making the first split placement with a trading partner after many attempts to do so
2. Enjoying a professional collaboration that makes the process smoother and more satisfying
3. Watching as a placement happens more quickly than one imagined it would

And these are just a few of the ways that split placements result in recruiter stories with happy endings. A Network member can experience all of these endings (and more) in Top Echelon. All it takes is one of The Four Pillars of the Network—Active Participation.

Once again, these stories happen every week in Top Echelon, and we’re eager to publicize and promote them to other Network recruiters.

After all, we want everybody to be happy!

To find out how YOU can be happy, 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!

— — —

Anjela Mangrum

Steve Kohn

“Anjela is a great trading partner and was cheerfully there when needed to help with gathering additional information and checking references. It’s always a pleasure doing business with her, and I hope we’ll have some more to celebrate together soon!”

Submitted by Steve Kohn of Affinity Executive Search regarding his Network split placement with Anjela Mangrum of Mangrum Career Solutions, LLC

Position Title—TECHNICIAN – POWER ELECTRICS

Fee Percentage—25%

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

— — —

Michael Stuck

Michael Petras

“Michael and I have been working on making a split together since 2012, when he first submitted a CEO candidate to me for one of my jobs. Back then, that candidate didn’t turn into a placement, but three years later, we made a split with an entry-level candidate. We may have gone from the top of the mountain in terms of placement fees to the bottom, but in terms of making splits, we finally got one and it feels good. So nice working with you and to see a placement finally go our way.”

Submitted by Michael Stuck of Gables Search Group regarding his Network split placement with Michael Petras of Lodestar Executive Search, LLC

Position Title—IT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

Fee Percentage—20%

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

— — —

Trey Cameron

Rowe Henderson

“This was a great candidate who interviewed twice within a week, was made an offer, and accepted on the same day! This was a tremendous replacement for a fall-off, so the timing was perfect. Thanks, Trey, for a great candidate!”

Submitted by Rowe Henderson of Rowe Henderson & Associates regarding his Network split placement with Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group

Position Title—FOCUS OPERATIONS MANAGER

Fee Percentage—25%

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