Welcome to another installment of the Recruiter of the Week in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog!

You know the rules. There isn’t a Recruiter of the Week every week, but most weeks. And then, of course, there are the selection process guidelines. Where are you, selection process guidelines? Oh, there you are:

The selection process for the Recruiter of the Week Award is based upon multiple criteria, including production within Top Echelon Network, adherence to the Network Policies and Golden Rules, the spirit of networking that the recruiter displays while interacting with other members, and the level of commitment that the recruiter exhibits in regards to their Network membership overall. The Recruiter of the Week is a true embodiment of The Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network—Quality, Communication, Trust, and Active Participation.

Our new Recruiter of the Week recently hit a milestone. He made his 40th split placement in Top Echelon Network. That recruiter’s name is Justin Bidwell of Bidwell & Associates, LLC!

Justin started in the recruiting profession in 2001. Bidwell & Associates joined the Network in February of 2010. (Happy early anniversary, Justin.)

Since his agency joined the Network, Justin has been a consistent producer, churning out multiple placements just about every year. As an example, he made five TE splits in 2015, eight in 2016, six last year, and seven so far this year.

Justin Bidwell: the secrets to his success

However, we wanted Justin to say a few words about the success that he’s enjoyed in TE. This is what he had to say:

“Me?! Recruiter of the week?! Wow! Lots of attention. I’ve been hiding in the weeds here on Top Echelon for the last few years quietly sending resumes to network members. I don’t see myself successful yet within the network, but my goal is to have a pretty yellow star next to my name some day. If only the recruiters above me would slow down so I can catch up. Naw, in all seriousness, I’m honored to be a part of this network. I look up to every recruiter on here given their success and professionalism. After the years I’ve learned a lot by what each recruiter on TE looks for and expects, which has made this network more fun.

“In recent years, I’ve made sure to look at the job alerts every morning and see if I can help, and changed my mindset that everyone on TE here are the same as clients, and hopefully I’m sending the best qualified candidates.

“The question was, “How I’ve experienced success on the network?” That’s easy, cheers! There’s a lot of heartbreak within this network too as well as we all know. I wonder how many sad face stars I would have by my name with fall-offs or counter offers? Ha! Everyone on here experiences the ups-and-downs of this crazy business, but that’s what makes us persevere.

“I know I need to get to a convention soon and meet all of you, but the reason why I haven’t made it yet is..I travel A LOT. I’m currently in Ecuador, but within the last year I’ve worked from Minneapolis (my home base), Spain, France, Italy, San Diego, Cancun, back to Minneapolis, and now back in Ecuador. I always return emails and phone calls, so no worries!

“Salud!”

Justin’s Top Echelon trading partners routinely compliment him when submitting Completed Placement Forms. In fact, we have one such compliment below regarding a recent split placement.

So congratulations to Justin Bidwell for his production and success in the Network and for being named Recruiter of the Week!

— — —

“Justin really knows and understand the type of Engineers we work with. He saw our ad go up and sent me this candidate immediately. The candidate interviewed but was looking for a different level of position that my client did not have back in May, however the position she wanted just came up this week and she was still available and we were able to secure her position with my client. Thank you Justin for keeping an eye out on our Jobs an submitting such a nice candidate!”

Submitted by Cindy Szajkovics, CPC of Bulldog Recruiters, Inc. regarding her Network split placement with Justin Bidwell of Bidwell & Associates, LLC

Position Title—SENIOR ELECTRICAL ENGINEER

Fee Percentage—Flat

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

No, you don’t need binoculars to check out this week’s split placements in Top Echelon Network. That’s because they’re listed below.

And once again, we have a bunch of splits! As we’ve chronicled during the past two weeks (specifically, here and here), split placements have been on the rise in our recruiting network lately. And we’re happy to report that the deals continue to flow. Not quite like hot fudge and caramel in the Land of Dairy Queen, but close, people . . . close.

The check IS in the mail

Remember, we list splits in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog once the placements are complete. In other words, once the check is in the mail. In this case, though, there are multiple checks involved:

• The check that the client writes for the job order recruiter
• The check that the job order recruiter writes for the candidate recruiter
• And of course, the check that the job order recruiter writes for Top Echelon (6% brokerage fee)

So the checks really are in the mail! And that is plenty of reason to celebrate. So congratulations to all of the recruiters listed below and everybody else who’s made at least one split in our recruiter network in 2018.

May we enjoy many more before the end of the year!

This Week’s TE Split Placements

— — —

Job recruiter: Pat McGue of Mackie Search, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Trey Cameron of Cameron Craig Group

Job title: MANUFACTURING ENGINEER

Fee percentage: 20%

Action causing split placement: Network Jobs Feed

— — —

Job recruiter: Shree Kumar of Max Populi, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Darcy Morgan of GoRecruitMe

Job title: NEUROSURGERY SENIOR ADVISOR

Fee percentage: 20%

Action causing split placement: Offline communication with a member

— — —

Job recruiter: Cathy George, CPC of C.G. & Company

Candidate recruiter: Trey Cameron of Cameron Craig Group

Job title: CIVIL/STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

Fee percentage: 25%

Action causing split placement: Network Jobs Feed

— — —

Job recruiter: Jeff Katz of JSK Recruiting

Candidate recruiter: Matt Scheihing of J. Miles Personnel Services

Job title: PRODUCTION MANAGER

Fee percentage: 20%

Action causing split placement: Offline communication with a member

— — —

Job recruiter: Michael Agen of New Solutions Group, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Christopher Painter of Provexus

Job title: RN HOME CARE CASE MANAGER

Fee percentage: 17%

Action causing split placement: Offline communication with a member

— — —

Job recruiter: Doug Boyce of Priority One Search

Candidate recruiter: Steve Kohn of Affinity Executive Search

Job title: LEAD AUDITOR

Fee percentage: 20%

Action causing split placement: Network Jobs Feed

— — —

Job recruiter: Steve Schroeder of Stratus Staffing

Candidate recruiter: Brian McMahon of Brian McMahon & Associates

Job title: CLINICAL SUPERVISOR

Fee percentage: 10%

Action causing split placement: Offline communication with a member

— — —

Job recruiter: Steve Moore of J. D. Cotter Search, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Gary Schultz of Work 22, Inc.

Job title: SANITATION MANAGER

Fee percentage: 25%

Action causing split placement: Offline communication with a member

— — —

Job recruiter: Keith Cornelison of Personnel Resources

Candidate recruiter: Trey Cameron of Cameron Craig Group

Job title: MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIST/MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNICIAN

Fee percentage: 25%

Action causing split placement: Offline communication with a member

— — —

Job recruiter: Cynthia Strzelecki of Spyglass Search, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Ryan Fitzpatrick of Integritas Search

Job title: HR MANAGER

Fee percentage: 20%

Action causing split placement: Offline communication with a member

— — —

Job recruiter: Matt Allred of The Allred Group

Candidate recruiter: Deb North of True North Consulting, LLC

Job title: DIRECTOR OF RISK MANAGEMENT

Fee percentage: 20%

Action causing split placement: Offline communication with a member

— — —

Job recruiter: Adam Franklin of TradeLink Solutions

Candidate recruiter: Trey Cameron of Cameron Craig Group

Job title: ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER

Fee percentage: 20%

Action causing split placement: Network Jobs Feed

— — —

Job recruiter: Adam Franklin of TradeLink Solutions

Candidate recruiter: Trey Cameron of Cameron Craig Group

Job title: SUPERINTENDENT

Fee percentage: 20%

Action causing split placement: Network Jobs Feed

— — —

Job recruiter: Jeff Katz of JSK Recruiting

Candidate recruiter: Tom Bower of J.D. Cotter Search, Inc.

Job title: SENIOR MAINTENANCE MECHANIC

Fee percentage: Flat

Action causing split placement: Offline communication with a member

— — —

Job recruiter: Michael Agen of New Solutions Group, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Hety Skyler of Sky Search

Job title: RN SALES HOME INFUSION

Fee percentage: 20%

Action causing split placement: Offline communication with a member

Time flies when you’re having fun. And what could be more fun than the 2018 Top Echelon Network Fall Conference?

Speaking of time, it’s getting short if you want to sign up for the conference before the end of Regular Registration. But before we get to that, let me reiterate that attending the conference could be a pivotal point in your Network membership.

That’s because TE recruiters who have attended our recruiter networking events rarely see their membership in the same way after those events are over. They have a better idea of what it takes to be successful in the Network. And you will, too, if you join us in Chicago next month.

Just the facts, man

Regular Registration will be over at the end of the business day on Monday, October 1. That’s next week!

The cost of Regular Registration is $295 per person. After Monday, the cost will increase to $325 per person during the Late Registration period.

Below are five additional facts about the Fall Conference:

1. This year’s conference is scheduled for Tuesday, October 16, and Wednesday, October 17.

2. The site of the conference is the Sheraton O’Hare Suites (formerly the Sheraton Gateway Suites).

3. Our room rate with the Sheraton O’Hare Suites is $189 per night. That rate is good for Top Echelon’s recruiting network members attending the conference for the dates of Monday, October 15, through Wednesday, October 17.

4. The Sheraton O’Hare Suites is located near the Chicago O’Hare Airport. A courtesy shuttle will be available for your transportation. Also keep in mind that you do NOT have to stay at the Sheraton O’Hare Suites. You also have the option of staying at any hotel of your choice and traveling to the Sheraton.

5. To make hotel reservations at the Sheraton O’Hare Suites, call 1.847.699.6300. Be sure to reference the “Top Echelon conference” and its dates when you make the reservation. Please note there are a limited number of rooms available at that rate for our group. The hotel will give them out on a first-come, first-served basis.

Regular Registration . . . going, going, GONE!

To register for the Fall Conference, login to the Members’ Area of the Top Echelon website. The registration links are located on the left-hand side of the main page under the placement forms.

There are relationships, not to mention more placements, waiting for you in Chicago. I’ve never had a Network member tell me that they regretted attended a Fall Conference or National Convention.

Like I said, attending can completely change the outlook you have about your Network membership. So attend, reap the benefits, and use that experience to make the rest of 2018 the best that it can be on your recruiting desk.

Register now before it’s too late!

If you outsource the back office for your contract placements, you probably do so in part to reduce your employment liability. But is your recruitment back office really doing everything it can to protect you from co-employment?

In general, co-employment is when more than one entity shares potential or actual employer responsibilities for an employee. All parties deemed to be co-employers of the contractor could share liability.

In a contract staffing situation, YOU could be considered to be a co-employer if the relationship between you, your back office, your client, and your candidate is not properly established.

The back office should become the legal W-2 employer of your contractors and assume ALL employment responsibility and liability. To ensure this, the back office should have contractual documents in place with both the end client and the candidate (contractor).

If not, they could be leaving the door to co-employment issues wide open.

Employment and back office duties

The master agreement between the back office and the end client should explicitly state that the back office is the legal employer of the contractor. It should spell out the responsibilities the back office will assume, such as the following:

• Payroll, including withholding and paying all applicable taxes
• Complying with all federal, state, and local laws, including:
  • Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
  • The Civil Rights Act of 1966
  • The Equal Pay Act
  • The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)
  • The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
  • Wage and hour laws
  • Family and medical leave laws
  • Military leave laws
  • Immigration and naturalization laws
• Offering Affordable Care Act-compliant benefits
• Carrying the proper insurance policies (Commercial General Liability, Professional Liability, etc.)
• Workers’ Compensation

Without this, the contractor’s employment could be left in question. You do NOT want a government agency or court to consider YOU to be the employer or a co-employer.

It is also important for the back office to have an employment agreement with the candidate/contractor. The contractor should acknowledge within the agreement that they are not, under any circumstance, the employee of the end client. The agreement should have them waive any right or claim to the end client’s benefits or compensation plans.

If you have any questions about co-employment or back office issues, give us a call at 888.627.3678.