Top Echelon Network is, of course, based on networking. In fact, you could even say that the Network was a social network for recruiters before social networking became so popular.

Meanwhile, Facebook is the premier social networking website. (That’s what Facebook keeps telling us, anyway.) And while recruiters spend quite a bit of time in LinkedIn, which is the professional networking website, Facebook is always the go-to site for personal networking . . . i.e., social networking.

And that’s why the combination of Top Echelon Network and Facebook recruitment works so well! When you think about it, it’s similar to the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. And today (Wednesday, October 28) is National Chocolate Day. And who doesn’t love a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, besides the people who are allergic to chocolate, peanut butter, or both?

Where was I? Yes, Top Echelon’s recruiting network and Facebook—networking is the cornerstone for both, and that’s why we love combining them.

There are a number of photo albums on the Top Echelon Facebook Fan Page, many of them dealing with our annual National Convention and Fall Conference. However, to this point, we haven’t had one specifically reserved for recruiter networking, face-to-face recruiter networking, when possible.

For example, the photo at the top of this blog post qualifies even though no face-to-face networking occurs in the photo. However, the networking did occur at the “Networking on the FARM” event held at the Hemminger Farm this past August.

In the above photo, Maria Hemminger and Joanna Spaun of MJ Recruiters hold a gift basket sent to them by Greta Guimond of Career Development Partners. Guimond attended the “Networking on the FARM” event and wanted to show her appreciation.

Browse Our “Recruiter Networking” Photo Album!

If you have a photo of you networking with another recruiter—face-to-face or otherwise—send email it to marketing@topechelon.com, along with information regarding the circumstances surrounding the photo.

As you can imagine, we want to make this photo album as big as we possibly can, but of course, we need your help. Networking with other Top Echelon recruiters and send us your photos!

(Oh, and make some split placements, too . . . just sayin’.)

It does NOT matter how long you’ve been a recruiter, and it does NOT matter how long you’ve been a Top Echelon member . . . it’s ALWAYS a great time to make your first split placement with another recruiter!

The batch of splits we have in this installment of “‘Comments’ and Compliments” illustrates that perfectly, and it does so with the following case studies:

#1—Charter Member

Steve Brody of Executive Resource Systems is a Charter Member of Top Echelon Network, which means he joined during the Network’s first year of existence (1988). Since that time, Brody has made over 100 placments in Top Echelon.

However, that did not stop him from making his first split placement with another recruiter. That recruiter, Jana Haugh, is part of Chicago Search Group, which has been part of Top Echelon since 2008. While the placement below represents the first one that the two of them have made together, they’ve already made a second split!

#2—Top Producers

Sean Napoles, CPC of Career Brokers, Inc. has been a top producer since almost the moment he became a Top Echelon Network member back 15 years ago. He’s made over 200 placements in Top Echelon, and his career cash-in total in TE is more than $2 million.

Napoles recently made his first Network split with Bill Kubena of Kubena & Associates, who’s been a top producer in 2015 and was named the Recruiter of the Week in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog earlier this year. Napoles has been in the Network for 15 years, while Kubena has been a member just for two years, but they’re both top producers who have made their first split together.

This is one of the great things about membership in Top Echelon Network. You can ALWAYS make your first split placement with another recruiter. Perhaps that recruiter recently joined the Network. Maybe they’ve been in the Network for quite a while, but your paths have never crossed until now.

Making multiple splits with the recruiters in your current core groups is great, but always look for the opportunity to make your first split placement with another recruiter!

— — —

Steve Brody

Jana Haugh

“Jana and her team at Chicago Search Group did a great job in sourcing this candidate, checking references, and helping me close the deal.”

Submitted by Steve Brody of Executive Resource Systems regarding his Network split placements with Jana Haugh of Chicago Search Group

Position Title—ASSURANCE SENIOR

Fee Percentage—25%

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

— — —

Sean Napoles, CPC

Bill Kubena

“Sean, thanks so much for sending over Bill Wilson. We appreciate your efforts in getting our job out there so quickly. Let’s see if we can knock out another split soon!”

Submitted by Bill Kubena of Kubena & Associates regarding his Network split placement with Sean Napoles, CPC of Career Brokers, Inc.

Position Title—MANUFACTURING ENGINEER

Fee Percentage—20%

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

— — —

Larry Barlow

Clay Abbott

“John was instrumental in getting the candidate on board with this job. It was a first working with John and a real pleasure.”

Submitted by Larry Barlow of Tax Advantage Personnel, Inc. regarding his Network split placement with John Clay Abbott of KINGDOM Search Group

Position Title—TAX ANALYST

Fee Percentage—25%

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

Sean Napoles, CPC of Career Brokers, Inc. reached a milestone in Top Echelon Network recently. That milestone? His 15-year anniversary.

Career Brokers joined Top Echelon Network as a member firm on October 18, 2000. Sean made his first split placement in the Network 19 days later on November 6!

Then Sean made five TE splits in 2001 and 12 splits in 2002. The rest, as they say, is history. (Whoever they are.) Sean has posted double-digit split placement totals in the Network every year since, with the exception of 2009 at the beginning of The Great Recession . . . when he made nine splits.

And now, Sean Napoles is a $2 Million Producer in Top Echelon Network!

He reached that plateau recently, making him the second recruiter in TE history to do so. The other recruiter, of course, is Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group, who’s now close to $3 million cash-in for his Top Echelon career.

Sean Napoles, CPC

As you might imagine, Sean has earned Recruiter of the Week laurels in the past. In The Pinnacle blog post in which we announced this status, we listed six reasons why he had earned it:

1. His production
2. His consistency
3. His commitment to quality
4. His split-minded attitude
5. His belief in the Top Echelon Network system
6. His willingness to invest in relationships

None of these six things have changed. In fact, Sean might possibly be the most consistent producer in the history of Top Echelon Network. He’s an old-school split placement machine who has high standards for his trading partners and higher standards for himself.

At this point, there is absolutely no indication that the split placement machine is going to slow down soon, and we look forward to having Sean in the Network for many years to come. He’s a model Top Echelon member, and we’re both proud and pleased to have him represent the Network.

Congratulations to Sean Napoles from everybody at Top Echelon!

At Top Echelon, we advocate working with multiple trading partners as a member of the Network. That’s the best approach for creating activity and making more split placements.

But how many trading partners do Network recruiters typically work with? Well, the best way to find out is to go straight to the source . . . with our weekly Members’ Area poll!

The questions that we posed was as follows:

How many Network recruiters do you work with on a regular basis?

Results:

The choice of answers that were offered is listed below, along with the percentage of recruiters that selected each answer:

• One or two — 26.6%
• Three or four — 43.6%
• Five or six — 20.2%
• Seven or eight — 2.1%
• More than eight — 7.4%

Analysis:

The most popular answer among poll participants was “three or four” at 43.6%, while “one or two” was second at 26.6%. Interestingly, though, “five or six” was right behind in third place with 20.2% of the vote.

The numbers “fall off the cliff,” so to speak after that, as only 2.1% of respondents indicated that they work with “seven or eight” other Network recruiters. However, the numbers climb back up after that, with “more than eight” garnering 7.4% of the vote.

The only unknown regarding these results is how many Top Echelon members work with just one other Network recruiter and how many work with two. Splitting the first answer right down the middle would put each at 13.3% . . . but that’s certainly an unsophisticated way of determining the results.

Conclusion:

The “sweet spot” when it comes to working with other Top Echelon members is apparently between three and six other Network recruiters. Almost 64% of poll participants indicated that they fall with those parameters.

Based upon what we’ve seen within the Network during the past 27 years, working with between three and six other recruiters on a regular basis is an excellent way to maximize your membership, leverage your resources more effectively, and generate more revenue in the form of split placements.

However, there’s no limit on the amount of recruiters which whom you can work. After all, over 7% of respondents work with more than eight other recruiters. When it comes to trading partners and making split placements as a result of those relationships, more really IS merrier.

How many Network recruiters do you work with on a regular basis? Are you in the “sweet spot”? Or do you need to add to your stable of trading partners?

If you’re interested in becoming more active in the Network and working with more recruiters, contact Top Echelon Director of Network Operations Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS at 330.455.1433, x156.