Sometimes, the stars align perfectly, and that’s the case this week in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog. That’s because we have a Top Echelon Network recruiter who is:

• Celebrating her 10th anniversary as a Network member
• Celebrating her 100th Network placement
• The Recruiter of the Week in the Network!

In a recent Pinnacle blog post, we announced that Angela Marasco of A. Marasco Recruiting is celebrating her 10th anniversary in TE. However, the date that she joined the Network was November 14, 2007. So today is her exact anniversary!

Holding back the years

Angela also recently made her 100th Network placement. As luck would have it, that placement was with longtime split recruiting partner David M. Sgro, CPC of True North Consultants, Inc. Sgro has also made 100 placements in TE, and his 100th was with Angela. (How many more ways can the stars align?)

And Angela is also the Recruiter of the Week! Since Angela joined the Network, she has embraced its philosophy and has proactively pursued split placements. In other words, she has become a model Network recruiter in more ways than one:

• Like many of TE’s top producers, she is a split-minded recruiter. This means that she looks for opportunities to make splits instead of reasons not to.
• Angela makes it a point to attend Top Echelon recruiter networking events, and not just the big ones like the National Convention and the Fall Conference. She also attends smaller events like the Ohio Regional Core Group meeting.
• Not only does Angela make splits, but she’s also made contract staffing a viable part of her recruiting desk. In fact, she’s made numerous contract split placements within the Network.
• Angela adheres to the Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network, which are Quality, Communication, Trust, and Active Participation.

Trading partners AND friends!

We reached out to Angela recently, and she was good enough to provide some comments regarding her success in TE:

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“Wow, 10 years and 100 placements! With a mix of both direct hire and contract placements, working as an importer at times and exporter at others, I could not have done this without great trading partners. Big thanks to all of them!

“I started attending conferences and meetings immediately after joining the network. What I’ve gotten from these conferences has been invaluable to my business. As an independent recruiter, the TE Network is my way to stay in communication with other recruiters. I’ve learned so much from not only my trading partners, but also from the knowledge and experience that TE members so generously share with our Network. As a bonus, I have gained not only trading partners . . . but friends!”

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Congratulations to Angela for 10 years in the Network, for 100 placements, and for winning the Recruiter of the Week award! We want to thank her for her commitment to Top Echelon and her willingness to use our recruiting network tools to make more placements.

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David M. Sgro, CPC

Angela Marasco

“Thanks again, Angela. Keep sending me MPC candidates and we’ll keep placing them!”

Submitted by David M. Sgro, CPC of True North Consultants, Inc. regarding his Network split placement with Angela Marasco of A. Marasco Recruiting

Position Title—TEACHING ASSISTANT

Fee Percentage—25%

(Editor’s note: This is the eighth Network split placement that Angela and David have made together in Top Echelon.)

There are heavy hitters in this month’s list of recruiting agencies celebrating Network anniversaries! Sure, baseball season is over, but still . . . heavy hitters are always in season.

First and foremost, there’s Angela Marasco of A. Marasco Recruiting, LLC. Not only is she celebrating her 10th anniversary in TE, but she also recently celebrated her 100th TE placement. And Angela is just one of many heavy hitters listed below.

Heavy hitters: placements AND cash-in

That’s because you have Joe Papa of AMPS, Inc., who’s been in the Network since 1990. He’s made 74 placements.

Then you have Terry Rhodes of NewCareers. Terry is celebrating his 23rd year as a member of Top Echelon’s recruiting network. He’s made 147 placements in TE and also billed over $1 million, making him a member of an exclusive club. (Terry is perhaps the heaviest-hitting of the group.)

And last, but certainly not least, is Bob Millman of AutoPro Technical Recruiting. Bob has been in the Network for 21 years. He’s amassed 96 TE placements during that time and is also knocking on the $1 million door.

Recruiting is not an easy profession. Not only have these Network members persevered, but they’ve also enjoyed tremendous success. They’ve enjoyed success both within our split network and outside of it, as well.

We want to thank them for their loyalty and their commitment to Top Echelon Network down through the years. This recruiter network would not be where it is today without all that they—and other recruiters like them—have done.

(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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27-Year Anniversary

AMPS, Inc. in Liverpool, New York
Staff Members: Joseph F. Papa, CPC/CTS/PRC and Krystal Harmon-Burton
Agency Join Date: November 6, 1990
Placements: 76
Career cash-in: $222,424

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23-Year Anniversary

NewCareers in Harrisonburg, Virginia
Staff Members: Terry Rhodes and Mary Beth Rhodes
Agency Join Date: November 22, 1994
Placements: 149
Career cash-in: $1,180,955

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21-Year Anniversary

AutoPro Technical Recruiting in Oak Park, Michigan
Staff Members: Bob Millman
Agency Join Date: November 21, 1996
Placements: 104
Career cash-in: $946,499

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10-Year Anniversary

A. Marasco Recruiting, LLC in Bellbrook, Ohio
Staff Members: Angela Marasco
Agency Join Date: November 14, 2007
Placements: 119
Career cash-in: $479,796

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5-Year Anniversary

Alliance Technical Services in Beloit, Ohio
Staff Members: Michael Lesch, Molly Carver, and Ryan Klusch
Agency Join Date: November 15, 2012
Placements: 6
Career cash-in: $33,343

Paul Mitchell Group in Phoenix, Arizona
Staff Members: Brandi Smith, Michelle Leigh, Ellie Burgess, and Paul Cottle
Agency Join Date: November 20, 2012
Placements: 2
Career cash-in: $20,328

Anspire in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Staff Members: Phil Archer, Shane Allison, Chad Coleman, and Keath Storm
Agency Join Date: November 20, 2012
Placements: 0
Career cash-in: $0

Welcome back to our “Power of the Network” series of blog posts! There is a LOT of power in Top Echelon’s recruiting network. This week, that power takes the form of . . . expert candidate sourcing!

The only thing that recruiters love more than job orders are great candidates. That’s because you can’t make a placement (and earn a placement fee) without both.

That’s one of the many reasons why recruiters join a split network like ours. They want access to candidates that they don’t have. Or they want to build relationships with other recruiters who can conduct candidate sourcing to help them find who they need.

That happens to be the case with this week’s case study. The placement in question was between TE members Deb North of True North Consulting, LLC and Jamie Rule of JTR Recruiting/ TechConnect. Deb was the job order recruiter, and Jamie was the candidate recruiter.

Candidate sourcing at its finest

As you can see by Deb’s comments below, she was thrilled with Jamie’s candidate sourcing. He generated tremendous results, culminating in a successful placement. In fact, Jamie was so effective that he accounted for two of the three finalists for the position.

If you have a job order and you’re having difficulty finding the right candidates, rely on your Top Echelon recruiter network membership. After all, that’s what it’s for.

Reach out to other recruiters who work in your industry and/or niche. Tap into “The Power of the Network” and leverage the resources of other recruiters. It’s been a winning formula for almost 30 years!

If you’re looking to make more split placements in TE, then contact Top Echelon 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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Jamie Rule

Deb North

“If Jamie Rule says, ‘I have extra bandwidth, can I help you?’ then jump all over that! He is an awesome recruiter. This was so much more than simply forwarding me resumes from job boards. Jamie went and found me several good candidates for this opening. In fact, he had two of the three finalists. He worked really hard and was very patient with the process. Thank you, Jamie! I hope this is the first of many placements to come.”

Submitted by Deb North of True North Consulting, LLC regarding her Network split placement with Jamie Rule of JTR Recruiting/ TechConnect

Position Title—SENIOR SYSTEMS ADMIN/TEAM LEAD

Fee Percentage—15%

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

Remember one of our recent blog posts about winning in our split recruiting network even when you lose? Neither do we. That’s why we’re providing a link to that specific blog post HERE.

Winning in Top Echelon Network even when you think you’ve lost is not an uncommon occurrence. It happens all the time. In fact, we have another example of it in this week’s installment of “‘Comments’ and Compliments”!

Split recruiting network success

Once again, one of the split placements below helps to illustrate this fact. That placement was between TE members Pat McCombs, CPC of KB Search Team, LLC and Pam Copeland of fulltimeGiGS. In another bullet-pointed nutshell, this is what happened:

• Pam submitted a candidate to Pat for one of her client’s openings.
• Ultimately, Pat’s client did NOT hire Pam’s candidate.
• The candidate who was hired eventually left Pat’s client . . . for her previous employer!
• Pat promptly presented Pam’s candidate once again to her client.
• This time, there was magic! (Cue the music.)

This kind of placement is what a split network is all about. Pat and Pam persevered, Pat believed in Pam’s candidate, and they both worked together to ensure success. They initially thought they had lost . . . but they won in the end!

Drea Codispoti is here to help YOU!

Are you looking for more wins in our split recruiting network? Then contact Director of Network Operations Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS.

You can reach Drea by calling 330.455.1433, x156 or by sending an email to drea@topechelon.com.

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Pam Copeland

Pat McCombs, CPC

“This was a candidate whom we received from Pam when we originally started this search in 2015. She interviewed, but another candidate was selected. The candidate placed was strongly recruited back to her previous employer six months later. The company waited to fill the position, but as soon as they were ready to start the search again, I reintroduced Pam’s candidate and the rest was history! Thanks, Pam! I am thrilled this placement happened the second time around!”

Submitted by Pat McCombs, CPC of KB Search Team, LLC regarding her Network split placement with Pam Copeland of fulltimeGiGS

Position Title—COST ACCOUNTANT

Fee Percentage—21%

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

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Beth Milligan

Al Daum

“Al, thanks again for another terrific candidate!”

Submitted by Beth Milligan of Rayco Technical Solutions, LLC regarding her Network split placement with Al Daum of Alan N. Daum & Associates, Inc.

Position Title—CONTROLS ENGINEER

Fee Percentage—20%

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

Everyone wants to make more money, and recruiters are no exception. One of easiest and most reliable ways for recruiters to make more money is to add contract staffing services to their business model.

Contract staffing services can help recruiters generate more income by doing the following three things:

#1—Providing a steady stream of income

When you make a direct placement, it’s a one-time fee and you’re done. With contract staffing, you continue to make money over the course of the whole contract. That means money is coming in even if you’re on vacation. For longer contracts, you can actually end up earning more than if you had placed the person directly.

#2—Allowing recruiters to earn money hourly

Contractors are generally paid hourly, so you’re paid for every hour they work. This adds up rather quickly. Consider this: it is not uncommon for a recruiter to have 12 contractors out and make $10 per hour on each of those contractors.

At that rate, assuming the contractors work 40 hours per week, the recruiter would earn $4,800 per week. That adds up to $249,600 per year! And you earn even more when contractors work overtime.

#3—Earning conversion fees

Conversion fees are like the “icing on the cake.” In addition to earning money for every hour the contractor works over the course of the assignment, you could earn a conversion fee if the client chooses to hire the contractor directly.

It’s a good idea to negotiate a Conversion Fee Agreement with the client for every contract assignment because you never know which contract placements could turn into direct hires. Top Echelon Contracting can include custom conversion fee language for the recruiter as part of our standard Client Services Agreement to the client company.

Are YOU in need of contract staffing solutions or contract placement services?

Then download our Quick-Start Guide to Contract Staffing. Or request a demo with one of our contract staffing specialists.

You can can also call us at (888) 627-3678. Start making contract placements and start making more money!

Halloween is over, but what scares you on your recruiting desk might remain. And what scares you on your recruiting desk? I’m glad you asked, because we asked YOU recently.

Specifically, we asked in the form of a poll question in the Top Echelon Network Members’ Area. And while there is plenty to choose from in terms of frights, we provided some rather solid options.

The holiday-themed poll question that we posted was as follows:

With Halloween approaching, what is the scariest thing on your desk right now?

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

• A lack of job orders — 23.5%
• Lack of quality candidates — 30.3%
• Lack of placement checks — 19.7%
• Flaky candidates — 8.3%
• Flaky clients — 12.9%
• Some other horror — 5.3%

What scares you makes you stronger

“Lack of quality candidates” has long been a concern for recruiters, including members of Top Echelon Network. After all, we’re in the midst of a candidates’ market right now. And yes, that represented the most popular answer in our poll at 30.3%.

However, that answer had plenty of competition. That’s because “lack of job orders” was right behind at 23.5%. After that, “lack of placement checks” was third with 19.7% of the vote.

Combine those two answers, and 43.2% of poll participants are worried about either job orders or placement checks. That’s nearly half. So while “lack of quality candidates” is plenty scary, recruiters apparently have other worries, as well.

And of course, let’s not forget “flaky clients,” which garnered 12.9% of the vote. There must not be too many “flaky candidates” this year, as that choice only received 8.3% of recruiters’ attention. Then there were the 5.3% of recruiters who chose “some other horror” as their answer. (Perhaps they’re afraid of spiders. In their desk or otherwise.)

The results of this poll beg all sorts of questions. Exactly how much do companies want to hire right now? Do they only want to hire the “perfect candidate” and nobody else? Are they issuing more job orders toward the end of the year? Or fewer? How quickly are they paying the invoices of their recruiters?

As 2018 looms on the horizon, unanswered questions might just be the scariest thing of all.

Tired of being afraid? Looking to maximize your membership in Top Echelon’s recruiter 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.