The longer Top Echelon Network exists . . . the fewer Charter Members there are.  That’s just one of the unfortunate consequences of longevity.  However, there’s one Charter Member who’s still going strong in the Network, and that Preferred Member recruiter is Steve Brody of Executive Resource Systems.

Brody has been an extremely consistent producer in Top Echelon Network since he joined back at the very beginning—March 8, 1988.  During his 20-plus years in the Network, Brody has now made a total of 93 placements, with five of those placements occurring this year.

In addition, three of his placements for 2011 were made recently, which is the reason that Brody is the “Recruiter of the Month” for the month of October.  That’s just one of the two award winners we’re announcing in this Pinnacle Newsletter Blog post (actually, one of three, since the other award includes a pair of recruiters).

Remember, for more information about the placements and cash-in totals associated with these awards, please login to the Members’ Area and view the profiles and placement details of the recruiters involved.

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Recruiter of the Month

Steve Brody of Executive Resource Systems

Brody was one of two recruiters who made three Network split placements during the month of October.  However, he edged out Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group based upon his cash-in total for those split placements.

Among the Preferred Member recruiters who made two split placements apiece during the month of October were Bob Small of Carroll Technology Services, Inc. and David M. Sgro of True North Consultants, Inc.  (In fact, the two spit placements that Small and Sgro made were with each other!)

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Highest Split Placement Fee of the Month

Susan Ploeger of Ploeger Recruiting Services and Jim Brown of Galileo Search, LLC

This rather large fee was earned by placing a Director of Quality Resources.

The action causing this placement was listed as “Regular phone communication with another Top Echelon Network Preferred Member recruiter in my specialty area.”

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Our criteria for these awards:

Top Echelon Network is a split placement network.  As such, we place an emphasis on split placements, and that emphasis constitutes the basis of our criteria for these awards.  We determine the monthly and quarterly award winners based upon two factors, which are listed below in order of importance:

1.) The number of split placements made
2.) The amount of cash-in dollars earned as a result of those split placements

In other words, the number of split placements that recruiters make is our first consideration.  In the event of a tie, the cash-in total earned from those split placements is the deciding factor and serves to break the tie.  Obviously, the recruiter with more cash-in dollars in the event of a tie is the recruiter who wins the award.

Okay, I know . . . we’ve been singing the same song for so long that maybe it’s overkill.  But it’s not overkill for those Preferred Member recruiters who continue to make split placements with their Trading Partners (like the ones below, for instance).

It doesn’t matter HOW you communicate with them:

• Call them.
• Email them.
• Text them.
• Chat them.
• Visit them in person.
• Send them a singing telegram.

How you communicate isn’t nearly as important as making the decision to communicate.  Communicate about your hot job orders and candidates.  Those recruiters who make the most split placements in Top Echelon Network communicate with their Trading Partners nearly every day.

They’ve made the commitment to do it . . . and now they’re making the money to prove it.  You can, too.

THIS WEEK’S COMPLETED SPLIT PLACEMENTS!

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

Candidate recruiter: Matt Scheihing of J. Miles Personnel Services

Job title: QA-SANITATION MANAGER

Fee Percentage—25%

Action causing split placement: Regular communication with another Top Echelon Network Preferred Member

 — — —

Job order recruiter: Carol Brinkman of Corporate Resources, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Sean Napoles, CPC of Career Brokers, Inc.

Job title: JAVA SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

Fee Percentage—20%

Action causing split placement: Regular communication with another Top Echelon Network Preferred Member

 — — —

Candidate recruiter: Carol Brinkman of Corporate Resources, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Joe Miglizzi of Perspective

Job title: JAVA SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

Fee Percentage—20%

Action causing split placement: Regular communication with another Top Echelon Network Preferred Member

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Job order recruiter: David Kersey of Kersey & Associates, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Tim Hughes of Hughes & Associates

Job title: CHEMICAL PLANT MANAGER

Fee Percentage—20%

Action causing split placement: Regular communication with another Top Echelon Network Preferred Member

 — — —

Job order recruiter: David M. Sgro of True North Consultants, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Jim Strickland of BioSource International

Job title: JD EDWARDS BUSINESS SYSTEMS ANALYST

Fee Percentage—20%

Action causing split placement: The job seeker or client was found through my Hiring Hook Website.

 — — —

Job order recruiter: Wendy Johnson of Professionals Incorporated

Candidate recruiter: Sean Napoles, CPC of Career Brokers, Inc.

Job title: QA/TESTER

Fee Percentage—25%

Action causing split placement: Regular communication with another Top Echelon Network Preferred Member

 — — —

Job order recruiter: Rick Krumel of SearchWish, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Cindy Andrew Cordell of Corporate Resources, LLC

Job title: COMMODITY BUYER

Fee Percentage—25%

Action causing split placement: Regular communication with another Top Echelon Network Preferred Member

 — — —

Remember, you can opt out of having your split placement highlighted.  All you have to do is send an email to marketing@TopEchelon.com indicating your desire to be left out.  Once you do so, you won’t be included in future installments of this feature.

If you’d like to see the amount of the fees associated with each of the split placements listed above, login to the Members’ Area and click on the profiles of the recruiters involved.  The fee totals will be included along with those split placements.

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330.455.1433, x125
MDeutsch@TopEchelon.com
Connect with Matt on LinkedIn.
Follow Matt on Twitter.

We’ve had more than our fair share of “Crazy Recruiting Stories” that revolve around the actions of candidates . . . and there will most certainly be more such stories in the future.  In the meantime, though, here’s one in the present.

This week’s tale was submitted by a Preferred Member recruiter.  The story just goes to show—once again—that you never know what’s going to happen when you schedule a face-to-face interview for a candidate.

Remember, if you have a crazy recruiting story that you believe would be suitable for The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, then by all means, tell it to us (see below).  We may publish your story in the newsletter, and it might even be named “The Craziest Recruiting Story of 2011.”

— — —

When I was a HR manager with a division of the Jervis B. Webb Company (a control engineering company in Harbor Springs, Mich.), I had advertised for an engineer with a B.S. degree and mechanical engineering and metals design experience.

A guy walks into the lobby, and I get a call from the receptionist.  She says, “Mr. Gregg, you need to come to the lobby.  Your engineering candidate is here.”  I told her to just send him back to my office.  She replies, in a whispered voice, “No, I think you need to come to the lobby first.”

Somewhat agitated, I walk out to the lobby and there stands a tall Indian, dressed in a full Indian outfit, with large feathers, moccasins, and war paint on his face!  Wow!  I looked at him for a moment and said, “You’re not dressed appropriately for a professional interview and will need to re-schedule and come back later.”

He hands me a card and says, “You’ll be hearing from my attorney.”  (I knew I was being set up.)  I handed him a corporate business card and said, “Just send it to my corporate attorney, and for what it’s worth, if we get sued, you get counter-sued.”

He left, and I never heard anymore about it.  Whew!

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Remember, there are three ways you can submit your “Craziest Recruiting Story”:

1. You can email your story to marketing@TopEchelon.com.
2. You can post the story by including it in the comments section at the end of this blog.
3. You can give me a call and relay your story to me.

The deadline for submitting your “Craziest Recruiting Story of 2011” is midnight on Saturday, December 31.  We’ll announce the winner during the first part of January in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog and the Recruiter Training Blog.

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330.455.1433, Ext. 125
MDeutsch@TopEchelon.com
Connect with Matt on LinkedIn.
Follow Matt on Twitter.

Question: “What’s the best kind of Trading Partner?”

Answer: “One who’s in it for the long haul and isn’t afraid to stick it out to make a deal happen.”

In this installment of”‘Comments’ and Compliments,”we look at just such a split placement situation.  As any recruiter can attest, some placements happen quickly, and others . . . do not.  That’s why when a Trading Partner is committed to a split placement, no matter how long it takes, that Trading Partner deserves kudos.  In this case, both recruiters were rewarded with a split placement fee, as well as the knowledge that they have a Trading Partner upon which they can fully count.

How you made a split placement with another Top Echelon Network Preferred Member recruiter that took a lengthy amount of time?  Would you like to compliment that Trading Partner for their commitment and their investment of time and energy?  Then send your comments to marketing@TopEchelon.com, and they’ll appear in a future issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.

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“This placement was over 8 months in the making.  Location was a big drawback, and the client would not budge on the requirements.  Greg was my partner in this from the beginning.  He kept feeding me candidates until we found the one who was a perfect fit in all categories.  Hats off to Greg!”

Submitted by Ron Sunshine of Ron Sunshine Associates regarding his split placement with Greg Downs of Downs Associates

Position Title—SAFETY MANAGER
Fee Percentage—25%

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“Tim, thanks for your great assistance!  Let’s get another split!”

Submitted by David Kersey of Kersey & Associates, Inc. regarding his split placement with Tim Hughes of Hughes & Associates

Position Title—CHEMICAL PLANT MANAGER
Fee Percentage—25%

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Remember, if you have compliments for a Trading Partner regarding a split placement, please email them to marketing@TopEchelon.com.