We recently published a new photo album on our Facebook Fan Page for recruiter networking.

And while we’ve been adding to that album, we decided to start another such album. That’s because we have a stockpile of recruiter networking photos from years past, and there’s certainly no reason why we shouldn’t be sharing those photos, too.

So—the first album we created is now titled “No Time Like the Present Recruiter Networking Photos.”

The one we just added to our Facebook Fan Page is titled “Blast From the Past Recruiter Networking Photos.”

These photos include the following:

• Recruiter networking between just two recruiters (or a few recruiters)
• Select photos from the National Convention and/or Fall Conference
• Other events like regional core group meetings

Now, we don’t have photos from all the way back to when the Network first started (1988), but we do have them from about 10 to 15 years ago . . . maybe 18 years.

While we dig them up, please enjoy what we’ve uncovered so far:

Browse Our “Blast From the Past” Album!

If you have a photo of you networking with another recruiter—face-to-face or otherwise—email it to marketing@topechelon.com, along with information regarding the circumstances surrounding the photo. They can be “No Time Like the Present” photos, or they can be “Blast From the Past” photos.

Now get out there and meet each other! (Oh, and yes . . . make some splits!)

There have been many successful trading partner relationships in the history of the Top Echelon Recruiting Network. But which one is the most successful relationship in TE?

The answer, surprisingly, is an easy one.

While it’s true that Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group might be setting Network records that will never be broken (unless he breaks them, of course), the same could be said of these two recruiters. That’s because, like Trey, they’re setting records that will probably never be broken.

Those two recruiters are Donna Carroll, CPC of Systems Personnel and Gary Silver of The Shay Group. We’ve highlighted them before in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, and with good reason:

They’ve now made 53 split placements together during their time as members of Top Echelon Network.

And as you can see below, they’re still at full throttle. The placements below represent their 51st and 52nd placements together. They’ve already made another one!

Of course, Donna and Gary spread the wealth. She’s made 142 Network placements during her Top Echelon career, and he’s one of a select number of recruiters to make more than 200 Network placements (239).

By our estimates, their total of 53 split placements together is close to twice as many as any other total between two trading partners in TE history. They’ve made all sorts of placements—direct-hire, contract, contract-to-direct, you name it.

Their trading partner relationship is truly a model from which all Top Echelon Network recruiters can learn—the MOST successful relationship in TE history. We congratulate them for their success, thank them for their commitment as members, and wish them even more success in the years ahead!

— — —

Donna Carroll, CPC

Gary Silver

“Always a pleasure to make a split placement with such a terrific recruiting partner!”

Submitted by Donna Carroll, CPC of Systems Personnel regarding her Network split placement with Gary Silver of The Shay Group

Position Title—TECHNICAL TRAINER

Fee Percentage—22%

(Editor’s note: This is the 52nd Network split placement that Carroll and Silver have made together in Top Echelon.)

— — —

“Gary and Donna strike again . . . it’s always a pleasure working with this longtime business partner.”

Submitted by Donna Carroll, CPC of Systems Personnel regarding her Network split placement with Gary Silver of The Shay Group

Position Title—VBA DEVELOPER-HEALTHCARE (PRODUCT SPECIALIST)

Fee Percentage—22%

(Editor’s note: This is the 51st Network split placement that Carroll and Silver have made together in Top Echelon.)

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Top Echelon Network has been in business for over 27 years. We began operations as Nationwide Interchange Service (NIS) in winter of 1988.

And all during that time, we’ve never had a husband and wife recruiting duo in the Top 10 in the Network in terms of cash-in on a rolling 12-month basis.

Until now, that is.

That’s because Steve Copeland and Pam Copeland of Albert Energy, LLC/fulltimeGiGS have been in the Top 10 for the past several weeks!

Their firm joined Top Echelon Network on Valentine’s Day of 2011 (see, it’s been a love affair from the start), and since that time, Albert Energy, LLC/fulltimeGiGS has made a total of 79 Network placements. That’s an average of 1.39 placements per month!

Steve has made 47 Network placements, and Pam has made 32 Network placements. However, Pam is currently the “TE breadwinner” in the family, as she’s currently ranked #4 in the Top 10 and Steve is ranked #8. Not that he’s complaining, I’m sure.

Below are four reasons that the Copelands are Top Echelon Network’s top-producing “dynamic duo”:

#1—They participate.

This can’t be overlooked. Seems simple, but you can’t be a Top Producer unless you make the decision to actively participate in the Network . . . and then you actively participate. Active Participation is one of The Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network, along with Quality, Communication, and Trust.

#2—They network.

The photo at the top of this blog post was taken at the 2015 Top Echelon Network Fall Conference. As you can see, the Copelands were having fun and networking with other recruiters. They have been regular attendees of our networking events since they joined the Network, and that has been integral to their success.

#3—They leverage the power of their website.

The Copelands utilize the Top Echelon Network Jobs Feed on their website and leverage it with great results. That, combined with #1 and #2 on this list, has resulted in nearly 80 placements in the past four and a half years. Tools and technology play their roles in any success story, and the Copelands have identified which ones work best for them.

#4—They invest in their membership.

Top Echelon Network isn’t a “magic money machine” where you simply pay your monthly service fee and the placements start rolling in. Like anything else, you have to make an investment—not just of money, but of time, effort, and energy. The Copelands haven’t just invested in their membership; they’ve invested in other recruiters, people who have become their trading partners and their friends. That’s why they’ve become successful . . . and that’s how you can become successful in TE, too.

So congratulations to the the Copelands on the return they’ve received on their Network investment, the relationships and friendships they’ve created, and their “dynamic duo” status!

If you’d like to enjoy similar success in Top Echelon Network, contact Director of Network Operations Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS at 330.455.1433, x156 or via email at drea@topechelon.com.

Last month’s Top Echelon Network Fall Conference was a great event! There were a lot of newer recruiters in attendance at the conference, which was held in the Windy City of Chicago.

And I can absolutely tell you that placements will result from that conference.

How can I say that? Because placements result from every single Top Echelon Network National Convention and Fall Conference, that’s why!

And that’s also why I can say that there are placements waiting in Las Vegas for the 2016 National Convention. We released the details associated with the convention a few weeks ago, but I’ll list them again below for convenience:

• The dates of the convention are Tuesday, April 19, and Wednesday, April 20.
• The main speaker will be Greg Doersching of Bullseye Recruiting.
• The site will be the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino.
• Our room rate for the Monte Carlo will be $58 per night!

The recruiters below made their first split placement with a new trading partner as a direct result of their attendance at a recent conference or convention, and they’re pretty much ecstatic about it. Why wouldn’t they be? They made a placement they normally would not have made with another recruiter who they met face-to-face at a fun networking event.

We will be releasing the agenda and registration for the 2016 National Convention in the near future, more than likely right after the Thanksgiving holiday. This will give you the opportunity to register for the convention and apply its cost to this year’s business expenses.

While that’s a nice perk, it’s certainly not the main reason why you should attend the 2016 National Convention.

The main reason: there are placements waiting in Las Vegas!

— — —

Jay Laney

Suzanne Griffith

“Have come to know Suzanne well from meeting her at TE conventions. She is a great partner that was extremely helpful on this one. She posted this candidate on the Discussion Forum and BOOM, I have my first Idaho placement ever. Way to go, Suzanne!”

Submitted by Jay Laney of The Williams Company regarding his Network split placement with Suzanne Griffith of Ives & Associates, Inc.

Position Title—PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR

Fee Percentage—25%

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

— — —

David M. Sgro, CPC

Lyndsey Hurm

“Thanks for your help, Lyndsey! This placement was a direct result of the Atlanta National Convention. Lyndsey and I met there and got to know each other and build trust over dancing and karaoke! We’ve kept in touch ever since and she’s worked on some of my jobs. We’ve come close on a couple of other placements, as well. I’m confident there will be more to come. Thanks!”

Submitted by David M. Sgro, CPC of True North Consultants, Inc. regarding his Network split placement with Lyndsey Hurm of The Recruiting Pro

Position Title—SQL DEVELOPER

Fee Percentage—25%

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

If you’ve been a member of Top Echelon Network for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed that there are a lot of Network recruiters who are making a ton of split placements because of their firm’s recruiting website.

But since we’re approaching the end of the year (and since we’re offering FREE website evaluations), this would be a good time to find out what TE members think of their firm’s recruiting website. That’s because recruiting firm owners often want to re-design their firm’s site before the start of the New Year . . . and that’s only a month and a half away.

So, in the spirit of recruiting websites, we recently conducted a survey of Top Echelon Network recruiters by posting a question in the Members’ Area. That question was as follows:

What letter grade would you give your firm’s recruiting website?

Results:

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

• A — 21.2%
• B — 36.3%
• C — 28.3%
• D — 8.0%
• F — 1.8%
• My firm does not have a website. — 4.4%

Analysis:

Perhaps not surprisingly, the majority of recruiters participating in the survey gave themselves either an “A” or a “B.” On the far end of the spectrum, 21.2% chose “A” as their answer, and 36.3% gave their firm’s website a “B.”

A healthy amount of recruiters also assigned their recruiting website a “C,” with that grade accounting for 28.3% of the vote. Fortunately, not too many poll participants dislike their websites, as only 8.0% chose “D” as their answer and another 1.8% gave their site a flat-out “F.”

In addition, 4.4% of poll participants indicated that their firm does not currently have a website.

Conclusion:

We ran this poll a few years ago, and the good news is that Network members think more highly of their recruiting website than they did back then.

However . . . there appear to still be plenty of them who are NOT completely satisfied with the look or functionality of their site—or perhaps both.

With each passing year, the matter of a recruiting firm’s website becomes more important. That’s because an increasing amount of candidates and prospective clients check out a recruiting firm by first visiting their website.

Passive superstar candidates are typically not looking for a new job. However, what if you entice them with a premium employment opportunity, they visit your firm’s site, and they’re thoroughly unimpressed?

Top candidates want to feel as though top recruiters are representing them to the top companies in the industry.

Does your firm’s website convey that message?