I’m writing this post for The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog for a specific reason, which has to do with Network recruiters who are sharing jobs that fall outside of Network parameters. In fact, these job orders are not within the parameters of the official Top Echelon Network Policies.

Below is Top Echelon Policy #12: Candidate and Job Order Submissions:

“Members may only distribute their own candidates and their own job orders through Top Echelon Network. Submitting resumes and job orders for distribution through Top Echelon Network for a non-Network Member is prohibited.

“Job orders submitted to the Network must be for actual openings, where a client company has given an assignment to the recruiter.”

In March of 2018, we announced that only job orders for which your client has engaged you directly for a set fee and guarantee are permitted for sharing in Top Echelon Network.

It has come to my attention that there have been recent instances in which Members who didn’t fully understand the comprehensive nature of Policy #12 have attempted to share jobs associated with third-party vendor management systems (VMS).

I’m not going to name any of these VMS “middle man” entities here, because more than likely, you already know the ones to which I’m referring. And to drive my point home, I’m going to reiterate why we’ve taken a hard line stance against this practice and will continue to do so:

• There is no guarantee that the “middle man” service or entity accepted the job order and wrote the job description with a strong grasp on the position, the company culture, and the full picture of what it will require to make the placement happen.

• There is also no guarantee of connection or relationship with anybody working at the “middle man” service or entity. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the “middle man” service is reliable for proper response, feedback, or follow-up. As a result, Top Echelon Network split partners who are working these job orders may not know what is going on, when it is happening, and with whom. Relationships and communication are two of the cornerstones of our recruiting network.

• If a Top Echelon Network Member submits a candidate through one of these “middle man” entities, that candidate could end up in a “black hole,” with no right of referral attached to them or accountability to the entity to fully honor that candidate submittal.

• You joined a split network to leverage your time and resources, not to waste those precious commodities. These type of job orders add a layer of unnecessary and unwanted complexity to the Network dynamic.

Also as I stated previously, a lot of thought has gone into this decision. Our goal is to help our Network Members make more split placements. And we believe that the absence of third-party VMS “middle man” service providers will help us to more effectively accomplish that goal.

If you have questions regarding this issue, please contact me. You can do so by calling 330.455.1433, x156 or by sending an email to drea@topechelon.com.

How do you “quietly” make 10 split placements in Top Echelon Network in less than a year?

The same way that you “quietly” make 150 placements. And the same way that you “quietly” make $1 million as a member of the Network.

Believe it or not, that’s exactly what Jim Strickland of BioSource International has done.

Jim Strickland

Jim is a veteran of the recruiting profession and also a tenured member of Top Echelon’s recruiting network. He started recruiting in 2000, and his agency joined the Network in October of 2003. (Which means, of course, that his agency recently celebrated its 16th anniversary in Top Echelon.)

BioSource International specializes in the recruitment of Pharmaceutical candidates, but has recently expanded its specialization to also include Healthcare, Banking & Finance, Accounting, Engineering, Scientific, and Information Technology.

Jim has been a consistent producer during his 16 years in the Network, averaging nearly 10 splits per year during that time.

That consistency is one reason that Jim and his agency have reached these impressive milestones—150 TE placements and $1 million cash-in.

So congratulations to Jim Strickland on becoming Top Echelon’s latest Million Dollar Producer!

If you want to enjoy more success in the Network, then I encourage you to contact Top Echelon 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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Larry Radzely

“This is our seventh split with Jim. He does a great job of providing ‘right-on’ candidates, and he is a pleasure to work with!”

Submitted by Larry Radzely of Adel-Lawrence Associates, Inc. regarding his Network split placement with Jim Strickland of BioSource International

Position Title—MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIST

Fee Percentage—20%

(Editor’s note: This is the seventh Network split placement that Larry and Jim have made together in Top Echelon.)

— — —

Chris Ramsay, CPC

“Thanks for a GREAT candidate! Love doing business with you.”

Submitted by Chris Ramsay, CPC of Corporate Resources, LLC regarding her Network split placement with Jim Strickland of BioSource International

Position Title—MANAGER OF REGULATORY AFFAIRS

Fee Percentage—Flat

(Editor’s note: This is the fourth Network split placement that Chris and Jim have made together in Top Echelon.)

This week in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, we’ve already addressed the topic of investing in your split partners.

The main reason you should? You could receive a HUGE return on that investment!

What kind of investment? Well, as the comments below illustrate, that return can take the form of outstanding candidates and wonderful split partners.

As for the outstanding candidates, you can place those. And as for the wonderful split partners, you can make more split placements with them going forward. (By the way, that is the very definition of a win-win situation.)

These placements are all the proof you need that Top Echelon’s recruiter network works. It’s a formula that has served our members well since 1988 . . . and will continue to do so into the future.

After all, what recruiter doesn’t want outstanding candidates and wonderful split partners?

If you want to enjoy more success in the Network, then I encourage you to contact Top Echelon 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.

— — —

Katy McCracken

Gary Thompson

“Thank you so much, Gary, for sharing [the candidate] with me! He is an outstanding candidate, and I know he will be successful in this role. You are wonderful to work with, and I am so glad we filled this role! Thanks again!”

Submitted by Katy McCracken of Byrnes & Rupkey, Inc. regarding her Network split placement with Gary Thompson of Retail Options Executive Search

Position Title—DIRECTOR OF LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

Fee Percentage—25%

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

— — —

Steve Kohn

Chuck Cole

“Thanks for your help, Steve. [The candidate] has a great technical background and fantastic attitude! His flexibility won him the position.”

Submitted by Chuck Cole of Cole Professional Search regarding his Network split placement with Steve Kohn of Affinity Executive Search

Position Title—UNIX/LINUX SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR

Fee Percentage—25%

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

— — —

Donna Schuback, CPC

Deb North

“Donna is always so awesome to work with! I’m so glad that we finally got a deal together!”

Submitted by Deb North of True North Consulting, LLC regarding her Network split placement with Donna Schuback, CPC of Schuback Search Associates, Ltd.

Position Title—SENIOR SYSTEMS ENGINEER – CITRIX

Fee Percentage—20%

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

Question: What’s a good reason to share all of your job orders with Top Echelon’s recruiting network?

Answer: Because it’s almost impossible for you to fill them all by yourself!

Skeptical? Well, the results of one our most recent poll questions validates our answer. That’s because, as you can below, nearly every Network recruiter participating in the poll acknowledged that they do NOT fill all of their clients’ job orders.

So, once again . . . if you’re not filling all of your clients’ job orders, then you should be sharing all of your job orders with the Network.

That way, you can fill those job orders that you might not have filled on your own with the help of one of your split recruiting partners. Once again, this proves that “half a loaf” is better than “no loaf.”

Oh, and if you’re curious as to whether candidates are making outrageous salary demands in this current market, we have the answer to that question, as well.

Below are the two poll questions that we recently posed to Top Echelon Network recruiters.

— — —

What percentage of the job orders that you take from clients do you end up filling?

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

• 100% — 2.5%
• Between 75% and 99% — 25.9%
• Between 50% and 74% — 25.9%
• Between 25% and 49% — 33.3%
• Less than 25% — 12.3%

— — —

Are candidates making outrageous salary demands?

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

• Yes, much more than they have in the past! — 13.6%
• Yes, a little more than in the past. — 34.6%
• No more than usual. — 49.4%
• No, in fact, they’re making fewer outrageous demands. — 2.5%

— — —

Just a reminder: we post a poll question in the Top Echelon Members’ Area every week. Once you participate in the poll, you can see the results as other Members cast their votes.

We usually post a new Members’ Area poll question on Monday. We usually do that, but we don’t always do that.

If YOU want to make more split placements and increase your production, then contact Top Echelon 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.