At Top Echelon Network, our focus can be summed up in two words—split placements.  We want to help our Preferred Members make them and make more of them.  That’s why we like to publish recent split placements in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.  (We also do it because Network recruiters have asked us to do it . . . and we always strive to give our Preferred Members what they want.)

Please note that since The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog is available to the wide, wide world (since it’s public on the World Wide Web), sensitive information like the amount of the fee involved with each splt placement has been omitted.  However, you can view that information in the Members’ Area by clicking here.  “Recent Completed Placements” is located halfway down the page, underneath the “Applying for Membership” section.  We’d like to congratulate the Preferred Members below for their split placements, and we hope they make many more in the future!

John Wharton of the Garret Group and Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group placed a Director of Distribution Optimization.

Landis McFinton of McFinton & Associates and Brenda Wylie-Biggs of KB Search Team, LLC placed a Manufacturing Engineer.

Richard Lechtenberg of Dick Berg & Associates and Jim Strickland of BioSource International placed a Biomedical Tech.

Steve Brody of Executive Resource Systems and Joe Miglizzi, CPC of Perspective placed a Senior Tax Manager.

Be sure to check The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, as well as the Members’ Area, in the future for more recent split placements made through Top Echelon Network.  Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

As a recruiter, do you offer a guarantee to your clients?  If so, what’s the timeframe?  What kind is it?  Top Echelon recently conducted a survey of recruiters from all across the country and asked them these same questions.  In this episode of “Top Echelon TV,” Communications Coordinator Matt Deutsch and Membership Development Coordinator Drea Codispoti discuss the results of that survey.

In addition, they share a share a box of chocolates and talk about wacky business slogans, one of which involves guarantees.  Because you can’t take recruiting too seriously.  After all, you’ll never get out of it alive.  We guarantee it.  Along that same vein, we’ve included outtakes from our filming, which you can view at the end of this week’s episode.  (Just remember, we laugh at ourselves just as much as we laugh at you.  Wait a minute . . . that didn’t sound right.)

What’s your take on guarantees?  If you’re a recruiter, we want your feedback, too.  If you’re not a recruiter, we still want your feedback.  We just might not put as much stock in it.  You understand.

In years past, we’ve run the names of Top Echelon Network’s Top-Producing Recruiters in The Pinnacle newsletter, particularly when the newsletter was in hardcopy form (consisting of actual pieces of paper), as well as the Adobe PDF version.  Well, now that The Pinnacle newsletter is a blog, we intend to still recognize the names of the Top Producers, especially when it comes to their accomplishments during a full year.

In this case, that year is 2010, and the recruiters I’m recognizing are those constituting the Top 10 in the Network.  Before I announce the Top Producer for last year (as if you didn’t already read that in the headline), a quick word about the awards.

In years past, we’ve had separate awards for both split placements and non-split placements.  About midway through 2010, we switched to our Job Javelin job order posting service, as opposed to the contingency model, which we had used previously.  As a result, 2010 will the last year that the Top Producers will be determined through a combination of split placements and non-split placements.  Going forward, the focus will be split placements only, and the recruiter who earns the most cash-in on split placements (both perm and contract) will be the Top Producer overall.

But once again, we combined recruiters’ split placement and non-split placement cash-in totals to determine the Top 10 in the Network for last year.  It might come as no surprise that Sean Napoles of Career Brokers, Inc. was the Top Producer in Top Echelon Network in 2010.  To be sure, there are some newer names in the Top 10, but Sean has consistently been in the Top 10 for years now, and he’s been at the top of the list quite a few times.  He’s as consistent a producer in Top Echelon Network as we’ve ever had.

Below is the rest of the Top 10 for 2010:

1st—Sean Napoles of Career Brokers, Inc.
2nd—Rich Connors of Vista Technology
3rd—Marc Tappis of Opportunity Search, Inc.
4th—Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group
5th—Carol Brinkman of Corporate Resources, LLC
6th—Pat McCombs of KB Search Team, LLC
7th—Suzanne Griffith, CPC of J S Griffith & Associates
8th—Eric Stearley, CPC of Eric Stearley & Associates
9th—Philip Bartfield of Bartfield Search, Inc.
10th—Eric Berg of JN Adams & Associates, Inc.

I want to congratulate all of these recruiters and thank them for their hard work and dedication as Preferred Members of our Network.  Their efforts are greatly appreciated and their success is a testament to the fact that Top Echelon Network can and does help recruiters leverage the resources of their desk and their firm so that they can make split placements and generate more revenue.

We’ll be publishing the winners of other 2010 awards in future issues of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.

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MDemaree@TopEchelon.com
(330) 455-1433, Ext. 172

A while back, we conducted an online survey of Top Echelon Network Preferred Members.  In that survey, we asked YOU what you wanted to see from us in the form of training in 2011—Network training, software training, general recruiter training—you name it.

Well, we gathered all of the results and collected all of the responses, and I’m pleased to report that we’ll be incorporating your suggestions into what we offer at the 2011 National Convention this spring.  The bottom line is that we want to give you what you want and what you need in terms of training.  As Preferred Members of Top Echelon Network, we want you to experience more success.  We want you to make more placements (both split and non-split).  We want you to make more money.  Period.

So take a few moments to skim the session descriptions listed below.  These sessions have been designed to cover the topics that you want to see the most.

“Recruiter Fusion 3.0”
Friday, May 13
1:30 to 2:45 p.m.

Attendees will love the all-new incarnation of this session.  Among the topics to be discussed include strategies for taking advantage of LinkedIn, the best research tools in the industry, and techniques for stopping clients from cutting your fees.

“Top Echelon Network Success Panel”
Friday, May 13
3 to 4 p.m.

The Top Producers in the Network do many of the same things, and they’re willing to share their secrets with other Preferred Members at the convention.  Time management, trends in the industry, “Top Echelon Network’s Best Practices,” and how to add contracting to your business model and make more money . . . all of these topics will be covered, and more.

“Business-Building Discussion Groups”
Friday, May 13
4:15 to 5:15 p.m.

Traditionally, recruiters have learned a tremendous amount from each other during this session, and 2011 will be no different. Topics that participants will discuss include effective strategies for making placements with social media, marketing strategies for securing new clients, and research tools that pay dividends in the form of more placements.

“Lightning Rounds”
Saturday, May 14
1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

That’s right . . . we’re bringing back this old-school but very popular session, which allows recruiters to glean knowledge from each other in a fast-paced environment while networking at the same time.  Topics will include sourcing tools, candidate closing strategies, social media and social networking, and how best to use technology on your recruiting desk.

Right now, you can register at the Early Bird Registration price of $345 per person.  The National Convention is scheduled for Thursday, May 12, through, Saturday, May 14, at The Westin Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.  Invest in your Top Echelon Network Membership and invest in your firm.  Join us in May for what’s sure to be a memorable event!

View the preliminary agenda.
See who’s already registered.
Sign up for the convention.

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MDeutsch@TopEchelon.com
(330) 455-1433, Ext. 125

Top Echelon Network would like to welcome the following recruiters and their firms as New Preferred Members.  We encourage the rest of the Membership to reach out to these folks and introduce yourself to our newest Members.

Click on the recruiters’ names to visit their Recruiter Profile within Top Echelon Network.  (Note: You may be prompted to login to the system before being able to view their Profile.)

New Preferred Member

Recruiter: Michelle Floriano
Firm Name: Floriano Executive Search
Location: Florence, Wisconsin
Specialties: EPC, Offshore, Upstream, Mid-stream, Downstream, Facilities, Production, Mining, Metals, Consulting, High Technology, EPC, Professional Services, Software, Hardware, Electronic Commerce, Power Generation, Power Distribution, Nuclear, Coal, and Fossil

We’d like to welcome Michelle to Top Echelon Network and congratulate her on becoming a new Preferred Member!  Send her an email or give her a call to welcome her to the Network . . . because everybody likes to feel welcomed.

Below are the names of recruiters who have applied for Preferred Membership.  We publish the names of recruiters applying for Membership as one part of Top Echelon Network’s four-step screening process.  This screening process helps us to bring in quality recruiters to the Network.

If you have comments regarding any of the names below, please contact Membership Development Coordinator Drea Codispoti at (330) 455-1433, Ext. 156 or via email at Drea@TopEchelon.com.

Applying for Preferred Membership

Recruiter: Bill Schultz
Firm Name: Sand Hill Search
Location: Woodside, California
Specialties: Developers, Product Managers, Marketing, etc.

Recruiter: Cathie Miller
Firm Name: Miller Search Associates, Inc.
Location: Weston, Connecticut
Specialties: My specialty was Marketing within the Cosmetics and Beauty industry (Marketing Managers, Account Managers—mostly MBA’s). Then, after the recession, I broadened my scope to be more of a generalist, basically working on whatever positions my clients had open: R&D, Chemists, Finance, and Operations.

Recruiter: Robert Schintler
Firm Name: PROTOCOL Recruiting, LLC
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Specialties: SAP, Oracle, .Net, ASP.Net, C#, C++, C, Java, J2EE, Flex, Spring, Hibernate, PHP, Web Developer, Programmer, Software Engineer, MySQL, LAMP, Perl, Drupal, Silverlight, .NET, JQuery, CSS, HTML, JSP, Project Manager, Technical Recruiter, IT Recruiter, Product Manager, SEO, SEM, Network Administrator, Windows, Linux, Unix, AIX, Solaris, Ruby on Rails, Ajax, XML, JavaScript, OOP, OOD, SOAP, Silverlight, Winform and Agile Industries, Telecom Manufacturing, Oil & Gas, and Energy Technology

Remember, If you have comments regarding any of the names listed above, please contact Membership Development Coordinator Drea Codispoti at (330) 455-1433, Ext. 156 or via email at Drea@TopEchelon.com.  And be sure to check The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog in the future for the names of other recruiters who are applying for Preferred Membership in Top Echelon Network.  Peace.