Up next in our Top Producers series of posts in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog is a relatively new Network recruiter who has been generating momentum over the past year.

That recruiter is Catherine Bateman of Woods & Paolino Recruiting Solutions, and the momentum she’s generating has been based on the basics of Network Membership,

Catherine Bateman

the fundamentals that every Network recruiter should practice.

Specifically, those basics are Quality and Communication, which just happen to be two of the Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network.

By mastering the fundamentals, Bateman has made four Network split placements in the past seven months, and she’s put herself in a great position to make even more placements in the future.

And THAT is why Quality and Communication are important: because Trading Partner relationships that exhibit these two Pillars are more likely to produce split placements.  Sure, they represent an investment of time and energy, but as you can see, it’s an investment can bring with it a tremendous (financial) return . . .

— — —

What have been the keys to your success in Top Echelon Network?

“The key so far has been finding the right people with whom to work.  I guess success is relative.  I hope to be much more successful going forward.”

What value do you believe the Network provides for your firm?

“Networking between importers and exporters is very valuable.  Since we are primarily exporters at Woods and Paolino Recruiting solutions, [Top Echelon] is our main source of jobs for our candidates.”

Who are the Trading Partners you’ve been working with?

“Paul Johnson, Rob Spaulding, Bob Gabor, and Michael Stuck are some of my favorites.”

Why do the relationships you have with your Trading Partners work so well?

“They are professional and excellent at communication.  They all collaborate to be sure their clients get the best candidates.  I don’t always get the placement, but I do leave the process on their JOs knowing they and I worked together.”

How would you describe the activity level in your niche?  (Bateman places Sales & Marketing and Retail Management professionals, among others.)

“Low.  Although I have experience in a number of areas, I enjoy the Sales & Marketing roles.”

What advice would you give to a new Preferred Member recruiter just starting out?

“Spend time on the front end of working a job order.  Look at the placement history of the importer, the number of job orders they have posted, and call and email them to be sure they communicate.

“In my opinion, success will come from the quality of the Trading Partner over the quality of the job order presented.”

Are we “beating a dead horse,” for want of a better phrase?  (Actually, can we even say that anymore?  Is that taboo?)

I’m referring to the fact that Network recruiters who attended the recent 2013 Top Echelon Network National Convention continue to make split placements—and we continue to highlight them (and their placements).

Well, if they wouldn’t make so many placements, then we wouldn’t highlight them so much.

Okay, so we’re not “beating a dead horse.”  Instead, we’re “beating the drum” for attending Top Echelon Network conferences and conventions, and we’re doing it because that apparently leads to an avalanche of placements.  (Can we say “avalanche”?  Isn’t that a term associated with disaster?)

Well, what we KNOW we can say, with absolute certainty, is that if you attend the Top Echelon Network Fall Conference in October, you’ll dramatically increase your chances of making more placements. These recruiter conferences can be great.

Below are the positions that were recently filled by Network recruiters (the names of recruiters who attended the 2013 National Convention are italicized):

• Client Technical Architect Visionary
  
• Accounting Manager
  
• EHSQ Director
  
• Supply Chain Director
• SQA Engineer
  
• Maintenance Manager
  
• Safety Manager
  

If you work within the above industries and would like to know how you can make split placements in Top Echelon Network, contact Membership Development Coordinator Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS at (330) 455-1433, Ext. 156.

THIS WEEK’S COMPLETED SPLIT PLACEMENTS:

Job order recruiter: Carl L. Bradford of Bradford Consulting Companies

Candidate recruiter: Deb North of Deb North Consulting, LLC

Job title: CLIENT TECHNICAL ARCHITECT VISIONARY

Fee percentage—20%

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

— — —

Job order recruiter: Pat McCombs, CPC of KB Search Team, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Debi Apple of Apple & Assoc. Inc.

Job title: ACCOUNTING MANAGER

Fee percentage—22.5%

Action causing split placement: The job order or candidate was sent to me via the automated email alerts.

— — —

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

Candidate recruiter: Steve Kohn of Affinity Executive Search

Job title: EHSQ DIRECTOR

Fee percentage—20%

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

— — —

Job order recruiter: Maggie Cashman of Cassara Management Group, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group

Job title: SUPPLY CHAIN DIRECTOR

Fee percentage—20%

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

— — —

Job order recruiter: Michael Stuck of Gables Search Group, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Mario Linale of Atlas Consulting Group, LLC

Job title: SQA ENGINEER

Fee percentage—15%

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

— — —

Job order recruiter: Chris Ramsay, CPC of Corporate Resources, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Mike Lupidi, CPC of M.J. Lupidi & Associates, Inc.

Job title: MAINTENANCE MANAGER

Fee percentage—25%

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

— — —

Job order recruiter: Kathleen Porter of International Staffing Consultants, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Neal G. Lehman of Sherwood Lehman Massucco, Inc.

Job title: SAFETY MANAGER

Fee percentage—20%

Action causing split placement: The job order or candidate was sent to me via the automated email alerts.

Since the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby occurred this past Saturday, it’s only fitting that the April race for Top Echelon Network’s Recruiter of the Month honors came down to the wire.

And the winning recruiter is . . . Greg Downs of Downs Associates by a nose!

It also makes sense that the Kentucky Derby is held at Churchill Downs.  Get it?  Churchill DOWNS.  Never mind.

Is there any way to weave current events into this blog post even more?  Of course!  This past Saturday was also May 4.  How is that significant?  Because it was “Star Wars Day.”

May the fourth be with you!

April was certainly with Greg Downs, as well as with the many other Network recruiters who nearly caught him at the finish line.

At Top Echelon Network, we recognize recruiters for both monthly and quarterly performance in four categories—Recruiter of the Month, Recruiter of the Quarter, Highest Split Placement Fee of the Month, and Highest Split Placement Fee of the Quarter.

For more information about the awards listed below, login to the Members’ Area and view the profiles and placement details of the recruiters who won them.

 — — —

RECRUITER OF THE MONTH:

Greg Downs of Downs Associates

Downs was one of many recruiters who made two split placements in the Network during the month of April.  However, his overall cash-in total for those two placements was larger than anybody else’s total, earning him first place.

Other Preferred Member recruiters who made two split placements during the month of April included Amy Dunn of Technology Recruiting Solutions; Sean Napoles, CPC of Career Brokers, Inc.; Deb North of Deb North Consulting, LLC; John Peterson of Sun Recruiting, Inc., and Michael Stuck of Gables Search Group, Inc.

 — — —

LARGEST SPLIT PLACEMENT FEE OF THE MONTH:

Kirby Butler, CPC of The Butlers Co. Insurance Recruiters and Mike McDonough of General Search and Recruitment

The position for this placement was Insurance/VP Commercial Lines.  Butler was the job order recruiter, and McDonough was the candidate recruiter.  The action that stimulated this split placement was listed as “Regular phone communication with a Top Echelon Network Preferred Member recruiter in my specialty area.”

 — — —

Our criteria for these production awards:

Top Echelon Network determines the monthly and quarterly award winners based upon two things, 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

This explains why, although Downs was tied with four other recruiters with two split placements apiece during the month of April, he won the award based upon his cash-in total for his two placements.

Last week, we highlighted recruiters who attended the recent Top Echelon Network National Convention in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, specifically the fact that those attendees made a bunch of split placements recently.

Well, guess what?  We’re doing it again!

This time, though, we’re highlighting convention attendees in our “‘Comments’ and Compliments” feature.  Some of the phrases included with these comments include “FANTASTIC to work with!” and “fabulous to work with!”  Here are three more quick facts:

1. Three of the four recruiters below were at the National Convention.  (Once again, their names are italicized.)
2. Since the first of the year, those three recruiters have made a total of eight Network split placements combined.
3. Two of the three recruiters have only been in the Network for a little over a year.

You don’t have to be in the Network for a long time to enjoy success within it.  All you have to do is participate—and that, of course, includes attending conferences and conventions.

If you’d like to compliment another Network recruiter about a recent split placement, submit those comments with your Completed Placement Form, and they’ll appear in a future issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.

— — —

“Deb has been FANTASTIC to work with! Her candidates are all extremely well screened and well qualified!  She’s a real pro to work with, and I look forward to making even more placements with her!”

Submitted by Recruiter Name Withheld regarding his split placement with Deb North of Deb North Consulting, LLC

Position Title—SECURITY SOFTWARE SALES REP

Fee Percentage—20%

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

— — —

“Judy has been fabulous to work with!  This is our second placement together, and we look forward to a strong, continued partnership.”

Submitted by Jim Petitpren of The PRA Group, Inc. regarding his split placement with Judy Kaplan of Prof’l Recruiting Consultants

Position Title—EMBEDDED MEDICAL ENGINEER

Fee Percentage—30%

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

Recruiter Ron Sunshine’s encore performance in Top Echelon Network has become a highly successful one.

Sunshine of Ron Sunshine Associates was once a Preferred Member of the Network back when it was called Nationwide Interchange Services (NIS).  He rejoined in August of 2007, and since then he’s been slowly building momentum.

Ron Sunshine

That momentum culminated with seven Network split placements in 2012.  So far in 2013, Sunshine has made four split placements, putting him squarely on pace to enjoying his best year in Top Echelon since returning nearly six years ago.

Needless to say, we’re glad that Sunshine is back in the fold, and his success is just one reason that we wanted to feature him in our “Recruiter’s Resume” segment in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.

Another reason is that he’s been in the recruiting business for over 30 years.  He’s compiled an impressive amount of recruiting experience, knowledge, and wisdom during that time, all of which we’d like to tap into . . .

— — —

What have been the keys to your success in Top Echelon Network?

“The people who are successful are the people who work the Network.  I’m usually a job order recruiter, but if I see a job posted that I know I have somebody for, I’ll send that person out.  But I post every job [to the Network] as soon as I get it!  People call me for information about the job, and that’s been the key to my success.”

Who are the Trading Partners you’ve been working with?

“I’ve worked with and are working with Bob Gabor, Ken Nunley, Eric Berg, David Smith, Art Rogrove, Chris Ramsay, Frank Gregg, and some others.  I’ve developed relationships with these people beyond just ‘tell me about the candidate and send me the resume.’  I know them as people, and I’ve let them know me as a person.  I’m not calling an affiliate, I’m calling a friend, and that’s why it works.  I’ve made a lot of friends in the Network.

“Develop relationships and it will come.  Don’t be afraid to put your jobs or candidates on [the Network].  You have to trust in the system.  A lot of people look at it sideways, like they’re going to get screwed.  Every day, when Wal-Mart opens its doors, somebody walks out with a hair dryer or something else.  People are people.  Don’t let that 1% taint your relationship with the other 99%.  You have to trust the people you work with.”

How would you describe the activity level in your niche?  (Sunshine places Manufacturing and Engineering professionals.)

“My niche is going very well.  It’s come back.  This is my 33rd year in recruiting.  I’ve been through five recessions, and this one was by far the worst one.”

What are your goals for future production in the Network?

“I just want to keep it going.  I had a good year [in 2012].  I don’t look at the size of the check, I just look at the check.  I know it’s going to even out in the end.  A $10,000 split placement is as dear to me as a $17,000 non-split placement.  The money will be there; you just have to keep working the system.”

What other advice would you give to a new Preferred Member recruiter just starting out?

“You have to stick to the basics: plan your day, get on the phone, and speak to people.  Action begats action, and that leads to placements.

“When I started in this business, Tony Bruno was the corporate trainer for the firm I worked for, Professional Career Development.  He also lived down the block from me, and we became good friends.  Tony taught me the fundamentals of the business, and every time I try to get fancy or find a shortcut that goes against what I learned 33 years ago, I fall on my butt.”

We had a great time at the 2013 Top Echelon Network National Convention last week . . . and we have the photos to prove it!

As is tradition, we post photos from our conferences and conventions on the Top Echelon Network Facebook Fan Page.  We’ve created an album for the National Convention, and we’ve already posted photos in that album.

Of course, we plan to post more photos in the future, until we’ve posted ALL of them.  However, we’ll do it slowly, so as to keep the memory of the convention fresh in people’s minds.

We’d also be glad to post photos that recruiters took during the convention, so feel free to email those to us at marketing@topechelon.com.  We’ll take care of the rest!  (A few recruiters have already done so, and their photos are currently on our Fan Page.

Enjoy photos from the 2013 National Convention!

And when there are no more National Convention photos, we’ll post Fall Conference photos from years gone by.  Why is that?  Because the 2013 Fall Conference is scheduled for Thursday, October 3, and Friday, October 4, in Chicago!

And yes, we want YOU to be there.  We want you to have fun, make new friends, and make more placements . . . and we’ll take pictures of it all!

Why are we calling this the “2013 National Convention Edition” of split placements in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog?

Because in all of the split placements listed below, at least one of the recruiters involved attended the 2013 Top Echelon Network National Convention in Florida last week.

In fact, in two of the placements, BOTH of the recruiters involved attended the convention.  Not only that, but some of the recruiters involved in these split placements who didn’t attend the convention DID attend a Top Echelon event in the past.

This is no mere coincidence.  This is hard evidence that Top Echelon recruiter networking conferences and conventions provide value for those who attend them.  And to help you sift through the evidence, the names of the recruiters below who attended the 2013 National Convention have been italicized.

As you can see, the evidence speaks for itself.

Below are the positions that were recently filled by Network recruiters:

• Software Engineer
  
• Support Analyst
  
• Staff Verification Engineer
  
• Insurance/VP Commercial Lines
• Corporate Accounts Manager
  
• Quality Engineer
• Production Supervisor/Process Engineer

If you work within these industries and would like to know more about how you can make split placements in the Network, contact Membership Development Coordinator Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS at (330) 455-1433, Ext. 156.

THIS WEEK’S COMPLETED SPLIT PLACEMENTS!

Job order recruiter: Jim Petitpren of The PRA Group, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Judy Kaplan of Prof’l Recruiting Consultants

Job title: SOFTWARE ENGINEER

Fee percentage—30%

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

— — —

Job order recruiter: Deb North of Deb North Consulting, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Kristy Bellingham Jones of Jones-Ingham Exec and Sales Recruiting

Job title: SUPPORT ANALYST

Fee percentage—25%

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

— — —

Job order recruiter: Marty Stan of Samaritan Technical Professional

Candidate recruiter: Jim Fitzpatrick of Fitzpatrick & Associates

Job title: STAFF VERIFICATION ENGINEER

Fee percentage—15%

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

— — —

Job order recruiter: Kirby Butler, CPC of The Butlers Co. Insurance Recruiters

Candidate recruiter: Mike McDonough of General Search and Recruitment

Job title: INSURANCE/VP COMMERICAL LINES

Fee percentage—25%

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

— — —

Job order recruiter: Bernie Nutter, CPC of Hire Horizons

Candidate recruiter: Daniel B. Lear of Omega Systems, LLC

Job title: CORPORATE ACCOUNTS MANAGER

Fee percentage—18%

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

— — —

Job order recruiter: Ron Sunshine of Ron Sunshine Associates

Candidate recruiter: Eric Berg of JN Adams & Associates, Inc.

Job title: QUALITY ENGINEER

Fee percentage—20%

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

— — —

Job order recruiter: John Peterson of Sun Recruiting, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Ben Lawrence of Career Solutions of Arizona

Job title: PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR/PROCESS ENGINEER
Fee percentage—25%

Action causing split placement: “This is Ben’s first placement as a recruiter!”

Top Echelon Network recruiter Michael Stuck of Gables Search Group, Inc. is moving up the Top Producer rankings (currently #4 overall), and he has plenty of great stories on the way up.

In fact, here are three that were recently published in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.

And guess what?  We have two more stories from Stuck about split placements that he’s made with other Network recruiters.

As a bonus, the placements mark the first time that Stuck has closed a Network deal with these recruiters.  That means new Trading Partners, which means more split placements in the future.

Stuck is a recruiter who believes in the Network system, who works it every day with enthusiasm, and who attends Top Echelon’s networking events.  (He was at the National Convention this past weekend!)

That’s why he’s a Top Producer, why he’s made 14 Network placements in the past year, and why he has a ton of great recruiting stories.

Is your story next?

If YOU have a recruiting story about a recent split placement with another Network recruiter, send your comments to marketing@topechelon.com, and they’ll appear in a future issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.

— — —

“So this was a unique placement.  The candidate Laurie presented started the interview process before Christmas, then left for a trip to Argentina and came back a month later, finished the interview process, and landed the job.  Good things happen to those who wait.  What a super job Laurie did in both finding this candidate and communicating along the way.  Thanks, Laurie!”

Submitted by Michael Stuck of Gables Search Group, Inc. regarding his split placement with Laurie Gillespie of Dayspring & Associates

Position Title—SOFTWARE ENGINEER – PROGRESS

Fee Percentage—15%

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

— — —

“Bill has been super to work with to place these Progress Developers.  He has sent multiple candidates, and they all seem to get interviews and do well.  It’s just a matter of time until we get another one, Bill.  Thanks for all of your hard work on finding such great candidates.”

Submitted by Michael Stuck of Gables Search Group, Inc. regarding his split placement with Bill Law of OraStaff, Inc.

Position Title—SOFTWARE ENGINEER – PROGRESS

Fee Percentage—15%

(Editor’s note: This is the first split placement that Stuck and Law have made together in Top Echelon recruiter network.)

Since it’s baseball season, it’s only appropriate that we talk about the “Cal Ripken, Jr.” of Top Echelon Network.

Ripken played his entire Major League Baseball career with the Baltimore Orioles, setting the league record for most consecutive games played at 2,632.  Now that’s consistency.

Sean Napoles, CPC of Career Brokers, Inc. has also maintained an incredibly high level of consistency in the Network during the past 10 years, winning numerous awards in the process.  To date, Napoles has made 176 Network placements for a cash-in total of over $1.5 million.

Of those 176 split placements, he’s made 16 of them with Wendy Johnson of CPS and Professionals Incorporated, including one in this issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.  As one might suspect, Napoles has made multiple placements with numerous Network recruiters down through the years.

Napoles’s split placement with Johnson is one of two that he has in this week’s issue, and it’s also one of seven that he’s made already in the Network in 2013.  If anybody’s going to catch Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group before the end of the year, it’s going to be the “Cal Ripken, Jr.” of Top Echelon Network.

Below are the positions that were recently filled by Network recruiters:

• IT Project Manager
  
• SAP Bi Dev
  
• Manager of Product Automation
  
• Operations Manager – Industrial Manufacturing
  
• RN/Director of Clinical Services – Hospice
  
• Software Engineer – Progress (two of them!)
  

If you work within any of these industries and would like to know more about how you can make split placements in Top Echelon Network, contact Membership Development Coordinator Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS at (330) 455-1433, Ext. 156.

THIS WEEK’S COMPLETED SPLIT PLACEMENTS!

Job order recruiter: Wendy Johnson of CPS and Professionals Incorporated

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

Job title: IT PROJECT MANAGER

Fee percentage—20%

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

— — —

Job order recruiter: Matt Bruns of the North Peak Group

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

Job title: SAP BI DEV

Fee percentage—20%

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

— — —

Job order recruiter: Nick Stoia, CPC of ASAP Search and Recruiters

Candidate recruiter: Joe Miglizzi of Perspective

Job title: MANAGER OF PRODUCT AUTOMATION

Fee percentage—30%

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

— — —

Job order recruiter: Paul Johnson of Paul Johnson & Associates

Candidate recruiter: Dan Lawlor of Dan Lawlor

Job title: OPERATIONS MANAGER – INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURING

Fee percentage—25%

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

— — —

Job order recruiter: Troy Randolph of Lea Randolph & Associates, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Jim Strickland of BioSource International

Job title: RN/DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL SERVICES – HOSPICE

Fee percentage—Flat

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

— — —

Job order recruiter: Michael Stuck of Gables Search Group, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Bill Law of OraStaff, Inc.

Job title: SOFTWARE ENGINEER – PROGRESS

Fee percentage—15%

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

— — —

Job order recruiter: Michael Stuck of Gables Search Group, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Mario Linale of Atlas Consulting Group, LLC

Job title: SOFTWARE ENGINEER – PROGRESS

Fee percentage—15%

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

The 2013 Top Echelon Network National Convention is next week!  We’re going to St. Petersburg Beach!  A great time will be had by all!

And we’re going to take pictures . . . a LOT of pictures.

Want proof?  All you have to do is look through our photos from past Top Echelon Network conventions.  And where might those be, you ask?  Well, on our Facebook Fan Page, of course.

We recently posted photos from all of our networking events for recruiters . . . well, since we started taking photos at the National Convention.  While we didn’t post every single photo, we definitely posted the majority of them, with an emphasis on including recruiters who are currently Preferred Members of the Network (as opposed to former Members).

Now of course, we’ll be uploading photos to Facebook during and after the upcoming 2013 National Convention, and we encourage those recruiters who will be in attendance to do the same.  Let’s have a great convention, let’s have fun, and let’s share that fun.  In the meantime . . .

There’s less than a week left before the start of the National Convention.  So there’s still time to register.  So do it now—you won’t regret it!