Okay, when you’ve been in business as long as we have (23 years and counting), you’ve seen a lot.  Not everything, maybe, but a lot.

Like, for instance, a split placement between two recruiters who have the same last name . . . even if those names are spelled differently.  Sound unlikely?  Well, the proof is in the pudding, and that pudding is on display in this week’s installment of “Comments and Compliments.”

If you have praise for a Trading Partner with whom you’ve made a split placement recently, and you’d like to share that praise, please email us.  You can even have a different last name than they do.  We promise.  Send your comments to marketing@TopEchelon.com.

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“Thanks again, Ken!  Persistence paid off at every step of the process.  We’re all winners on this one: our client, our candidate, TEN, you, and me!”

Submitted by Wayne Nunnelee of Nunnelee & Associates, Inc. regarding his split placement with Ken Nunley of 7 Solutions USA

Position Title—Human Resources-Director
Fee Percentage—25%

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“Congratulations, Vicki!  We got the check today!”

Submitted by Mike Duke of Career Development Partners regarding his split placement with Vicki Marino of Recruiting Excellence

Position Title—Territory Manager
Fee Percentage—25%

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

Almost every week in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, we highlight recent split placements that Preferred Member recruiters in Top Echelon’s recruiter network have made together.  These split placements are the result of many things—mainly collaboration between Trading Partners—but the split placement highlighted in this blog post owes its genesis to something else, as well: attendance at a Top Echelon conference.

Why do I bring this up?  Well, because the 2011 Top Echelon Network Fall Conference is rapidly approaching, and we want you to do three things:

1. Attend the Fall Conference.
2. Meet other recruiters and build Trading Partner relationships.
3. Make split placements with these other recruiters.

Now in 2010, Top Echelon Network did NOT hold a National Convention and a Fall Conference.  Instead, there were six mini-conferences held throughout the country.  The last of these events was in Columbus, Ohio, in November.  It was at this conference that Rose Langhals of Bridgeway Professionals, Inc. and Lloyd Shoemaker of Miami Professional Search, LLC met one another.

Shortly following the conference, Shoemaker received a job order from a client with which he hadn’t worked for a while.  The job order was for an Engineer, and it wasn’t long after Shoemaker submitted the order to the Network that Langhals found it in the Split Job Order Database.

“I connected with Rose at the Ohio [regional conference] in November, and she contacted me when she saw the opening,” said Shoemaker.

Eventually, Shoemaker and Langhals placed the candidate, and recently, they split the fee associated with the placement.  Of course, if they hadn’t met at the Columbus regional conference last year, they never would have made the split placement together.

And that’s the crucial aspect of this blog post—this was a placement they never would have made.  However, but for attending the conference, Langhal’s candidate was placed at Shoemaker’s company and the two shared a placement fee as a result.

This is why we’re whole-heartedly encouraging you to attend the Fall Conference at the Embassy Suites in Chicago on Thursday, October 20, and Friday, October 21.  Because Chicago is located roughly in the center of the country, our Fall Conference has always been a very popular and well-attended event, presenting an opportunity for Preferred Members to network with one another and share hot job orders and candidates.

Yes, we’re in the grip of a summer heat wave right now . . . but eventually, the air will cool and the leaves will fall.  Make plans to join us for the conference and position yourself and your firm for success during the rest of 2011 and into 2012.

We’ll be publishing the preliminary agenda for the Fall Conference in the near future, as well as offering Early Bird Registration for the event in the Members’ Area.  Be sure to check future issues of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog and the news section of the Members’ Area for more information regarding the conference and how you can register.

We look forward to seeing you there!  (And of course, to seeing you make more split placements!)

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330.455.1433, Ext. 125
MDeutsch@TopEchelon.com
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Welcome to the next installment of “The Value of the Network,” where we present a recent split placement in which the recruiters involved relied heavily upon one another—or other resources of Top Echelon’s network of job placement recruiters—in order to succeed.  (Thereby, you know, illustrating the value of being a Preferred Member of the Network . . . but I suppose that’s obvious.  Ahem.)

Anyway, the recruiters who were part of the split placement featured in this installment of the series are Jay Laney of The Williams Company and Dan Schultz, CSP of Premier Employment Solutions.

Laney and Schultz recently placed a Plant Manager, earning a 25% fee in the process.  That process was anything but a short one, but the two recruiters hung in there until the very end, and their combined patience paid off in the form of a split placement fee.

Laney was the job order recruiter for this placement, while Schultz provided the candidate.  According to Laney, the candidate’s salary requirements proved to be an obstacle at different times.

“Dan sent this candidate early in my process,” said Laney.  “I submitted him three different times for this role.  Each of the three times, he was rejected due to his salary being too high.  They finally interviewed him and loved him, but rejected him, again due to salary.”

However, time turned out to be on our heroes’ side.  That’s because the company continued to interview candidates and continued to be underwhelmed by them—at least in comparison to Schultz’s candidate.

“After a month of meeting people [who] didn’t measure up, they finally stepped up and got their man,” said Laney.

Laney praised Schultz for the patience that he displayed throughout the process.  Although it looked as though the company was dead-set against hiring Schultz’s candidate, that’s exactly what it did . . . and Laney and Schultz split their placement check last week as a result.

“Dan was patient the entire time somehow,” said Laney.  “After crazy negotiations leading to 90-day delayed start, we finally got paid before July 4—as promised!”

How has the Network been valuable for you?  We’d like to tell your story, so send it to marketing@TopEchelon.com, and you could be featured in an upcoming issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog!

— — —

330.455.1433, Ext. 125
MDeutsch@TopEchelon.com
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It’s that time again—time to recognize recruiters in The Top Echelon recruiter network for their accomplishments and achievements.  That’s because the second quarter ended recently, and that means we have the award winners for not only the month of June, but also for the second quarter of 2011.  Just to review, we recognize Preferred Member recruiters for both monthly and quarterly performance in two categories—Recruiter of the Month and Highest Split Placement Fee of the Month.

Below are the winners of these awards for June of 2011, as well as the second quarter of the year.  We’d like to congratulate those recruiters who earned them and thank them for their efforts.  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
David M. Sgro of True North Consultants, Inc.

Sgro was one of two recruiters who made two Network split placements during the month of June.

He edged out Juli Smith of The Smith Consulting Group, LLC for this award based upon his cash-in total for those two split placements.

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Recruiter of the Quarter
Juli Smith of The Smith Consulting Group, LLC

Sgro may have won the “Recruiter of the Month” award, but Smith snagged this honor for the second quarter of 2011.  She did so by making four split placements within the Network during the quarter.

Jim Fitzpatrick of Fitzpatrick & Associates and James Compton of Compton & Associates finished second and third, respectively, with three split placements apiece.

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Highest Split Placement Fee of the Month
Denise Milano Sprung of Joseph Associates and Gail Williams of Williams Recruiting, Inc.

This placement was for a Head of Cancer Biology.  Milano Sprung was the job order recruiter, and Williams was the candidate recruiter.  The action causing this placement was listed as “Regular phone communication with a TE Network Member in my specialty area.”

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Highest Split Placement Fee of the Quarter
Denise Milano Sprung of Joseph Associates and Gail Williams of Williams Recruiting, Inc.

Not surprisingly, the placement that Milano Sprung and Williams made in June was also worthy of this award.  In fact, there’s a good chance that this placement will garner the “Largest Split Placement” award for all of 2011.  If you haven’t already done so, read the blog post that describes how this placement was made.

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Top Echelon Network is a split placement network.  As such, we place an emphasis on split placements, and that emphasis constitutes our criteria for these awards.  We determine the monthly and quarterly award winners based upon two things: 1.) The number of split placements made, and 2.) The amount of cash-in dollars earned.

Question: What’s better than making a split placement with a Trading Partner in Top Echelon’s recruiter network?

Answer: Making more than one split placement with a Trading Partner in Top Echelon Network!

And that’s the focus of this week’s installment of “Comments and Compliments,” which features recruiters who have made multiple split placements with one another in the Network.  This perfectly illustrates the value that Top Echelon Network can offer to recruiters.  Not only do we want recruiters to make split placements with each other, but we want them to make placement after placement after placement . . .

Do you have just such a relationship with another recruiter in Top Echelon Network?  Have you made multiple split placements with them over the years and would like to recognize them for the work they do and their commitment as a Trading Partner?  If so, send your information to marketing@TopEchelon.com, and you could be featured in a future installment of “‘Comments’ and Compliments” or “The Hot Sheet.”

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“Jim, another great deal!  Thanks for checking [references] and for all of your help.  We have more coming, so it looks good.  Hope this makes your golf game better, and I’ll talk to you soon.”

Submitted by Russell Schutt, CSP of Progressive Executive, Inc., regarding his split placement with Jim Strickland of BioSource International

Position Title—Account Manager-Industrial/Fluid Power
Fee Percentage—30%

(Editor’s Note: This is the fourth split placement that Schutt and Strickland have made together in the Network.)

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“Thanks for this exceptional candidate!”

Submitted by Cindy Sommer of SearchStars, Inc. regarding her split placement with Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group

Position Title—Physician Assistant (High-Risk OB)
Fee Percentage—18%

(Editor’s Note: This is the second split placement that Sommer and Cameron have made together in the Network.)

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

Some split placements in Top Echelon recruiter network happen more quickly than others . . . but some are definitely worth the wait.  And it helps when you’re working with Trading Partners who are patient enough and persevere enough to help make the split placement happen.

Such was the case with a recent split placement between Denise Milano Sprung of Joseph Associates and Gail Williams of Williams Recruiting, Inc.  The two eventually placed a Head of Cancer Biology, but the deal was over a year in the making and took many twists and turns before finally coming to fruition.  Despite everything that happened, though, Milano Sprung and Williams worked together as Trading Partners to ensure that this split placement story had a decidedly happy ending.

How happy?  Well, you’ll have to login to the Members’ Area to see the placement fee that the two split, but rest assured that it might just win this year’s “Largest Split Placement Fee Award.”  Below are the comments that Milano Sprung included with her Completed Placement Form:

“Gail and I have been working on this placement for over a year.  Throughout that time, Gail has been outstanding to work with, a true partner.”

Milano Sprung had the job order in this split placement situation, and Williams contacted her about the candidate way back in February of 2010.  (To put things in perspective, the two received their fee just last month).  According to Milano Sprung, the drawn-out process was a reflection of current economic conditions.

“It says a lot about the economy,” she said.  “[The candidate] interviewed with the client, but it took a while to get the interview.  Although they liked him, they didn’t think he was ideal, and then they put the job on hold.  After a while, the company took the job off hold.  However, by that time, there was another problem.

“The candidate had taken another job.  He had already moved from Seattle to San Diego, but he was in the market again.  So he re-interviewed in Chicago, where the job had been moved to.  In the end, he received an offer.”

Milano Sprung indicated that it was one of the more challenging placements she’s made, although ultimately, she believes that the candidate Williams provided was unquestionably the most qualified for the position.

“I have to say, for all the back and forth that went on, he was the right gentleman for the job, I really believe that,” she said.  “We had to work with four separate HR people, the hiring manager was very tough, the location changed, the HR person kept changing, and two times the candidate stopped returning calls to both Gail and I.

“It’s really a tale of everything that a recruiter can experience in a year with one placement.  Literally, the candidate’s date of submission is more than 12 months from the day he started.”

Milano Sprung praised Williams for her hard work and dedication as a Trading Partner throughout the entire process.  At no point did Williams become discouraged and quit.  She stayed with Milano Sprung on what amounted to a roller coaster of a split placement—and it paid off, big time.

“Gail was wonderful,” said Milano Sprung.  “We would bounce stuff off each other about this or that.  Gail was wonderful throughout the whole process.  With some recruiters, if a candidate stops returning phone calls, they wash their hands of them, but Gail never disappeared.  She was there the whole way.”

It wasn’t just her persistence that Milano Sprung admired about Williams.  It was also the way in which she worked, which reflected all of Top Echelon Network’s Four Pillars—Quality, Communication, Trust, and Active Participation.  (Both recruiters needed ample doses of all four to see this placement through to a successful completion.)

“Gail is a classic candidate recruiter,” said Milano Sprung.  “She has relationships with candidates, not just resumes.  By her first interaction with me, she had already called the candidate about the job and got him interested in it.  That’s what I want in a partner—somebody who sends a candidate and not just a resume.”

The Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network, plus patience and perseverance . . . this split placement was a case study of all of this and more, a perfect example of the good things that can happen when two recruiters are true partners in the process and treat each other the way in which they would want to be treated.

What’s YOUR story?  Have you made a placement with a Trading Partner that can serve as a case study for the way Top Echelon Network was designed to work for the recruiters who are part of it?  If so, contact me, and your story could be in a future issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.

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330.455.1433, Ext. 125
MDeutsch@TopEchelon.com
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For a Preferred Member, there’s nothing quite as exciting as making a split placement . . . unless it’s your first placement in Top Echelon Network, that is!

That’s the case in this week’s installment of “‘Comments’ and Compliments,” as one of the two recruiters involved made their first Network split placement recently.  That recruiter is Patrice Givens of Hire Horizons, who made the split with Terri Conroy, CPC of Executive Search Associates.  Both recruiters had plenty to say about their experience working with one another and closing the deal.  Patrice’s comments are below, followed by Terri’s.

If YOU have plenty to say about a Trading Partner regarding a split placement, email your comments and information to marketing@TopEchelon.com.

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“I recently made my first placement in TE and how exciting it was!  I worked a split with Terri Conroy, and what a team we made.  Terri was the ultimate professional, thorough and methodical throughout the process, every step of the way.  We had a few twists and turns that we took together, but in the end we made it happen.  I very much enjoyed working with her and would love to do it again!  Terri made my introduction to TE enjoyable and fun.  Let’s do it again, Terri!  I look forward to many more placements!”

Position Title—Territory Sales Manager
Fee Percentage—25%

Submitted by Patrice Givens of Hire Horizons regarding her split placement with Terri Conroy, CPC of Executive Search Associates

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“Patrice went the extra mile in providing me detailed information about the candidate and his references.  She was also a great sounding board and fresh eyes during the negotiation of his search.  I hope that we have many placements together.  She’s a pro and a delight to work with.”

Position Title—Territory Sales Manager
Fee Percentage—25%

Submitted by Terri Conroy, CPC of Executive Search Associates regarding her split placement with Patrice Givens of Hire Horizons

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Send Us Your Special ‘Comments’

If you’d like to highlight a Trading Partner in a special or unique way, email your comments and information to marketing@TopEchelon.com.  (Especially if your Trading Partner has made their FIRST placement in the Network.  We like that kind of stuff.)

Top Echelon Network provides value for a lot of different recruiters in a lot of different ways, and it recently did so for Preferred Member Jim Hipskind, CPC of Continental Search & Outplacement, Inc.  As is usually the case, that value was ultimately defined as a split placement with another Network Member.

The value that the Network provided for Hipskind can be summed up as follows:

Hipskind received a job order from one of his clients that was outside of his niche, and because of his Membership in Top Echelon Network, he was able to fill that job order and make a placement that he might not have made otherwise.

Hipskind works primarily in the Animal Science and Animal Nutrition industries.  However, he was tasked with filling a Programmer position.  Since that was outside of his niche, he decided to enlist the help of other Preferred Members by posting the job in the Split Jobs Database.

Fortunately for Hipskind, Bill Law of OraStaff, Inc., saw his job posted in the Network.  As a result, he contact Hipskind about the opening, and that started a process that eventually ended with a split placement.

“Bill contacted me after seeing my opening on the Network and sent me two excellent candidates,” said Hipskind.  “Both were interviewed and the company selected the best person.”

The candidate was placed for a 25% fee, which was a respectable sum for Hipskind and Law.  According to Hipskind, this placement is a perfect example of the Network’s “half a loaf is better than no loaf” philosophy.  No matter the amount of the split placement fee Hipskind received, it was certainly better than not receiving any fee because he wasn’t able to fill the job order on this own, which was a distinct possibility because the order was outside of his niche.

“This type of position is way outside my area of expertise and is a continuing example and reason why Top Echelon Network is so critical to my business model,” said Hipskind.  “It continues to allow me to say to my clients, ‘Yes, I can help you out.’  Thank you, Bill, and thank you, TE.”

How has the Network been valuable for you?  We’d like to tell your story, so send it to marketing@TopEchelon.com, and you could be featured in an upcoming issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog!

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330.455.1433, Ext. 125
MDeutsch@TopEchelon.com
Connect with Matt on LinkedIn.
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creates websites for recruiters, and the tools and functionality that Hiring Hook recruitment website design offers helps recruiters make more placements.  Top Echelon Network Preferred Member recruiting firm Cameron Craig Group has a Hiring Hook website, and the firm has put the functionality of their site to tremendous use over the years.

The Cameron Craig Group’s Hiring Hook website has produced scores of split placements, including the two detailed below in this week’s “Comments and Compliments” segment.  For more information about Hiring Hook websites for recruiters, give us a call at 330.455.1433 or visit our website services for recruiters page.

And of course, if you have comments for a Trading Partner regarding a split placement, please email those comments to marketing@TopEchelon.com.

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“What a great website!  Thank you to Trey and Gene for the work that you do to drive candidates to your site.  This is our second split this year!”

Submitted by Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC regarding her split placement with Gene McQueen of the Cameron Craig Group

Position Title—Assistant Rubber Compounding Chemist
Fee Percentage—25%

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“Thanks again, Trey!  We are on a roll!”

Submitted by Jon Harol, CPC of Lighthouse Recruiting regarding his split placement with Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group

Position Title—Test Labratory Manager/Director
Fee Percentage—25%

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For more information about Hiring Hook websites for recruiters, give us a call at 330.455.1433 or visit www.HiringHook.com.

There is unlimited growth potential in Top Echelon Network.  How do we know this?  There are examples of it all the time.

Take, for instance, the recent split placement between Bob Long of Executive Personnel Services and Brenda Wylie-Biggs of KB Search Team, LLC.

Wylie-Biggs has been very successful in the Network, having made 70 split placements since becoming a Preferred Member.  She has forged Trading Partner relationships with many recruiters along the way, and she has continued to work and make split placements with them.  You would think, that after all that time and that many split placements, that Wylie-Biggs would have as many Trading Partner relationships as she’s going to have in the Network.

But that’s not the case.  She forged a new relationship with another recruiter, and that relationship resulted in yet another split placement.

That recruiter was Long, who works in the Accounting industry.  Wylie-Biggs, on the other hand, works in a variety of different industries, including Engineering, Manufacturing, & Production.  So when she received a job order for an Accounting Manager from one of her clients, she knew she would need help filling it. So she posted it to the Network.

Long saw the job order in the Split Jobs Database and contacted Wylie-Biggs about it.

“He was working on a similar search on his own, so he had already done a lot of cold calling for candidates,” said Wylie-Biggs.  “So he was actually already surfacing candidates.  He called and asked me what the key points were.  He dove in and qualified the job order to make sure that it was a good, solid search and not wasting his time.  Then every time he sent me a candidate, he followed up to discuss that candidate.”

According to Wylie-Biggs, Long was a true partner in the placement process.  He adhered to Top Echelon Network Pillars of Quality, Communication, and Trust throughout the process, and the result was a placement that Wylie-Biggs may not have made otherwise.

“Everything was high quality on Bob’s end,” she said.  “He knows his stuff and he knows the financial world.  I’ll definitely work with Bob in the future.  It was a win-win-win for everybody—for me, for Bob, and for Top Echelon.”

“Without his help, this placement would not have happened.  The process was very smooth.  Bob is a great recruiter and a great Trading Partner.”