Drea Codispoti, CERS

Summer is here!  This is a cause for celebration.

If you remember, I’m the guy who did a snow angel in sub-human temperatures back in the winter to drive attendance for the 2014 National Convention.  I know just how cold it can get here in the great state of Ohio.

But all of that is in the past.  In the future is the Virtual Core Group (VCG) teleconference call schedule for the month of July in Top Echelon Network.

As I’ve stated before, during Virtual Core Group meetings, Network recruiters share hot job orders and candidates, information about the activity they’re seeing, and ideas for increased production on their desk and within their firms.  These are the activities that lead most directly to making more placements.

If you’re a newer Preferred Member in Top Echelon Network, I especially encourage you to join one of these existing Virtual Core Groups for recruiters . . . or start a new one.

Please note, though, that the Healthcare Virtual Core Group has been suspended for the time being.  I will, of course, let everybody know if that group resumes its meetings.

Below is the full VCG teleconference call schedule for the month of July (all times listed are Eastern Standard Time):

To join an existing Virtual Core Group or to start a new one, contact me at 330.455.1433, x156 or via email at drea@topechelon.com.

MEETING OF THE MASSACHUSETTS MINDS: Top Echelon Network Preferred Member recruiters Sean Herndon of Employment Partners Group (left) and Richard Connors of Vista Technology met each other face-to-face recently for discussing business and recruiter networking.  Since both of their firms are located in Massachusetts, there’s a good chance they also discussed the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox!

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We at Top Echelon Network are continually emphasizing that Members should meet one another on a face-to-face basis.  That’s one of the many reasons we hold  National Convention and Fall recruiter conferences every year.  But we also like to encourage Members to meet outside of those events, and as often as possible.

The photo above was emailed to Top Echelon by Network recruiter Sean Herndon of Employment Partners Group, who recently met with fellow Preferred Member Richard Connors of Vista Technology.  Herndon just joined the Network a little over a week ago, but he’s already “hitting the ground running” by meeting another Network recruiter and potential Trading Partner.  By engaging in face-to-face recruiter networking, he’s definitely off to a good start in terms of doing the things a recruiter needs to do to be successful in Top Echelon Network!

If you have information and/or a photo of your latest face-to-face meeting with another Preferred Member recruiter, please send that information to marketing@topechelon.com.

SPLIT PLACEMENTS THIS WEEK:

Yes, we’ve been touting the benefits of a Hiring Hook website and the fact that a growing number of Network recruiters are making split placements through their Hiring Hook sites.

However, nothing beats good ‘ol fashioned recruiter networking!

Despite the growth of website placements in recent years, networking (communication between Trading Partners) is still the number-one way in which placements are made in Top Echelon Network.  It’s been that way for 25 years, and it’s likely to stay that way for a quite a few more.

Below are some highlights regarding this week’s split placements:

• Michael Stuck of Gables Search Group, Inc. made four splits!
• Veronica Snyder of Career Professionals, Inc. made two splits!
• Dan Kovats of CMW & Associates made his first split placement in the Network!
• Frank Laux of Strategic Search Partners made his first split placement in the Network!

Will website placements ever knock networking out of the number-one spot in terms of Network placements?  I’ll guess you’ll have to stick around to find out . . .

SPLIT JOBS FILLED THIS WEEK:

Below are the split jobs that were recently filled by Top Echelon Network recruiters.

• Software Engineer – Progress
• Senior Data Network Engineer
  
• Telecom Engineer
  
• Quality Control Lead
  
• PHP Programmer
  
• Account Manager
• Lab Tech
  
• Director of Procurement
  

For more information about how YOU can be more successful in Top Echelon Network and make more split placements, call Membership Development Coordinator Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS at (330) 455-1433, Ext. 156.

THIS WEEK’S NETWORK SPLIT PLACEMENTS:

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

Candidate recruiter: Colleen Switala of Database Search, Inc.

Split job title: SOFTWARE ENGINEER – PROGRESS

Fee percentage: 15%

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

— — —

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

Candidate recruiter: Brenda Richardson of Stewart Cooper & Coon

Split job title: SENIOR DATA NETWORK ENGINEER

Fee percentage: 20%

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

— — —

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

Candidate recruiter: Harry C. Anderson of Andex Executive Search

Split job title: TELECOM ENGINEER

Fee percentage: 15%

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

— — —

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

Candidate recruiter: Angela Marasco of A. Marasco Recruiting, LLC

Split job title: QUALITY CONTROL LEAD

Fee percentage: 20%

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

— — —

Job recruiter: Robert Briones, CPC of R.A. Briones & Company

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

Split job title: PHP PROGRAMMER

Fee percentage: 30%

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

— — —

Job recruiter: Cindy Andrew Cordell, CPC of Corporate Resources, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Dan Kovats of CMW & Associates

Split job title: ACCOUNT MANAGER

Fee percentage: 25%

Action causing split placement: “Dan Kovats found my job on TE and called to see if I needed help, as this was an area he worked!”

— — —

Job recruiter: Veronica Snyder of Career Professionals, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Carey Towe, CPC of Southern Recruiters

Split job title: LAB TECH

Fee percentage: 25%

Action causing split placement: The job order or candidate was found by searching Top Echelon’s split databases.

— — —

Job recruiter: Veronica Snyder of Career Professionals, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Frank Laux of Strategic Search Partners

Split job title: DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT

Fee percentage: 25%

Action causing split placement: The job order or candidate was found by searching Top Echelon’s split databases.

THE SPLIT RECRUITERS:

Veronica Snyder has made 54 placements as one of the Top Echelon Network’s top recruiters.  Her firm, Career Professionals, has been a Preferred Member since 1990.

Frank Laux has made 1 placement as a Top Echelon Network recruiter.  His agency, Strategic Search Partners, has been a Preferred Member of the recruiter network since April of this year.

Carey Towe has made 21 placements as a Top Echelon Network recruiter.  His agency, Southern Recruiters, has been a Preferred Member since 2001.

THE SPLIT PLACEMENTS:

Last week, we commended David M. Sgro of True North Consultants, Inc. for being a model Network recruiter in Top Echelon . . . and now we’re commending Veronica Snyder of Career Professionals, Inc.!

That’s because like Sgro, Snyder does all of the things that a recruiter needs to do to be successful in the Network.  Those things include the following:

1. Posting jobs to the Network on a consistent basis
2. Embracing the Network Pillar of Quality, especially as it pertains to another Pillar, that of Communication
3. Attending Network events like the National Convention and Fall Conference

Snyder has made 54 Network placements since becoming a Preferred Member recruiter, including five in 2012 and eight already this year.  With three months still remaining in 2013, she certainly has the chance to hit double digits in placements before the year draws to a close.

Not only that, but one of the split placements highlighted below is the first Top Echelon placement for a Network recruiter.  So congratulations to both Snyder and Frank Laux, who’s celebrating his first TE split!

— — —

“Thanks, Frank, for responding to our TE job posting with such a strong candidate!  Welcome to Top Echelon Network!  I’m looking forward to doing more split business with you.”

Submitted by Veronica Snyder of Career Professionals, Inc. regarding her Network split placement with Frank Laux of Strategic Search Partners

Position Title—DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT

Fee Percentage—25%

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

— — —

“Thanks, Carey!  I appreciate you posting good candidates to the Network!”

Submitted by Veronica Snyder of Career Professionals, Inc. regarding her Network split placement with Carey Towe, CPC of Southern Recruiters

Position Title—LAB TECH

Fee Percentage—25%

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

SURVEY QUESTION:

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been a Preferred Member of Top Echelon Network, you can always make split placements with a new Trading Partner.

We’ve been touting that for quite some time now, but we decided to find out how often it happens.  After all, it’s always good to back up your claims with actual data.

So, you guessed it, we decided to conduct a survey of the Network Membership.  We did that by posting a question in the Members’ Area (as we are wont to do).

That question was as follows:

Have you made a split placement with a new Trading Partner within the past 12 months?

SURVEY RESULTS:

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

• Yes, one new Trading Partner — 19.5%
• Yes, two new Trading Partners — 20.8%
• Yes, three new Trading Partners — 7.8%
• Yes, more than three new Trading Partners — 15.6%
• No — 36.4%

SURVEY ANALYSIS:

More than half of the recruiters participating in the survey have made a split placement with a new Trading Partner within the past six months.  In fact, 63.6% of them have done so, and some have made splits with more than one new Partner.

Of course, that means 36.4% of recruiters have NOT made a split with a new Trading Partner.  However, that doesn’t mean they didn’t make splits with existing Trading Partners.  In fact, it’s very likely that was the case, which is fine, because the money they earned spends just the same.

FEEDBACK:

Have you made a split placement with a new Trading Partner within the past 12 months?  More than one?  What do you believe is the most important aspect of forming a Trading Partner relationship?

Trust is one of the Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network . . . and it’s also the focus of this story about honesty and integrity in the Network.

Janet Miller of Computer Management, Inc. here and Jeff Gilbert of Kingfish Technology, LLC have been Trading Partners for quite some time.  In fact, the two have made a total of 14 split placements together, but it was their most recent split that demonstrates the fact their Trading Partner relationship has evolved to what could almost be called the “Masters Level.”

Miller and Gilbert have made three split placements so far in 2013.  In June, the two placed a SFDC Consultant.  Gilbert was the job order recruiter, and Miller was the candidate recruiter.  After the placement had been completed, the candidate gave Gilbert the name of a Senior Sales Director.

“Jeff happened to comment to me that [the candidate] gave him the name of somebody,” said Miller, who’s made a total of 63 placements in Top Echelon Network.  “I don’t place sales people, so I really didn’t give it that much attention.  I didn’t know that Jeff called the candidate.”

Call the candidate Jeff did, and you guessed it . . . place the candidate Jeff did, as well.

So what did he do after that?

“Jeff called me up a month ago, and he said, “Good news, you just made $17,000,’” said Miller.  “He had placed the candidate as a Senior Sales Executive.  He never told me that the candidate was interviewing, but he called me after the placement was made to tell me he was splitting the fee with me.”

The total fee for this split placement: $34,000.

“The candidate who gave Jeff the name of this other candidate never called me and told me that he did so,” said Miller.  “Jeff set up all of the interviews and did all of the preps, and after it was over, he called me to tell me that I had made all this money.”

Needless to say, Miller thinks very highly of Gilbert and values the Trading Partner relationship that she has with him.

“Jeff is such an honest recruiter,” she said.  “What he did with this placement blew me away.”

— — —

“Janet, you continue to amaze me with the quality of the candidates you present . . . not to mention all of the hard work and dedication you put into each and every search!  You are the best!”

Submitted by Jeff Gilbert of Kingfish Technology, LLC regarding his split placement with Janet Miller of Computer Management, Inc.

Position Title—DIRECTOR OF SALES

Fee Percentage—20%

(Editor’s note: this is the 14th split placement that Gilbert and Miller have made together in Top Echelon Network.)

I’m very pleased to announce that the Midwest Regional Core Group has a date and a venue for its next meeting!

While that date isn’t exactly right around the corner, I encourage those recruiters who can attend to take this opportunity to work the date into their appointment books.

The next meeting of the Midwest Regional Core Group is scheduled for Friday, January 31, at the Ramada in Topeka, Kansas.  Not only is there a date, but there’s also a tentative itinerary, which is tentatively listed below:

9:30 to 10 a.m.—Networking

10 to 11 a.m.—“Making Social Media Manageable”

11 to 11:30 a.m.—Break/Networking

11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.—“Lunch and Learn”

12:45 to 1 p.m.—Break/Networking

1 to 1:30 p.m.—Breakout groups for exchanging hot job orders and candidates

1:30 to 2 p.m.—Breakout group for exchanging best practices

2 to 5 p.m.—Open networking time

The tentative cost to attend the event is $50.  That price includes lunch, snacks, beverages, and the training.

Attending a Regional Core Group meeting is a great way to leverage the resources available in the Network and increase the value of your Membership!

If you’d like to attend this upcoming Regional Core Group meeting (or start a new one), please contact me at (330) 455-1433, Ext. 156 or via email at Drea@TopEchelon.com.

At Top Echelon, we encourage Network recruiters to get together on a consistent basis, to meet face-to-face.

While we love it when you attend the National Convention and Fall Conference (and we’d REALLY love it if you attended the 2013 Fall Conference), we also love it when you meet each other outside of those events.

One such event was held a couple of weeks ago: the annual “Networking on the Farm” extravaganza at the Hemminger Farm in Tiffin, Ohio.

Hosting the event, of course, was Maria Hemminger and Joanna Spaun, partners in MJ Recruiters, LLC, a Preferred Member agency in Top Echelon Network.

Hemminger and Spaun have completely embraced networking in Top Echelon, and their productivity is a testament to that.  Since MJ Recruiters joined Top Echelon in 2005, Hemminger and Spaun have combined to make 98 Network placements!

Networking and meeting other recruiters face-to-face works, plain and simple.  The National Convention and the Fall Conference are evidence of that fact, as are events like “Networking on the Farm.”

Check Out the ‘Networking on the Farm’ Photos!

We’re always looking for recruiters to form new Regional Core Groups or to get together on a consistent basis like the recruiters who attended “Networking on the Farm.”  If you’d like to start a new Regional Core Group, please contact me as soon as possible.

Call me at 330.455.1433, x156 or send an email to drea@topchelon.com.

SURVEY QUESTION:

How many phone conversations do YOU have with split Trading Partners during the course of a week in Top Echelon Network?  How important are these conversations to your production within the Network?

Communication is not only one of the Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network, it’s also the number-one way in which Network recruiters make split placements with one another.

Of course, the telephone has long been the primary mode of communication for recruiters, despite advancing technology and other communication tools like email, texting, and instant messaging (IM).  With that in mind, how much do Top Echelon Network recruiters use the telephone when it comes to communicating with their fellow split partners?

We recently conducted a survey of Network recruiters, and that survey was based upon the following question:

On average, how many phone conversations do you have with Trading Partners each week?

SURVEY RESULTS:

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

• None — 11.1%
• Between 1 and 5 — 59.3%
• Between 6 and 10 — 25.9%
• Between 11 and 15 — 0.0%
• More than 15 — 3.7%

SURVEY ANALYSIS:

The answer that survey participants chose the most was “between 1 and 5” phone conversations per week (59.3%), while “between 6 and 10” was second at 25.9%.  Interestingly, 11.1% of recruiters don’t have ANY phone conversations with Top Echelon split partners during the course of the week.  (If they do communicate with Trading Partners, it’s presumably through email or some other means.)

A small percentage (3.7%) has “more than 15” phone conversations each week.  That’s a lot of networking!  None of the participants chose “between 6 and 10” as their answer.

While the results of this survey are indicative of how much personal preference plays a role in how Network recruiters interact with one another, it also underscores the link between communication and success within the Network.

FEEDBACK:

How many phone conversations do YOU have with TE split partners during the course of the week?  How important are these conversations to the closing of deals and making of split placements?

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If there’s anything that the story of Network recruiter Terry Rhodes proves, it’s that perseverance is rewarded.

In his case, it was rewarded with a $1 million cash-in through Top Echelon Network, primarily by being an exporter.

Despite enjoying substantial success earlier in his recruiting career, Rhodes of NewCareers in Harrisonburg, VA hit some obstacles a few years ago inside Network.  He made just one placement in the Network each year from 2009 to 2011.  Placements in general became fewer and farther between.

The reason?  Rhodes acknowledged that, in addition to the general economic decline, his reluctance to embrace the rapidly expanding world of social media hampered his business.

“During that time period, things had been tailing off,” said Rhodes, who joined Top Echelon Network in 1994.  “I didn’t respond in as timely a fashion as I needed in changing my [business] model and making it more attuned to today’s environment.  As a result, I saw a real change in production, and it took longer than I would have hoped to get back, but praise the Lord, I have since the end of 2011.”

Rhodes’s recent split placement with Neil Goldman of Neil Goldman & Associates was his 125th placement in Top Echelon Network.  Not only that, but the placement pushed his cash-in total as a Top Echelon Network recruiter to $1,002,551.  For his part, Rhodes is both pleased and relieved to have reached the rare milestone.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said.

Before becoming an executive recruiter, Rhodes worked for almost 25 years in corporate America for seven companies.  By his account, he held over 20 different jobs.  It was his experience with those companies and jobs that led him to the recruiting profession.

“I used recruiters to find jobs, and I used recruiters to find talent,” said Rhodes. “I thought I at least knew a little about the profession, and I was tired of corporate America.  I decided to do my own thing, which was recruiting.”

However, Rhodes acknowledged the irony that accompanied his new career choice.

“In the end, I still ended up working with corporate America,” he said, “but at least I was my own boss, in a way.  Recruiting is an unusual business, though.  You’re actually working for two people.  You’re working for the client company and also working for the candidate, and in the end, you don’t have control over either one.”

Rhodes started recruiting in April of 1994 and in November of that same year, he joined Top Echelon Network.

“I had no background whatsoever,” he said.  “I was just self-taught, and I learned from my mistakes.  The smartest thing I did was join Top Echelon.  Without TE, I wouldn’t be where I am now, 20 years later.

“There were some rough times initially, and it was definitely interesting because I didn’t know any different.  I was just totally gung-ho.  The enthusiasm and adrenaline is really what got me started, and I still get that adrenaline.”

In the early days, those feelings of adrenaline were certainly intensified when Rhodes made a placement.

“It’s a feeling of satisfaction, for sure, but it doesn’t last long,” Rhodes said with a chuckle.  “You always have to be looking at where the next one is coming from.”

When Rhodes joined Top Echelon, his attitude regarding his participation in the Network was instrumental.

“There are a lot of different ways to have success, but they all boil down to one thing: hard work,” said Rhodes.  “When I joined the Network, I made the decision that I was going to put significant effort into it and it was going to be an important part of what I did.  If you do something, do it right and commit to it.

“If I can do that, there’s no reason why other people can’t.”

One of the things that’s unique about Rhodes’s success in the Network is that his 125 split placements have been made with a diverse group of recruiters.  In many cases, when a Network recruiter makes a considerable amount of placements, they have a Core Group of Trading Partners—four or five other recruiters with whom they work.  Such is not the case with Rhodes.

“If you go through the 125 splits I’ve made, you’re going to find only about four or five recruiters that I’ve made more than three splits with,” said Rhodes.  “I guess that’s indicative of the fact that I’m a true generalist rather than a niche player, which kind of hits the bread basket of the Network.”

In short, Rhodes hasn’t relied upon a niche market or industry to help achieve tremendous amounts of success in Top Echelon.  Working as a generalist, he’s relied upon his commitment to the Network, a commitment rooted in hard work and determination.  In addition, he expressed appreciation for the quality and commitment of his Trading Partners, a group of highly competent professionals.

Rhodes has also relied heavily upon his assistant . . . who also happens to be his wife, Mary Beth Rhodes.

“None of this would have been accomplished without Mary Beth,” said Rhodes. “We’ve worked as a team for over 20 years.  A lot of people have asked us, ‘How in the world can you work with your spouse?’  It was just a natural transition.  Mary Beth was a homemaker while the kids were growing up, and when the children left, she worked in the business.”

Rhodes and his wife have four children, all grown.

“They all graduated from different Virginia state universities during those 20 years, without any debt at the end,” he said. “I thank God and the business for that.  I feel that God has blessed me during these many years, and I certainly want to acknowledge that.”

So while Terry Rhodes’s story proves that perseverance and hard work is rewarded, perhaps it also proves that faith is rewarded, as well.

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