Just as there were no Virtual Core Group teleconference call meetings during the second week of September, there will be no VCG meetings during the first week of October.

In September, the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) Conference was to blame.  And now?

The 2013 Top Echelon Network Fall Conference, of course!

Mark Demaree, Todd Bossler, Debbie Fledderjohann, Hannah Laps, and I will be at the Sheraton Chicago O’Hare for the conference next week.  (The official dates of the event are Thursday, October 3, and Friday, October 4.)

As a result, there will be NO Virtual Core Group teleconference call meetings during the first week of the month.

Other than that, though, there aren’t any other changes to the Virtual Core Group schedule.  In fact, below is the VCG teleconference call schedule for the month of October (all times listed are Eastern Standard Time):

There is STILL time for you to register for the Fall Conference.  In fact, we’ve had signups this week! As I write this, there are 106 recruiters planning to attend the conference, representing an equal number of opportunities to make split placements.

So register for the 2013 Fall Conference!  And attend a VCG meeting next month!  That’s an order!

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.

At Top Echelon, we like to feature recruiters who are doing things the right way in the Network.  This, of course, means that we highlight a heck of a lot of recruiters.

After all, split placements in Top Echelon Network are up nearly 25% over this time a year ago.

The Trading Partner relationship that we’re featuring this week is comprised of one of the Network recruiters who started in the industry in 1991 and one who started in 2006.  One recruiter has made 181 Network placements, and the other has made 19 Network placements.

Together, they’ve made 14 split placements in Top Echelon Network during the past four years.  Not only that, but the fee for their most recent split placement (highlighted below) totaled $47,500!

Once again, it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the recruiting business, how long you’ve been in the Network, or what industry you work: you can make split placements with another recruiter, regardless of their tenure or their experience.  And not just a few splits, either—14 of them!

So congratulations to these two Top Echelon Network recruiters for splitting that large fee, for building and sustaining such an awesome Trading Partner relationship, and for doing things the right way.

— — —

“This is the 14th split placement that Rebecca and I have made in the last four years.  Continued communication between partners in an industry pays off.”

Submitted by Dan Simmons, CPC of Continental Search & Outplacement, Inc. regarding his Network split placement with Rebecca Kohn of Affinity Executive Search

Position Title—MARKETING DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Fee Percentage—25%

(Editor’s note: This is the 14th Network split placement that Simmons and Kohn have made together in Top Echelon.)

— — —

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SPLIT PLACEMENTS THIS WEEK:

The end of the third quarter of the year is rapidly approaching, and one thing is certain: split placements in Top Echelon Network are being made more frequently in 2013 than in 2012.

In fact, there have been 24.8% more split placements made to this point in the year than there were a year ago at this time.  In fact, there’s been a noticeable difference during the past few weeks, with placements hitting double digits on multiple occasions.

These numbers point to the fact that the economy (and by extension, hiring) is gaining traction. Companies are in need of talented employees, and they’re willing to pay a recruiting firm to locate those employees.  And when candidates are difficult to find and/or the company is especially picky?

Top Echelon Network recruiters are relying upon their Trading Partners to help them find the candidates they need.

SPLIT JOBS FILLED THIS WEEK:

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

• Director of Sales
• VP of Finance
  
• Java Developer
  
• Digital Forensics Analyst
  
• Quality Manager
• Project Manager
  
• Plant Controller
  
• Environmental Engineer
  
• Associate VP of Sales
  

For more information about how YOU can be more successful in Top Echelon Network, call Membership Development Coordinator Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS at 330.455.1433, x156.

THIS WEEK’S NETWORK SPLIT PLACEMENTS:

Job recruiter: Jeff Gilbert of Kingfish Technology, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Janet Miller of Computer Management, Inc.

Split job title: DIRECTOR OF SALES

Fee percentage: 20%

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

— — —

Job recruiter: Pamela Ratz DeVille, CPC of the MMS Group

Candidate recruiter: Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group

Split job title: VP OF FINANCE

Fee percentage: 18%

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

— — —

Job recruiter: Deb North of Deb North Consulting, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Sara Rich of CPS and Professionals Incorporated

Split job title: JAVA DEVELOPER

Fee percentage: 25%

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

— — —

Job recruiter: Deb North of Deb North Consulting, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Victor Wheeler of Velocity Search Group

Split job title: DIGITAL FORENSICS ANALYST

Fee percentage: 18%

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

— — —

Job recruiter: Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Chris Ramsay, CPC of Corporate Resources, LLC

Split job title: QUALITY MANAGER

Fee percentage: 25%

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

— — —

Job recruiter: Lloyd E. Shoemaker of TriVista Professional Placement Services

Candidate recruiter: David Manns of Access Professional Search & Staffing

Split job title: PROJECT MANAGER

Fee percentage: 25%

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

— — —

Job recruiter: Twanda DeBorde of CMD and Associates Executive Search

Candidate recruiter: Roy Cope of R. Cope & Associates, Inc.

Split job title: PLANT CONTROLLER

Fee percentage: 20%

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

— — —

Job recruiter: David Wood, CPC of The David Wood Company

Candidate recruiter: Thomas Edwards of Front Line Solutions, LLC

Split job title: ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER

Fee percentage: 25%

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

— — —

Job recruiter: Stephanie Wise of Wise Executive Search

Candidate recruiter: Steve Kohn of Affinity Executive Search

Split job title: ASSOCIATE VP OF SALES

Fee percentage: 15%

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

— — —

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

Candidate recruiter: Gene McQueen of the Cameron Craig Group

Split job title: TEST ENGINEER

Fee percentage: 25%

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

— — —

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Every once in a while, there’s a “bump in the road” as far as the Virtual Core Group schedule is concerned.  Just such a bump will happen during the second week in September.

It’s not really a bump, though.  It’s the 2013 National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) Conference.

As many of you know, Top Echelon officials (including myself) will be in attendance at the NAPS Conference.  Since I can’t—as of yet—be in two places at the same time, there will be NO Virtual Core Group teleconference call meetings during the second week of the month.

However, outside of that “bump,” there aren’t any other changes to the Virtual Core Group schedule for the month of September.

In fact, below is the VCG teleconference call schedule for September (all times listed are Eastern Standard Time):

So, since there won’t be any Virtual Core Group meetings during the second week in September, I certainly expect to see you at the NAPS Conference.  Then I certainly expect to see you at the upcoming Top Echelon Network Fall Conference in Chicago.

Then I expect you to attend a Virtual Core Group teleconference call meeting!  (Needy, aren’t I?)

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.

— — —

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SPLIT PLACEMENTS THIS WEEK:

Since Network recruiters are making multiple split placements per week, you knew that Sean Napoles couldn’t be far behind.  The perennial Top 10 producer has three placements in this week’s issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.

Not only that, but we have a pair of recruiters who made both a direct-hire placement and a contract placement together!  Placements in Top Echelon Network are up over 15% since a year ago, underscoring the fact that Network recruiters are enjoying more success, both inside and, more than likely, outside of the Network.

SPLIT JOBS FILLED THIS WEEK:

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

• Software Engineer – Progress
• Manager IT PMO
  
• SAP Solutions Manager
  
• QA UR Registered Nurse
  
• Senior Civil Engineer
• Project/Design Engineer
• Embedded Software Engineer
• Supplier Quality Manager
• General Manager

For more information about how YOU can be more successful in Top Echelon Network, (330) 455-1433, Ext. 156.  Act now!  Call today!

THIS WEEK’S COMPLETED SPLIT PLACEMENTS:

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

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

Job title: SOFTWARE ENGINEER – PROGRESS

Fee percentage: 15%

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

— — —

Job recruiter: Debbi Reiger of Reiger Technical Search

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

Job title: MANAGER IT PMO

Fee percentage: 20%

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

— — —

Job recruiter: Debbi Reiger of Reiger Technical Search

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

Job title: SAP SOLUTIONS MANAGER

Fee percentage: 20%

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

— — —

Job recruiter: Joe Papa, CPC/CTS of American Medical Personnel Services, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Jim Strickland of BioSource International

Job title: QA UR REGISTERED NURSE

Fee percentage: 10%

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

— — —

Job recruiter: Joe Papa, CPC/CTS of American Medical Personnel Services, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Jim Strickland of BioSource International

Job title: QA UR REGISTERED NURSE

Recruiter $ Per Hour: N/A

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

— — —

Job recruiter: Cindy Szajkovics of Bulldog Recruiters, Inc
Candidate recruiter: Juli Smith of The Smith Consulting Group

Job title: SENIOR CIVIL ENGINEER

Fee percentage: 22%

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

— — —

Job recruiter: Don Lewis of The Doepker Group

Candidate recruiter: David Wick, CPC of Career Center of Cincinnati, Inc.

Job title: PROJECT/DESIGN ENGINEER

Fee percentage: 25%

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

— — —

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

Candidate recruiter: Jimmy Folger of ONESource Technical, Inc.

Job title: EMBEDDED SOFTWARE ENGINEER

Fee percentage: 22.5%

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

— — —

Job recruiter: Rose Langhals of Bridgeway Professionals, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Joe Durbin of the Rockpointe Group

Job title: SUPPLIER QUALITY MANAGER

Fee percentage: 25%

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

— — —

Job recruiter: Douglas Pajak of Alternate Route

Candidate recruiter: Rich Harrold of Front Line Solutions, LLC

Job title: GENERAL MANAGER

Fee percentage: 20%

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

— — —

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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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SURVEY QUESTION:

Split partner relationships are the lifeblood of Top Echelon Network.  There’s no doubt about that.  But how exactly do Network recruiters find new Trading Partners?

After all, even if you’re not a new Network recruiter, you can still find split partners in the Network you’ve haven’t made placements with.  Recent issues of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog have highlighted the fact that’s exactly what some recruiters in the Network are doing.

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

Which of the following tools do you use most often to find split partners?

SURVEY RESULTS:

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

• Split Candidate Database — 15.7%
• Split Job Order Database — 51.0%
• “Who Works What” — 19.6%
• MEGA Database — 0.0%
• Call Drea (TE) — 13.7%

SURVEY ANALYSIS:

Far and away, the most popular answer among survey participants was “Split Job Order Database” at 51.0%.  “Who Works What” was a distant second at 19.6%, while “Split Candidate Database” finished third with 15.7% of the vote.

Top Echelon Network recruiters prefer to search the Split Job Order database in their quest to find new split partners.  While they certainly use other means to find split partners, this is how they find the most success.

FEEDBACK:

Which means to YOU use to find split partners in Top Echelon Network?  Are they the ones listed above, or do you have others?