The ‘Spirit of Networking’: Alan Carty and Trey Cameron

If there’s one thing that Top Echelon advocates, it’s the “spirit of networking.”  In other words, when two recruiters are working together during the placement process and decisions have to be made, we feel that those decisions should be made with the “spirit of networking” in mind.  The decisions should be made with relationships in mind—namely the relationship between the two recruiters and the relationship that the recruiters have with their clients and candidates.

Top Echelon Network is chock full of recruiters who adhere to the “spirit of networking,” and because they do, split placements result.  And I’m not talking about just one placement here or there, because the goodwill that’s built during these situations goes a long way toward making more placements in the future.  (In essence, a solid Trading Partner relationship is the gift that keeps on giving.)

Needless to say, we like to highlight placements within the Network that occur as a direct result of recruiters adhering to the “spirit of networking.”  One such placement involved Alan Carty of Automationtechies.com and Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group.

Carty was working a job order for the position of Sales Representative of Automated Machinery, and one of the candidates that he submitted received an offer from his client.  The candidate was considering the offer for about a day or so when Carty received another candidate from Cameron through Cameron’s Platinum (Hiring Hook) Website.  After looking at the resume, Carty realized that Cameron’s candidate was an even better fit for the position than his candidate was.  While some recruiters may have dismissed Cameron’s candidate, since Carty’s had already received an offer, that’s not what Carty did.

“I called the hiring manager and asked if they wanted to see another candidate,” said Carty.  “They were a little hesitant, since they had already made an offer to my candidate.  So I told them to just take a look at the resume and see if they wanted to bring him in for an interview.”

As it turned out, the hiring manager did want to interview the candidate.  And once the interview was over, company officials wanted to hire Cameron’s candidate.

“I had a full fee placement staring me in the face, not a split fee, and here comes Trey, who had a better candidate,” said Carty.  “My client interviews him, and the president of the company calls me on the way home from work one day and says, ‘You’re right.  We like him and we want to hire him.’  He was worried about what to do with the candidate they had extended an offer to, but I told him that I would take care of that.”

By this time, the candidate in question had been considering the offer for nearly two weeks.  Consequently, it came as no surprise that they declined the offer when questioned by Carty, paving the way for Carty’s client to hire Cameron’s candidate.

“Trey’s candidate started at my client, and they loved him,” said Carty.  “Sure, I lost half of the placement fee, but I did the right thing.  I got my client the right guy, and I know that in the long run, my client was best served by that.”

After emailing Cameron that his candidate had accepted the offer by Carty’s client, Cameron forwarded the email to the Top Echelon Network offices with the following comments:

“Just want you guys to know . . . THIS is what it’s all about!  I have the utmost respect for Alan and his work!  What a great TE split Trading Partner!”

Carty didn’t have to present Cameron’s candidate to his client.  But in the “spirit of networking” and also because he wanted to make sure that he provided the best service possible and the best candidate possible to his client, Carty did just that.  And who knows?  If Carty’s candidate had eventually accepted the offer, perhaps he wouldn’t have worked out as well as Cameron’s.  And if that was the case, Carty wouldn’t have branded himself—or his firm—in as much of a positive light as he did by suggesting to the hiring manager that they take a look at Cameron’s candidate.

What does that mean for Carty?  More loyalty from his client, more respect and loyalty from his Trading Partner, and more of a chance to make placements in the future, both the split and non-split variety.  In the words of Carty, he “did the right thing,” and that makes all the difference, regardless of whether you’re a member of a split placement network or not.

If you know about a placement that was the result of the “spirit of networking,” please send you information to marketing@TopEchelon.com, and the story might run in a future issue of The Pinnacle newsletter.