[Editor’s note: Top Echelon not only offers recruiting software, but we also offer membership in our recruiting network. We often highlight the successes of these members in The Pinnacle, the newsletter blog for the Network. However, we’re now running a recruitment case study series in the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog. Our hope is that these recruitment case study examples will give you inspiration for your own success!]
Among Top Echelon Network recruiters, just mention David M. Sgro, CPC of True North Consultants, Inc. and you’ll get a smile. That’s because Dave’s fun, welcoming personality is perhaps his most well-known trait.
However, Dave’s welcoming personality is matched only by his dedication to recruiting. That dedication has resulted in split placements for many of his trading partners.
Since joining Top Echelon Network in 2006, Dave has reached many milestones as a Network recruiter:
- 112 Network placements
- Nearly $950K cash-in as a result of those placements
- Numerous Top Echelon awards for achievement (the photo above is of Dave receiving an award from Top Echelon President Mark Demaree at one of the Network’s National Conventions)
Actually, Dave’s production through Top Echelon is even higher than the nearly $1 million he’s generated in splits. The reason: he’s also made many contract placements through Top Echelon Contracting.
Suffice it to say, Dave Sgro excels at his craft. More importantly, he loves it—just ask him. Which makes him the perfect candidate for a case study in recruitment and selection.
5-step case study of recruitment and selection
Dave’s agency, True North Consultants, specializes in the Information Technology industry. However, Dave also spends time in the Accounting, Finance, and Audit realms. He also helps his TE trading partners make placements in industries outside of his niche, such as Manufacturing.
No matter the industry or discipline, though, Dave makes sure to “get it right.” We took a look at what Dave does to accomplish that, and the result is a five-step case study of recruitment and selection. Take it away, Dave!
#1—Balance in all things
Dave works a very balanced desk. Not only does he complete split placements with his trading partners, but he also handles full-fee direct hire and contract placements on his own. He gets value from all three types because he balances his time and effort between each of them. The “proof is in the pudding.” As mentioned above, Dave has made over 100 Network split placements since 2006. He has also made nearly 100 contract staffing placements. That’s as balanced as balanced can get in the world of recruiting.
#2—No, seriously . . . balance in ALL things
Dave is balanced in another way, too. He focuses equally on his clients’ and candidates’ success. No matter which side of the desk he’s working, he strives for 100% customer satisfaction. This balance shines through on his website, with a page devoted to both job seekers and clients. It also shows in his split placement statistics: Dave sometimes has the job order, and sometimes he supplies the candidate. It all depends on what his customers need.
#3—Wring every drop of value from your “tools”
Dave has taken advantage of nearly every tool and service that Top Echelon has to offer. He makes contracting placements through the back-office, makes split placements through the Network, uses software as his recruiting database, has the software’s Job Board on his Top Echelon-designed and hosted website, uses the job posting service, and attends the Top Echelon conferences and small group meet-ups faithfully. He couldn’t wring another drop of value from his relationship with Top Echelon if he tried, and it’s clear in his numbers that this is a path to success!
#4—Go the extra mile
Dave just doesn’t do things halfway: when it takes an extra bit of effort to get to 100%, he makes it happen. During the past few years, he’s made client visits with Network trading partner Maria Hemminger, CSP of MJ Recruiters so he could understand her client’s exact needs for IT candidates. Even when it’s not for his own clients, Dave goes that extra mile for customer satisfaction.
#5—Work hard . . . but play hard, too!
Dave certainly does work hard, but he balances it out by having a lot of fun. When Dave and Maria made a split placement in 2015, they took a “split placement selfie” to commemorate the occasion and sent it in to be published in the Network newsletter. By doing so, they pioneered a trend which quickly took off and became a fun way to celebrate split placements. At recruiter networking events, Dave is always one of the first to take part in a fun new activity—and he’s proven time and again that this translates to strong recruiting partnerships.
When you get right down to it, Dave’s recruiting philosophy is simple: work hard, find balance in everything you do, devote yourself to your customers, and have fun. Success will follow!
Dave Sgro and True North Consultants represents a consummate case study of recruitment and selection. That’s because Dave has enjoyed tremendous success both inside and outside of the Network. He focuses on solving his clients’ hiring problems, no matter what the solution involves. It could involve one of his own candidates, or it could involve a candidate that one of his split recruiting partners provides.
If you’d like to enjoy success similar to what Dave and True North Consultants has achieved, then consider applying for membership in Top Echelon Network. You’ll have the opportunity to share candidates and job orders with over 1,000 recruiters in nearly every industry and discipline within the employment marketplace. (Then perhaps one day, we’ll be publishing your case study on recruitment and selection.)
Click here for more information about Top Echelon Network and click here to apply for membership.