[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!]
Maria Hemminger, CSP and Joanna Spaun, CSP started MJ Recruiters in 2005 after working together for several years at a regional staffing organization. They joined Top Echelon Network later that same year and were quickly “off to the races” with split placements.
MJ Recruiters specializes in technical and professional manufacturing recruitment, although its recruiters are able to fill the occasional role in Information Technology with the help of their trading partners. This allows them to leverage the resources of the Network and make placements they would not have made otherwise.
Maria and Joanna have also generated more revenue for their agency by “dipping their toes” into the contract staffing waters in 2006. Since then, they’ve made a number of contract placements. These placements have generated recurring revenue for their agency, helping to balance out the unpredictable nature of direct hire placements.
Recruitment case study of runaway success
Maria, Joanna, and the rest of the MJ Recruiters team have enjoyed a tremendous amount of success since joining Top Echelon Network nearly 15 years ago.
For starters, MJ Recruiters has made 164 placements in the Network. That equates to over $1.2 million cash-in. (Remember, these are placements the agency may not have made otherwise. Which makes it money the agency may not have earned otherwise.)
Maria has been at the forefront of the agency’s production in Top Echelon Network. She’s made 143 Network placements totaling over $1 million. Meanwhile, Joanna has made 21 placements during her time as a Network member.
Despite the disparity in Network production, Maria and Joanna stress the fact that they’re a team in every sense of the word. When Maria makes a Network placement, Joanna is just involved in the process as Maria is involved. They share in the work and they share in the credit . . . which is only one of the many reasons that they’ve been so successful.
As part of this recruitment case study of runaway success, let’s take a look at the rules by which Maria and Joanna run their business:
#1. Set big goals and don’t stop until you hit them.
Maria and Jo started strong right out of the gate. They have been a top-producing firm every year since joining the Network, and they show no signs of slowing down. In fact, Maria is ranked in the top 25 all time in terms of Network split placements. MJ Recruiters is proof positive that a new business can meet lofty goals with determination and hard work.
#2. Recognize that every little bit counts.
To earn as much as they have through TE, Maria and Jo had to utilize more than just the Network. They knew there was a need for contract staffing in their niche. They also realized that the value of contracting came from the consistent hourly income multiplied by the number of placements. In the end, their contracting cash-in through the TEC back-office made up a critical tenth of their 10-year TE million.
#3. Put your clients’ success first.
Maria and Jo are big believers in meeting the needs of the client, even if that doesn’t mean the largest immediate cash-in for them. They recognize that lifetime values and strong business relationships are more important than short-term profit. This mindset is what led them to accept IT searches for a manufacturing client, even though the roles fell outside of their niche. By using the Network, they were able to help their client, strengthen a TE Network relationship, AND make money they never would have otherwise made! A win-win-win scenario.
#4. Be organized and accountable.
These ladies know that organization is a key part of business success. MJ Recruiters has a specific three-step process that is used with every client in order to ensure satisfaction:
- Meet with clients face-to-face on a regular basis.
- Ask questions to accurately determine the specific needs of the client.
- Utilize an appropriate recruitment plan that will meet the client’s needs in a timely manner.
#5. Play to your strengths.
Maria’s strength is working with clients, gaining new business, developing strong relationships, and drilling down to core needs. Meanwhile, Joanna’s strength is working those searches, finding amazing candidates, and prepping them for selection by clients. While recruiting statistics may skew in favor of the recruiter on the client-facing side, Maria and Jo both bring equally important skills to the table. They know they are stronger together than they are apart. That’s what makes their recruiting team so effective.
#6. Network, network, network.
MJ Recruiters is a firm that proves networking is absolutely essential. From in-person client meetings to industry events like the ORA conference and TE conventions, Maria and Jo make networking a priority and it shows in their placement statistics. They even take it a step further, hosting a yearly “Networking on the Farm!” event for TE Network members on the Hemminger farm.
MJ Recruiters represents a recruitment case study of success not only within Top Echelon Network, but also within the recruiting profession overall. Maria and Joanna have created a stellar process for recruitment and selection. That process has helped them to serve their clients with excellence since 2005.
If you’d like to enjoy success similar to what MJ Recruiters 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.
Click here for more information about Top Echelon Network and click here to apply for membership.
And if you’re interested in adding contract staffing services to your recruiting agency’s business model, Maria has conducted a webinar in Top Echelon’s Recruiter Coaching Series. The recorded version of that webinar, titled “Contracting Tips for Direct Hire Recruiters,” is available in the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Library.
Click here to watch this training video for FREE.