~ Rafael Nadal -- 10 consecutive years winning at least one grand slam title
~ Ichiro Suzuki -- 10 consecutive All-Star game appearances
~ Ivan Rodriguez -- 10 consecutive All-Star game appearances
These are indicators of high standards of performance on the tennis court and baseball diamond.
In the recruiting industry 10 becomes the new standard for performance. Technical recruiters need 10 to make The List. They need 10 LinkedIn recommendations to make The List of Boston's most-recommended recruiters -- Boston's Rockstar Recruiters.
Boston's Top 100 Technology Recruiters
In the fall of 2012 Beantown Web asked the question, "Who are Boston's Rockstar Recruiters?" Welcome to the 16th installment of The List.
To begin the quest, Beantown Web identified nearly 500 technology recruiters via LinkedIn. Most are located in the Boston area. Some are located in New Hampshire and Rhode Island and conduct a significant amount of business in the Boston area.
Beantown Web then turned to LinkedIn to identify customer satisfaction scores. In particular, how many people were willing to provide a public recommendation for each recruiter?
Athletes have championship trophies and honors such as All-Star game appearances to gauge excellence in their professions. For those of us who perform in different arenas, we have LinkedIn recommendations to recognize our performance. Less than 100 out of nearly 500 technology recruiters in the Boston metro area has earned Boston Rockstar Recruiter status with at least 10 LinkedIn recommendations received.Top 10 in Runs Scored
Boston's Top 10 Rockstar Recruiters perform to a higher standard. The best in the recruiting business have received at least 54 LinkedIn recommendations each.
Here are the Top 10 Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the third quarter of 2016 [number of LinkedIn recommendations received + given]:
- Chris Fountas [112 + 9] -- Hollister Staffing
- Scott Dunlop [96 + 6] -- The Bivium Group
- Doug Schade [84 + 11] -- WinterWyman
- Brendan Andersen [83 + 20] -- CyberCoders
- Jamie LeBlanc [79 + 2] -- The Bivium Group
- John VanderSande [65 + 2] -- WinterWyman
- Brian Abrams [59 + 18] -- PMO Partners, LLC
- Danielle Lief [58 + 8] -- InnoTECH Staffing
- Roy Evans [57 + 20] -- CyberCoders
- Phil Hurd [54 + 18] -- Oculus Search Partners, LLC
Top 10 in Sacrifices
In baseball a "sacrifice fly" is credited to a batter who successfully advances one or more runners by hitting a long fly ball for an out. A sacrifice fly does not count as a time at bat. This second list ranks "sacrifice flies." It answers the following question:
"Of the recruiters listed in the Top 100, who are the most generous in offering recommendations to others?"The Top 10 most generous Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the third quarter [number of LinkedIn recommendations [given + received] are as follows:
- David Perlman [58 + 19] -- Grenadier Search Group
- Maureen Lawson [57 + 52] -- Clear Point Consultants
- Ed Nathanson [48 + 31] -- Red Pill Talent, LLC
- Scott Ragusa [40 + 26] -- WinterWyman
- Tim Halloran [35 + 10] -- JVT Advisors
- Jordan Goldberg [31 + 11] -- The Bowdoin Group
- Carol Taylor [30 + 18] -- Private Clients
- Andrea Williams [29 + 32] -- Career Minded Recruiting, LLC
- Sean Dowling [21 + 25] -- WinterWyman
- Ben Gregg [21 + 23] -- Skillcloud Consulting, Inc.
Team Scores
Now, for the team scores. The following teams placed the most recruiters (at least three) in the Top 100 [number of recruiters in the Top 100]:
Gold: WinterWyman [9]
Silver: CyberCoders [5]
Bronze: Strategic Employment Partners (SEP, Inc.) [3]
Suggested Strategy
There are no live sportscasts on network television that document technical recruiting excellence. In fact, there is no single measure we can all agree on to decide which recruiter or recruiting firm might work best for you as a candidate or as a hiring manager.
However, there is one place to start your search. It is the same place many of us start when buying a car, or looking for a plumber or finding a dentist. That place is personal recommendations. LinkedIn provides personal recommendations. Banks use credit scores as proxies for trustworthiness. We can use LinkedIn recommendations as a starting point to determine networking currency.
If you have technical skills and believe you offer above average value in the marketplace, then consider working with recruiters who have consistently demonstrated above average customer service in the form of personal recommendations -- both receiving them and giving them.
The complete list of Boston's Rockstar Recruiters is made available exclusively to the 400+ Web Design and Web Development alumni of CDIA, some of the most talented designers and developers I have had the pleasure to teach, mentor and collaborate with. You will hear more about the CDIA Alumni in the very near future.
The list of the 99 most recommended technical recruiters (out of nearly 500) in the Boston metro area is being counted down throughout the quarter on Twitter @webapprentices.
[ NOTE: You can also follow Beantown Web on Facebook. ]
