The New England Patriots have set the standard in the NFL with 17 consecutive winning seasons. Only the Dallas Cowboys stand ahead of them with 20 consecutive winning seasons from 1966 to 1985.
In the recruiting industry 17 becomes the new standard for consistent performance. Technical recruiters need 17 to make The List. They need 17 LinkedIn recommendations to make The List of Boston's most-recommended recruiters -- Boston's Rockstar Recruiters.
Boston's Technology Recruiters
In the fall of 2012 Beantown Web asked the question, "Who are Boston's Rockstar Recruiters?" Welcome to the 20th installment of The List.
To begin the quest, Beantown Web identified more than 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?
Football players have championship rings to gauge excellence on the gridiron. For those of us who perform on different playing fields, we have LinkedIn recommendations to recognize our performance. Only 54 out of more than 500 technology recruiters in the Boston metro area has earned Boston Rockstar Recruiter status with at least 17 LinkedIn recommendations received.
Top 10 on Offense
Boston's Top 10 Rockstar Recruiters perform to a higher standard. The best in the recruiting business have received at least 64 LinkedIn recommendations each. These recruiters have demonstrated an ability to consistently score recommendations.
Here are the Top 10 Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the first quarter of 2018 [number of LinkedIn recommendations received + given]:
- Chris Fountas [120 + 12] -- TPA Technologies
- Scott Dunlop [97 + 6] -- The Bivium Group
- Brendan Andersen [94 + 22] -- CyberCoders
- Doug Schade [90 + 11] -- WinterWyman
- Jamie LeBlanc [84 + 2] -- The Bivium Group
- Ashlee Evan Chan [80 + 0] -- Strategic Employment Partners (SEP. Inc.)
- Phil Hurd [74 + 18] -- Oculus Search Partners, LLC
- Roy Evans [67 + 22] -- CyberCoders
- John VanderSande [65 + 2] -- WinterWyman
- Justin Wissman [64 - 1] -- ReSource Technology Partners
Top 10 on Defense
In recruiting this less glamorous statistic of defense reveals how many times a recruiter is willing to recognize the effort of others. It answers the following question:
"Of the recruiters listed in the Top 54, who are the most generous in offering recommendations to others?"The Top 10 most generous Boston Rockstar Recruiters for the first quarter [number of LinkedIn recommendations [given + received] are as follows:
- David Perlman [60 + 19] -- Grenadier Search Group
- Ed Nathanson [51 + 32] -- Red Pill Talent, LLC
- Scott Ragusa [41 + 26] -- WinterWyman
- Andrea Williams [30 + 32] -- Career Minded Recruiting, LLC
- Carol Taylor [28 + 18] -- Private Clients
- Sean Dowling [23 + 26] -- WinterWyman
- Brendan Andersen [22 + 94] -- CyberCoders
- Roy Evans [22 + 67] -- CyberCoders
- Kelley White [20 + 19] -- Purple Cow Recruiting
- Phil Hurd [18 + 74] -- Oculus Search Partners
Congrats to Brendan Andersen, Roy Evans and Phil Hurd for their top 10 appearances in both Offense and Defense.
Team Scores
Now, for the team scores. The following teams placed the most recruiters in the Top 54 [number of recruiters in the Top 54]:
Gold Category:
- WinterWyman [7]
No other recruiting firm placed more than two recruiters in the Top 54.
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 score as a proxy 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 list of the 54 most recommended technical recruiters (out of more than 500) in the Boston metro area is being counted down throughout the quarter on Facebook.
[ NOTE: You can also follow Beantown Web on Twitter @webapprentices.]
