“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”
I can’t think of another whiteboard entry that started with a bible quote but in the same way Jesus H Christ rose from the dead, I have managed to emerge from my very own CBD cave on what is the morning after the night before. The Seek Annual Recruitment Awards took place in Auckland last night and Rice was on hand to see who’s knocks were answered after a submission process that, if we were knocking on a metaphorical door, would leave knuckles raw and bloodied. It is one of my favorite events of the recruitment calendar in truth; a fantastic night with all the glitz and glamour of a Hollywood awards ceremony although with a tad more Hallenstein Brothers suits floating about.
Before we get to the results a big thank you must go to Seek for organizing this event. End of year sales conferences were the only other time I’ve felt that I am with ‘my people’. So many of the same ‘type’ of person under one roof and although we are a super competitive bunch ego is checked at the door and a good sense of admiration and mutual appreciation is felt. The lion’s share of the plaudits must go to this year’s judges who have the tough task of reviewing all of the finalists and deciding who goes home with the coveted Seekey.
Judges
Andrew Confait, Group Manager, Customer Strategy & Support, Site Safe New Zealand.
Bridget Cooksley, Manager Specialist Recruitment, Department of Corrections
Catherine Taylor, Group Manager People and Capability, Ministry of Health
Grant Burley, Past Co-Founder and Director, Absolute IT
Jeremy Sole, CEO, Electrical Training Company
Leslie Taylor, Head of Employment and Corporate Brand, The Warehouse Group
Matt Bartlett, Vice President Talent, Succession and Engagement, Orion Health
Penelope Barton, Chief People Officer, Crimson Consulting
I feel the Oscar music to hurry up drawing closer as I ramble on so without further adieu the winners are;
Small Recruitment Agency of the Year – McLaren Associates
Medium Recruitment Agency of the Year – Talent International
Large Agency of the Year – Agoge
Recruitment Leader of the Year – Penni Hlaca
Most Innovative Agency of the Year – Madison Recruitment
Excellence in Candidate Engagement – Hello Monday
Recruitment Consultant of the Year – Andrew South (Agoge)
Commiserations to those finalists that narrowly lost out and of course congratulations to the winners! We work in an industry that somewhat discourages fraternization between agencies which is good from an insider trading perspective, unfortunately, it deprives us of that empathy for our fellow consultants. We’re all in the same boat surfing the waves of troughs and crests which is why events like The Seek Awards and The Pow Wow are essential for commonality among consultants. So once again thanks to Seek for a superb night and for providing me with content for the blog on this dusty of dustiest mornings, hair of the dog anyone? 😊
