2022 Entrée Recruitment | A Look Back

Posted on 26/11/2022 by Caitlin Ielasi & Megan Nicholson

Incredibly honoured, this year Entrée Recruitment won the RCSA award for Outstanding Boutique Agency of 2022. Opening our doors in 2001, twenty-one years ago, we were just a small recruitment company. Now we are one of Adelaide's leading recruitment firms. As the only South Australian-owned and operated finalist, this achievement was a great win for our team, the organisation, and the Adelaide network.

Receiving the award reinforced how hard our staff work daily to provide standout service to all our clients and candidates. In addition, achieving this award post-pandemic represented our passion for the recruitment industry and that we had successfully adapted to market challenges.

When 2021 ended, we started to look ahead. We asked ourselves, what can we do differently? How can we be innovative? What can we do to promote the industry and rise above the challenges? The pandemic closed borders; the talent shortage was at an all-time high; we saw the lowest unemployment rate since 2008, and we are still amid a candidate-driven market. Our agency didn't just feel these challenges; the whole recruitment community did. We had to be different, we had to be innovative, and focused on reshaping the employer market from a candidate perspective. We no longer live in an employer-driven economy with enormous candidate pools and lengthy recruiting processes. Candidates will not wait weeks if they have many other comparable offers.

While candidates' expectations are rising, they are reconsidering how they wish to work. We have encouraged all our clients to focus on enhancing the applicant experience. Now more than ever, there is an emphasis on company culture, competitive benefits such as compensation, flexible working arrangements, and market speed and responsiveness. Our understanding shows prospective candidates highly value corporate culture and hiring experience. We are discovering that more candidates prefer to work for a company that shares their values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours.

Aside from being named Outstanding Boutique Agency of 2022, we are proud to have opened a brand-new Queensland division. We have already established relationships with incredible clients and candidates across the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, and Wide Bay regions. Another achievement has been our Entrée Early Years division, which is growing to meet the demands of the early childhood sector.

With 2023 on the horizon, we are excited about the future of the recruitment industry. As mentioned, employers will be more demanding to reconsider their hiring practices to include remote working, additional benefits, and positive company culture. In addition, diversity and inclusion will be at the forefront of many conversations. This means there will be a greater need for education to eliminate unconscious bias and focus on accessible and diverse recruitment practices.

2022 has been an excellent year for all divisions, and we are excited to embrace 2023 with new ideas. We welcome challenges and growth and shall continue reaffirming our dedication to the Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing industry, our clients, candidates, and staff.