In the midst of one of the most challenging situations that most employers have ever experienced,  The s1jobs Recruitment Awards have returned to shine a spotlight on those employers and recruitment professionals who are pulling out all the stops to find the right people for every job.

Against a backdrop of skills shortages, dramatic changes in working practices and the issues arising from Brexit, there are teams of highly-motivated individuals whose focus has never wavered and this year’s s1jobs Recruitment Awards are aimed at giving them the recognition that they deserve.

From recruitment consultants finding candidates at home and overseas; those opening up opportunities in the field of diversity; digital and social media creatives who are using every tool at their disposal to attract potential employees and in-house HR teams who are refining their recruitment processes in order to find exactly the right fit for the jobs on offer, the amount of time and talent that is being expended on recruitment is exceptional.

Some of this time is being spent in navigating the new workplace landscape, where meeting the needs of the employer has had to be balance carefully with the demands of working from home and the whole process of ‘onboarding’ during a pandemic has had to be learnt at speed. Yet every challenge also presents opportunities and the best recruiters have seized on the opportunity to access talented staff who would otherwise have been off-limits because of their geographical location or need for flexible working.

This year there are 20 categories in total, some, such as ‘Best Charity Employer’ and ‘Best Creative Idea’, which companies can nominate themselves and then there are other categories including ‘Best Employer’ and ‘Recruitment Consultant of the Year’ where it is the users who get a chance to vote.

This is the 10th time that the s1jobs Recruitment Awards have been held and in a decade of highlighting excellence, awards have gone to some of the biggest employers and recruitment companies in the country and to some of the smallest.

For 2022, the awards ceremony will once again be an actual, rather than a virtual, event and it will give recruitment professionals from across Scotland’s business landscape the chance to come together to share their success stories and hopefully congratulate themselves for what they have achieved in a time of adversity.

Gavin Mochan, Managing Director, s1 said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has taught us that what really matters is people. The 2022 s1 awards will be a welcome opportunity to bring together Scotland’s recruitment community in person so that we can celebrate the phenomenal work that has been done over the last couple of years in the most difficult of circumstances.

“The strategic value to the awards always comes from sharing best practice in order to beat the challenges of today and anticipating those that will arise tomorrow and awards allow us to show appreciation for our innovators, adapters, stimulators, collaborators and leaders. Recognising those with these important skills and talents has never been more important than it is now.

“It is clear that many companies are reshaping themselves in order to capture the upside of the economic rebound and it is also clear that this will not be possible without retaining and attracting great people. Strong recruitment policies and the skills to carry them out effectively will be vital in ensuring that these companies and the wider economy on which we all rely, continues to grow.”

Sponsors of this year’s awards include Volvo and the deadline for entries is Thursday, February 24. The awards ceremony itself will take place on Thursday, April 14 and full details of categories and how to enter can be found on the event website.