Company: BlueSky Personnel Solutions
Company Description: BlueSky Personnel Solutions is one of Canada’s top award-winning recruitment agencies, specializing in French/Bilingual placements. What differentiates us in our industry is our enviable candidate network that we cultivate every day. We are connected to the most-skilled French/Bilingual talent in the marketplace, and we pride ourselves on being “needle-in-the-haystack” finders for our clients, man
Nomination Category: Company/Organization Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Women-Run Workplace of the Year - 10 or Less Employees
 Nomination Title: BlueSky Personnel Solutions
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 122 words used.
Julie’s thought-leadership (marketing and PR) in the recruitment industry:
https://www.blueskypersonnel.com/preparing-for-recruitment-in-2022/
https://www.blueskypersonnel.com/omicron-is-changing-the-recruitment-landscape-again/
https://www.blueskypersonnel.com/here-are-some-noteworthy-best-practices-in-planning-a-hybrid-workspace/
https://www.blueskypersonnel.com/this-is-the-most-effective-mid-pandemic-recruiting-strategy/
https://www.blueskypersonnel.com/hr-recruiting-lessons-learned-from-the-pandemic/
https://www.blueskypersonnel.com/how-to-manage-skyrocketing-salary-expectations/
https://www.blueskypersonnel.com/candidate-trends-weve-been-seeing-for-summer-fall-2020/
News of Julie’s award-wins:
https://www.candidate.ly/worldstaffingsummit/awards/staffing-leaders-to-watch-in-2022
https://www.blueskypersonnel.com/world-staffing-awards-has-named-julie-labrie-in-their-top-100-staffing-leaders-to-watch-in-2022/
https://www.blueskypersonnel.com/bluesky-personnel-solutions-has-been-named-best-full-service-bilingual-french-employment-agency-in-canada/
Julie being quoted in the media:
https://www.blueskypersonnel.com/todays-war-for-talent-and-key-hr-lessons-learned-check-out-julie-labries-media-interviews-with-global-news-and-hr-reporter-2/
https://www.blueskypersonnel.com/recruitment-challenges-in-the-midst-of-a-pandemic/
https://www.blueskypersonnel.com/how-can-i-set-myself-up-for-a-successful-job-hunt-after-being-at-home-for-12-years-to-take-care-of-my-children/
https://www.blueskypersonnel.com/can-my-boss-expect-me-to-answer-calls-and-texts-outside-of-work-hours/
https://www.blueskypersonnel.com/canadas-current-labour-shortage-global-news-quotes-julie-labrie/
https://www.blueskypersonnel.com/can-i-ask-about-salary-expectations-before-i-even-get-the-job-interview/
What employees say about working with Julie:
https://www.blueskypersonnel.com/milestone-moments-interview-with-milica-ivkovic-3-things-i-learned-from-working-at-bluesky-personnel-solutions-that-i-still-use-12-years-later/
Client testimonials:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40OsVb1v2iw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtYMU3aLNi4
https://www.blueskypersonnel.com/ (please scroll down on the home page to see written testimonials)
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the achievements since July 1, 2020 of the nominated organization, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the appropriate spaces below:
- Briefly describe the nominated organization: history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 201 words used. If the word count is more than 25 words over the limit, please deduct one (1) point from your score.
BlueSky Personnel Solutions is recognized as one of Canada’s top award-winning recruitment agencies, specializing in bilingual (English/French) placements.
What began as a small Toronto agency focused on temporary staffing, has now become a highly-respected industry thought-leader, offering full-service recruitment on a national level.
The firm’s president and owner, Julie Labrie, is a regular media commentator and columnist. This mighty team routinely punches above its weight, passionately searching for that perfect needle-in-a-haystack find for its clients.
The company’s greatest differentiator is its enviable bilingual candidate network that this team cultivates every day. This connects the agency to the most-skilled bilingual talent in Canada.
In 2019, BlueSky Personnel Solutions was awarded the title: #1 agency in Toronto by Top Recruiter, and Julie was recognized as the #3 Recruiter in Canada. The company has also enjoyed several milestones and wins since July 2020:
· 2021 marked yearlong celebrations for the company’s 20th anniversary
· In 2022, it was named Best Full-Service Bilingual/French Employment Agency in Canada by Corporate Vision Magazine
· Julie was honoured on a global stage too, named as one of the Top 100 Staffing Leaders to Watch in 2022 by the World Staffing Awards - voted in by her industry peers
- Outline the organization's achievements since July 1 2020 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 243 words used.
In July 2020, Canada was reeling from the effects of a nationwide pandemic-induced shutdown. In the blink of an eye, businesses stopped all of their hiring efforts. Staffing agencies across the country let go of their most talented recruiters. BlueSky Personnel Solutions’ orders also grinded to a halt, with little relief in sight.
The company had already weathered many economic storms over its 20-year tenure, including 9/11, SARS, and the Great Recession. So Julie had structured her company to withstand potential, unexpected revenue losses. As a result, even in these difficult times, the firm was able to retain its staff.
Julie and her team then amplified their focus on the company’s core values of relationships, communications, and service. The agency began reaching out to prospective bilingual job candidates in their database, simply to connect and deepen their relationships.
The team also reached out to clients to support them and not ask for anything more. Moreover, Julie ramped up her PR and marketing as well – to remind her audiences of her trusted, expert, and understanding voice in the industry.
These strategies provided returns in spades for the company over the past two years.
As soon as companies were ready to bounce back, the agency hit the ground running, and its “people investments” paid off. Massive bilingual labour shortages and tightening markets in Canada didn’t stop the company’s phenomenal business growth under Julie’s leadership – the company increased profits by 140% over the pandemic!
- Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
The recruitment industry has been grappling with its own challenges amid the post-pandemic’s Great Resignation (large numbers of people quitting their jobs). Many experienced recruiters are leaving the field. This decline is even sharper in niched bilingual (English/French) recruitment in Canada.
Several factors are responsible for this. Recruiters are operating in a jobseeker’s market. Candidates are calling the shots. There is a lot of ghosting, bidding wars, and skyrocketing salaries for bilingual talent. It’s getting harder and harder to meet clients’ requests. BlueSky Personnel Solutions operates on a contingency model. They’re only paid by clients once they’ve successfully placed someone in a position. With the current bilingual talent shortage in Canada, recruiters’ jobs have become incredibly challenging.
According to Statistics Canada, only 18% of Canadians say they’re bilingual (English/French). In Ontario, it’s only 11%. Compare that to the 26% vacancy rate for bilingual jobs, and suddenly the critical nature of the talent shortage comes to light.
Amid this bleak climate, because Julie has placed such a great emphasis on relationship-building, her company has risen far above the rest. The firm’s average client tenure is measured by years (even decades) compared to the transactional relationship many others are experiencing today. Candidates too, remain connected with Julie’s team throughout their careers. This is why, Julie has been recognized by her peers through the World Staffing Awards as a global leader who is “transforming the staffing industry, offering solutions to its challenges, and setting trends for how to do business more effectively.”
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