Best Boutique Recruitment Agencies Melbourne 2019

 

There’s no sugar-coating it – Melbourne as a city has a well-developed job market, which makes it extremely challenging to find a workplace. But there’s also no sense whining about it. Rather, get your foot in the door by doing just one critical thing.

Contact a recruitment agency now.

Recruitment agencies possess an in-depth knowledge of the local labour market in Melbourne. Since they have a large network, they know which industries and employers are forming new opportunities for job seekers with their knowledge and expertise. They also have access to roles that you, as a job seeker, often cannot see yet.

Not only assisting you to manage the workload of the job search process, but best boutique recruitment agencies will also help you succeed at interviews. To help you find one, here’s our list of the top 7 recruitment agencies in Melbourne this 2019. 

Best Boutique Recruitment Agencies Melbourne

If you’re in a hurry and don’t want to read our in-depth reviews below, here’s the complete list of the Best Boutique Recruitment Agencies in Melbourne: Six Degrees Executive 

Superior People 

SMAART Recruitment 

Cox Purtell 

Agency Iceberg Recruitment 

MJD Executive

Hunter Jacobs

And now for the comprehensive, unbiased, and objective reviews… 

1. Six Degrees Executive

With 14+ years’ experience, Six Degrees Executive has a strong reputation for consistently delivering quality talent, as proven by over 90% of its placed talent remaining in their respective roles after 12 months.

This award-winning recruitment agency specialises in recruiting permanent and contracting jobs in Melbourne and Sydney. Key awards it received included the ‘FEMA Recruitment Firm of the Year’ (x2), ‘Seek SARA Best Executive Firm’ (x3), and ‘Telstra Business Award’ (Finalist). 

Specialisations: Sales, Marketing, Digital, Retail, Supply Chain, Procurement, Fundraising, Executive, Engineering and Operations 

Pros: Value-added services to job seekers that include resume enhancement and interview advice. Follow-through with the employee to ensure their smooth transition into their new role. 

Cons: It’s a specialist recruitment agency, which means that it only recruits candidates who fall within its scope of specialisations. But its helpful team might be able to recommend you to another recruiter who might be able to assist. 

Phone: +61 3 8613 3500 

Address: Level 5, 484 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne VIC 3004

Reviews: 4.7/5 on Google

2. Superior People

Australian owned and operated recruitment firm since 2005, Superior People has recruited thousands of talents for a wide range of sectors and across all organisational levels. Its success rate is measured by the fact that over 72% of all candidates it has placed remain with the employer for a minimum of 1 year or longer. 

For employers, Superior People provides businesses with cost-effective alternatives to the traditional recruitment structure by offering affordable (yet high quality) fee structure and a 6-month guaranteed replacement period. 

Specialisations: Accounting & Finance, Administration, Automotive, Customer Service, Engineering, HR, IT, Legal, Management, Manufacturing, Marketing, Real Estate, Retail, Sales, Technicians, Warehouse / Logistics  

Pros: It claims to operate outside standard business hours to provide employers and job seekers with a comprehensive consultation process as necessary. Up-to-date website and social media account that list down current job openings. Clients also commended the firm for one-on-one, personalised, and professional consultation with the company’s owner. 

Cons: Based on client feedback, this agency appears to be relatively smaller in terms of the number of employees. Though this might be a good thing as it means that the firm gets to know candidates deeper by providing personalised attention and a single point of contact. 

Phone: 03 9028 4992

Address: Level 30, 35 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000

Reviews: 4.7/5 on Word of Mouth

3. SMAART Recruitment

Since 2005, SMAART has been identifying key talents for Australian businesses across all job types: from part-time, casual, contract, and temporary; to full-time. It is an active member of the Recruitment Consulting Services Association (RCSA), an industry body that promotes best recruitment practices. 

As an award-winning recruitment agency, they won the ‘Best Recruitment Brand Australia’ and ‘Best CRS Initiative’ at the Recruitment International Awards. 

Specialisations: Sales, Marketing, Accounting & Finance, Contact Centre, Office Support, Retail & Customer Facing, Executive Recruitment, IT Support 

Pros: Aside from its office in Melbourne, SMAART also has 4 other offices in key cities such as Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Oakleigh. Its solid team of 25 comprised of experienced, well seasoned, knowledge, and elite recruiters focused on the quality of work and building long term relationships rather than achieving a high quantity of placements. 

Cons: With 25 employees across 5 locations, this firm could be spread too thin across multiple sites. Though this firm might be able to move quickly and expediently and most likely offer personalised services. 

Phone: (03) 8637 4444 

Address: Level 2, 385 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000

Reviews: 4.7/5 on Google; 4.6/5 on Facebook

4. Cox Purtell

Cox Purtell is a multi-award winning boutique recruitment agency with offices in Melbourne and Sydney. This firm has been matching the right candidates with temporary and permanent roles since 1994 and has grown to become one of Australia’s most respected firms. 

To continuously improve candidate and client experience, this agency regularly conducts client and candidate satisfaction surveys, setting them apart from other firms in terms of the quality of services they provide. Among the long list of awards they recently received are the ‘Global Recruiter Asia Pacific Awards’ (2018, 2017), ‘Recruitment International Recruitment Brand of the Year’ (2017), and ‘RCSA Australia Excellence in Candidate Care Award’ (2016). 

Specialisations: Business Support, Accounting, Legal, Sales/Marketing, Government, Insurance, Technology

Pros: This firm takes pride in being an equal opportunities employer, actively promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace internally and externally. By actively recruiting and hiring diverse candidates, Cox Purtell has built and is fostering a ‘collective intelligence’ that enables its teams to better connect to diverse talents, leading to enhanced retention with employers.  

Cons: It’s hard to find fault with Cox Purtell’s approach. However, we would have liked to get some idea of their recruitment metrics such as retention rate.

Phone: (02) 9220 3400 

Address: Level 8, 350 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

Reviews: 4.8/5 on Google; 4.5/5 on Facebook

5. Agency Iceberg Recruitment

A Melbourne-based boutique recruitment firm, Agency Iceberg Recruitment focuses on placing experienced talent in permanent, freelance, and contract positions across Digital, Advertising, Marketing, PR, Design, and Event roles. Its client industries range from retail and fashion to telecommunications, automotive, and financial services.

Specialisations: Digital, Public Relations, Advertising & Marketing, Creative, Design, Media

Pros: It is the only boutique recruitment firm to offer downloadable salary guides (at $4.99) for PR and Digital roles. Based on anonymous online surveys, these salary guides provide job seekers with current PR and Digital agency landscapes as well as valuable information about current permanent, freelance, and hourly rates being paid across key roles such as Digital Production, UX/UI, and Front End Development.

Cons: Agency Iceberg has clearly defined its specialty. That covers a lot, but if your sector falls outside of that scope, there are plenty of other great choices on this list. For employers in Digital and PR, this means that Agency Iceberg has better knowledge and deeper understand of the targeted job market segments. As a result, it can provide you with valuable insights and useful advice that can help you find and better candidates in your niche. 

Phone: +61 409 354 256

Address: 20A Macquarie Street, Prahran VIC 3181

6. MJD Executive

With 50+ years of experience amongst its Consultants, MJD Executive has gained a strong reputation as an executive office support recruitment expert. It specialises in the recruitment of business critical support roles including Executive and Personal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Paralegals, Office Managers, Project Administrators, Receptionists, and more. 

It acts as the external recruitment business partner for many organisations in the professional services, legal, investment, accounting, commercial property, media/creative, fashion, and SME sectors. It also offers a premium talent acquisition service (‘MJD Platinum’) specialising in $100K+, C-Suite opportunities. 

Specialisations: Accounting, Admin/Secretarial/Office Support, HR & Recruitment, Legal, Real Estate & Property, Sales

Pros: Its perfect 5-star rating on both Google and Facebook demonstrates its genuine care for its clients and the individuals it represents. Its key relationships are from referrals from those who have been impressed by its level of professionalism and personalised approach.

Cons: Office support professionals tend to gravitate towards this recruitment agency. If you’re not interested in an office support job, you’ll definitely find a specialist on this list to cater to your requirements. 

Phone: +61 3 8639 5530

Address: Level 35, 600 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

Reviews: 5/5 on Google, 5/5 on Facebook 

7. Hunter Jacobs

With an average of 12 years’ experience amongst its Consultants, Hunter Jacobs is a Melbourne-based boutique executive search and sales recruitment partner for small to large organisations across the Asia Pacific region. Its key strength is within the technology, professional service, and business services sectors.  

Specialisations: Sales (Management & Executive), Account Management, Business Development, Channel Management, Marketing

Pros: For employers, their network of candidates spans Australia, Asia (Singapore), UK, and Europe. This means that they are able to reach into an exceptional base of both local and international talents. For candidates, if you’re passionate about sales and technology, or if you’re considering an international move, there’s no better agency to represent you than Hunter Jacobs.  

Cons: There’s not a lot of vacancies available on their website. Though better check their social media accounts or sign up to their newsletter to receive hot job alerts.

Phone: +61 3 8459 2264 

Address: 39/385 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000

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