Meet our new talent acquisition awards: The STAR Awards

Hold onto your hats, we have some exciting news!

We’re launching the new SEEK Talent Acquisition Recognition Awards – or STAR Awards.

The STAR Awards acknowledge excellence in talent acquisition and celebrate the integral role talent and hiring teams play in the success of their organisations.

The awards shine the spotlight on talent acquisition professionals who deliver outstanding results, do things differently, put candidates at the centre of what they do, and have a positive impact on their organisations, candidates or communities.

Gaining the recognition of your organisation and peers for your work is just one of the benefits of entering the STAR Awards. You’ll also get an insight into how industry leaders operate and handle challenges, and finalists have the opportunity to connect and grow their networks by celebrating together at the gala event in November. 

The STAR Awards are open to human resources, talent acquisition, hiring and employer brand teams and individuals within Australian organisations, including SME and large corporate organisations. You can enter one or more relevant categories, but you’ll need to complete a separate entry for each category. 

The STAR Awards span seven categories:

• Talent Acquisition Leader of the Year

• Talent Acquisition Team of the Year (over 1000 employees)

• Talent Acquisition Team of the Year (under 1000 employees)

• Public Sector Team of the Year

• Best Employer Brand Initiative

• Best Candidate Experience Initiative

• Best Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative 

To ensure the awards process is transparent and fair, there will be a two-stage independent judging process. 

One independent panel of talent acquisition leaders will determine the awards shortlist, then a second independent panel of HR and business leaders will decide the award winners.

The judges will assess entries by considering the following guiding criteria:

• Candidate-centric

This looks at the way talent professionals put candidates at the centre of their strategy.

• Innovation

This recognises those who are doing things differently – whether it’s process, technology or strategy.

• Results

This considers the way talent and hiring professionals can show that they are succeeding.

• Greater impact

This focuses on the way a talent team’s work positively impacts their organisation, community or candidate experience.

The entry process is straightforward. You will be asked to answer questions based on how your team worked or how an initiative was implemented.

1. 1.

   Check the categories and criteria to make sure you meet the eligibility criteria.

2. 2.

   Read through the entry tips for more information to help you prepare your entry.

3. 3.

   If you’re wondering what kind of results to share, you may want to include initiatives that have increased efficiency (such as how you’ve reduced your time-to-fill rate or strategies that have saved you time), engagement (for example, how you’ve driven and improved engagement on your careers page) or financial considerations (such as how you’ve improved the bottom line for the business or achieved more with the same budget). 

4. 4.

   Remember to be authentic – the panel understands that the past year has been a difficult one for many people, so it’s okay to acknowledge any challenges or roadblocks you faced

5. 5.

   Stay tuned for the announcement of the STAR Awards finalists in September. 

SEEK’s award history spans close to two decades. Now, alongside the SARAs for the recruitment industry, we’re glad to be launching the STAR Awards to celebrate the achievements of those in talent acquisition. Winning a STAR Award will recognise teams and individuals as industry leaders in terms of innovation, progress, impact and results. Are you ready to join their ranks? 

More questions about SEEK’s new STAR Awards? Head here for our FAQs.