Nadene Barretto reflects on a decade at the helm of Eight Recruitment and surviving the pandemic.
Where were you raised and what influenced your career?
I'm a proud Novocastrian, born and raised in Charlestown. I've always loved people and learning how businesses work. Mix this with the thrill of the chase and a drive for success and you have my perfect job: recruitment
What did you do after you finished high school?
Partied a little too hard! But I was also keen to get stuck into the workforce from a young age. My first job after school was in customer service role at Educational Experience and my first boss is now also my business advisor, so in a way we have come full circle.
How did you get into recruitment, in the UK?
I started with a local agency called Advantage Recruitment. I applied for a job from the paper without realising it was with them, I thought it was for one of their clients. I fell in love with the industry and knowing that you are making a real impact on someone's career. My husband played professional rugby union in Ireland and the UK so I naturally gravitated towards what I knew.
Why did you start Eight Recruitment in Newcastle?
It was an interesting time. I had three children under three, a husband who was working shift work and we were looking to re-establish ourselves back into Newcastle life after seven years away. I was the manager at a local recruitment firm and I felt that something needed to change in our industry and I was willing to have a go and see if I could change people's perception on the recruitment industry, bringing some transparency and value to the industry.
Every recruitment firm has a different claim to being the "best". What is your point of difference?
A big point of difference is our transparency with our fee structure, we are what the label says: an 8% fee on permanent recruitment. At the time, this was half the industry standard, a bold move and we have been able to sustain this fee structure whilst continuing to grown and give superior service. If that lands us the title of best recruiter around, so be it. As long as our staff, clients and candidates feel we have them at the core of all we do, that's what matters.
This year you mark a decade in business. What have been the highlights?
Bringing my husband into the business has been a huge highlight (some would say the saving grace!). Another is the feel good factor we get from getting involved in the local community and genuinely giving back, whether that be monetary or just our time, we get a real kick out of feeling part of a great community and that we have made a small difference. A big highlight was seeing how we evolved as a team and as a business during COVID-19.
And the moments you would rather forget?
There are always going to be dark moments and we've had our share. Our industry, like all industries, is reliant on how well the economy is going. Our first big scare was the coal price crash which saw the coal price go from $120 per tonne down to as low as $39. We hadn't long just established Eight and we were heavily focused on the coal industry at the time. As scary and unpredictable as that seemed we actually managed to draw positives out of it. We learnt a couple of business lessons and as a result we diversified. As the saying goes, "Don't put all your eggs in the one basket".
How did the pandemic affect your business?
I am delusionally optimistic which has certainly helped with getting through. We put our thinking caps on and realised that everyone would be in the same boat, and that we just had to ensure that when things started to get back to some sort of normality that we were ready. We managed to complete some cool projects in the quiet times, like our connection and open the doors videos, along with helping locals tidy up and re-write their resumes.
How did it affect the attitude of employers?
Many were nervous and very quick to put their recruitment on hold. It took us by surprise as to how quickly people literally battened down the hatches.
How is the Hunter jobs market now?
Very strong. Demand is up and there are real opportunities emerging, however pinpointing talent and securing talent is tougher than we expected, this demand will grow and sourcing talent will become more challenging.
Any worrying trends?
It took us by surprise as to how quickly people literally battened down the hatches.
Nadene Barretto
This year we have seen a rise in candidates accepting counter-offers. They have been ghosting recruiters and employers, accepting multiple offers simultaneously. Recruitment processes need to become more sophisticated for this very reason.
And the "green shoots"?
We've had quite a few roles in hospitality, which we've never had and didn't expect. There are a lot of business development/sales vacancies, plus IT, health and well-being services.
Your advice to jobseekers who lost their jobs in the pandemic?
Don't underestimate the reach of social media, put yourself out there. Get comfortable with networking online, create a LinkedIn profile, look for professional groups to join there and on Facebook.
Speak to recruiters, research employers who you feel you have aligned values with and approach them with your resume.
