Meet Fraser People – winners of the NZ RCSA Industry Award for Outstanding Small Agency

You are not just another number to us
Leila and Carol Smiling

Fraser People had plenty to celebrate after taking out the “Outstanding Small Agency” Award at the prestigious RCSA New Zealand Industry Awards for 2021. (Recruitment, Consulting, Staffing Association).

Founded by Carol Fraser in 2017, Fraser People offers a full suite of recruitment services and HR solutions across a diverse range of industries and clients, small to large including many not-for-profit organisations.

The team at industry magazine “The Brief” spoke with Carol to find out more about our journey, what sets us apart, as well as what the award means and what the future holds for Fraser People.

Can you describe the moment when Fraser People was named Outstanding Small Agency?

Hearing the introduction as the award was announced then realising, they were talking about Fraser People was just amazing!

“Fraser People has developed a loyal and satisfied client base and display a commitment to quality delivery despite being a small agency. The agency also displays a depth of understanding of the opportunities offered by doing things well in this industry. Remaining agile in exceptional circumstances while embedding best practice in their business made this agency a standout.”

We were there with some of our clients who were equally as delighted for us. It was a wonderful acknowledgement to them as well for their ongoing support. We love what we do, and the awesome people we get to work with. Genuine relationships are at the heart of our business – we are super proud and humbled to be acknowledged in this way.

Fraser People Outstanding Small Agency

What is your proudest achievement?

Being able to continuously build strong relationships and exceptional customer service through several ways including:

  • Promoting the industry – so we can make a difference to people’s lives and give back to our community particularly during challenging times.
  • Creating a Fraser People community – Through lockdowns we have worked hard to give back to our community. We felt it was more important than ever to step up and share our industry knowledge, going the extra mile for people where we could, which included offering free coaching, CV reviews and HR support during these tough times.
  • Ongoing support – trust in us by our clients. We only work exclusively with clients, which allows us to truly partner with them and make an impact – being part of growing their amazing teams.
  • As a small team of two, including myself and my sister, we have the flexibility and freedom to create an open and healthy work culture that suits our needs. For us, that includes having our much-loved Izzy the office dog with us at work – she is always a keen participant in our walking meetings.

What does winning the award mean to you?

From starting Fraser People in late 2017 it was humbling and exciting to be named as a finalist just two years later, in 2019, for Excellence in Client Service.

In 2020 we were named as a finalist again, this time for Excellence in Candidate Care. Again, it was energising to have the work we do acknowledged, and we celebrated the award virtually, in what had been a challenging year for us all.

The icing on the cake was winning Outstanding Small Agency this year, a newly created category that encompasses everything we love about what we do.

I am beyond delighted to be acknowledged by RCSA in this way – for everything we do to put people at the heart of our business and driving excellence across every touchpoint.

To celebrate at the Awards in person, with some of our wonderful clients, peers and industry partners, was a huge highlight. In the weeks following we were plunged into what has been the longest lockdown here in Auckland, so the awards remain a very fond memory.

What does the future hold for Fraser People?

We are committed to continuing to raise the bar when it comes to service delivery, for both clients and candidates, which in turn reflects well on our industry as a whole.

Being part of the RCSA awards process provided a chance to reflect on where we are making an impact – building long term relationships and having values that include simply “treating people as we would want to be treated”.

I genuinely believe this is what has helped us to stand out and channelling this approach with our cohesive team of two is something Fraser People can be very proud of.