2
Nov

What Happens at The NORAs?

This is the 15th annual NORAs, so there’s every chance you’ve already been to a previous event, or know someone who has. The NORAs are quite unlike any traditional industry awards event you’ll have been to.

For a start, each of the Finalists at the NORAs have initially been nominated by members of the job-seeking public. This means that entrants are not limited to only those companies who submitted themselves. This also means that the Finalists and ultimately the winners have been judged to be the very best amongst all their peers, and not just of a small subset who think awards are cool. Your Finalists are chosen by a team of expert judges, who all have an extensive background in traditional recruitment, online recruitment or human resources. They are tasked with assessing all websites from a candidate’s perspective. This means searching for jobs, registering and applying for positions on every site. We take a very dim view of any website which is not mobile-friendly.

The NORAs event itself is a culmination of 3 months of nominations and judging. On the 12th November, The NORAs are held not in a glitzy ballroom, with the necessity for dinner suits and ballgowns. Rather, they are held in a pretty swanky nightclub called Sway, in Covent Garden. This will be our fifth year in Sway, and it perfectly suits our event. There is no formal dress code, although everyone is usually very smart, and we take countless photos and video clips. We try to make our event as accessible as possible, so keep the ticket prices as low as possible (only £30 plus VAT). Our format is fantastically suited to networking and celebration with over 300 of your peers in the recruitment sphere. With that many professional talkers in the one space, it can get pretty noisy.

Whilst the doors open at 7PM, the awards part of the evening begins at 8:30PM. This normally takes around an hour, with a short interval in the middle. It should be noted that with over 300 professional talker in the room, it can get pretty noisy. To ensure you can see and hear the awards, don’t be shy, and make your way closer to the stage – especially when your award is being announced. If you are amongst our Finalists, please be aware of when your award is being announced, and be ready to join us on stage to accept your trophy. By all means bring your colleagues on stage, as all winners will be photographed. While you’re up there, please also take the opportunity to say a few words on behalf of your organisation, and perhaps a word of thanks to the candidates who nominated your site in the first place.

Our awards will be announced in this order from 8:30PM;

  1. Best Innovation in Online Recruitment
  2. Best Newcomer in Online Recruitment
  3. Best Employment Advice Website
  4. Best Trade Publication
  5. Best Consumer Publication
  6. Best Small Employer
  7. Best Major Employer

Short Interval

  1. Best Small Recruitment Agency
  2. Best Large Recruitment Agency
  3. Best National Recruitment Agency
  4. Best Regional Job Board
  5. Best Specialist Job Board
  6. Best Generalist Job Board
  7. The NORA Academy Award

The final award of the evening is the NORA Academy Award. This award is voted for by all current and former Finalists and Winners in the NORAs from the past 15 years, who are all members of the NORA Academy. The winner will be the recruitment website judged by their peers to be the very best example of excellence in online recruitment from this year’s crop of Finalists.

Once the awards are complete, around 9:45PM, the party and celebrations can get properly going, as the music is turned to 11, and your dancing shoes get some exercise. For those with two left feet, networking and alcohol are your two main options. If the last few years are anything to go by, the party will be in full swing till at least midnight.

If you are fortunate to be amongst our Finalists this year, many congratulations and good luck on the night. Please make a point of introducing yourself to me. I very much look forward to seeing you at The NORAs.

Last year’s event

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