Since our establishment in 2005, we have proudly grown into a boutique recruitment and search firm, dedicated to delivering personalised and effective recruitment solutions. We specialise in recruiting for a wide range of white-collar roles, from operational staff to senior executives, including CEOs.
Our reach is extensive, covering recruitment needs across Australia, with the capability to extend our services internationally as well.
In addition to permanent placements, we offer contract and temporary staffing solutions, particularly within administrative and support areas.
At 11 Recruitment, our approach is focused on providing quality service rather than chasing commissions. Our team is salaried and not incentivised by individual commissions, ensuring that our priority remains on finding the right fit for both our clients and candidates. Approximately 50% of our new business comes from referrals by happy customers.
Over the years, we’ve processed more than 1 million CVs and successfully managed 8,000 vacancies. Our drive for excellence is reflected in every aspect of our service and we see every day as an opportunity to improve.
Management team
Creation of 11 Recruitment
I am Christian Madsen, founder of 11 Recruitment, and if you're curious about how 11 Recruitment came to be, let me share the story of my journey.
I was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark, where I completed my BA in Business Economics and a Master's in International Business and HR. During my studies, I worked as a temp, often as a copy typist.
In 1989, when I graduated, Denmark was in the middle of an economic downturn, with unemployment rates above 8% and a staggering 12% for graduates.
My work experience was minimal. Eager for any opportunity, I continued to do temp work and one day, they offered me a job as an appointment setter on a casual hourly basis within the agency. I had no idea what that entailed, but I soon found out - and surprisingly, I liked it!
A year later, they offered me a permanent job.
But just as I was about to accept it, I received an offer to work in a gym in Texas for four months. Torn between the career path of a recruitment consultant and the “adventurous world” of a gym, I faced a dilemma.
26 years old - a career can come later, and off to Texas I went!
There, I eventually became "President for Business Development" (you've got to love those American titles), scouting health clubs worth buying.
It was exciting but after about three years, I returned to Copenhagen in 1993, only to find the job market even tougher with 14% unemployment. No jobs for a gym guy!
Keen to work, I called the owner of the recruitment agency I worked for before, and I was lucky. He offered me a job. Yes!
But with a catch... It was 100% commission-based. I took it though.
Fortune struck, (being at the right place and at the right time helped) and within three weeks, I was promoted to manager. Another catch. It was of an agency with just four staff (including the owner’s wife) and a track record of losing money for eight years. Not exactly a dream job in a dream company. My first big task? Informing him that I had to let his wife go. He took it well... I think.
The good thing though was that in 1993 the recession was ending, and it was the perfect time for the promotion. By 1995, we had expanded to 8 staff we were doing 10% of all permanent placements by agencies in Copenhagen - staggering for such a small agency. We felt like superstars in our little world.
In the midst of our success, I fell in love with a girl from Australia. Oops.
I informed the owner that I wanted to move to Australia and he offered to sponsor me if I would help him expand into Australia. I gladly said yes.
He asked me how much money I needed to open a recruitment agency. I gave him a rough figure and he said okay.
That was the business plan - a 2-minute conversation.
3 months later in 1996, I departed with the money in my pocket. By 1997, we had successfully launched the business in Perth and were doing well.
We decided to give Sydney a go, and we bought an executive search company. Paid way too much for it.
Between 1998 and 1999, we expanded not only in Sydney but also opened up in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane.
However, by 2005, I decided to start my own company – I settled on the name; 11 Recruitment. The idea was that everyone could remember a number.
No clients. Fresh from scratch. A contingency agency – paid on success.
In 3 years, we grew to 60 staff. In just 36 weeks. We hired a new staff member about every 2 weeks. It was the fastest growth of any recruitment agency in WA at that time.
It was fun. It was exciting.
In 2014 we went from a contingency recruiter to only taking on assignments on a retained basis. We went from selling a “product” on a transactional basis to being an outsourced recruitment service provider focusing on long-term relationships.
This retained model dramatically improved our client and candidate satisfaction. We began receiving great Google reviews and now have more than 300 5-star ratings.
We work primarily in the white-collar space, with clients across not only Australia and but also internationally. We have worked on more than 8,000 vacancies and processed 1 million CVs.
50% of the candidates we source come from search and outreach activities, and we provide our clients with an up to 18-month performance guarantee.
Today, we operate as a boutique agency and are more efficient than when we were big.
Some of us work 100% remotely, while others work three days in the office and two days from home. Work-life balance is really important to us.
I am incredibly proud of our team at 11 Recruitment. They are real superstars, fantastic people I love working with every one of them.
Our journey has been one of continuous learning and evolution. We believe in staying adaptable and always striving to improve. The most important part is that we keep learning and evolving.
We are on an exciting journey, and we hope it never ends.
PS: I married the girl and today we have two beautiful daughters, living in East Perth.
