Professional Search Firm

for Western Canada
It’s all about making connections

Established in 2011, Essence Recruitment is the trusted professional recruitment search firm for non-profit and small and mid-sized businesses.

  • As a boutique firm, we personalize the services for your needs and manage all aspects of the process
  • We have a strong network that supports candidate recruitment across North America
  • We’re proud of our 98% placement rate with over 95% of our placements staying in their role past the guarantee period
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Calgary headhunters
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Why Choose Essence Recruitment?

You have a lot of choice for professional recruitment search firms. When the time comes to choose who to work with, we want you to know that Essence Recruitment is about making long-standing connections: with our clients, with our community, and between you and your next great team member.

All-inclusive recruitment services

We understand you’re busy and may not have the time or expertise to manage your executive recruitment process. From start to finish, we take care of the details - from recruitment planning to identifying and screening candidates to hiring and onboarding. Each recruitment plan is custom-tailored to your needs.

Western Canada recruitment specialists

We know Western Canada is a great place to live and work, but the advantages aren’t always obvious. Unlike a recruiter from Toronto, we can show an amazing candidate that the prairies are the perfect place for them to live and work.

Finding the perfect fit

We won’t just find you a shortlist of qualified resumes to interview, we search and screen candidates for a team member that fits with and enhances your culture, brings the skills and expertise to excel at the role, and is ready to commit to your organization long term.

Community minded

We don’t just have offices in Saskatoon and Calgary, we live and give back to these communities. It’s part of our culture to make time to give back to organizations like the Canadian Cancer Society, North Saskatoon Business Association, READ Saskatoon, Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation, and others. We are a member of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

executive search firm
Essence Recruitment provides us with customized recruiting services. They always take the time to meet and ensure they fully understand the role and the skills that are needed to be successful before suggesting candidates. Tracy and her team strive to make sure they are meeting expectations set out at the start. They saved us hours of interview time while maintaining flexibility whenever possible. I plan to use Essence again in the future.From a candidate perspective, I worked with Essence to find a senior finance role that matched my skills and abilities. The bar was high in terms of my expectations for a role. I was looking for an organization I could see my self with and be challenged with for many years to come. Throughout the process, I felt informed and at times coached on how to put my best foot forward. I definitely see Tracy and the Team at Essence as a key part of my career progression.
Shawn WimpneyCFO, JNE Welding
We were immediately pleased with their philosophy of working as partners to recruit the right people for the right positions and focus on hiring for fit as this aligned well with our recruitment strategy. Tracy and her team have demonstrated their commitment to finding a candidate that not only is capable of meeting expectations but fits with the organization and supports our organizational culture.
Heide TillerPeople Services Manager, Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association
Over the years we have developed a level of trust with Essence to ensure we put our best foot forward in recruiting top talent to join our team. We have had the pleasure of working with Tracy and her team on a number of projects as they have helped support our growing business. They have taken the time to understand our vision, our culture and values, and the requirements of the positions we've filled.Mrs. Arno has a tremendous amount of experience which allows her team to bring insights into compensation models, organizational structures, onboarding, and consideration for fit. The process they use ensures we develop the job correctly, attract the right qualifications, and onboard the new hire to ensure best chances for success.We have had tremendous success with the team at Essence when recruiting for key roles within our organization and I would strongly recommend them for your next project.
Christian BraidOwner, Braid Flooring
As a whole, I'm really happy with all that Essence has done for us. We appreciate the work that is put in at the front end to really understand the path of our business, our culture and the understanding of all of our current roles. When recruiting, we really appreciate the transparency and experience Essence provides to help us get past our biases of the candidates. Also, we're always grateful of your approach to hire for culture as opposed to just the technical qualifications. It's really positively impacted our culture!”
Travis LowOwner, BlueMoose Media
Essence supplied us with what we were looking for and listened well to what our needs in the new hire would be.
Rob TrebbOwner, Xtended Hydraulics
The relationship developed fairly quickly as a candidate for the RM of Sherwood and a trust relationship came about. As the late Stephen Covey put it “without trust, there can be no relationship”. I quickly found that Tracy is genuine and that was/is really refreshing. I can say that, very clearly, any comments or questions I had were heard and genuinely responded to. Moving forward to engaging Essence as a search consultant and/or HR policy review, I have found that they take a pragmatic “seek to understand” approach. Tracy Arno and Essence Recruitment have become my “go to” when the need arises to fill a key position in the organization and/or to discuss/review an HR policy matter.
Ron McCulloughCity Manager, City of Melville
Working with Essence – I feel that went very well. I really don’t know if I can point out any areas to improve. I feel we were working together and you were fully transparent with potential candidates and their feedback so that we understood the reasons. We wanted to wait for the right person/fit – and that is what we got in Justin.
Dean MayerleCo-Owner, Redekop Manufacturing
Working with Tracy at Essence Recruiting to search for a new CEO was a great experience. She led us through the process with efficiency and professionalism. She was quickly able to pivot and adapt the process for social distancing. Tracy took care of all the pre - interview heavy work by helping with the job description, posting the position, accepting and vetting applicants, and short listing. She kept us focused by creating and following a timeline. Tracy helped us prepare good interview questions and coached us through the entire interview process. She lead us from start to finish. The result is we now have a strong CEO who is leading our organization into the future. I cannot imagine doing a search with out using the services Tracy provides and would recommend her to anyone who asks.
Tammy RichmondChair of the Board, YWCA Saskatoon
We had a very positive experience with Essence, our relationship felt more like we were a team rather than a client of theirs. They have a strong network and some of the candidates they presented they knew before so they already had that rapport with the candidates. It wasn’t just about the candidates resume but the relationship Essence had built with them so it made it easier to trust that the fit for our organization was there. Nikki kept us on track with the process, encouraged us to share our thoughts, and had good communication throughout the process.
Martin GonzalezDirector of Finance & Administration, Projectline Solutions
Merit Contractors of Saskatchewan was in need of some assistance to find a our next Executive Director. Tracy and her team met with us, we walked through our plan, expectations, requirements to fill this very intricate role. The Essence team kept us informed as the search progressed, found Merit a some great candidates to choose from, and even helped during the interviews. Our Merit HR committee was very happy with the entire process, we would definitely recommend Essence to others.
Chad WaldnerChair Merit Contractors Saskatchewan
The team at Essence Recruitment did a fantastic job sourcing high quality candidates for our open positions. Leeanne invested the time to learn about our business, organizational culture, and discrete roles and responsibilities of each position we were recruiting for to ensure only qualified candidates – with the skills, experience, and cultural fit – were identified and short listed for interviews. Overall, I am extremely pleased with the timely and professional service received from the Essence Recruitment and would strongly recommend their services.
Paul HudonVP of Operations Lytehorse Labs Regina, SK
Tracy is professional, down to earth and takes the time to understand the organization she is recruiting for. Her insight into our culture and finding the right fit has been impeccable. Essence has become a trusted partner who I highly recommend to any organization looking for timely and effective recruitment services!
Nadine GenestHR Manager Superior Cabinets Saskatoon, SK
Working with Tracy allowed me to continue to focus on the priorities of my organization, and simultaneously trust that I had a dedicated, and talented professional working to address our staffing needs. Tracy’s sincere interest in finding the right fit for our organization was obvious, as demonstrated by her keen interest in understanding our needs and what made us unique to the market. Tracy has helped us find an excellent fit for a number of profile positions within our organization during what has been a notoriously challenging time to recruit skilled professionals.
Lecina HickeEO St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation Saskatoon, SK

Meet Our Team

  • Tracy Arno

    Tracy Arno

    CEO and Founder

    Tracy Arno is a business leader, entrepreneur, and owner of one of the leading boutique search firms in Western Canada, Essence Recruitment.

    She leads by her values and believes in helping others in her community through her expertise in recruitment and training.

    Tracy is passionate about her community and has extensive involvement in several boards and countless hours volunteering for various causes and community events. In 2022, she received her ICD.D designation. Tracy’s most recent appointments include the Chair of the NSBA (North Saskatoon Business Association), the board of directors for Sask Water, Saskatoon Prairieland Park, and Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation. She is also the past president of the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce and represents the province on Saskatchewan Provincial Court Judicial Council. Additionally, she currently enjoys being a mentor for the Raj Manek program and is a volunteer for several other community initiatives. Most important to her are he husband and two children.

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  • Leanne Enns

    Leanne Enns

    Professional Recruitment Consultant

    Leanne is a seasoned professional with more than a decade of experience in business management, human resources, and team development locally and internationally. In environments from small businesses to large multi-national corporations, she has honed her leadership abilities by building strong teams that leverage the strengths of each unique individual.

    What truly makes Leanne stand out are her acute observation and critical thinking skills, vast experience and knowledge base, and practical problem-solving mindset which leads to authentic connection and collaboration with her clients. When working with her, you’re sure to feel respected and heard.

    Leanne’s hometown is Saskatoon, though being fluent in Spanish she spent several years working and living in Panama which was an enriching experience. She is passionate about giving back to her community, currently sitting on the Board of Directors for Saskatchewan Alternative Initiatives (SAI) and serving as a volunteer with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra (which is an especially good fit for this classically-trained pianist).

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  • Ashley Britz

    Ashley Britz

    Recruitment Coordinator

    Ashley comes to Essence with a background in recruitment, education, event planning, customer service, and project management. With her experience hiring and training new employees and her passion to help people achieve their career goals, she understands the importance of finding the right fit for both the company and the candidate.

    Ashley’s approach focuses on open communication, an organized and thorough process, and a full understanding of the needs of her clients.

    Ashley was born and raised in Saskatchewan and graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor’s in Education. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys cycling, cooking, and spending time with her pets. She volunteers with the Saskatoon Street Cat Rescue (SCAT), a fitting role for her as an avid animal lover.

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  • Kendra Parfitt

    Kendra Parfitt

    Office Assistant

    Kendra Parfitt is an experienced administrative professional with a Legal Administrative Assistant Diploma and over 16 years of extensive knowledge in executive and project administration, donor stewardship, community engagement, and event management in the non-profit healthcare and engineering sectors. She demonstrates the importance of cultivating strong relationships with clients, donors, and the community.

    Kendra’s goal is to help elevate the company’s community presence, streamline and create efficient processes and manage the administrative tasks, so the team has the time and freedom to focus on delivering key outcomes and effectively continuing to build and nurture client and candidate relationships.

    Kendra resides on a farm with her fiancé and daughter in Holdfast, Saskatchewan. She enjoys family trips, baking and gardening in her spare time.

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