Senior recruitment business partner Sam Blinman has spent the last three years helping some of our largest clients find the right technology talent. He shares his thoughts on the employment market today, plus his Lorien highlights to date.

1)  Tell us about your role at Lorien

I joined in September 2016 as a recruitment business partner. I have worked on a number of our key client accounts, including one of the world’s fastest growing money transfer services. Currently, I help look after permanent technology recruitment at one of the top professional services firms. I predominantly look after two main areas – Management Consultant & Solutions, and Digital.

2) What’s the state of the technology market at the moment from a hiring perspective?

There’s no doubt the market is extremely candidate-centric. When it comes to specialised technology positions, there is a deficit. Therefore, the search for talent is tough and it has to be a collaborative process between all the stakeholders – companies and recruitment partners. Throughout my career, I’ve always looked to put the candidates first and look at ways to create a great experience for them. When you’re operating in a landscape where there’s a talent deficit, this becomes even more important.

3) What else would you like to see being done to combat this talent deficit?

From a bigger picture point of view, there needs to be a focus on getting more people into technology from a young age, by working with education providers. There also needs to be a strong push on diversity. Widening the talent pool not only helps businesses attract more technology talent, but also means they will also reflect the wider community in the way they want to.

For example, research indicates that females only make up 17% of the technology profession. This is definitely something which can be improved – even simple things like producing gender diverse job descriptions and using growth mind-set language can have a massive impact.

4) What have been your highlights during your time at Lorien?

I would say my biggest highlight was completing our Virtuoso training programme, which is a scheme to develop and nurture future leaders. It has been, by far, the best training I have received in my career. The tools and methods I was taught have resulted in a huge, positive shift in my personal mind-set.

As a result of this, I had my most successful year in recruitment last year, and won an award at our annual conference.

I was also part of the Lorien mentorship scheme, which helped develop in areas I had identified. I’m a big believer that everybody can improve if they are willing to ask for advice, no matter what stage of your career you’re at.

5) What advice would you give to anybody looking to get into recruitment?

I’ll admit that I didn’t grow up with aspirations of working in recruitment (I assumed I was guaranteed a career as a professional rugby player!). However, looking back at my career, I can’t imagine working in any other industry.

I would say that if you enjoy a challenge, like working with people, and want a career where you can see benefits from the start – then working in recruitment is a no-brainer.