Ever wondered how the Recruitment industry has changed over the last 15 years? We sat down with Luke Hanson, Sales Director at Blueprint Recruitment, to gain insight into how the market has evolved.

Q. How long have you worked in recruitment?

A. “So, I have worked in recruitment for 15 years and the entire time at Blueprint! Blueprint has been a huge part of my working life; I feel as though I’m part of the furniture!

Q. Why did you initially want to get into recruitment?

A. “I met our Managing Director Mark when I had just come back from travelling, I was not sure what to do with my life and my parents had just moved to Fareham with the family. Mark saw something in me and said that I had potential to do great things in recruitment. We had our initial chat, and now here I am just over 15 years later as Blueprint’s Sales Director!”

Q. How has the process of finding/sourcing candidates and putting them forward to clients changed over the years?

A. “Well, back in the day, when Mark and Paul were starting out, they were faxing CV’s, literally just standing over the fax machine and sending CVs out. Me on the other hand, I have only ever known sending CVs via email.”

“Sourcing candidates has changed a lot. We’ve got a very strong database at Blueprint that we have continued to build over the years. I think social media, especially LinkedIn, has been a game changer for our Specialist Recruiters, it is a big part of the recruiting process now.”

Really, social media is probably the biggest change, it has really helped in terms of sourcing candidates and getting our name out there. Of course, we still rely heavily on referrals and reputation in the market, through making phone calls and speaking to clients and candidates, I don’t think that will ever change.”

“The biggest challenges we saw were through COVID-19. No one could have predicted what was to come and no one had really experienced working from home before.

“However, as company, we adapted very quickly and actually enhanced our client and candidate relationships."

Q. What were the key trends or challenges when you first started compared to now?  

A. “I first started in July 2008, and then in August the financial crisis really started to kick-in. For the proceeding 2 years, it was pretty tough, there was still business out in the market, but not like we have seen over the last 8 or 9 years, it was hard graft.”

“Surprisingly, getting hold of people maybe 10 years ago was a lot easier because now nobody wants to answer their phones! Now that people are always sat at their computers everything is channelled through there, not everyone is as glued to their mobile as you may think!”

“There has always been a need for contract support and contingent workers which is primarily what we recruit for. I guess the challenge we had when we first started was our reputation, we had a good reputation but we had only been operating for 2 years. There was only a handful of businesses that we worked with closely. We didn’t have the name that we have now!”

“Our biggest challenge was getting the Blueprint name out there, getting recognised, and then making sure we did a good job for that repeat business. If you are doing a good job, you are always going to have repeat business!”

“Because of the hard work and the quality of people we brought into the business, it became a lot easier, but I did take time. These things aren’t instantaneous, you have to put the effort in to see the results.”

Q. Do you think people view the recruitment industry differently now compared to maybe 10 years ago?

A. “I guess recruiter’s have always had a bit of a bad reputation, and I think that is probably because some recruitment companies will only focus on the money from making placements.”

“At blueprint, we very much focus on providing a great service first. I think that is why we have such a good reputation in the market.”

“People will have bad experiences with agencies, and they will remember it. We’re here to prove that not every agency is like that, we’re focused on building strong relationships.”

Q. What is the best part about your job?

A. “The best part, however corny it sounds, is knowing I’ve done a good job with a particular client or candidate. Maybe I’ve got the candidate the job they really wanted or I’ve provided the client with some really great people for their project, That’s a big positive for me, that’s what drives me still.”

“I think more so now, is watching other people in the business provide that top level service to clients that I was dealing with maybe 10 or 15 years ago. They continue to build, excel, and grow those relationships that I started all that time ago. That’s what gives me the buzz.”

Q. Do you think the industry has become more saturated and competitive? If so, how do you stay motivated?

A. “Agencies pop up all over the place, it is competitive but it all comes back down to the relationships we have got. I wouldn’t say I necessarily think about other agencies; I’m more focused on what we can deliver. Quality always prevails.”

“I think it is less competitive for us now because of the relationships we have with our clients now Vs. 15 years ago when I first started.”

“My motivator is my family. I have 2 kids, I’ve got a wife, and they are my motivation. I can’t say much more than that! That’s what drives me to get up each morning and do my 8am till 6.30pm shift every day.”