Searchability Onrec Awards Buzz: Its 2 days until the prestigious Onrec Awards 2015 and Searchability are nominated for 2 awards! Time is soon ticking on and everyone in the office is getting very excited at the prospect of a potential win after winning ‘Newcomer of the Year’ in 2013. Martin Blythe founded the IT and Digital recruitment company in 2012 after personal success within the recruitment industry and has watched the company grow ever since. I caught up with him to find out how he is feeling in the run up to the Onrec Awards:
How does it feel to be shortlisted for 2 awards after winning ‘Newcomer of the year’ in 2013?
“It’s a great feeling to have been nominated and to have made the shortlist for both categories which are at the very core of our ethos. I think it’s testament to all the hard work the guys have put in to getting the project off the ground and delivering saleable solutions to the UK market that do offer a different philosophy in terms of how to attract the best in IT talent.”
You’re shortlisted for ‘Innovative Use of Social media in the Recruitment Process’ against some pretty big names, what does Searchability do differently to be recognised for such an award?
“Social Media is at the very core of our business and we have spent the last 3 years trying to harness its power with regards candidate attraction and engagement. We are running several technical and geo-specific twitter feeds coupled with a unique G+ job portal that has enabled us to tap into Social Media streams and traffic and give visibility to our hard clients on hard to find IT resource.”
You’re also up for ‘Best Use of Mobile’, why do you think mobile recruitment has become so important for the recruitment process?
“Mobile is king and to succeed in an ever changing recruiting world you need to give candidates and clients access to the latest information from their smartphones. As well as providing information we need to promote engagement and sharing of content across multi-platforms to give us the widest possible reach when trying to source either new candidates or companies. For those who will get this right I think it’s fair to say they will have put themselves in a very strong position to capitalise on this changing world of candidate attraction and engagement.”
What’s your motivation for working within IT and Digital recruitment?
“Although I’m not originally from a technical background I have spent the last 12 years recruiting with this space. I have seen first hand how investing in the right tech and staff can have a cataclysmic affect on your business or career. The world is ever changing and I feel the UK can be proud of the its ever evolving digital landscape that exudes creativity and success and I am extremely happy to not only be a part of that but to also apply certain lessons I have learnt from my clients into Searchability.”
What do you predict for the future of Searchability?
“Who knows? Of course I have a plan, but it is not the same plan I started with and I’m sure this wont be the plan I end up with. When I set out in 2012 I wanted to be the UKs number 1 go-to Digital Recruiter and that hasn’t changed and from there on where next? I’ve always fancied the idea of overseas expansion, maybe an Australian or US office! We are a company born out of frustration that existing methods were no longer enough. We are a dynamic organisation that is powered by the energy of our people and the thirst of our clients to source the market leading candidates. Because of this we are very reactive and I think that sums up our business, which is handy given the nature of what we do. We have processes in place today that I couldn’t have imagined 3 years ago in terms of how we attract and engage and no doubt 3 years from now we will be even further along that unknown path but the one thing I am certain of is we will make a lot of new friends and have a lot of fun along the way!”
The Onrec Awards will take place in London on Thursday 19th March 2015 so we will cross our fingers for Searchability in both categories they are shortlisted for.
Sophie Heaton (Digital Campaign Manager)
