Interview with a Blogger - Alan Whitford

Alan has over 20 years experience in the start-up and expansion of high technology businesses in Europe. He is the owner of Abtech Partnership (Recruitment Process Review and Online Recruitment Strategy services) and Founding Partner at Classified Solutions Holdings (a Dutch based company founded to revolutionise the world of on-line recruitment). Alan is a frequent chairman and participant in European conference programmes. He has been published in a number of on-line and off-line media covering technical and strategic HR and Recruitment issues (including a number of great artilces of the ukrecruite newsletter).  Alan may not be the most prolific blogger but he certainly knows his stuff.

How long have  you been blogging?
I have been writing my own blog(s) since March 2005 and commenting on other blogs, notably the US sites, even earlier.· 

Why did you start?
I started out initially to get an idea of how the blogging technologies actually worked. I also thought that some of my thoughts/ideas around the evolution of recruitment might be of interest to others.

What do you do, work related, when you aren't blogging?
All of the usual stuff – work on proposals, write articles for clients, make presentations or lead conferences, chase payment :-)

Do you think blogging has helped your business?
I’m not sure that it has specifically helped our business – but it certainly has kept me in touch with colleagues around the world and thinking from around the world that does affect how I help clients.

What do you feel is the biggest challenge about writing a blog?
The absolute biggest challenge is finding the time to write on the blog.  I have actually not written in quite a long time. The real key is learning how to write snippets or short comments, a skill I have yet to master as I prefer to write longer pieces. 

What's another blog that you read and why do you recommend it?

• Todd Raphael of ERE – keeps me in touch with what they are up to in the US.
• Dan McGuire, because it is usually irreverent and fun.
• Tim Elkington, because he is learning how to write those snippets and I am jealous.
• Louise’s UK recruiter blog (I know, self serving here) - but Louise has taken a real risk to open up a blogging experience to complement the weekly newsletter.
• Early bloggers and e-recruitment experts like Mike Taylor, and Peter Gold.
• An de Jonghe in Belgiium as she really gets the integration of Recruitment and HR (in Dutch).
• Jason Goldberg of Jobster  -because he has been a category changer.

The list could go on and on...

What do you want your reader’s to know about you?
I am passionate about recruitment and passionate about using technology to improve the Candidate and Recruiter Experience.  That is one reason why we have been building the next generation job board and career site technology out in Holland, www.kangarooster.nl  I believe that companies are still not giving enough attention or money to getting the candidate and hiring experience right – and over the long term their businesses will suffer, as candidates and customers are often the same individual.

If you knew someone was thinking about starting a recruitment related blog, what advice would you want to give them?
Write about your experiences, write about your dreams and aspirations for the industry.  Don’t be afraid to take a stand or cause a bit of a stir (see Dan and Peter).  Most of all, have some fun with it.

Is there a question you wished I asked you?
Why didn’t the New York Yankees make it to the World Series this year?

Comments

[Alan Whitford]

Thanks Louise,

Did I really say all of those things? Just joking, meant every word of it - and Dan, at least, already noticed.

Al