Interview with a Blogger - Alex Hens

Alex stumbled across the recruitment advertising industry in 1997 and joined ThirtyThree in 2002.  Since then the Digital resource within ThirtyThree has grown to 20+ with a mix of media and project specialists Out of ThirtyThree his time is spent in very full on ‘First Life’ pursuits, generally involving running around after his two children.  Alex is a regular contributor to the Digital Recruiting Blog.

How long have  you been blogging?
Just over a year now.

Why did you start?
I was getting a bit miffed at the number of self appointed guru’s out there in the digital recruitment space who had little real delivery experience yet were fast enough to sell their services as “experts”. I don’t profess to have all the answers, but there’s a lot of white noise out there that actually ends up doing us more harm than good – clients who believe they’ve “done online recruitment” and it didn’t work when they barely scratched the surface but still paid through the nose. The blog was a natural opportunity to air those frustrations rather than chewing them over in the corner of a pub somewhere – and if just one or two people through reading the blog saw through the spin and nonsense being peddled then great, and if one or two raised a smile at the musings of a grumpy middle aged man and his peers then that’s great too.      

What do you do, work related, when you aren't blogging?
Oversee the Digital direction of ThirtyThree. Mostly involved in digital project delivery, but like to keep my hand in across the spectrum.   

Do you think blogging has helped your business?
Hmmmmm. Do I think it could? – probably. DigitalRecruiting however is a personal blog and as I think we’re all aware, unless you’re blogging on behalf of your own company, i.e. you are the voice of the company, then blogging can open a whole can of worms. Now of course there are some stunning examples of where blogging has helped big business promote a human face – but as an agency of just under 100 employees where the mainstay of our business is relationship management with our clients, then we’re not all that faceless (one would hope).

I’d like to think that being out there with a clear passion for Digital recruitment gives me, and therefore in a reflected sense ThirtyThree too, a level of credibility in our space that maybe helps – but at the same time I’m not sure beyond peers in media and agency side how many clients, and particularly decision makers, actually get to read my musings. A small number I’d imagine, and then how many of those agree with my rants? One thing is very clear to me though – from previous response to articles posted and feedback internally and externally - there’s a great deal of nervousness about how a blogs, personal or otherwise, can have a negative affect on business, but I’d think a company that embraced the digital medium completely would appreciate the potential benefits should significantly outweigh the dangers.

What do you feel is the biggest challenge about writing a blog?
For me – finding the time and finding a new angle on a topic. I’ve read quite a few blogs in the past that have shown the writer, in my opinion, to clearly be a bit of an arse. I mean we all get things wrong, but when you get it wrong/say nothing in what you write time and time again then it does start to open a window into that person. So I spend a lot of time going over and over it (not really one for short answers – as you can tell) – trying to ensure that within what I write I give clear justification and rationale for any opinions stated.

You can always respond to direct criticism when posted in reply, but for every 1 response there’s probably another 10-20 (made up number) who read it and think the same/worse, just don’t wish to get involved in a public debate where every word can be analysed. It’s easy to get shot at you’re your head so clearly above the parapet, so I just like to take the time to be certain what I’m saying may be of interest and should generally come across as intended. Perhaps the reality is that I’m just too paranoid for this blogging malarkey ;-)

What's another blog that you read and why do you recommend it?
CheezHead.com – firstly you have to go with someone who runs their own business/consultancy. The freedom this gives them to tell it how they see it as well as the ability to do so, I have absolute respect for. And it’s also interesting to read about the parallels, as well as the difference, between the States and the UK.

What do you want your reader's to know about you?
I’m happy to admit when I’m wrong – but I’m a passionate bugger when I think I’m right, so be ready for a debate.

If you knew someone was thinking about starting a recruitment related blog, what advice would you want to give them?
Make sure you have a bag full of opinions and can make enough time (if you think you’ll be a shooting from the hip/off the cuff kinda blogger then that’s of course a lot less time consuming than being a considered blogger). Then ask yourself why you want to do this – and if you can really keep the flavour of contributions changing (hearing the same drum banged all the time, as much as not really having anything to say, soon turns people off). Our blog kinda works (subjective ;) because there are  4 or 5 people contributing (guest contributors always encouraged/welcomed) – but the recruitment advertising agency industry (certainly the digital side) isn’t really known for its rigid 9-5 (with an hour for lunch) work days, so it is hard to fit in generating new content. And then think about who you might p*ss off if you really told it how you saw it – and would that be good or bad. Controversy sells papers and gets blogs read – but if this notoriety could damage your business, then maybe ranting into a glass with an audience of fellow alcoholics is something you just have to come to terms with.

Is there a question you wished I asked you?
How would you solve the Welsh half back dilemma?