Interview with a blogger - Julian Stopps

Julian has been working in the online world for over ten years, driving change in both traditional and web based businesses.  Starting at the UK's largest book printer, Clays, he led the adoption of e-commerce solutions.  In 2004 he joined the UK job board, GAAPweb, where as the Head of IT he developed a passion for the online recruitment industry.  In 2007 Julian launched the born podcast and currently blogs on the born blog.

How long have you been blogging?

About six months, although to be honest it only feels like five minutes.  Time flies when your having fun!

Why did you start?

An online recruitment blog seemed to be the perfect place to publish the analysis and research I was already doing behind the scenes.  I'd launched the born podcast earlier in the year, but wanted to keep it factual and focused on news.  The blog provides a platform for some opinionated discussion.

What do you do, work related, when you aren't blogging?

I'm a Freelance IT Consultant & Project Manager, which is a fancy way of saying I'm a problem solver.  Companies bring me problems and a budget and I make sure they get the right solution.  From Web 2.0 sites to comprehensive back-office solutions, it's my job to make sure IT projects deliver.  It's never dull. 

Do you think blogging has helped your business?

Definitely, it's enabled me to expand my business network, which has led to new opportunities.

What do you feel is the biggest challenge about writing a blog?

Being original.  There are a lot of good blogs out there and to create original content is not easy.  I treat every post as a mini article, which often means some serious research before publication.  To be honest some of my posts are not so mini!

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

The digital recruiting blog remains a keen favourite of mine; the group approach keeps the content varied and fresh.  JobBoarders also has a good mix of posts from the job board world and I'm a regular listener of the twit podcasts.

What do you want your readers to know about you?

I believe in quality over quantity and dream of the day when the Internet works this way.

If you knew someone was thinking about starting a recruitment related blog, what advice would you want to give them?

Make sure your clear about why you want to start a blog and how you'll measure its success.  Answering those two questions will help guide your blog's content and your own motivation.

Is there a question you wished I asked you?

"Has technology helped or hindered the recruitment process?" – I'd have to say it's been a double-edged sword.  Technology has provided new and innovative ways for recruiters and employers to source and manage candidates.  At the same time the technology has taken away the 'personal touch' and driven job seekers into an "apply by batch" approach.  I expect the tide will swing back from 'quantity of application' to 'quality of application' in the next few years.

PS - have you voted in our un-offical Recruitment Personality of the Year Awards yet?