Going through the archives of our blog, I was reminded that back in 2013, we posted an article entitled ‘What we’ve learned about recruitment from 10 years with Blues Point’ to celebrate our 10^th anniversary.  As the end of 2025 is fast approaching, it seems like a good time to review and reflect, particularly since so much has changed in the last few years – are these lessons still relevant?

Let’s find out…

1. In recruitment, you should trust your instincts. A successful recruiter will develop good instincts – we tend to develop a sense for whether someone is telling you the truth or just what you want to hear. The candidates that we work with successfully will be those that have been open and honest with us throughout the recruitment process.

Note: still true.  Our recruiters’ intuition seldom lets us down!  It helps us to identify candidates that are a good fit for your business, even if their CV isn’t a perfect fit – more than ever it’s about motivation, attitude and aptitude.

2. Recruitment is changing. In 2013 smart recruiters were moving away from preferred supplier lists and forming strategic partnerships with their clients to gain exclusivity on vacancies, providing a more complete recruitment solution rather than just flinging CVs at the client and hoping for the best.

Note: still true, but recruitment is always changing.  Many of the clients we worked with in 2013 are still working in exclusive partnership with us.  Others have moved away through M&A (ie: being acquired by a company that has its own recruitment team or preferred supplier list). Interestingly, some of those that have moved away in the last decade are now back working with us exclusively (it’s almost as if this works better 😉).

3. Being honest can make you unpopular, but it is still better to be honest. Candidates might not like the client’s feedback but it is our duty to pass it on, so that person will be able to learn from the experience and approach things differently next time.

Note: still true. On the whole, candidates welcome the feedback as it will help them in the long run.

4. Making a placement is a real buzz! Delivering an offer to a candidate and then going back to the client to let them know that the offer has been accepted is a great feeling. It is nice to know that in introducing the two, you have made a real difference to the individual’s life, and they in turn will add value to your client’s business.

Note: still true!  That’s why our core recruitment team is still here – in fact our head of resourcing Steph celebrated her 15^th year with us earlier this week!

5. You can’t get it right every time. With the best will in the world, there will be times when things don’t go the way we want them to. Clients can change their minds and so can candidates. A failed placement isn’t the end of the world, but the way in which you handle it can make a difference to the future of your relationship with both the client and the candidate.

Note: still true. We’re dealing with human beings, after all!

6. People in IT are a good bunch, and so we enjoy talking to them. They tend to be friendly and co-operative and passionate about what they do. If we encounter a candidate that we think is a cut above the rest, we won’t forget them; you can guarantee we’ll cross paths with them again.

Note: still true, and we’re even more proactive nowadays when it comes to finding a job for that great candidate we’ve discovered.  So if we send you a CV speculatively, that means it’s someone we genuinely think would be a great fit for your business, and we’ve had real success with this approach over the last couple of years.

7. The customer isn’t always right. We work hard to please our clients but sometimes there is no benefit in pursuing a relationship with a ‘bad’ client. Dealing with clients that never provide feedback, change the goalposts and never return your calls wastes time that you could be devoting to better clients.

Note: still true. In fact, we are much quicker to walk away from a bad client these days!

8. There are good agencies and bad agencies. Unfortunately, unscrupulous individuals exist in every industry, and most of us will have experience of dealing with a bad agency. Rather than assume all agencies are bad, you need to know how to identify the good ones. Talking to us is a good place to start.

Note: still true. We are a small but mighty agency, so you won’t be fobbed off with a junior team member when you work with us.  Your recruitment project will be carried out by our highly experienced team.

9. The best recruitment starts with a cup of tea or coffee. Whether that is with a prospective client, to tell them about how we work, or at the start of the day in our team meeting, to decide how to approach the day’s activities, we never underestimate the power of a cup of tea.

Note: still true – following the challenges of the pandemic and the shift towards remote working, we have had less ‘in person’ meetings.  It’s easy to jump on a quick Teams call, of course. But we really value face to face meetings and we’re eager to make sure we maintain this.

10. You can’t put a price on a friendly, fun and harmonious workplace. If you are fortunate enough to create or be a part of maintaining one, then you are very fortunate indeed.

Note: still true – of course it’s trickier to do this when your entire team works remotely!  But we’ve loved hearing success stories from our clients of how they have made the shift from office based to hybrid/remote positively.

With this last point in mind, here are the two key lessons we’ve learned from the last couple of years.

11. Remote and hybrid working is here to stay.  The last few years have taught us that location is no longer a barrier for finding talent. Candidates expect flexibility, and clients are adapting to hybrid and fully remote teams. As recruiters, we’ve had to rethink sourcing strategies, interview processes, and even onboarding, ensuring that both clients and candidates thrive in these new working environments. The key lesson: adaptability is everything.
12. The talent market is faster and more competitive than ever With the rise of AI, automation, and digital transformation, IT talent is in high demand. Skilled professionals are receiving multiple offers in a matter of days, so speed matters more than ever. We’ve learned that being proactive, maintaining strong talent pipelines, and building relationships early can make the difference between securing the right candidate and losing them to a competitor.

Ultimately, it’s all about people. Despite AI, remote working, and the ever-changing IT landscape, building strong relationships with both our clients and candidates is what allows our business to continue thriving. Technology may change how we work, but it’s the human connections that make recruitment truly successful.

NB: if you read the original article, you’ll be pleased to hear that 12 years on, none of us have a Blues Point tattoo.  Well, not a visible one anyway!