Q&A with Brandon Jeter, Technical Recruiter

With plans to double our US workforce over the next two years, we’re talking to some of our current employees to find out what working at Lorien is like behind the scenes, and why you should join our journey. Reach out to us for more information on our current vacancies!

How did your recruitment journey start?

After graduating, I planned to go to Law School, but because of the time of year that I graduated, I needed to wait a full year before being able to apply. Before I could even start thinking about how to spend that gap year, my high school friends, Alex Kerbel and Alex Salow, convinced me to come and interview as a recruiter at a company they’d just joined – Lorien. Fast forward to today, and this year, I graduated from Law School while staying with Lorien. I’ve developed a love for both the company and the industry, and I also feel lucky that I’ve had the chance to explore something else I’m passionate about at the same time. 

What do you enjoy most about working at Lorien?

The people.  Some of my strongest friendships are with people at Lorien.  Beyond the friendships, at Lorien I have mentors that I genuinely look up to and learn from, as well as peers that I admire and that push me both professionally and outside of work.  It’s a company that I feel I can grow in and be challenged at while working with people I truly like.

What have been your proudest achievements at Lorien so far?

I ended 2020 at $20k/week in recruiting gross profit and $15k/week in sales gross profit while graduating from law school in May of the same year. I’m proud of the fact that my brother started working here a couple years ago and has paved his own way in the company and achieved a high degree of success.  It’s really his achievement to be proud of, but it certainly does give me a warm feeling!

What does a ‘day in the life’ look like for you?

At the moment, my days look quite different from one another.  We recently hired three new people that report up to me, so a lot of my time at the moment is spent training and assisting them.  I also manage the sales side for a health and insurance company and perform a variety of tasks associated with that.  I also still do some recruiting!

How would you describe the culture at Lorien?

It feels cliché to say “work-hard-play-hard,” but I think we are a group of people that take work seriously, want to do a good job, but also want to have fun doing it. I think there’s also a growth-mindset culture to Lorien, where self-betterment and development is emphasized.

What are your top tips for career success in recruitment? 

Recruiting is an art and I think those that view it as one are more likely to succeed.  Even the best recruiters are a fraction as good as they could be. There’s always room for growth - the game changes and the target is constantly moving.  Our clients and their needs change (especially in IT recruitment); the market changes; even the tools we use to recruit change.  I think it’s important not to get set in your ways, but instead to constantly question whether what’s worked before continues to work now.

My top tip would be to pick the brains of those that have found success in recruitment.  Ask a lot of questions.  Even when you’ve got some tenure under your belt, you’re never too successful to learn new skills.

Beyond that, recruiting is hard.  For a lot of people, it takes a really long time before you start seeing tangible success and feel like you’ve got your head above water (that certainly was the case for me).  But if you stick with it and keep clawing away, you can build a real skill set that can’t be taken away, not to mention a lucrative career.