Q&A with Matt Grimes, Manager, Technology

With plans to double our US workforce over the next two years, we’re speaking to some of our people to learn about life at Lorien - and why you should join our journey. Contact us for more information on our current vacancies.

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

The early morning consists of following up on emails, admin-related tasks and a daily Job Order meeting with the IT recruiting team.  The rest of the day is spent screening potential candidates whether by phone, text, email, etc.  As we get new job orders, we transition between contacting candidates and searching our resume databases

What do you enjoy most about working at Lorien?

The people and the work environment. The team gets along very well, almost like a family.  There is a level of comfort in the office that makes most days very enjoyable, yet full of accomplishment.

How would you describe your team culture?

Relaxed yet very productive. The Fairfax office is one of the smaller offices, but we are as productive as any.  We are close knit group who enjoys being together and we get things done no matter what. It’s the perfect balance of productivity and fun.

What have been your proudest achievements, individually and as a team?

I’m proud of helping Dan Van Gemert, Molly Kopera and Christina Matt to realise their potential and become strong, self-driven recruiters. They’ve all mastered skills which will accelerate their careers in recruitment, and I’m excited to see them go from strength to strength. 

As a team, I’m very proud of how we’ve got every last bit out of our client agreement with a huge multinational tech company. Every year we get better and more efficient at delivering for this client, playing a key part in their resourcing strategy and growing our market share there.  

On a personal level, I also hit a record in 2020, making $2 million in gross profit – the highest in a single year by a recruiter. That and building a successful team are definitely amongst my career highlights. 

What do you think makes your team a success?

We have two very organized account managers (Mike Guilday and Brandt Hurdle) who have been instrumental in setting our team up for success, as well as a team of recruiters who are committed and consistently follow through. We have excellent communication in the team and we’re also very good at balancing work with fun, which definitely helps us pull together. When we are busy, we take full advantage of the opportunity in front of us and work hard – and when we’re quieter, we use the time to celebrate the wins. Thankfully we’ve never quiet for long, but it’s important to have those rest periods as well as the busy ones. We rely heavily on each other and don’t let each other down.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to get into recruitment?

There are factors that you can't control when it comes to recruiting. So, it is really important to manage the factors that you can control really well.  If you work hard and smart, along with being persistent, organized, and fearless of the phone, there is no reason you cannot succeed.   As a recruiter, frustration can set in quickly at times, but there is always a way around it with the right support.