Finding and Retaining Blockchain Talent, Stacey Wilkinson, Isle of Man, Blockchain Summit

Interesting interview with Stacey Wilkinson, who is speaking at the Isle of Man Blockchain Summit 

1 min pitch for what you are doing now?

After realising I had become ‘unemployable’ at the end of 2018, I set up Techsearchers – a global headhunting company servicing the tech industry, which is reinventing the wheel in terms of recruitment fees. We operate across all continents and offer a flat-rate monthly subscription service, rather than charging an individual placement fee for each hire.

As a result, the client (i.e. the company who is recruiting staff) saves themselves thousands of pounds/euros/dollars in recruitment fees and the emphasis is very much on the “long term” – with regards to relationship-building, talent attraction strategy, and staff retention.

In just a year, I feel I have broken through many of the limiting beliefs I had previously, (about running a business) having enjoyed both international and national media coverage throughout 2019 and already in 2020. I was named the “one of the top global head-hunters in the tech world” in a business media publication last year and spent December with Sir Richard Branson and his family, at his home on Necker Island.

Not many people can say they gave SRB a shower and filmed it, right? Video is on my Linkedin here:

In the month of February 2020 alone, I’ve been invited to both the House of Commons (to discuss Blockchain) and the House of Lords (for a meeting about Digital Transformation) being a member of the APPG (All-Party-Parliamentary-Group) for Blockchain in Westminster. I’ve written articles about gender diversity in tech, for the Open Access Government and We Are Tech Women.

I’m also a keen advocate for mental fitness, counselling and transcendental meditation, so I’m looking to do more to change society for the better, in these areas.

How was the last year, what worked well, what didn’t move as quickly as you would have liked?

My Linkedin marketing seemed to work quite well and I’ve managed to draw a decent income in my first year of self-employment, just by being myself. Who knew! My posts are often controversial and seem to piss off certain groups in society, particularly the misogynist dinosaur types who don’t appreciate vulgar opinionated women. I’m massively against the idea of taboos and prohibitive social rules – and I hate any kind of sucking up/fakery – so I try and be the exact same person on there as you’d expect to meet with in real life. By that I mean, no filter, use of profanity, amusing observations about life and business…with a bit of tech stuff thrown in.

I made some fuck ups by taking on any client who approached me last year (partly for the money, partly because I genuinely liked these two particular clients at the time, plus they paid retainers, so you think they’d take the whole recruitment process seriously)…what resulted was some candidates I’d put forward were treated appallingly by these companies, in the interview process.

I’ve felt awful about it for months and turned down further work with one of these companies, as it’s bad for my reputation and a job seeker’s sanity. The way I see it is, if a company shows a person such little respect in the interview process, then why would it be any better working for the bastards? I’ve been there, working for companies like that – slaving away for managers who can’t communicate honestly or get their act together – and it’s a massive headfuck. I don’t want that on my head and I’d rather not have the money.

This year, I am going to be much pickier about who I work with, going forward. I’m also making more of an effort to enjoy the contrast of highs and lows, as – in the grand old scheme of life – it doesn’t fucking matter anyway!

What are your plans for the future?

I tend not to make long term plans, as I live very much in the present and never expect to be still walking the planet, but this year I’d like to figure out a way to move to LA. I feel such a connection with the place and its people. I spent a month working out there in November and everyone you meet is so positive and supportive. I’ll be basing myself a few months of the year there, from June.

I’ve become a lot more emotionally intelligent in the last year, due to me taking up transcendental meditation and speaking to a counsellor, about some childhood issues which have been holding me back in life. With this in mind, given how much it’s helped me, I’d now like to do more to change public perception of mental fitness too; I think everyone should be incorporating counselling and meditation into their personal fitness regime.

The world would be a much calmer, tolerant, peaceful place if kids were taught these techniques in schools. Why are kids learning about Jesus turning water into wine in RE, when emotional intelligence and wellbeing will help them much more in life?

I’m also heading back to Necker Island in November.

What will you be talking about at this event? 

The Workforce Shortage – Finding and Retaining Blockchain Talent. The techs involved in blockchain are too early in their infancy to worry about a ‘shortage’ as such and there is more demand than supply across most areas, particularly in development. Companies need to look at growing their own, with people from fintech or similar backgrounds. Your staff are also (quite rightly) going to be moving jobs much more often, going forward, so I’ll be talking about what companies can do to minimise the impact on the business.

What inspired you to attend it?

I was asked! I’ve so many Manx connections on the Island, having recruited a number of ‘techies’ to the Isle of Man from offshore, so I guess my name is known in ‘the office.’ I’ve also been back and forth a few times in the last couple of years, meeting with various members of the Isle of Man government– including the Chief Exec of the Digital team, Lyle Wraxall (who also loves blockchain) – for the main reason that I wanted to put on a large tech/rock festival on over there, as a way of drawing young people to the Island as part of a larger recruitment drive.

I feel its image needs glamorising a bit…and if they want to attract new talent to the Isle of Man, they could do with putting on more events like this. I’ll do anything to help the place (and myself) gain some much-needed exposure. Hey, if I hadn’t been asked, I would have been fuming! 

Which influencers and websites do you follow to keep up to date with
the latest developments?

Not really a follower of any influencer, but I keep up to date on the tech side via Linkedin, TLDR daily newsletter, The Hustle and The Information.

How can people find out more about what you are working on?

Linkedin…can you tell that I’m a massive fan?

Anything else you’d like to add / we should have asked

I’d like to mention this after what happened to Caroline Flack (I don’t believe ITV and her colleagues gave her enough emotional support, prior to her death) and because I received so many Linkedin messages, when I made a post about the subject of ‘being fired’ recently.

I’m a big advocate for removing the shame that comes with someone being sacked from a job. It’s happened to me a few times (hence me now being ‘unemployable’) and I’m a firm believer that not talking about it at the time causes severe mental trauma.

I was recently interviewed about how to survive after being fired, for The Prosperity Kitchen podcast and I’d like to say to anyone out there who’s been affected, that you really need to talk openly and freely about it. Tell your partner, tell your colleagues, tell everyone.

To the firee: try not to feel embarrassed, it happens to the best of us…and to the company firing the member of staff: you have a duty of care to provide help afterwards, as the person has suffered a loss – not just financially, but emotionally too.

Whatever reasons a company has for firing you though, I’ve found it’s normally for the best in the long run. #noshameinbeingfired

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