Agnieszka Rudnicka

Are your software engineers' salaries aligned with today's market? Since 2020, salaries in Poland have gone from predictable to, well, unpredictable. I’ll never forget placing a Senior Ruby Developer for 13.5k PLN/month (B2B) back then. Fast forward to today, and that figure feels like a distant memory.Figuring out what to pay engineers isn’t as easy as averaging job board numbers (I wish it were). If you’re grappling with this challenge, here are three proven strategies to help you find the sweet spot: 1️⃣ Leverage Your Recent Hires Use data from the last 6 months. - Focus on salaries from closed contracts - interview figures only tell half the story. - How often have candidates been willing to commit to your offers? - Numbers from signed agreements paint the most reliable picture. 2️⃣ Listen to Engineer Feedback - Track how candidates respond to your offers: Are your salaries getting a thumbs-up or silence? - Does raising your range increase applications? - How challenging is it to close candidates at the current rate? 3️⃣ Consult a Niche Recruitment Partner - They’re in touch with engineers daily and know what works now- not last quarter. - They track salary trends across clients and can pinpoint real-time benchmarks. - Best of all? They will share this info for free.

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Do you hire developers based on technical skills alone? It could be costing you.  Many companies make this mistake, believing that if a developer can code well, they’ll automatically thrive in the team. But this is not always the case. I have a client in Krakow who specifically hires Java Engineers who can have a “normal conversation" about software, clean code practices, and general life. But most importantly someone he can get along with. If they can do that, he’s usually ready to hire them. However, if they don’t fit culturally, it doesn’t matter if they’ve coded at Google, have an Oxbridge education, or have a long list of technical achievements. They won’t get the job. This is also not unique. According to Leaders.com, approximately 80% of employers take personality into account when making hiring decisions. Also research from Harvard Business Review found that 40-60% of hiring managers admit to hiring candidates who resemble them in terms of background, values, or attitudes. None of this mentions their skills. The ability to mesh with the team and collaborate is non-negotiable. Some people picture developers as introverted hackers, coding away in dark rooms, surrounded by empty energy drink cans. The stereotype that developers don’t need social skills in my opinion, comes from how they’re portrayed in Hollywood (Die Hard 4 was what came to mind when writing this). In reality, developers are part of cross-functional teams. They interact with product managers, designers, and other stakeholders daily. They need to explain complex ideas, collaborate on solutions, and contribute to the team’s overall culture. A developer who can’t work well with others or communicate effectively can disrupt workflows, no matter how technically gifted they are. It’s like having the most advanced software that no one knows how to use. What’s the point? The best hires are those who fit into your culture and can contribute to the team dynamic - not just those who can write the cleanest code. So if you’re only hiring based on technical skills, you might be missing out on your most valuable assets: collaboration, communication, and cultural fit. Skills get you in the door, but culture fit keeps you there. Do you take culture fit into account when hiring engineers?  #SoftwareEngineering #PolandTech #TechRecruitment #PolandJobs #CultureFit #DeveloperLife #WorkplaceCulture #TechRecruitment

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I don't know if this is only my observation or if someone else feels the same. One of the biggest problems with infrastructure is that it is too often isolated from the development teams. Companies often extract a separate team responsible for the infrastructure at some point. As this team grows, it is then split into multiple others. These teams handle topics like identity access management, orchestrators, API gateways, or build pipelines. This, in turn, leads developers to worry less and less about infrastructure. It is not uncommon for software architects to treat infrastructure-related topics as a second category. There are DevOps; we can put it on their shoulders. This is an anti-pattern. There are so many things that can go wrong: - Database, storage, and cache - API gateway and load balancers - IAM - Orchestrators, message brokers - Security of infrastructural components And many more. At some point, I decided to start collecting topics related to architecture that are most important from the software architect's perspective. The result? I will give a talk about it at the Devoxx conference in June :) Feel free to check the details here: https://lnkd.in/dmXia-Qp Who do I see there? :) #softwarearchitecture #devops #softwaredevelopment

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I don't believe in luck (maybe a bit?). So I have to repost. Senior QA Engineer here, specializing in automation and searching (and solving) new challenges. I'm quite good on building solid testing frameworks from the ground up, primarily with Playwright (Cypress and I have a complicated relationship – let's just say we've agreed to disagree. And Selenium? Let's be real, it's 2024!). But even if you don't have anything else, in other testing layers – I can help you with that too. Beyond automation, I'm passionate about streamlining processes, optimizing release pipelines, and everything in between. My toolkit includes JS/TS, with a bit of Bash and Python. Currently exploring new opportunities and seeking a product team (sorry software houses/"workforce selling" companies) that values quality as much as I do. Think I could be your missing piece? Let's chat! You can find more details in my original post: https://lnkd.in/dCDdrxb7 Also I know post will have quite traction so I can also link my guide (welcome to expand it) about building QA architecture in companies: https://lnkd.in/gHkEMZsr #qa #automations #work #search #playwright #javascript #typescript #resume #OpenToWork

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Candidates asking salaries and negotiation strategy tips. Whether you are negotiating with a new employee or freelancer, or one of your existing developers are looking for a raise or are due for a review, it is essential to be prepared. This will help you make an informed offer; ensuring you are being competitive in order to attract or retain talented developers by paying a fair market rate, whilst not being taken advantage of. Negotiation strategy might differ depending on number of factors: - When was the last salary raise? Has anything special happened since then? - Current geopolitical situation in the employee’s country - What is your local employment market like for this role? Do you have lots of suitable candidates available? - How long have they already worked in your company? - How long have they stayed in previous roles? - How much experience do they have? - How critical is this person to your project/company? - Do you need the skills they have and are using within your project / company, or are you over employing? - How easy will it be to replace them with a new hire? - What kind of employee are they? - Do they deliver? - Are they a good resource? - Are they reliable? - Do they have a proven track record yet? Before you begin any salary negotiations, familiarize yourself with the current market’s situation so that you can assess how much other companies pay developers of a similar level in your local area. If you want to have a rough overview of these ranges you can start by checking levels. Websites such as fyi (which can be seen in the link below) gather data points from engineers all over the world to present aggregated information regarding salaries in the software engineering field. https://buff.ly/4cTbpdp Then the next step is to research positions offered by your competition either on one of job boards or directly on their website. That will give you a good grasp of where the market is heading and what expectations are reasonable. If you are already a bigger and established company (>35-50 people) you might already have some specified levels of seniority in your company so salary ranges are predetermined. In this case the objective of the interview process is to determine the candidate's level, which will enable you to know what room you have for negotiation. It is important to also take into consideration the location of the given person. For example, a salary might differ for a Software Engineer with the same skill set in Poland and in Ukraine. #EasternEuropeDevelopers #TechInCEE #DigitalTransformation #DevelopersContracting

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💸 What’s the State of the Current Market Salary for Ruby♦️Developers in Poland? In my latest article, I explore Poland’s tech market, breaking down Ruby on Rails salary ranges. We assessed all available job opportunities with salary ranges, split by seniority levels, location within Poland, and — the cherry on the pie — salaries for Ruby on Rails developers in other developed countries. Whether you’re hiring or curious about tech salaries in Poland, this guide gives you a complete overview of what to expect. The link to the article is in my first comment below. #TechSalaries #RubyOnRails #RemoteHiring #Poland #Itentio #ITRecruitment #TechRecruitment

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💼 Excited to share my latest article on Golang Developer Salaries in Poland! 💰 I’ve broken down the latest salary ranges in Poland and compared it with the salaries in the top tech destinations worldwide. 👉 Check out our article here: https://lnkd.in/d8gzvYhp #Golang #Salary #TechSalaries #Poland #IT #Itentio #ITRecruitment #TechRecruitment

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Pragmatic approach to DDD with Spring Boot by Maciej Walkowiak. Highly recommended to watch before you start to overcomplicate your design: #keepITsimple

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Choosing the right tools and packages can make a big difference in your projects. Here are some of my favorites that I use regularly: 1. ramda 2. generic-pool 3. nestjs 4. kafkajs 5. mongoose 6. luxon 7. opossum 8. jest 9. playwright 10. ajv 11. cdktf 12. commander 13. ulidx 14. ioredis What about you? What are some of your go-to tools and packages that you simply can't do without? #nodejs #softwareengineering

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On May 8th, we have WarsawJS Meetup #114 awaiting us, featuring Tomasz Ducin on stage with a fascinating presentation titled "Back in the game: Recent Revolutionary Changes in Angular"! But today, let's reminisce about his previous appearance at WarsawJS Meetup #108 💭 In that lecture, titled "Who needs Server Components?", Tomasz delved into the next step in the evolution of web architecture. After MPAs, SPAs, SSR, SSG/ISG, it's time for Server Components! Throughout the presentation, he asked himself many questions: Does this architecture fit the needs of my business and application? What are the benefits? And are we not stepping backward by moving more operations back to the server? Breaking down the hype around Server Components, Tomasz also introduced us to some technical details regarding React Server Components. By combining client-side interactivity with server-side efficiency, we can optimize web metrics and revolutionize website development. We invite you to watch that presentation, which opened our minds to a new perspective on web development! Enjoy watching! 🍿 🎥 Part 1: https://lnkd.in/dQ7G_jFZ  🎥 Part 2: https://lnkd.in/dJzQmsQD We encourage you to participate in WarsawJS Meetup #114, where you'll have the opportunity to not only listen to Tomasz's lecture but also to other outstanding speakers live. The link to tickets is below: 👇 🔖 Tickets: https://lnkd.in/dhXVXwpf #WarsawJS #Meetup #ServerComponents #WebDevelopment

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Geeknauts switches to Apropo for their project estimates! 👏 👏 👏 ➡ Geeknauts, a custom software development company based in Krakow, Poland, can be definitely counted among t͟o͟p͟ 5͟ ͟#S͟a͟a͟S͟ ͟s͟p͟e͟c͟i͟a͟l͟i͟z͟e͟d͟ ͟d͟e͟v͟e͟l͟o͟p͟m͟e͟n͟t͟ ͟c͟o͟m͟p͟a͟n͟i͟e͟s͟ ͟i͟n͟ ͟P͟o͟l͟a͟n͟d͟. They know very well all the different aspects of #SaaS business - both technical and business. ➡ What I however like the most about them, is their strive for perfection. They are not satisfied with solutions that are “𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥-𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩”. 🔶 That’s one of the few things that I always find common for all the A-Performers - they N͟E͟V͟E͟R͟ tolerate mediocrity. And that’s the main reason why Geeknauts switched from Google Spreadsheets to Apropo - they didn’t agree for mediocrity in their estimates and proposals. 📣 Here’s what Borys Z., Frontend Developer & Sales Representative at Geeknatus, says about the impact from implementing Apropo: “Apropo 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 thanks to creating estimates that look 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 than Google Spreadsheets. The way how estimates done in Apropo look also massively helped with communication with our clients and 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁. Our 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 which further helped us increase the profitability of our projects” 🤝 Thank you Borys and Geeknauts Crew - it’s a pleasure to have such A-Players like yourselves as our users. We wish you tons of time saved, accuracy increase and deals won with Apropo!

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Quick engineering salary comparison based on the #DEVBG stats from 2023 and 2024 in the Bulgarian IT industry. Dev.bg publish yearly a summary of the Bulgarian IT engineering salaries based on the job openings offers on their platform. https://lnkd.in/dNU5MD8D (2023 stats) https://lnkd.in/dX_dxvP7 (2024 stats) Based on the population data (let's assume it's a proper representation of the real world) we can determine the following: 1. PHP should be dead but it isn't (unfortunately) as it's one of the two categories with growing salaries in all job positions and ranges. 2. The second is the full stack development with a minimum drop of 65 levas in the first MID range(2-5 years) 3. All ranges except the Senior level(5+ years of experience) have a drop in salary compared to 2023 but for some seem negligible compared to the notion in the industry that "it's going down and AI will take over the world" :) 4. We can see that seniority still counts and there is now a shift towards growth of salaries of more senior people compared to others as the market tries to regulate. 5. There is still a lot of green for a "dying" and "shrinking" industry. P.S To anyone interested I can share the excel if needed but it's quite straightforward to generate it. *Legend: Diff min Mid - difference in the minimum ranges for a category between 2023 and 2024 Diff max Mid - difference in the maximum ranges for a category between 2023 and 2024 Diff min Sen - difference in the minimum ranges for a category between 2023 and 2024 Diff max Sen - difference in the maximum ranges for a category between 2023 and 2024 Diff min Sen Median - difference in the minimum ranges based on the provided median from dev.bg for a category between 2023 and 2024 Diff max Sen Median - difference in the maximum ranges based on the provided median from dev.bg for a category between 2023 and 2024

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Four years ago, I placed a top C#/.NET Engineer in Krakow - and lost my client in the process. At first, everything seemed ideal. The developer was perfect technically, Immediately Available And joined within 10 days of submission. The client was thrilled, and it felt like a win for everyone involved. But then their first day arrived, and everything began to unravel. The candidate clashed with the team's approach, Criticising the code quality, the tech stack, And even the team itself - demanding they were replaced. Within two months, the client dismissed the candidate and ended our partnership. This left the client frustrated and me reflecting on where it all went wrong. Looking back, I realised there were two clear red flags during the qualification process that I had chosen to ignore... The candidate admitted to getting frustrated when others disagreed with their views. They also mentioned frequent clashes with managers in previous roles. This wasn't qualified further at the time. These warnings were overlooked because the rest of their profile seemed perfect. That mistake cost the client valuable time and resources, and I lost their trust. Since then, I have made it a rule. Even if there is a one percent chance that something feels off it needs to be addressed. This principle has helped me build stronger partnerships and avoid mismatches entirely. Since then, I have contributed to €millions in billings and earned the trust of many clients. As agencies, we're paid well for our expertise and judgment it is our responsibility to get it right. The takeaway? Always qualify. Never overlook red flags. Have you ever overlooked a red flag during hiring? What did you learn from the experience? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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I often hear from software developers in cities like Bucharest asking for the same salary as their counterparts in Berlin, despite Berlin's cost of living being 60-70% higher. 🤔 Here’s the burning question: Should companies adjust salaries based on location and cost of living? 🌍💸 If so, what’s the best approach? Should adjustments be made by location or based on a cost of living index? Share your thoughts below. 👇 By the way, we're hiring! Explore opportunities at www.baldurconnect.com #SalaryTalk #RemoteWork #TechJobs #CostOfLiving #GlobalRecruitment

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So much for the basement-dwelling programmer stereotype 😉. Conferences like the International PHP Conference are splendid opportunities to gain new perspectives - and face new challenges. 🛠️ Programming is essentially about solving problems, and events just like this conference allow us to share experiences and learn from best of the best in the industry. During sessions and workshops, I got to hear real stories about real problems - how they arise, how to solve them - and how to prevent them from reoccurring. 😉 I had the pleasure of attending talks on the latest trends in PHP, code optimization and best practices in system architecture. I learned how to avoid common mistakes and what techniques to use to make our applications even more efficient and secure. 🖥️🔐 Meeting other specialists - once again - proved that exchanging insights is the key to growth. I'm glad I could be part of this inspiring community! 🤝✨ Thank you to all the speakers and participants for the incredible knowledge and motivation! 🙏📚 Topics covered: - PHP Core & Optimization [Bohuslav Šimek, Carsten Windler] - Refactoring [Ralf Eggert] - Testing, Test Driven Development, and Logging [Florian Engelhardt] - Software Architecture & Design Driven Development [Katy Ereira, Dr. Sönke J. Magnussen] - Security 🔒 - DevOps & Deployment [Nic Wortel] - Clean Code [Ondřej Mirtes] - Git Advanced & Working with abandoned Open Source Projects [Juliette Reinders Folmer]

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With Vitali Svishchev, we are currently looking for skilled .NET engineers to join our teams in Vention Warsaw. Besides technical requirements, what is important in this role? And what does Vitali's team have to offer? We spoke a bit on this topic.   👉 What are the characteristics of your ideal candidate in terms of soft skills? What fits your group and team best?   "What's important to me is the candidate's open and proactive mindset. I'm proud of developers and engineers who are building their career paths and improving their skills, and it's even better when such a person is thinking about involving at the company level. It's important to engage in the company's technical activities to gain extra knowledge and share experience with others. Like in life, it's crucial not only to receive but also to give something to others. People with a social mindset are highly appreciated."   👉 As a manager, what could you offer this person, and what does your group have to offer?   "In our department, we're improving the expertise of our engineers in different spheres. We provide an atmosphere of collaboration where one developer can help another. We support personal improvement plans with technical and non-technical aspects, including advice, sharing experiences, certifications, and book recommendations. We also offer opportunities to broaden technology stacks and get closer to the business side, such as involvement in pre-sales or client calls. This helps developers who want to grow into architect or solution architect positions."   👉 What's specifically cool about us at the company level?   "If you want to build your career, are interested in growing your skills, and take on more responsibilities, it's always possible here. Also, our employees are really open to helping others and sharing their expertise. We're not bound to any specific structure, so you can reach out to someone from another country and just have a person-to-person conversation. If a person is open to communication, they'll easily find support and others with the same interest in technology."   Sounds encouraging! If you want to work with Vitali, check out these positions: Middle .NET Engineer: https://bit.ly/3S7divz Senior .NET Engineer: https://bit.ly/4f7qNp4

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Every employer wants to have employees who know how to use a mouse. This skill is on demand. In this video we will cover basics and some advanced techniques that will help you get your dream job 30x faster https://lnkd.in/dNGids-e

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#GOTOEDADay #Warsaw 2024 Speakers update! Discount code below :) (yes, it was a bait) I'm super happy to announce that James Eastham is going to join the fantastic speakers lineup in Warsaw! James is a content creator, and he creates amazing content on his YouTube channel, which you can find here: https://lnkd.in/dQTmHWkr. Apart from that, he is a super active user of the vibrant community called Believe In Serverless (https://lnkd.in/dhdMNN23), where he runs tons of great sessions and, recently, even a podcast. Fantastic opportunity to meet him in person and discuss event-driven everything and observability (#o11y). James recently joined Datadog so he might be great person to talk to. My pro tips: ask him about SpanLinks in OpenTelemetry and not about your bill. If you want to read the official BIO, you can find it here: https://lnkd.in/ddbAEbzc Another speaker who will share his expertise with all of us (thank you for that!) is Filip Pýrek 🍬 from Purple Technology. I know what Filip will talk about, and I can't wait for his presentation! If you don't know him, he is a Serverless Hero with years of practical expertise in building Serverless solutions. He also created a set of great 3D printable merch that you can find here: https://lnkd.in/daAN_59g. Check out that badass Serverless Brass Knuckles. Perfect birthday gift or Kubecon accessory. If you want to read the official BIO, you have to wait, as this information is coming to the website :) I am just a whistleblower, but he confirmed, so what the hell! :) You can check out his AWS Hero page: https://lnkd.in/dvzJTExD Event details: 📅 When: 19 September 2024 🔍 More details & registration: https://lnkd.in/dHjvtZ-G 💰 Use discount code: m&s10. 💰 💰 A little bird told me that there might be bigger discounts for groups. So gather your team and ping me if you are interested :) #notafinancialadvice #eda #serverless #awscommunity #aws #poland

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