Jack Franklin

Trying to hire a junior to mid-level engineer in Scotland with great benefits and remote working is hard... https://lnkd.in/eQNHVqGR Not because the role isn't attractive (you'd be working on exciting large-scale system infrastructure challenges writing code with Golang - 1,000's of Kubernetes clusters, 10,000s of cloud VMs) or because the team are all crazy (they're thought leaders in their field including multiple upstream Kubernetes contributors from 3 continents!)... you got me... maybe there's a little crazy - but only the good kind! No... my challenge is whether this AI-generated image to go with my LinkedIn post makes any sense! I never have much luck with images containing generated text. Even using prompts like "spell check any text" or as is the case with this one "do not include any text" doesn't seem to work. Not to mention, I know what a Scottish Terrier is... but that "thing" in the bottom right looks more like an angry, tartan-wearing Capybara. Comment below for your biggest concerns with this image... or if you're a junior/mid-level, talented software engineer based in Scotland - maybe just skip over the image and apply online - https://lnkd.in/eQNHVqGR

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Developers When asked in your next interview do you have any questions for us about the role, if you only ask one question, ask the following “What did your last dev die of?” For all the exciting, dynamic, ground breaking roles there are out there, there’s at least one previous employee who didn’t want to do it. If it was that great, they’d have stuck around. You job is to find out why and then decide if you want that job. Companies don’t recruit for fun. It’s expensive and time consuming. Don’t let their previous mistakes be yours to shoulder. #prodeveloper #candidatetips #developerlife

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Big day for Kotlin, KMP and Android devs. Kotlin 2.0 is released. https://lnkd.in/eDfMRupQ Comose Multiplatform 1.6.10 is released. https://lnkd.in/e5iR3mk3 #android #androiddev #kotlinMultiplatform #composeMultiplatform #jetpackCompose

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It took a while, but I finally published Part 2.1 on the series I've been writing about Career Crafting in Modern Software Engineering. I struggled for the past few months getting this out because I kept trying to fit all the ideas in a single article. Now I'm doing this in 4 sub-parts, so this is sub-part 1/4! I hope you enjoy the article! https://lnkd.in/gs7qfNh6

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As a software developer, if I'm stumped on a problem I'll start searching and reading. Blogs, tutorials, Stack Overflow, function reference guides, github issues etc.. Sometimes it's the same problem over and over again (date/time format strings anyone?) Today was no exception, and for all those new to software development who think they're expected to know everything about their language of choice, or their chosen cloud platform, or a core package you use, you're not. It's simply impossible. So I want to call out the tutorial I read today that helped me and I'd ask other devs to do the same - what did you lookup today, what did you learn today, what did you have to search for again? Here's what saved me today: https://lnkd.in/exFG_Xxa (MS Tutorial: Migrate outbound access to Azure NAT Gateway) #softwaredevelopment

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One of the best things I could have spent time on whilst working on the non-code aspects of my compiler was that of setting up GitHub Actions (which is cross-compatible with Gitea Actions meaning no vendor lock-in; a fact I only later discovered). The set of tests grew to large to test by hand which something I had been doing a while back. This new automation was one of those few ones that are actually worth it. Amongst the tests are even semantic ones. I.E. ones where I test the generated code during runtime of it. #ci #compilers

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Interesting paper about property based testing in real usage. Looks like as with any written tests it can help devs have clarity on their solution specs and helps document code. Harder to implement but more valuable when in place. https://lnkd.in/g_UEJvXW

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*Bracing myself for the response I might get for asking this* Software Engineers: Would you ever consider working on an EQUITY ONLY basis (ie no salary, just owning a portion of the business, the value of which would increase as it progresses and scales)? Assuming: - The product is really interesting and so is the work - The product is in the "tech for good" space and would be a really positive contribution to parts of society - Seed funding is confirmed to be coming with several backers keen & they will able to offer a salary in the near future - The product is super early stage, you would be writing the software from the ground up, but the concept, design and business model once funding is received are all solid I know that there will be many who would never consider this under any circumstances and I totally get why, but just curious to hear if any of you would if it was for a product you believed in enough? And would you look at it on a full-time basis or a part-time basis? It's something I got asked about and so I thought I would throw it out to Linkedin to see what you all think rather than assuming that I know the answer on your behalf. #startup #founder #softwareengineer

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This is the second instalment to my most recent series on career crafting. I hope this might be helpful to folks early in their careers looking for some ideas on how to navigate this software engineering industry! #softwareengineering #careers https://lnkd.in/gNWUQgnF

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Your dev team is under resourced Spoiler - it always will be Don't get trapped thinking if you just had two more (or fifty more) devs you'd be able to work through the backlog and get ahead. The problem is that teams try and filter and prioritise *down stream* on outputs. 100's of outputs. Try filtering and prioritising *up stream* on strategic outcomes that matter to the business (and across the business).

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lateinit and lazy in Kotlin Imagine you’re at a party 🍕, and you tell your friend, 'Bro, you’re on snack duty, but don't bring them right away. We’ll call for snacks when we really need them.' That's lazy in Kotlin! You don’t initialize a variable until it’s actually used. It’s like telling your code, 'Hold up, I’ll get to it later when I need it.' val snacks by lazy { fetchSnacks() } Then there’s lateinit – it’s like inviting a DJ 🎧 and saying, 'Yo, I’ll tell you where to set up later, but trust me, I’ll need you.' Here, the variable is initialized later in the code but must be initialized before it’s used. lateinit var dj: DJService In short: Lazy: 'Bring the snacks when I need them.' 🍿 Lateinit: 'I’ll set up the DJ before the party starts, but not just yet.' 🎶 Now the next time you see lazy or lateinit in code, you know they’re just like party prep! 🎉 #Kotlin #LazyVsLateinit #CodingAnalogies #AndroidDevelopment #DevLife"

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Building trust and fostering a sense of safety within software engineering teams is essential for success. Graeme shares how setting clear expectations and reducing the number of "in-flight" tasks helped his team focus on overall productivity. While some initially felt their individual output slowed, the bigger picture revealed a significant boost in team efficiency and collaboration. His message: it's not just about doing more—it's about doing it better, together. Curious to see how? Watch the full video on our YouTube channel! #SoftwareEngineering #TeamCollaboration #ProductivityBoost #AgileDevelopment #EngineeringLeadership #TechInnovation #TeamEfficiency #WorkInProgress #LeadershipTips #ProjectManagement #DevTeamSuccess #EngineeringProductivity #TeamCulture #SoftwareDevelopment #WorkplaceSuccess #TechLeadership #TeamDynamics #EfficiencyMatters #EngineeringExcellence #InnovationInTech #AgileMindset #LeadershipInTech #EngineeringManager #TeamTrust #TechCommunity #ProgrammingLife #CodeCollaboration #TeamGrowth #DevLeadership #TechTalk #ProductivityHacks

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Just another conversation with an experienced candidate preparing for big tech interview Candidate: "I am focussing on system design, tech / coding preparation" Me: "What about behaviourals?" Candidate: 😂 "What? Who prepares for behavioural? It is just a general discussion round. Right?" Me: "Ohh is it? Hmmm...Good luck!" Candidate gets rejected OR gets down levelled. The worst thing that experienced engineers preparing for big tech can do is discount the importance of #behavioural interviews. Few pointers from my experience of conducting numerous interviews for senior+ level, that can be helpful- 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬 𝐀𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: In a notebook or a document, do your homework and choose 5-7 different examples that you would want to share during the interview. For each example, write down a few bullet points on what made it hard to do what you did. This can be technical challenges, frequent requirement changes, the need to lead others, challenges working with other functions and/or teams, etc. Once you have the example and the bullet point, you can prepare your STAR narrative in a way that will convey the scope that the level demands. 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐧-𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬: The coding and system design interviews go deep on technical skills. Showing technical skills is also important during the Behavioural interview, but it is not the main focus of the interview. The focus, especially at senior, is on how you work with other humans and with yourself. Sometimes going into too much technical depth, is not a great use of the time. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞/𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠: Think about the saying: "Show, Don't Tell." You want to share very concrete and specific examples of what you did first, and only then talk about your general frameworks. There are several cases, where people talk too long about their general approach, but interviewer has to dig to figure out what they actually did in the specific example that we were talking about. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 3-𝐀𝐜𝐭 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: Your growth stories will come across strongest if your structure them as a three act narrative: 1) You made a mistake; 2) You learned from the mistake; and 3) You used these learning in a different project successfully. Structuring your answer like this accomplishes two things: First, it shows that you really internalised the lesson, that it's not just something theoretical for you. Second, it allows you to end your narrative on success without discounting the failures. It basically shows why you are a better senior engineer today thanks to having gone through this experience. For some one interviewing for senior+ levels, system design and behavioural is where the levels are decided and both of them are equally important. #faang #maang #softwareenginner #senior #staff #interview #tech

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Software engineers often ask me how they can stand out from the crowd. Here are a few tips to help you make your mark: Keep Your CV Clear and Meaningful: Avoid jargon and focus on what you've built that truly matters. Highlight projects that showcase your ability to create something from scratch or tackle complex challenges. Detail Your Projects: Include a section for personal or open-source projects. Describe the technologies used, your role in the project, and any significant outcomes. This demonstrates your passion for software engineering and your ability to apply your skills outside of formal work environments. Ace Your Interviews: Think of interviews as auditioning for a role in a movie. Play your part well by articulating experiences relevant to the position you're applying for. Make sure your examples resonate with the job requirements. Highlight Your Technical Skills: Create a dedicated section for technical skills, listing programming languages, frameworks, tools, and technologies you are proficient in. Be specific about your level of expertise and mention any relevant certifications or courses. Showcase Technical Proficiency: While it's great to mention your management experience, employers are often more focused on your technical skills. Make sure to emphasize your technical proficiency and the depth of your expertise. Follow these tips to set yourself apart and make a strong impression on potential employers!

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🔥🔥🔥amazing software engineering posts from the past week🔥🔥🔥 Ryan Murphy rejection means only that: rejection. Keep going. https://lnkd.in/ecfy5tBV Tiger Abrodi consistently posting TypeScript knowledge bombs https://lnkd.in/ebeapvQ9 Taha Hussain are you fueling the micromanager in your life?? https://lnkd.in/eFtrhiHN Eric Roby please keep your processes simple! your success depends on it! https://lnkd.in/epk7Q_qJ Owain Lewis principles for a delegation: I needed this 2 years ago. https://lnkd.in/eNvt564u Pramoda Vyasarao master the basics https://lnkd.in/eMKTMesj Matt Watson new, "exciting" and complex tech excites only one person: the person who uses it to build. long term success needs tech that is boring, known and comes with a talent pool. https://lnkd.in/e8aK9aQt Austin Belcak above average results require above average effort. Go the extra mile - the road is never crowded. https://lnkd.in/edWQGDPH Francis Nayan take. action. today! https://lnkd.in/ej-HbcpJ Callie Buruchara 7 principles for giving feedback. it's easy to see that Callie is leading from experience! https://lnkd.in/e9XXnDyq

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We’ve spent the last couple of weeks filtering down over 90 applications for our software engineering roles so here’s some of the good practice I’ve seen: 👉take the time to create a good quality application. When there are so many candidates looking, it is much better use your time doing fewer applications well than spamming lots of roles in the hope that something sticks. 👉 if they are asking for x-years experience in something (or another key criteria) make sure it’s easy to see that you have it (or clearly explain why you think you have the equivalent in your cover letter). When there are so many candidates there isn’t time to deconstruct all the experience in someone’s cv in case they fit. 👉 write a cover letter explaining why you want the role and how you fit (or could grow to fit). Every cover letter I read gave me more depth into the candidate and helped me understand what they would bring to the role. 👉 use the layout to highlight the key skills you bring - it really doesn’t matter if it’s 1 page or 2 pages and whether you have columns or any other fancy bits - just make it easy for me to scan read. 👉the more you can quantify (with numbers) what you’ve done or the value you’ve delivered, the better. The numbers don’t have to be big - they just give me an idea of the size and scale of what you’ve been involved in. And finally, I know it’s tough getting a rejection but please don’t take it personally. I’ve seen some amazing applications come through, but they’ve just not been right for what we need. #jobapplications #careers #cvtips

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Developers are the pickiest software users. I can say this not only because I am one, but I also have been building tools and software for engineers for a good portion of my career. If you think about User Experience and how much work it takes to make software experiences work for the masses, making things work well for developers is catering to the informed, opinionated, early adopting power user. Developers can smell crappy software and resent anything that slows them down. Technical and digital maturity varies across companies, and fitting your product workflow into the bespoke processes and compliance regimes that each company has is a huge challenge. I know that the tech industry has been recalibrating over the past year or so with the changes in interest rates and how funding is working these days. Perhaps focusing on developers is not as glamorous these days as the labor market is not as rich as it was in the past. Are developers still the new kingmakers? https://lnkd.in/gM-xTwfn I personally cannot say. My view however is that today's developer is tomorrow's startup founder, and if they hate your product due to bad developer experience, you are setting yourself up for future problems when you want to sell to the next unicorn that comes around.

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I had a strong déjà vu reading this article from Monday.com’s engineering team – https://lnkd.in/eSD3cHZG. From using similar terminology and requirements to facing the same challenges of frontend-heavy applications that just couldn’t keep up, they tackled the same scaling pains we’re solving right now. For the past 18 months, we’ve been focused on building a backend-driven platform for Productboard to support a new generation of scalable visualizations. It’s been a journey of testing and rejecting “off-the-shelf” solutions until we built our own Query Engine. While we’re not quite where the Monday's team is yet, we’re steadily moving toward Lambda architecture as our north star. What’s especially exciting? We’re creating a platform that others depend on. Every feature they build and every visualization they design relies on the stability and performance of our work. If you’re passionate about performance-driven engineering and solving complex platform challenges, my team might be the place for you. And yes, we have an opening.

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Struggling to land a job as a Software Engineer with 0-3 years experience? Here's how to shoot to the VERY top of the pile: I won't BS you, the junior market is brutal right now. There's very few roles, and I've been hearing stories of adverts getting over 1000 applicants... So how do you stand out? The truth is, out of those 1000 applications, only 20% will be in Australia, and only 20% of those will be software engineers. That's 40 people. No hiring manager wants to interview 40 people. Especially when very few of those 40 will have the right communication skills, attitude and aptitude to get through the interview process. In fact, 99% of hiring managers would prefer to interview just 1 person. Do this, and that 1 person could be you: - Prepare some personal projects (to show willingness to develop skills) - Do some research on the company (to prove genuine interest) - Practice communicating (poor communicators fail interviews) - Apply with CV + personal project links (so you can be found easily) - Identify specifically why you are a good fit (if you don't know, nobody will) And then - CALL THE HIRING MANAGER. Or video message. Or voice note. In 30 seconds you can: - Introduce yourself and say that you've applied - Reference the personal projects on your CV - Mention why you like the company and why you'd be a great hire - Give availability to discuss the role further in an interview - All whilst proving you are a strong communicator with a great attitude Do this well and you'll be a 1/1000 candidate, I promise you.

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