Jacob Bartlett

💡Founders… why pay 15k-20k to hire ONE Software Engineer, when you could do it for more than half of the cost? ———————————— Ok, so before the pitchforks come out: - I used to work in a Recruitment Agency - Recruitment Agencies aren’t all bad - They’re great in certain situations But they are expensive… unless you use a cr*p one! In fact, using a good one to hire a single Software Engineer in the UK could cost you between 15k-20k! Now in certain scenarios (i.e. an urgent one-off hire), that can be justified… But if you’re the Founder of a Startup and you need to scale with multiple hires, then those costs can quickly spiral out of control 🤯 Moreover, the majority (not all.. pitchforks right?) of Agencies provide a highly transactional service that prioritises speed over quality, leading to Founders spending a fortune on: ❌ Poor quality hires ❌ Lack of collaboration ❌ Rushed hiring processes ❌ Poor brand representation  ❌ Poor candidate experience In short… you’re spending a lot of money but playing ‘Russian Roulette’ when it comes to ROI 🎲 Which is risky business if you’re in a position where you need to scale quickly, like a lot of Founders find themselves in… ———————————— With my ‘Fractional Talent’ model, being in that position doesn’t need to be risky… Why? Because it’s been specifically designed to help Start-Up Founders: ✅ Scale fast… ✅ Reduce cost… ✅ Increase quality… Whilst providing a ‘pay-as-you-go’ solution that scales up/down with your needs, reducing risk and removing stress! You’ll also never spend 15k-20k on a single hire! Interested in finding out more? 📥 Slide into my DMs ☕️ Book a virtual coffee #startups #founder #recruitment  #talentacquisition 

8

6 Comments

Tips for founders hiring... if your Head of Engineering or CTO needs to code every day, you're looking for a Lead Engineer or Technical Lead. By labelling vacancies incorrectly you're making it harder to recruit the right people. Lots of lead engineers & technical leads will be put off from applying for a Head of Engineering or CTO role and lots of Heads of Engineering & CTOs will apply, then pull out of the process after finding they need to code every day. It's already difficult to fill these roles, don't make it harder. Oooorrrrr... you could make your life even easier and just call me instead ✌🏽 #blockchain #web3 #crypto #tech #technology #recruit #recruitment #hiring #career #careeradvice #leadership #leaders #founder #founders

87

8 Comments

🚪 Why your best developers are quietly planning their exit Think your top tech talent is happy? Think again. Imagine coming to work one day to find your star developer's resignation letter on your desk. No warning. No chance to counter-offer. Just... gone. It's a gut-wrenching scenario, isn't it? Yet it's playing out in tech companies every day. The harsh reality: 75% of developers are open to new job opportunities, even when they're not actively looking. But why? These are well-paid professionals in a booming industry. What's driving them away? It's not always about the money. Here are the hidden reasons your best devs might be eyeing the door: • Lack of challenging projects (68% cite this as a primary reason) • Limited learning opportunities (54% want more chances to upskill) • Poor work-life balance (47% feel overworked and underappreciated) • Misalignment with company culture (41% feel disconnected) • Inadequate recognition (39% feel their contributions go unnoticed) The cost of losing a top developer? It's not just about the 6-12 months of salary it takes to replace them. It's the lost productivity, the hit to team morale, and the potential project delays. So, how can you keep your tech talent engaged and loyal? 1. Implement regular 1-on-1s to understand their career goals 2. Offer continuous learning opportunities and conference budgets 3. Recognize and reward innovative ideas and solutions 4. Foster a culture of autonomy and trust 5. Ensure workload is challenging but not overwhelming Remember: Retention is far more cost-effective than constant recruitment. What strategies have you found effective in retaining top tech talent? Share your experiences! Let's build stronger, more loyal dev teams together. #TalentRetention #TechCareers #EmployeeEngagement #SoftwareDevelopment #LeadershipTips

5

We created over 200 interview questions to form scorecards & question banks for 20 key roles in tech. They’re yours. Use them to; - ensure a fairer hiring process - make better hiring decisions - stop shooting from the hip 🤠 Here’s how you can get access to the notion page; ↳ Comment 'scorecards' on this post

346

965 Comments

We created over 200 interview questions to form scorecards & question banks for 20 key roles in tech. They’re yours. Use them to; - ensure a fairer hiring process - make better hiring decisions - stop shooting from the hip 🤠 Here’s how you can get access to the notion page; ↳ Comment 'scorecards' on this post

299

1,225 Comments

What’s the optimal timeframe to hire a Software Engineer? There isn’t one. 👀 One of Bounce Digital clients for the same role… 🎯Software Engineer 1; CV > Offer = 6 Days 🎯Software Engineer 2; CV > Offer = 44 Days It all comes down to what suits both parties. 🤝 Some people need/want time. 🐌 Others need/want to hurry things up. 🏃 No two processes are the same. No two candidates are the same. Flexibility and an agile approach are what matter most. 🔀 The most successful companies don’t stay too rigid when hiring. ✅ What do others think? #softwareengineer #interviewprocess #engineeringmanager

6

After reaching out to my network of both developers and clients, it has been brought to my attention the growth of companies in the past few months choosing to use Flutter over Native platforms and React Native. Today I read the an article around the launch of Flutter 3.19 and keen to gather thoughts from both hiring managers and developers on this. Here are my key take aways: Flutter 3.19 is expected to speed up the mobile app development process, providing developers with more flexibility, as you can: - See code changes instantly, - Easier design with more built-in widgets - Better overall performance What's everyone's thoughts on the future of Cross-platform Mobile application?

67

23 Comments

In 2024 I've helped more Software Engineers from FANG (is it MANA now?) companies move onto their next challenge than I've done before. Awesome. It always feels great to help people get their new job. I think this is for 4 reasons. 1. These companies have gone through restructuring at a rate they have never been through before. Even if Engineers are still in place, they are concerned about long term job stability. 2. RSU's locked Engineers in on high annual total earnings that no one could compete with. With share prices adjusting to market pressure, Engineers have more options. 3. These businesses are now no longer at the cutting edge of tech, consolidating and focusing on core product lines and killing off new or risky product development they are not the centres of innovation they once were. 4. We had remote working and now there is a big return to the office. This works for some. Not all. If you are in the market for hiring the top tier of Engineering talent (not that this is defined by someone working at Apple/Amazon etc) now is a great time to go to market. If you're looking for a new role, although the market is slower than it was in 2021/2022. There are some great businesses looking to hire, especially so since the start of 2024. Get in touch if you'd like to learn more. Happy jobsearching everyone.

11

🔥 As hot as they come - Seed funded client 🔥 Looking to chat to any solid full-stack Golang Engineers (FE is JS heavy, mainly ReactJS) in my network for a reliable client, who have recently secured Seed funding and are looking to grow their current engineering team. If you know of anyone that could also be a good match for this, get them tagged in the comments as this client will be happy to move as quickly as they need to, in order to secure the right talent! Four stage IV process, which could all be wrapped up within a 10-day window. If it sounds interesting, drop me a DM and we can schedule some time to chat before the end of the week! #hiring #web3 #golang #distributedsystems #recruiting #blockchain #web3

10

We interviewed 16 talent partners for a new project we deployed for recently. Here’s how it went: - We received 340 applications in just 48 hours. - 98 were in the UK - 242 outside the Uk were automatically rejected as the project required some onsite presence. - We invited 32 candidates for an initial screen. Our assessment process We assess the following skills: - Sourcing - Stakeholder management - Data analysis - Recruiting knowledge And these core competencies: - Solution orientation - Collaboration - Ownership - Customer centricity - Communication - Humility The process consists of 3 stages: 1. Phone screen (20–30 mins) 2. Take-home task (60 mins) 3. Interview & role play (60 mins) Total candidate input time: 2.5 hours. Common things that kept cropping up to avoid 1. Not following instructions. 2. Lack of familiarity with key industry terminology (especially metrics). 3. Poor structure for intake meetings. 4. Generic answers about impact. 5. Failing to link impact to business goals. We’re always looking at our process, how to make it smoother , fairer as well as valuable to those that give us those time Things I'm looking at; - Feedback formats across stages - live versus written - question formation - scorecard improvement - quality benchmarks for assessments If you want to speak about your own hiring process and how it can be improved - DM me for a chat!

91

16 Comments

Working in the Product space it is essential as a Recruitment partner to really understand the busy seasons and down time of our hiring teams so we can best accommodate their schedules and get candidates through the recruitment process in an efficient way. Here are some key calendar events we like to consider when kicking off a Product search: 💫The Product Lifecycle & Go To Market: Key meetings and deadlines including; line planning, design review, proto review and go to market strategy 💫Peak Sales Seasons: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, holiday and back to school 💫Leadership Presentations: Quarterly financial reviews, offsites and year end These key events often require extensive preparation and then may take several days to complete. The better we can plan for these times the better we can support our hiring managers and candidates alike! #retailrecruitment #productrecruiters #technicalapparel #beauty #wellness #fashion #recruitmentagency #targetedsearch

18

2 Comments

Talking with loads of #ios and #android engineers and leaders since my return from holiday last week. It seems there's still lots of questions around how long will it take the market to pick up! I'm getting asked 'Is it just the iOS market that's slow?' Err no, certainly not. 'Will the Android market pick up this year?' I don't have a crystal ball, but I do have optimism. "It cant stay slow forever!" I reassure them. There will be a bounceback! Let's talk..... When do you think the iOS and Android recruitment market will pick up? Are you already seeing the greenshoots of recovery? Have you got some inspirational words of positive stories to share with your fellow devs? Please let me know when you're commenting whether you're in the UK, Ireland or Europe! #androidengineer #iosengineer #uktechjobs #mobileapps #bounceback

15

4 Comments

Looking for a reason to hire junior developers? Ignoring them is a big mistake, as John Crickett correctly points out. 👇 Sure, they might lack experience. However don't mistake their inexperience for incapacity. ➕ Their fresh eyes unravel new perspectives on old problems. ➕ Their hunger for learning is unmatchable. ➕ They're innovative, adaptable, and ready to absorb knowledge. Investing in junior talent is investing in the future of your business. 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄'𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀. So, next time there's a position open, consider them. You might just be surprised.

37

This Tech Recruiter is betting on 4th July Election being a 'good thing!' As a Tech Recruiter, my ears and eyes are always open to indicators for upturns and downturns in the UK Tech sector. Couple of tip bits of data. UK new tech startups has had 11% growth in last quarter. UK Mergers and Acquisition has had a 7.9% deal value increase from 2023 Q3 to 2024 Q1. But that's coming from a drastically low overall spend in M&A deals. This suggests a tentative upswing and more positive future. From my own anecdotal evidence, there is more activity out there! However, unemployed Contractors and Perm (Developers, PM's - all disciplines) are finding salaries and opportunities are still flat lining when compared to previous years. July is an earlier election than expected. Rishi Sunak has chosen 4th July rather than October (or later) for one of these reasons 1) Inflation is down which is GOOD economic news but he's expecting bad economic news later in the year 2) Politically he's expecting things to be better now than later. Rwanda plan might disintegrate. More infighting within the party as time continues. I'm betting on the reason being (2) and actually there will be more good news for the economy later in the year with continued low inflation. Also, I believe, Labour will gain a comfortable majority and business will see this as positive and stable (especially because BoE gave Reeves a thumbs up). Therefore, it's better to have the election 4th July rather than later in the year. Thank you Rishi. Just to mention. I see the Tories and Labour as pretty much the same with economic policies which effect the Tech sector. It's just that one party is spiralling and that's not healthy. #election #tech #jobs

3

"I do my best work at Night 🌙" So many Software Engineers I speak to often say, they work best in the night, or in large chunks of time when they can be hyper-focused on solving a problem! So why are so many SE jobs so restrictive in terms of flexibility! Software development often involves creative problem-solving. People can be most productive when they can choose when and where they work best. Flexibility allows engineers to work during their peak productivity hours. It's crazy how so many SE roles I am seeing requiring people to be on-site between the hours of 9-5. Offering a flexible work environment empowers software engineers to work in ways that best suit their needs and preferences, ultimately leading to higher job satisfaction, increased productivity, and better business results? Devs- what do you think are companies missing a trick in pulling everyone back into the office, let me know in the comments ⬇️ #techhiring #flexiblework #softwareengineers

30

6 Comments

You know what's really cool to do as an employer... ... Pay people what they're worth (irrelevant of market conditions) 💡 I'm seeing a worrying trend at the moment - Companies looking for Software Developers with 6+ years experience, but not willing to pay more than £35k 😕 Look... I understand budget restraints... And as the owner of a start-up, I get that companies pockets are only so deep! But if your pockets are only deep enough to get someone with 2-3 years' experience... Stop looking for people with 6 years+ in the hopes that they'll bite your hand off because the hiring landscape isn't all that great at the moment! If you play the game like this, yeah, you MIGHT get a quick win now, but in 12 months time, when the market shifts (as it always does) your competitors will be queuing up to pay them what they're actually worth... And you'll be left back at square one!!  

40

7 Comments

I've reviewed some cracking RFCs recently. It's one of the things I love about PayFit France's engineering culture. People genuinely seek out other perspectives and feel comfortable proposing solutions to contentious topics. And the feedback is always well-intentioned and constructive. One aspect of a great RFC is starting with a well-defined problem statement. If you can create a compelling narrative that makes people feel that this is really a problem worth solving you are off to a great start. Before you mention the solution, can you quantify the current costs or future opportunities? Can you explain how these technical issues are worth addressing on a business level? If you do this well, your problem statement will come across as an important problem that needs a solution rather than a solution looking for a problem. Sonya Natanzon covers great problem statements and gotchas in this talk: https://lnkd.in/ecz7uqvM

34

5 Comments

Feeling the same way? Recruitment today mirrors the challenges of software engineering in the past. We're flooded with messages from talented individuals seeking jobs, yet we can't always respond immediately due to the sheer volume. This echoes the experience of software engineers who once faced a similar inbox overload but lacked the time or interest to reply to all. #Hiring #JobSearch #LinkedIn Let's remember to exercise patience and understanding. While our intention is to reply promptly, sometimes it may take a little longer. As we navigate through these messages, let's maintain a friendly and respectful approach. In the bustling world of hiring, kindness is just as important as efficiency!

45

Results from last weeks poll. Very close call - seems we're split on this one. With demand for work / life balance on the rise. Is this an approach we might see adopted more in 2025? #4dayweek #prorated #softwareengineering

8

3 Comments