Martin Burford

Demand for Intermediate-level Software Developers is decreasing, resulting in salary levels on offer declining. For the time being it appears that the days of intermediate developers securing 15% - 20% pay increases when moving jobs are over.   Current advertised salaries for software developers in the UK (3 months to June 2024) are down to 2019 levels.   Is this trend mirrored elsewhere in the world? What are the causes for this?    

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Elixir & Erlang Hiring Managers!! I’m looking to speak with clients with live roles that require on-site presence, how is your hiring coming along?? Drop me a message if you have some free time #elixir #erlang

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With the recent news around employers needing to pay an extra 1.2% in NI, hiring freelancers seems like an even smarter move! Not only can you bring in talented engineers with extensive project experience, but you also avoid all those extra costs! 🚀 With a full-time employee, you’re looking at paying for: Salary 💸 NI - 15% extra 👀 Pension Contribution - 3% minimum 📈 Equipment 💻 And that’s not even counting... bonuses, equity, and any other perks you might be offering! 🤷🏽‍♂️ When hiring a freelancer, you set the rate with no hidden costs. Plus, you don’t pay for holidays, equipment, or anything other than the days they work! 💼 Of course, culture is crucial, and roles like Tech Leads or Engineering Managers should be full-time team members. But for development work, could hiring freelancers be the way forward? 💡

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Doing any salary planning for next year? We'll have our full salary guide dropping in Jan 2025, but here's a very quick overview of what we've seen these past few months... Salaries for high performing Software Engineers have grown LOTS this year. To give you some quick ranges... Our Mid-level placements since July have secured $150K-$160K. Mid-Snrs have been $160K-$170K. Seniors have been $173K-$198K, but the majority have been $180K-$190K. Staff has been $200K-$215K, and Principal has been $220K-$240K. All of these are PLUS super, and almost all had either equity or a bonus on-top. To add to that... Demand for Juniors is still on the floor (+ I've been told my multiple people that the quality is beyond awful. I expect this will cause huge issues next year). Demand from startups for people without startup exposure is also non-existent. Demand for 'Leads' is still pretty low. It's coming back, but I would describe it as "Staff who leads", i.e, almost entirely hands on, and some leading. True Team Lead roles are very rare and quite badly paid (often less than Snr). Any specific salary questions? Stick them below - I'll answer as best as I can :)

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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

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Developers who secured post-covid jobs are on the hunt again. But this time, the market is COMPLETELY different. Here’s what you should be asking (which you might not have considered back then)... 1️⃣ How disposable is the tech team? > What short-term AND long-term projects do they have in mind? > How mission-critical (and realistic) are the long-term ones? > What are they doing to prevent more tech layoffs? 2️⃣ Will you be happy there? > Do they have the progression opportunities you’re looking for? > Will your manager have a hands-on or hands-off approach? > Will you be challenged enough to keep you motivated? > Will you get the work-life balance you’re after? > What kind of culture are they promoting? I’m sure most of you would’ve questioned many of these things right after the pandemic. But most job-seeking Developers were in survival mode. You asked the right questions to secure a decent job that paid the bills. Hopefully, this time, you can take a breather and find an opportunity that truly aligns with what makes you happy. #JobSeeking #Advice #Recruitment #Hiring #Developers

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Businesses have reduced their spend on contractors ⬇️ However, they have increased their spend on freelancers. ⬆️ What do I mean by this? We have been speaking to a number of companies that can't justify spending money on contractors for a 5 day a week engagements. Their solution is to work with part time contractors i.e Freelancers. 2/3/4 days a week agreements or SOW agreements If you are a contractor, my recommendation is to start to think about how you can spread your risk next year. Create a way to have multiple revenue streams and don't become reliant on that one contract that could easily cancel with immediate notice. Would you rather a single full time contract, or multiple part time contracts?

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This is incredibly interesting and undoubtably what the market needs - what goes up must inevitably come down to level out in way in which the market can accommodate. Now Software Developers what do you think? Does this impact the way you're looking at your career and your next move? #developmentrecruitment #salariesaredecreasing #acallforsomeinsight

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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!!  

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Have had a string of luck lately where processes fell through at the late/offer stage (yes unfortunately it happens to the best of us 😂 ) A few key bits I've taken away from it all: 1. Backdoor references are a very dangerous game IMO. Typically I've seen this at the founder level, but backchanneling candidates without their knowledge especially at their current employer can lead to a break of trust if not handled properly 2. Transparency of offer & benefits details should be clear from the start. Offer management is one of the, if not the most, sensitive part of the recruitment process and any sudden curveballs whether its the candidate changing their expectations or companies changing their offer can cause the castle to crumble after multiple great conversations 3. The saying is true "time kills all deals". Whether it's candidates mulling their decision or companies doing their due diligence, the longer it takes to complete a process the likelihood to lose momentum increases. On either side of the fence I very rarely see it work out when one side goes behind the others back. Not only successful placements, but their long term tenure rely on trust and open communication from the start, where you look to fill in the missing gaps together whether it's the right fit or not.

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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

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⭐ Attention Engineering Managers ⭐ Boost your projects without the long-term commitment of hiring full-time staff and high costs. Here’s why an experienced freelancer is your best bet: 1. Immediate Impact: Freelancers hit the ground running, driving immediate progress with their diverse project experience. 2. Cost Efficiency: Save on overhead costs—pay only for the work you need. 3. Flexibility: Scale your team up or down based on project needs, without hiring hassles. 4. Specialized Skills: Access niche expertise perfectly matched to your requirements. 5. Fresh Perspectives: Benefit from innovative solutions and insights from varied industry experiences. 6. Reduced Onboarding Time: Minimal onboarding means more time focused on your project. A freelancer doesn't need training or any fancy tools, but with their experience and knowledge they perform at the highest level similar to the silver medalist Yusuf Dikec from Turkey yesterday at Paris 2024. If you need any project support currently don't hesitate to reach me on 📞 +4989 541996729 or 📧 [email protected] #FunctionalSafety #EmbeddedSystems #FreelancerBenefits #EngineeringExcellence #Consultant #Turkey

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Here's a small but useful piece of advice for people looking for jobs on LinkedIn… Did you know that you can write boolean in the search bar? 👀 This is particularly useful if your role has alternative titles (e.g. Software Engineer / Software Developer / Mobile Developer / Mobile Engineer). LinkedIn Jobs will search every advert's 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (not title) for whatever you write in the search bar. You can use modifiers like AND, OR, NOT, and add parentheses to adjust your search. And you can use quotation marks if you're looking for a specific phrase. For example… 👉🏼 (software OR mobile OR flutter) AND (engineer OR developer OR architect) NOT iOS 👈🏼 Will produce a list of job adverts that contain Software Engineer, Software Developer, Software Architect, Mobile Engineer, Mobile Developer, Mobile Architect, Flutter Engineer, Flutter Developer, Flutter Architect in the description, but don't mention iOS. This should save you a lot of time because you won't have to run a different search for every possible job title and scroll through duplicates. Did you find this helpful? If so, please share with your network and let's spread the word! 😀 #JobSeekers #LinkedInJobs #OpenToWork #JobSearch

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Here's a small but useful piece of advice for people looking for jobs on LinkedIn… Did you know that you can write boolean in the search bar? 👀 This is particularly useful if your role has alternative titles (e.g. Software Engineer / Software Developer / Mobile Developer / Mobile Engineer). LinkedIn Jobs will search every advert's 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (not title) for whatever you write in the search bar. You can use modifiers like AND, OR, NOT, and add parentheses to adjust your search. And you can use quotation marks if you're looking for a specific phrase. For example… 👉🏼 (software OR mobile OR flutter) AND (engineer OR developer OR architect) NOT iOS 👈🏼 Will produce a list of job adverts that contain Software Engineer, Software Developer, Software Architect, Mobile Engineer, Mobile Developer, Mobile Architect, Flutter Engineer, Flutter Developer, Flutter Architect in the description, but don't mention iOS. This should save you a lot of time because you won't have to run a different search for every possible job title and scroll through duplicates. Did you find this helpful? If so, please share with your network and let's spread the word! 😀 #JobSeekers #LinkedInJobs #OpenToWork #JobSearch

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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

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Honestly it's not rocket science!!! 🚀 If you read a CV and moan the developer doesn't state the tech stack they are using in their current role, guess how annoying it is when a developer looks at your company advert and YOU don't advertise the tech stack they'll be using 🤯 There are some good Job Adverts and there are some shocking ones. I'll do a video next week with Jon Gould 🦊 offering some tips about what to include ✅ Have a good weekend everyone 👍 #jobadvert #jobdescription #python #django #softwarehiring #thefox

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🌟 TOP CV TIP 🌟 When writing your CV, be specific about what tech you've used within each role, what the purpose was and any subsequent outcomes, if you can quantify a tangible improvement even better! To use Winston, Tribus' CCO (Chief Canine Officer), as an example; "On project playtime, I used the blue and orange ball to implement the game of fetch which saw an increase of 200% in fun at the dog park" Whilst, as recruiters, we get a deeper understanding of our candidates beyond the CV, in many cases this is still what lands in the Hiring Manager's inbox. So, if they are looking for recent experience playing with blue and orange balls and it isn't listed, you might not get the interview you hoped for! Please get in touch if you'd like to speak with Winston or myself about what pawsibilities are out there on the market right now! ✉ [email protected] Greg Laura Tribus #dogsoflinkedin #techrecruitment #cvtips #sydneyhiring #cvwriting

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Want to outshine your competition and attract top JavaScript talent? Start by getting everything in order before entering the market. Here’s how to do it: ✅ Ensure the role is approved ✅ Confirm your budget/salary is set ✅ Organise your competitive interview process, including deciding who will be involved and time frames ✅ Establish a clear framework for successful interviews (and stick to it) ✅ Define a strong value proposition Otherwise, you’ll face frustration, miss out on great candidates, waste time and money, and end up back at square one. The JavaScript market moves incredibly fast and candidates often have 3-5 processes they are interviewing at...sometimes more! Make things easier for yourself. Get prepared first. Ps. A good recruiter will be able to consult you on all of the above. If you need to know the best steps to follow against the market competition get in touch - [email protected] #javascript #react #hiring

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