Paul Smith

This weekend I took a bit of time out and created an assistant that makes use of the latest Qwen 2.5 model on huggingface. The interface came out well, it helps in the creation of BDD documentation, in BDD format. I think this will be a useful tool for those individuals who knows documentation is important, but spending a disproportionate time on documentation wording as opposed to spending time is time not well spent. This is where this assistant comes in. Explain to it what you would want to specify. It will ask a few clarification questions and then start creating the documentation for you. https://lnkd.in/dZnmH4Qg I think it will help those who must create documentation in BDD format save hours in creating the documentation and channel the energy into more creative things. If you have any suggestions on "stuff" you would want this specific model to do, either add comment to this post or send me notes via huggingface. Use my free code developer as well, so use this assistant to create your system specification and then copy the specification into the dev agent and see if this helps you with your workflow. So two agents that will improve your workflow: Devster, development agent: https://lnkd.in/dntatZUz and BDD Builder: https://lnkd.in/dZnmH4Qg #ai #agents #businessanalysis #systemdesign #businessarchitecture #ml #digitaltwin

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Across my recent polls, only 17% of developers said they learned C# in school or University... why?! Most C# developers seem to "fall into" C# further into their career, rather than dive into their early careers with C# already under their belt. Is this partly what contributes to C# not having a 'shiny and new' reputation, despite consistent updates and new releases? Check out my article in the comments which looks into how we can do C# hiring well despite it not being in a majority of curriculums. #CSharp #DotNET #LinkedInArticle

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I've started a long-deferred read through of Team Topologies, which speaks to some of the problems I was talking about recently around the ways "utopian" software development maxims can fail when they encounter the "topos" of an organisation's incentive and communicational structure. There's a thought-provoking section on John Sweller's 1988 breakdown of "cognitive load" into three categories ("intrinsic", "extraneous", "germane"). The thought it provoked in me was that I tend to disregard the burden of the "intrinsic" when looking for ways to reduce "extraneous" load (ways a codebase and development environment distracts me with boilerplate and arbitrary irregularity) and gain traction over "germane" problems (those particular to the domain we're working in). For me, leveraging advanced language features to eliminate boilerplate and build out a little embedded DSL that can express the problems I care about is an obvious win - I often refer to Paul Graham's maxim that you should first create the language you want to solve your problem in, then solve your problem in it. The problem with this is that it can shift extraneous load into intrinsic load, by requiring programmers who were comfortable with repetitive constructs using basic language features to familiarise themselves with much more advanced features (and the DSL's idiomatic usage of them) for the sake of eliminating what may seem to them to be quite harmless repetition. This suits me personally, because I like having an advanced model of a programming language in my head and using it creatively, but one isn't accounting properly for the distribution of cognitive load if one doesn't also take "intrinsic" load into account. I think of Golang as an intentionally low-intrinsic-load language - it has a small kernel of features, and is structured in a way that discourages higher-order abstraction over those features. If in doubt, write another for-loop! By comparison, I remember Scala adoption at TIM Group being an intensely painful experience for some of my colleagues, because it introduced so many constructs and type-level features that could be used in so many colourful ways. While I was elated by its endless opportunities for minimising extraneous load, they felt the burden of ballooning intrinsic load, and the frustration of being temporarily deskilled by the change of fundamental environment. The real art is to leverage small changes of technique and perspective, that will fit comfortably in everybody's head, to chisel away at extraneous load, until they feel that the nuts-and-bolts of their tasks are simpler than they have ever been.

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Bounties Available 🤠 If you are a Scala, Kotlin or Java developer and are looking to help out the community whilst adding some extra cash in your pocket, then you probably want to follow Haoyi Li's Reddit thread 🧵 This thread is growing, here are how the total bounties look from the past few months; May: $2,500 paid 💰 July: $1,000 paid 💰 September: $10,000+ available! 🤑 If you want to see if there is anything you can help with, then take a look here:

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I'm still speaking with companies that are losing a ridiculous amount of Software Engineers in their hiring process when it comes to the technical test phase The candidate either withdraws because the task is too time intensive, they don't feel comfortable with the approach (think pair programming) or the task is ambiguous but there is no one available to ask questions of. One of the proposed changes that I suggest to firms that regularly hire Software Engineers is a 'multi-channel' approach to tech testing. Give applicants a choice of how they want to be tested. For example...... - Take home test - Pair programming test - A technical solutions-based discussion Here's why: 😍 Better Candidate Experience: Allowing candidates to select the testing method that suits them improves engagement, reduces anxiety, and boosts the employer’s brand. Candidates feel respected and empowered, which leads to higher acceptance rates. 🤓 Diverse Skill Evaluation: By offering multiple formats, companies can assess candidates on different strengths—communication, collaboration, coding, design, and problem-solving. This provides a more holistic view of the candidate’s abilities. 👩‍👩‍👧‍👦 Think of your users. Different people will use your software or website in different ways, so you need a more diverse approach to problem solving in your team to try to meet a diverse set of user needs. 🌈 Reduced Bias: Some candidates excel under different conditions. By giving options, companies reduce the risk of excluding top talent who may not perform well in high-pressure, artificial testing environments - you're providing more opportunities to say 'yes' to top talent, rather than using testing purely a filtering exercise. Research by Workable suggests that structured, flexible assessments reduce bias by 30%. 😎 Attracting Top Talent: A study by HackerRank found that 64% of developers prefer take-home assignments over live coding, and 88% are more likely to join companies with a clear, fair interview process. This flexibility can be a key differentiator in a competitive hiring market. ⏲ Saves time over all: it may require more time input by the hiring firm per candidate interview process, but overall you should do less interviews than previously because less people will fail, so overall time-to-hire should improve. Want to see how we could help with your hiring processes? Reach out to discuss [email protected]

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🚪 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

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As a JavaScript specialist recruiter, I’ve seen market shifts before, but right now, we're the busiest we've been all year. Here's why we’re at peak activity: ➡ With year-end approaching, companies are keen to utilise their hiring budgets effectively. This push often creates a surge in opportunities for top-tier talent. ➡ After a slow period, organisations are moving forward with ambitious growth plans. Demand for JavaScript experts in React, Node.js, and TypeScript is soaring, particularly in Web3 and AI-related projects. ➡ It’s the perfect storm: seasonal hiring cycles are kicking in, and many companies are accelerating recruitment to meet Q1 goals and launch critical projects. Whether you’re an engineer seeking your next challenge or a company looking to scale your team, we’re here to help. The market is buzzing—let’s connect. #JavaScriptRecruitment #React #NodeJS #TypeScript #TechHiring #Web3

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Can you relate? It's not always easy to hire C# developers. Misconceptions still exist around the language which makes it more challenging to fill C# roles than Java or Python. Passionate developers are often snapped up quickly, ​and convincing them to join your team requires more than a competitive salary. You need to show your vision, value their expertise, and demonstrate a genuine appreciation for the language they love ❤️. Check out my tips on building a C# obsessed team [link in the comments]. #CSharp #TechRecruitment #DeveloperPassion

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Can an Engineering Manager who is 50% hands-on properly manage a team of Software Engineers as well? A conversation I had with an Engineering Lead I was pitching a position to, but he was not interested. He said with that much hands-on stuff in the role they would not be able to manage effectively. And not enough hours in the day. Even if the team of Engineers is quite Senior. But with most Engineering Leadership roles requiring a lot of hands-on work - surely this is not the case? And companies seem to think it is very doable based on the requirements for pretty much every Engineering Lead vacancy out there right now. #Ventellect #SoftwareEngineering #TechRecruitment

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📢TOP TIP for AWS focused DevOps/Platform/Site Reliability Engineers looking for a new position📢 I have spoken to 3 Engineering Directors this week, and they all told me they are getting so many applications for their mid-senior level roles. They openly admit that they have less time than ever to read profiles thoroughly and need the resume to stand out to them EASILY & QUICKLY. Here is what was on their watchlist when reviewing a profile👀 🎯AWS, Terraform, Kubernetes & CI/CD experience 🎯Software Development skills 🎯Evidence of the key technologies used per role (spell it out for them) 🎯Where you have made an impact on the business/the project ("I" not "us") 🎯How you have saved time and/or money 🎯Evidence of strong communication skills If you'd like to know what the industry leaders in Cloud & Platform Engineering are looking for feel free to reach out to me📩 #tethr #devops #sre #platform #resume

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Weekly Interview Tip #1 - Software Engineers say 'I', not 'We' ❌ Let me explain... I receive a ton of feedback from #mobile managers but this advice applies across the Tech industry. One of the most common things I hear is that a lot of developers are used to saying what they did as a team in their last company, rather than their own successes and impact on projects. This does not only relate to interviews, but in fact what they write in the CV ✍ Currently, the market is saturated and it is hard to stand out. Especially if you come from a bigger sized team, you are more expected to accentuate on the impact you specifically had over projects. Does this mean the word 'we' is banned entirely? Not at all! It is good to speak about your experience working in a team and even cross-functionally with other departments. However, it should always be followed up with the specific impact you've had including these key things: 1. Metrics - stats surrounding your impact, e.g. crash-free rate/testing coverage 🔢 2. Result - what have your actions led to in the short and long term? 😊 3. Lessons - it is ok for things to not go ok, but what did you learn from this? 🧐 So say more 'I' and be proud of what you've done! #mobile #ios #android #londontech #tech #techinterview #mobileinterview #mobileapp #interviewtips #interview #softwareengineer #softwareengineering #techdevjobs #techjobs #techhiring #hiring #recruitment

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12 hires (9 technical) totalling £613,000 in salaries in 5.5 months. Here’s the breakdown: The Head of People at this Fintech tasked Move with this specific challenge; The Challenge: ↳ busy H1 2024 hiring plan ↳ multiple tech vacancies ↳ needed to move at speed ↳ while retaining talent quality ↳ & gaining cultural contributors was critical The Solution: ↳ We deployed a modular embedded talent team ↳ Which was equipped with latest TA tooling ↳ Scaleable (up/down/on/off) talent team capability What FundApps' Head of People said: 1. Move's model is more cost-efficient than a traditional agency. 2. We ramped up quickly on requirements, culture and values, and ways of working. 3. The communication and collaboration throughout have been excellent. 4. The Move team helped streamline the intake meetings, 5. Move helped improve our time to offer from 30 to 21 days 6. Appreciated the responsiveness of the team on the other end of Slack, 7. Appreciated the flexibility of the subscription Quote we’re most proud of: "I am grateful the Move team was as passionate about candidate experience as we are" 🎉 The Results; ↳ Number of hires: 12 ↳ Cost avoidance: 72% ↳ TTH: 6 weeks ↳ Average Hiring Manager experience score: 8.6 /10 Disciplines: ↳ Software Engineering, ↳ Commercial ↳ Operations Full case study in comments section 👇 Reach out if you’d like to know how we could help you too.

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12 hires (9 technical) totalling £613,000 in salaries in 5.5 months. Here’s the breakdown: The Head of People at this Fintech tasked Move with this specific challenge; The Challenge: ↳ busy H1 2024 hiring plan ↳ multiple tech vacancies ↳ needed to move at speed ↳ while retaining talent quality ↳ & gaining cultural contributors was critical The Solution: ↳ We deployed a modular embedded talent team ↳ Which was equipped with latest TA tooling ↳ Scaleable (up/down/on/off) talent team capability What FundApps' Head of People said: 1. Move's model is more cost-efficient than a traditional agency. 2. We ramped up quickly on requirements, culture and values, and ways of working. 3. The communication and collaboration throughout have been excellent. 4. The Move team helped streamline the intake meetings, 5. Move helped improve our time to offer from 30 to 21 days 6. Appreciated the responsiveness of the team on the other end of Slack, 7. Appreciated the flexibility of the subscription Quote we’re most proud of: "I am grateful the Move team was as passionate about candidate experience as we are" 🎉 The Results; ↳ Number of hires: 12 ↳ Cost avoidance: 72% ↳ TTH: 6 weeks ↳ Average Hiring Manager experience score: 8.6 /10 Disciplines: ↳ Software Engineering, ↳ Commercial ↳ Operations Full case study in comments section 👇 Reach out if you’d like to know how we could help you too.

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Tech tests Why do hiring managers/companies struggle with making them relevant? I see the debates on LinkedIn about the relevance of even doing tech tests. I get it as a contractor with a 10 year portfolio and references, they aren't relevant. But with permanent roles, I see enough merit for companies to justify. A candidate this week has told me about the 3rd stage of a 5 stage interview process (a whole other matter!): A take-home test to build out a mobile Tic Tac Toe (noughts & crosses to normies like me) application over the weekend (circa 6 hours). The role - a very BAU-sounding role is an enterprise bank. Kinda feels like selecting a football team based on who does best in a swimming race. There might be some correlation, but I'm struggling to join the x's or o's. Why do hiring managers, who no doubt have faced similar interview requirements in their careers, still insist on tests that lack face-value relevance? Surely the evolution of information-sharing should be improving processes for the better... 🤔

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Keep me in your thoughts & prayers as I prepare to tell the 327 applicants to my React Native role that it's actually a React role................................. And no this isn't a "recruiters don't know the difference between react & react native" post, promise. See the evidence below 😭 #oops #react #reactnative

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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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RIG..... Role Industry Geography As a recruiter, if you don't take the time and pride in learning your market inside and out then you will fail as a #recruiter. Client: "Our Lead Contract QA has just handed in his notice" Method Consultant: "Who is it" Client: "XXXX, used to work for XXXX" Method Consultant: "I know his old manager, available immediately, same tech stack and can start on Monday" Client: "Set a call up" 6 hours later, the clients issue is resolved, contracts signed, SDS complete and a very happy Jack Stockman. If your current company is not RIG focussed, or a similar process then you are set up to fail. If you want to become a market specialist drop me a DM, we have space for a few more #methodmakers. #followthemethod

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How can you stand out as a software engineer? How to stay relevant in current market? It‘s not hard. Almost everyone knows this but may be not following it in practice. Here some of my favourites. #SoftwareEngineering #CareerGrowth #BestTimeToBeSoftwareEngineer

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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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