Rob McVey

What’s the JavaScript market like?? Is a question asked on pretty much every call I have at the moment. ✅ The JavaScript market is slowly bouncing back. We’ve seen an increase in job flow, also in direct adverts from both agency and client side which is great ( mostly on perm ). An uptick in perm roles is usually a good indicator of a strong market and contract will soon be to follow. Candidates are getting involved in multiple processes at once. ✅ Time to hire still seems slow. Interviews are taking longer and feedback is delayed. Clients are saying they are wanting to hire but wont move promptly on signing things off/starting the processes or making offers. ✅ There are more experienced candidates on the market. A lot of contracts weren’t extended so there are more people looking. ✅ Seasoned contractors are more open to taking an interesting perm role. In short, things are slowly but surely improving. Feel free to reach out if you have more questions. #hiring #JavaScript #UK

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Software Developers - 2023 was rubbish wasn't it? However the market is really improving with many more jobs opening up compared to last year. But - there are now a lot of engineers active in the market too.. So some advice.. ⬇ A common complaint now is that you are not hearing back after sending your CV for roles you know/think you are good for. Here are some small pointers from my own recent observations to get you in the door to start with. ✅ You are competing now... your first mistake is having an unattractive, un-readable CV. Think - if you were the hiring manager, would you like this CV? ✅ This is incredibly important for Frontend focused developers.. ⬆ ✅ Less is more... focus on roles you are good for, don't use the spray technique if you know deep down you are not suitable. It's not good for your mental health either to get unnecessary rejections. ✅ Focus on your application properly - If you are applying for a Frontend / React/FS engineer, don't have PHP or Java as a visual focus point as soon as the CV is opened... this applies to all tech roles... ✅ Follow up after a few days - don't sit back and think Linkedin will do it's magic for you once you have clicked submit. ✅ Read the job adverts carefully until the end.. there is usually important information about the working style / location / criteria. Again, saves disappointment and your own time later on. ✅ Attitude - be pleasant and positive throughout. It doesn't matter if you are nervous or maybe you think your english isn't the best, people hire people they want to work with regardless of previous achievements. Finally - interviewing. ✅ Practice and prepare for your interviews well. It might seem a given but know your current stack in-side and out, and any current trends in your area of tech/expertise. ✅ Ask your recruiter or ask the internal HR/talent if there is anything you need to prep/research on. ✅ And of course, have a list of interesting / relevant questions for each opening, and not always the same formulaic ones. ✅ Practice the commons ones - why did you leave the last role, what is clean code for you, what are some projects you failed on / were successful at. Why. ✅ ✅ Please don't give up.

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🧑‍🏫 Got a couple of hours on a Friday afternoon and keen to see how you can use Zapier to create no/low code process automation from Pinpoint Applicant Tracking System (or any system that has webhooks and an API!)? * Send new starters to IT * Find out when a specific applicant is hired * Add new jobs to a Google Sheet * Update status of jobs in internal project management tools https://lnkd.in/eeGye6bn 🤓 (API key has been deleted!) #RPA #integrations #ats #lowcode #HR #HRTech #zapier #talentacquisition

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What is it with job applications at the moment? 24 hours ago I posted a react developer role right before heading out for the rest of the day and I've come back this morning to 254 applicants, 57 connection requests and 42 linked in messages. Still working through them but at first glance the large majority aren't remotely suitable for various reasons including: 👉 No mention of React on the CV 👉 Not based in the right country 👉 Never worked in software or IT 👉 Not eligible to work in the UK There has to be a better way for everyone involved? It's incredibly time consuming screening applicants and filtering that list and good candidates get frustrated that they never hear back from recruiters and got lost in the shuffle. I have job board and linked in filters for out of country applicants and legal right to work in the UK + 4 pre-screening questions for react development experience but they don't seem to work. Does anyone have any ideas of better ways for this to work? Any new tools out there that can manage this? I'm Sam 🤝 I connect businesses with technology talent in the UK, USA & Canada ✔️ Tech managers & HR teams work with me to fill their niche vacancies 📈 Developers/Engineers use me to find their dream job 📞 02380 765 304  or 18572 440 919 📧 [email protected]

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☎ I was approached just over 2 weeks ago (I've had 3 honest conversations since) by a business that has been trying to hire 2 Platform Engineers for 7 months. 📲 The reason for contacting me (besides being DanOps) was that these roles had become critical to their current and future success. 1️⃣ After the first conversation with the talent team (they were quite reluctant to speak with me), we were in no position to help due to certain parameters: ❌ Salary below market average ❌ 5 days in the office a week ❌ "Expert" (if any) Kubernetes experience ❌ Interview process of 5 stages, taking 6-8 weeks on average 2️⃣ During the second conversation, we spoke with the hiring manager and the talent team, gaining some traction: ✅ On salary, we agreed to hire a Senior and Mid-level engineer, allowing for a higher senior budget and growth opportunities ❌ 5 days a week in the office was still expected, but some case studies were used and discussed ✅ Removed the word "expert" and sought someone who could own their K8s journey ✅ Streamlined the interview process to 3 stages, aiming for a 2-week end-to-end process 3️⃣ In the third conversation, the hiring manager and talent team negotiated further adjustments (both were delighted), resulting in a process that allowed us to help: Salary improved slightly ✅ 1 day a week in the office required ✅ Clarified immediate and long-term technical requirements ✅ I was trusted to conduct the first interview/screening, reducing the process to 2 stages, within 2 weeks, aiming for sooner ✅ Terms of business agreed 🍻 🥂 I'm pleased to announce that both roles have since been filled. If you have a hire to make and want to save time with guaranteed people to fit your business, reach out to me at [email protected]. 🍻 🥂 #DanOps #hiring #DevOps #PlatformEngineers #focused on #quality #communityfocused #communitybased #community #recruitment

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Market update; June 2024.   I’m still receiving DMs from developers either out of work or struggling to find something new.   Here’s a bit of a random dump from me, based on chats I’ve had with clients that might help. Definitely not all doom & gloom but I'm being honest also; - Applying to recession proof businesses; If you’re looking for a role, think about industries like health funds/insurance/utilities/superannuation etc; strong industries needed in our society that always have cash (usually). Whereas SAAS/product/Fintech seem to be trying to stay lean.. - CTOs; are telling me they have projects they need to kick off (platform re-architectures etc) but their CEOs aren’t giving them the budgets they need. It’s a case of doing their best with the team they have. This is another reason were seeing less roles advertised. - Doing more with less; There’s more pressure on senior & staff engineers to be able to demonstrate they have a solid understanding of tech but can also deliver at speed, meaning they have to focus on quality AND shipping, which in theory improves profit. Also with less hiring on-shore due to budget constraints, this means a leaner team, meaning existing teams have to deliver. - Junior engineers; To land roles, juniors need to show proactiveness and the ability to get things done. This would position them closer to the expectations of a mid which is what hiring managers want right now (theyre just not telling you). - Consultancies; A few businesses have reduced their local teams, to move to an outsourced model as they minimise perm headcount. This means these consulting businesses are busy and are hiring. So your Accentures/TCSs of the world could be good places to apply if you're looking? - New fin year; is approaching meaning new budgets & usually more roles. However this doesn’t mean from July 1 you’ll see a huge influx of roles posted. One CTO I chatted to has been given the same capex budget as he was for last year (not great). - Fully remote roles; becoming rarer. Most businesses require 2 days a week in office (some, not all). If remote is your jam, try to find work in startups/small businesses wheres theres flex (that said, I do know some corporates contradicting what they’re saying; letting some of their high performing contractors work interstate). - Ignore job boards; Roles are getting filled quickly due to so many candidates on the market & not even making it to the internet. Just because you don’t see a live role in a companies careers page, doesn’t mean they’re not hiring. If it’s a solid business, send them your details. - “I’m applying for roles and not hearing anything” and the likelihood is you never will unless selected for interview. Some companies will be getting 1000 applications a week for 1 role. They cant reply to everyone. Don’t take it personally. - The green banner debacle; it doesn’t make you look desperate. Stop worrying about it 😊 Hit me up if you need to chat; [email protected]

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Why do developers look for new work opportunities? Loads of reasons - career progression, a chance to learn new skills, more money, to ditch their sarcastic boss, free fruit in the office (not)… the list goes on. But a question I’m hearing from developers more and more often is whether the work a company does impacts society in a positive way. Like, would you rather work in gambling or save the turtles? I’m working with a Digital Agency in Brighton that only works with companies doing social good. For you, that might mean a clear conscience and a greater sense of purpose. What do they need? A Backend PHP Developer above junior level – roughly 2 years experience or more will do the trick. PHP and MySQL is the minimum required to be considered. There’s 13 people in the company and 6 in the tech team, and they're well looked after. Everyone gets a day off every other week (on top of weekends, of course!). Plus, they can be flexible around start/finish times etc to accommodate personal commitments like schools runs, for example. They’re paying up to £38k, with a bit of stretch for the right person, and they also do a profit share each year, which tends to work out at about 2/3k on top. Ideally they want someone in the office once or twice a week, but again there’s some flexibility here. It’s a quick 2-stage process, with no take home tech test, so if this sounds like you get in touch before someone else beats you to it! Send me a direct message on here or email me - [email protected]

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Example from this week... How SEO can help your organisation? 👍 Type in to Google: 👀 "Web Development Company" Here you will find Web Choice in the top 10, currently position 7. 7️⃣ From this we've had 2 good quality enquiries this week. 🚀 What terms does your business need to be found for?💭 Ask Web Choice ! #seo

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A QA engineer walks into a bar. Orders a beer. Orders 0 beers. Orders 99999999999 beers. Orders a lizard. Orders -1 beers. Orders a ueicbksjdhd. First real customer walks in and asks where the bathroom is. The bar bursts into flames, killing everyone. A QA engineer walks into a bar, WITH a team of QA AI agents. Asks AI agents to test the app while drinking an ice-cold Modelo Especial. Trained AI agents order X factor of Y elements in Z universes, in parallel using customer behavior data to identify common patterns in the test coverage. The QA engineer keeps drinking and curates the strategy. Real customer walks in, and shares a Modelo with the QA engineer. Lessons: 1. AI is here to help QAs, not just replace them 2. Modelo Especial es muy deliciosa y refrescante

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🤨🤯Why an organisation receiving very high volumes of applications for their DevOps/SRE roles can be counter productive🤯🤨 Yesterday I posted about the challenges organisations, and in particular Talent teams face when receiving high volumes of applications on their job postings😵 ⌚Time spent scrolling through applications that are nearly 90% not matching the job brief is not bringing businesses closer to filling those hard to fill vacancies Seeing your latest DevOps or SRE role receive high applications doesn't mean the market is rife with the perfect candidates just waiting to be called❌ ❓How can this be resolved & what measures should be taken❓ 🤓Organisations should take more time to tighten up their job adverts to make it crystal clear what is expected in the role 📃Do not post an exhaustive list of every tech stack going that creates ambiguity on what is actually required encouraging more people to apply ⚙️Be clear about the technical level/standard required for each skill - be honest about what is actually essential to be able to fulfil the role and do not mislead people on this (you will only reject them at technical interview stage) ❌STOP rolling ads "to see who is available" when the vacancy isn't signed off or live - this creates a situation that encourages people to "just apply and see what comes back" because they don't know what they may or may hear back from - it is polluting the job advert space & you won't hire anyone if it is not approved 📞Go back to everyone who has not been successful with feedback as to why - you posted the ad and wanted the response, it is only fair that people know why they haven't progressed 🙏Be honest about the role, environment and expectations, an job description should not be designed to draw people in with a fluffy non-realistic version of what the candidate will face walking through the door - If it is a hectic role with high expectations say it! 🧠Instead of posting your business critical DevOps/SRE roles as the first action, leverage your network, go back to past interviewees that performed well, and do some active headhunting - it is often the case that the right person for the role won't even know about the job unless you find them 🤖Candidates don't use AI to automate your job application process - your next job is one of the most important decisions you will make, so use your own brain to do so Job postings and adverts used to be a highly successful way for clients and candidates to find the perfect match for both parties. However with the vague and volume adverts that are not monitored or nurtured properly it is encouraging a free for all where people feel the need to apply for as much as possible just to get a few replies; and this is not good. Businesses need to address this and think more before posting an advert because it is doing more damage than good; but if done properly, and other measures are taken alongside this then I can guarantee this will benefit everyone😁

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What value do you place on TRUST when leading software engineering teams? This is the first clip from my podcast with John Barnett BSc (Hons) PSM1 on leading effective software engineering teams. A really insightful and enjoyable chat with John, in this section he discusses the need for trust in the team, how to build it and how to explain changes in practices with the teams trust and involvement. Thanks John!!!

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Nothing beats the feeling of signing new TOBs. Except maybe... Watching Floats users sign new TOBs. When Thomas Clark signed up for a trial, I knew he would get it. How did I know? We had been competitors in DevOps recruitment for quite a few years. I understood the calibre of people he worked with, so if we came into competition, I knew I'd have to bring my A-game. Thankfully, it didn't happen too often. Now, If any DevOps engineers in my network are looking for a new gig. Thomas might have something for you. #recruitment #marketing #DevOps

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This is one of the reasons I love Django and attending Django events ❤️ People aren't using the framework because they have to, or coming along to a conference because work paid for it. It's because they love using it and learning from others about how to benefit their work and projects! The latest JetBrains Survey for 2023 has been released and I will share further snippets I enjoy reading, but wanted to share this one first! 64% of developers use Django for both work, personal, education and side projects! 🎉 69% use the latest version! 🎉 Have you read the survey report yet? I'll add it in the comments if you want to check it out. #django #djangousersarethebest #djangofamily #jetbrains

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IR35 / OPW: Update after all the Political Manifestos All the Political Manifestos came out this week. Here's my take on the IR35/Status position: [1] Labour: Rather silent on the whole worker status thing and rights thing. Nothing on IR35. The only way IR35 will change is when Labour do a review into the whole worker status aspect. The reports in the press where Labour plan to have a Single Worker Status are admirable, but it will require (yet another) consultation. Every time there has been a consultation on status, the report has been put in the politically too hard draw and left alone. The last one (I think), took years before a Government response, and after careful consideration, the Government decided to do nothing. Unravelling status the issue in the UK is like trying to refurbish a dilapidated Victorian house - too much to unpick, much better off with a rebuild. That said, it is highly likely Labour will be launching an independent review into the Loan Charge, which is linked to IR35 - IR35 being one of the main catalysts for the dodgy schemes entering the market. [2] Conservatives: Nothing interesting. No apology for what they have done. Too late to kiss and make up with the flexible workforce. A lame attempt by claiming they will abolish class 4 NICs for sole traders, but that misses the point. [3] Lib Dems: They get it. Ed Davey gets it. They understand the value of the flexible workforce. If they become the official opposition, as rumoured, they could have an influence. [4] Reform UK: They will abolish IR35. Yay. Reform UK are making great statements about the self-employed and small business. But, with few seats expected, not sure they will have much influence. The website Electoral Calculus may be helpful for you if you have not decided yet: https://lnkd.in/eJvwZWzF Whatever happens, let's all be kind to each other. Just remember, there's over half a million civil servants actually running the country, and whichever party gets it's hands on the wheel to the civil service tankership isn't going to turn it around in a hurry. #ir35

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Code is getting cheaper and cheaper to manufacture. So, what does that mean for developers? Here is your call to action: become an expert in your business and your customers. Orchestration of people and computers will be the future of development. This means we all need to get more skilled in not only executing on coding tasks, but understanding why we are doing what we are doing. - Who is my customer? - How does our business meet those customers where they are? - What am I building and how is that creating value? I think the smart money is for companies to invest in: - Building great experiences that delight customers - Investing in technology that helps drive greater employee satisfaction and productivity - Educating people on the business and the value they create What are your thoughts? How should new developers be getting ready for a world where AI can handle most of the coding tasks? #ai #experience #developers

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Make Parker Neal Limited your number 1 go to for Pen Testing and all things cybersecurity. Key pointers: ✅ Pen Testing that actually involves humans. ✅ Pen Testing that is robust, accurate and reliable. ✅ Pen Testing that helps protect your business. ✅ Pen Testing that supports commercial opportunities by assuring and enhancing the security of new digital products. We founded the business on the promise that we make cybersecurity services accessible to any size of business, at an affordable rate whilst maintaining maximum quality. This is what you receive from Parker Neal Limited. #pentesting #cybersecurity #parkernealltd

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What is DevOps? Everyone's view is different! I run up against it when you get take the requirement, run a few interviews and then get told not we are looking for we now need this. A lot of people are not entirely sure what they want or need but they know they need something. A lot of good insights in this article, many that I come up against when sourcing these guys for managers. #devops #hiring #scale #cloud #platform #sre https://lnkd.in/grkBpwuy

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Another big tech company shooting themselves in the foot by making blanket policies. 🤯🔫 The same big companies have rules against outside IR35 hiring of contractors. - We won’t tax our flexible workforce properly - We won’t give you properly secure permie jobs either - We won’t offer WFH incentives So what, exactly, big tech… are you… offering? 🤔 anyone with an ounce of talent is going to have plenty of options, permanent or contract, despite the job market being somewhat volatile. A blanket policy is a blunt force tool and uses the same mantra as punishment drills in sport: to catch the odd one or two bad actors, the whole team has to do something gruelling. And this is the best that the ‘leaders’ of these massive corps can come up with? Good news is, if you’re a smaller, more agile and more sensible business who likes working with likeminded talented people.. you’ll no doubt have the right policies in place, will let people WFH, engage with contractors properly, and you’re gonna be just fine 👍

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