Steve Flitcroft

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

21

In comparison to this time last year, the UK tech market has seen a 163% uplift in live vacancies mentioning the word Data 💡 If you want to get technical... That's a 66% increase in vacancies mentioning Data Science and a 64% increase in roles mentioning the words Data Engineering 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Despite the fact me and the team have seen a huge uplift in the number of new businesses as well as existing partners reaching out to us to support them with their hiring plans as of recent, they're still crazy numbers! On the whole, it really does feel like there's been a huge shift even in the last 3 months and if that means a few more late nights chatting to brilliant Data peeps in my network before we switch off for a break I'm happy to do it If you're an organisation looking to grow but are thinking of waiting until the new year, it might be best to start those conversations now as talent is going to be more in demand than ever! Equally if you're someone in a Science, Engineering or Analytics role considering a move, don't wait. I'll be around for all of December if you'd like to grab a mulled wine or a hot chocolate to discuss what's next for 2025, just drop me a message and I'll make the time ☕ 📩 [email protected]

48

5 Comments

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

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

2

1 Comment

💡 5 Top Tips for Recruiting Software Engineers – Key Takeaways from Sarah James-O'Connell Blog Recruiting top software engineering talent can be challenging, but it doesn’t always have to be. In Sarah’s article, she shares practical strategies to elevate your recruitment efforts. Here’s a quick summary of the key points: 𝟏️. 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 - Go beyond technical skills - consider cultural fit and soft skills. - Craft clear and engaging job descriptions that reflect your company’s values. 𝟐️. 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 - Show off what makes your company a great place to work. - Highlight growth opportunities, exciting projects, and your team culture. 𝟑️. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 - A smooth and efficient process makes a great impression. - Reduce unnecessary steps and keep communication transparent. 𝟒️. 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 - Stay ahead of the market by offering attractive salaries and perks. - Tailor benefits to what software engineers truly value—flexibility, learning opportunities, and impactful work. 𝟓. 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐬 - Meet engineers where they are tech communities and events. - Leverage tech-focused recruiters to widen your reach. 🌟 Pro Tip: Focusing on your employer brand not only attracts top talent but also improves retention. Engineers want to feel aligned with your mission and motivated by your work environment. Dive deeper into these tips and discover actionable insights to supercharge your hiring strategy in the full blog post: Read the full article, and link found in the comments. #Recruitment #SoftwareEngineers #HiringTips #TechRecruitment #EmployerBranding

3

4 Comments

🤨🤯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😁

5

Results time... 55% And just as expected, over half of the software engineers in my network who voted said YES, they do carry out on-call work as part of their role responsibilities. When having a deeper look into the results and who voted for yes or no, it was very interesting to see the companies they came from. For those who voted YES, there were software engineers from: 💵 Banks e.g. Starling Bank, Mettle, Visa and Barclays 🛍 E-commerce companies e.g. Amazon, Ocado Technology, Tesco 🎰 Sports betting e.g. Sky Betting & Gaming However, in the NO column, there were also engineers from: 💵 Banks e.g. American Express 🛍 E-commerce e.g. Tesco, Ocado Technology 🎰 Sports betting e.g. OpenBet So it just goes to show that it really does depend on the company itself, and even then, it can vary from team to team within the same company as you can see from people from Tesco and Ocado voting both yes and no! #oncallwork #banks #ecommerce #sportsbetting #java #hiring

6

2 Comments

If you have a company of 20 people or less, this should be your interview process for software engineers 👇 1) A 45 minute call with a senior member of the team. A chance to give the candidate more details on the business, role, company roadmap etc. Also a chance for you to find out more about them & essentially work out if you are on the same page. 2) A 90 minute technical interview. This could be paired programming, a general discussion or anything along those lines. At that point, you should either make an offer or reject the candidate. It really is that simple if you think about it. What more could you possibly need during an interview process? If you're working in a bootstrap / seed level startup, you should be interviewing like one. Don't try and be Meta. I promise you, it impresses nobody. Quite the opposite in fact. What do you think?

37

14 Comments

💡Advertising your Senior DevOps/SRE role online is not the most effective starting point in your recruitment process💡 I spoke to 7 Engineering managers last week who said that it was taking over 6 months to fill their senior level DevOps & SRE roles🤯 All of them had advertised their positions online as a first port of call and therefore expected a healthy flow of suitable applicants to be available within a few working days👀 Some were not even allowed to do anything else until the advert had been live for 2 weeks!😓 Last week I highlighted the issues of the current high volume of applications organisations are receiving🛑 For such business critical & specific requirement roles, this approach impacts: Candidate experience, due to lack of feedback😊😕 Time lost going through volume applications⌚ The ability to really communicate what the role is📌 Opportunity to spend on other recruitment activities🤔💭 Talent teams already stacked workload🥵 Ability to engage with the target market😕 Instead, before posting your business critical SRE/DevOps role, consider: Leveraging your own network first📞🙂 Reengage with candidates previously interviewed that performed well🤝 Allow talent teams or suppliers to actively headhunt first🎯 Work out how many people within the market have the skills you require to see if advertising will even be useful🗺️ Give these activities enough time to produce results⌚ Senior level DevOps & SRE roles will not apply to a wide variety of the market given the specific skills and unique experience each organisation requires📃 Therefore, before limiting your approach and risking company reputation, organisations need to prioritise other methods to tap into their target profiles📈 The right person for the position may never see the advert; it is crucial to go to the market and not wait for it to come to you😎 #devops #sre #seniorhires #tethr #cloud

4

DevOps Engineering salaries can wildly vary. Yes there's always the nuance of how much each candidate contributes, but in several cases what one Snr engineer does in a company vs another can have a salary flux of up to 45k. Crazy, right! Following a very successful brief with an amazing FinTech, we were set the task of finding the very best DevOps Engineers for sub £80k. With a confidence configuring AWS environments, using Terraform (& either Python or Go) on a regular basis, as well as good knowledge of ECS or Kubernetes. The down side for any agency is you produce a stellar shortlist - honestly all 6 could have been hired and each have been vetted and referenced - so we know they're great. However only one candidate prevails but leaves 5+ incredible profiles eager to find their next adventure. We've new briefs coming on board thankfully but if there are others in my extended network that have struggled to find top DevOps talent at a sensible price range reach out & we can discuss what's realistic in the market and even demo a few of those amazing profiles I'm talking about. #DevOps #HybridLondon #RemoteUK #IncredibleTalent #Kureos

2

In the end no money for AI? 🤔 Less than 1 year ago, £1.3 billion in funding was promised by the British government for tech and artificial intelligence projects. In a move which has angered many in the tech industry, this funding has been shelved by the new Labour government. Tech business founder Barney Hussey-Yeo posted on X, external that reducing investment risked "pushing more entrepreneurs to the US" whilst businessman Chris van der Kuyl described the move as "idiotic." However, the government responded by saying the move was necessary "in the face of billions of pounds of unfunded commitments" and that "this is essential to restore economic stability and deliver our national mission for growth." So who loses out the most from the new government's decision? That would be the University of Edinburgh, which had already spent £31 million building housing for an Exascale supercomputer. The machine would have been 50 times faster than any current computers in the UK, the university said at the time, but it appears to have been cancelled completely. Apparently, the project is only shelved for 12 months but do we really ever going to see this money going to AI? #ai #funding https://lnkd.in/eRDqrJjP

5

1 Comment

This year, a lot of the tech recruitment i've been working on has been quite samey 🙃 #DataAnalysts, a few #DataEngineers, a few #DataScientists and a load of #SoftwareEngineers. It’s been decent, but "SAMEY". 👉 But every so often a role gets signed by off by Daisy Eastwell (Assoc CIPD) that’s a little bit different…. 🌶️ A little bit niche…. 🌶️ A little bit of “Coor yeah, that’s a cracker’”... That’s when I get those real EXCITED goosebumps about working a job 😂 Well, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration…. 🙊 BUT it comes fairly close 😉 ⤵️ Anyway… i’m delighted to introduce a Reinforcement Learning Engineer position to the market, with Ocado Technology, based within Gareth Siret's growing Software Simulation Engineering team. I’m NOT exaggerating when I say this is one of the best RL roles in the country right now 👌 🔹 The first bespoke RL Engineer within our business, we’re looking for expertise to drive our systems and processes further 🔹 Applying Reinforcement Learning at scale with a STRONG focus on delivery 🔹 Cross functional team of Data Scientists, Software & Simulation Engineers 🔹 3 stage interview process 🔹 Hybrid work ⤵️ Link to the JD in the comments. Can anyone relate? If you fancy it, drop me a note and make my day 😎 🍸 Happy #Tuesday, LinkedIn 💙 #LifeAtOcado #LifeAtOcadoTech #caraffi #ocadogroup #ocado #ocadotechnology #machinelearning #reinforcementlearning #rl #python #gcp #aws #mlops #opentowork #newrole

34

8 Comments

📢 Write your CV for the job you WANT not the one you have. 📢 What do I mean by this?... ➡ A Cloud Engineer wants to become a Cloud Architect. What should they do? 1) The engineer should highlight their design skills, requirements gathering, consultancy exp., conceptual work and of course any specific architecture exp - especially project info. 2) Water down the less relevant stuff. 3) Provide tech/project info where skills are demonstrated. 4) Give examples of any training / learning's undertaken to make the change. Remember you must frame your CV it so it appeals to your target audience. In this example a Head of Architecture (who will review your CV). Simple advice, but a game changer when done properly! I promise you will get more interviews. If you're a Cloud or Data professional and want specific help in this just give me a shout! Have a good week! 👍

6

🚀 Calling All .NET Developers! 🚀 As a recruiter specialising in connecting talented .NET developers with top Software Development Managers, I've seen thousands of CVs. The reality? Most recruiters spend just 6-7 seconds scanning a CV. That’s not a lot of time to make a great impression! Here are some key tips to make your CV stand out: Keep It Concise 📝 Aim for a CV that’s 1-2 pages long. Highlight your most recent and relevant experience first. Remember, quality over quantity! Tailor Your CV 🎯 Customise your CV for each role. Mention specific technologies or frameworks relevant to the job, like ASP.NET, C#, or Azure. This shows you’ve done your homework! Highlight Achievements, Not Just Duties 🌟 Focus on your accomplishments. Did you reduce load times by 30%? Lead a team to successfully deploy a major feature? Make sure these achievements shine through. Use Keywords Strategically 🔑 Many recruiters use ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems). Include keywords from the job description to pass these systems and catch the recruiter’s eye. Showcase Your Soft Skills 💼 Technical skills are crucial, but so are communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Include examples that demonstrate these abilities. Remember, your CV is your first introduction to a potential employer. Make it count! 🏆 Curious about the latest trends in .NET development or looking for your next big opportunity? Let’s connect and have a chat! 🤝 #NETDevelopers #CVTips #Recruitment #SoftwareDevelopment #TechJobs #CareerAdvice #DotNet #TechRecruiter #SoftwareDevelopment #Hiring #TechJobs #TechRecruitment #UKJobs #csharp #dotnetdevelopers #dotnetdevelopment #ITrecruitment #softwaredevelopers

11

1 Comment

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?    

4

3 Comments

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.

24

1 Comment

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.

29

8 Comments

The most marmite programming language. Its a battle between C#.NET and PHP. I'm a Tech Recruiter of 25+ years I've spoken with 1000's of Developers. Some have stuck with a language for life. Some have switched and are only interested in using their current language. Some are polygots. JAVA & Python. Nobody says bad stuff about these languages Node.js. much loved and there are a fair proportion of fanatics Golang. Loads of fanatics C# & PHP. Strong support BUT Strong dislike. Strong dislike of PHP comes from use of an early version such as PHP3. Usually, they've not even looked at PHP8. PHP also has bad PR as a noddy language, often coupled with Wordpress (not for real programmers). Love for PHP comes from it being an OO language capable of delivering 99% of any other language, but with frameworks which make life easier. Strong dislike of C# comes mainly from the Microsoft PR hangover. It was just not cool to like something Bill Gates created (yes Microsoft did do some shitty things as a corporate, but its time to forgive!). For many years it was platform dependent, that really makes open source developers feel sick. Love for C# comes from it being well supported throughout it's life. With a particular uptick for those using Blazor. Nowadays power is in the cloud and the architecture of your microservices. There is less reason to be fanatical or insulted by any one language. However, if you are a C# Developer, you may be advised to tread carefully when entering a pub full of Golang Developers. #python #csharp #php #golang #blazor

8

11 Comments