Stuart Gray

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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Let's talk compensation for interviewing...💬 Tech tests and live coding defiantly splits the community down the middle but yesterday I saw something I've not seen before, this particular company offer a £50 voucher for completing their technical task as they appreciate your time is valuable. 💰 🤝 Some would say if you want to go through an interview process you have to accept that you have to give up some of your time. 🤔 ⏳ Is this something that should be the norm? Share your thoughts below. 👇 #interviewprocess #compensation #technicaltasks #technicaltests

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iOS vs Android - The debate that dominates society.   Clearly when most people mention iOS vs Android they are not referring to native development, but mobile developers still tend to have a preferred platform. But why not do both?   If you’re specialised in just one, here’s why expanding your expertise to both could be a game-changer:   🌍Expand Your Opportunities Increased Demand - Companies increasingly seek developers who can handle both iOS and Android, especially in start-ups where teams are small. Being versatile makes you more valuable and opens up more job opportunities. More Freelance Gigs - If you’re a freelancer, offering expertise in both platforms makes you a one-stop shop for clients, giving you a competitive edge in the market. 🔨Broaden Your Skill Set: Master Different Tech Stacks - Learning both Swift/Objective-C for iOS and Kotlin/Java for Android deepens your understanding of mobile development. Cross-Pollination of Ideas - Each platform has unique strengths. By working on both, you can apply best practices from one to improve your work on the other. 🔮 Future-Proof Your Career: Adapt to Industry Trends - With the mobile landscape constantly evolving, being proficient in both platforms ensures you stay relevant. Leadership Opportunities - As a dual-specialist, you can take on leadership roles, guiding teams across both platforms and driving unified strategies for mobile development. While specialising in one platform admittedly has its benefits, learning both native iOS and Android could significantly boost your career. Will you be diversifying your skillset? Or are you going to stick to being specialised? Drop you thoughts below 👇

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☕📃☕📃☕📃☕📃☕📃☕📃 Every quarter, I release a Newsletter packed with the latest Java and Kotlin trends, insights, and updates shaping the market. From emerging frameworks to real-world applications and innovations in the UK tech scene, it's a must-read for staying ahead in the Java and Kotlin world. 🌍✨ The next edition is going live soon! 🎉 If you'd like to receive a copy, drop a comment below or send me a message, and I'll make sure you're on the list. 📩 #Java #Kotlin #TechTrends #SoftwareEngineering #Newsletter

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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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"𝘑𝑜𝘳𝑑𝘢𝑛 𝑎𝘳𝑒 𝑦𝘰𝑢 𝑔𝘰𝑖𝘯𝑔 𝑡𝘰 𝘱𝑜𝘴𝑡 𝑚𝘰𝑟𝘦 𝘴𝑒𝘳𝑖𝘰𝑢𝘴𝑙𝘺 𝘯𝑜𝘸 𝘺𝑜𝘶'𝘳𝑒 𝑎𝘵 𝘈𝑙𝘣𝑎𝘯𝑦?" Nope. Busy times here at Albany headquarters and myself and the team are spinning multiple plates for several clients trying to find a number of engineers 😬 Here's some of the things we're working on... ⚙️Senior Engineer (Node / TypeScript / AWS) ⌚Tech for good company in wearables 💵£80k - £100k ⚙️Full Stack Engineer (React / Node / mid level) ⌚Tech for good company in wearables 💵£50k - £60k ⚙️QA Engineer 💓Health tech company 💵£55k - £65k ⚙️Tech Lead (JavaScript / Next.js / Node) 📊Intelligence Platform 💵£90k - £100k ⚙️Senior PHP Engineer (PHP / Laravel / React) ♻️Tech for good circular economy 💵£80k - £110k ⚙️Mobile Tech Lead (React Native) ⌚Tech for good company in wearables 💵£90k - £100k If you fancy a chat on any of these then pop me a message or if you know of anyone tag your friends! 📨 [email protected] Niruban Retnanandam Ethan Cohen Joe Burder #hiring #SoftwareEngineers #Jobs #JavaScript #React #Node #PHP

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Why are you using #Go / #golang? Popularity with #Go / #Golang is going through the roof... particularly in the North West tech scene... but why? dcoded. we have been talking to a lot of #SoftwareEngineeringLeaders who are now utilising #Go as one of their primary programming languages within their Tech Stack. WHY? Well... the reasons tended to rhyme with: - Distribution and Compile capability - its quick! - Simplicity, Concurrency and Flexibility - so its easy... - Static Typing, and Code Formatting - its reliable & easy to maintain - The tech community loves it - lots of documentation and support available! - Backed by Google - its got real pedigree Hmmm... I am keen to hear the thoughts of other Software Engineering pro's on this. Why are you using #Go / #Golang?

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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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Hey all you amazing engineers - Check this out ⬇️⬇️⬇️ In a surprising twist, Jellyfish’s latest engineering management report has revealed some eye-opening trends in our tech world. A whopping 90% of engineers—from code wizards to DevOps believe their teams are key players in shaping business strategy. Yet, a staggering 66% of them have faced burnout in the past year. Talk about running on empty! 📉 But that's not all. Despite the recent waves of layoffs in tech, 60% of engineering managers and executives are waving red flags over a talent drought. They’re finding it tougher than ever to scoop up the qualified candidates they need. It seems like even the brightest minds need a bit of a recharge these days. 🌟💻 Check out the full scoop here! Jellyfish ThinkBIG https://lnkd.in/emrRBhDy

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After 11 years in tech recruitment - it's not often the industry surprises me. However yesterday I was. Dozens of extremely talented software engineers commented that they preferred the idea of an interview process where you work onsite for 2 days paid (reshared the post below for those who've not had chance to take a look yet) These weren't juniors/interns trying to get their foot in the door. For the most part it was extremely experienced software engineers & leaders, who've got decades of experience across FTSE 500, FAANG & high growth startup environments. Is it a sign of the tough market conditions, and a number of people being out of work right now? Maybe a little. But the overwhelming theme from most of them was this 👇 They are fed up of being asked to do arbitrary tech tests - most of which don't relate to the job they're interviewing for, and eat up enormous amounts of time, often with no feedback. I don't feel the solution is for every company to start inviting everyone in to do paid work for a couple of days - there's a whole host of practical reasons as to why that's going to alienate a lot of people. But, it did highlight a huge issue in the tech industry with how we're assessing a developers capability. And given how much companies are claiming to have D&I at the front of mind, if these traditional testing methods are inclusive enough to accommodate those from different backgrounds. Some of the best feedback I've had from engineers on interview processes have been where the company has either: 1. Put together a thoughtfully designed, fun & interesting coding challenge, that tests for the skills they want whilst giving an insight into the type of work engineer will be working on - 1-2 hours maximum. or 2. Have a more informal approach, talking through their projects (ideally ones where the engineer can share code where possible), asking detailed questions to understand the logic & thinking behind the choices made, what were the trade-offs/alternatives etc. Lets respect software engineers time and stop these mammoth tech tests - which are often passed by engineers who happen to be good at tech tests, not necessarily good IRL!

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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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I’m interested to hear feedback on Linkedin’s job search function from the Elixir community If you simply search for Elixir without any boolean, it returns over 600 jobs in the UK alone, you have to add “ “ in order to ensure you’re only seeing jobs which include Elixir (or any keyword) in the spec, something the average job seeker might not be aware of Why show people jobs that aren’t relevant to their search? Well, I have a somewhat cynical but realistic theory.. If you’re not aware, LinkedIn’s paid job posting feature requires a daily advertising budget, it’s generally based on engagements, meaning they have incentive to get as many eyes on every job posting on the platform as possible So what does this mean? Well, it means the reason you’re seeing irrelevant jobs is that LinkedIn wants to squeeze their customers for as much marketing spend as possible without any consideration of the end user experience. I’m seeing companies listing their jobs on here then telling me they don’t have additional budget to work with an agency, the difference is that LinkedIn have incentive to keep your job on their platform for as long as possible with no promise your financial investment will find the right hire, recruiters want to find the candidate the role as soon as possible or we don’t get paid, everyone wins.

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I speak with software developers everyday, and love hearing about the new trends they're seeing in 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 own day-to-day. AI/LLMs aren’t just trending—they’re defining where the industry is headed. If you’re a developer, now’s the time to think about how to stay ahead. Here’s how I’d approach it: • Start with the Big Picture What skills are emerging as “must-haves” in your field? AI and LLMs in general are seemingly everywhere now, but what’s happening in your niche? Keep tabs on how your industry is evolving. • Focus on Practical Experience Employers value real-world impact over theory. What projects or challenges can you take on to show off your problem-solving skills? Bonus points if it’s something measurable or business-critical. • Lean Into Community Some of the best learning happens through conversations. Join dev communities online or at meetups. People share knowledge generously if you ask the right questions. What’s your plan to stay competitive in 2025? Let’s share insights—I’m always excited to hear what’s working for folks. 👇

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It's great hearing people talk about how much value a QE person or department adds within their business - yet there are plenty of businesses (including some that we work with) that don't have a quality specific employee in their dev team. One Head of Engineering will talk about how reliant they are on a their quality team, but the next CTO could say they’ve managed without. Any specific reason behind this? Is it just the way it works sometimes depending on the product expectations, company size, budgets etc - or is there always a need for a Quality focused employee within a tech team?

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A huge thank you to Vitaly Sharovatov from Qase for contributing this great article to our Develocity blog page. It gives us much food for thought about the careful selection, setting up and usage of tools in order to achieve that harmony between disparate teams. If you have an article that you think would be relevant for our page, or some insights you would like to share for those looking to get into developer tools or those already in it...please do reach out to myself or Natalie Harper. We're always on the look out for genuine and interesting content. #DeveloperTools #DevTools #QualityAssurance #Developers

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Our NEW Software Engineering Salary Guide (for Startups & Scaleups) is HERE! Lots and lots of movement to be discussed, so if you're hiring or thinking about hiring, you'll want to have a read or risk being completely left behind. Here are some key takeaways over the past 6 months: - Mid-Senior End salaries pushing ~$160K+Super! - Senior Eng salaries up by close to $30K - Staff Eng salaries up by $20K-$30K - 10-20% bonuses on top of increased bases are becoming far more common And perhaps most importantly, new ALL TIME HIGH salary levels for top performers across most experience levels in Australia! Like I said - this one is DEFINITELY worth a read! Link is in the comments below 👇🏻

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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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There's so many career paths within Software Development, and if you're just starting out, it can be conflicting on deciding on the path to take. Here's a brief outline of some of the niches within development you could do based on conversations I've been having… 💫 Web dev - specialise in building web apps and websites, you'll most likely use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript 💫 Mobile Devs - focus on creating apps for smart phones and tablets - iOS and Android 💫 Frontend Devs - work on the user interface 💫 Backend Devs - work on the server-side of applications and focus on functionality 💫 Full Stack Devs - work on both the front-end and back-end 💫 DevOps - you are bridging the gap between development and operations If you're looking for your next software dev role, pop me a message ✨ #SoftwareDevelopment #Programming #Frontend #Backend #FullStack

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Why are Developers leaving their jobs?! Part 1. From my recent conversations, Developers are departing companies clinging to outdated tech stacks. This signals a lack of investment in innovation, ultimately leading to employee stagnation and frustration. Businesses wanting to demonstrate confidence must look at their tech stack first! This is the fastest way to let the tech team know they are a priority. Stand by for part 2 next week! #CorecomConsulting #RecruitmentTips

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