Tom Reid

Are you sick of filtering through hundreds of applications from LinkedIn jobs? Or sick of generalist agencies working on your data roles because they're 'on the PSL'? We recently took a spec, had 4 perfectly aligned candidates within 48 hours and 3 went through to final interview. If you want an experienced data recruiter that really understands your requirements, and doesn't just chuck random CVs at you, give me a call or pop me a message. #databricks #snowflake #fabric #businessintelligence #analytics #powerbi 😎

9

Hiring Manager: I desperately need to hire another Data Engineer 😓 Company response: - Advertises Data Engineering role on job boards and LinkedIn 👩‍🏫 - Says they need to attempt direct resourcing to reduce costs due to budget cuts, so role sits with internal talent for a minimum of 4 weeks before considering external support ❌ - Job advert has been up for 4 weeks, HUGE interest in the role based on job advertisement responses.. but less than 10% of applicants have relevant experience. - Talent Acquisition and/or Hiring Manager has spent 2+ days going through CV's and applications to get to the 10%, to then find that of this 10%, 30% are no longer available as they've accepted roles at companies who have had a quicker, more efficient process. 😫 - They then begin 1st stage interviews. 💃 - After completing 10, none of the candidates are suitable for the role for a number of reasons. Lack of commercial knowledge, inability to demonstrate their technical knowledge vs what was outlined on the CV, not a right cultural fit for the team etc etc etc 🤦‍♂️ - You've now had this vacancy live for say 6 weeks and are back to square one to repeat the process. - IN COMES THE AGENCY RECRUITERS!!! 👨‍🎤 👩‍🎤 ✨ - The PSL for agency recruitment partners is as long as your arm, so now it's time for a briefing call. - Briefing call consists of 5+ agency partners, none of whom seem overly credible or knowledgable on data engineering, but you're hopeful. - CV's fly in by the bucketload! 😍 Only, the candidates are from slow paced industries, who don't have the right skillset that you NEED for the position in the team. - You interview the best ones, some have potential, but none are really hitting the mark; even when you're being flexible on areas you can compromise. 🤔 - Still no luck, none of them were what you need in the team. So the cycle starts again, with the job advert being reposted. This usually takes around 8 weeks. That's TWO WHOLE MONTHS that you've had a vacancy in the team ☠ In those two months, consider this: - The impact on the rest of the team; increased workload, stress, frustration, drop in morale - Not achieving deliverables and KPI's, struggling to meet deadlines, having to work overtime most days to finish projects - Your team might then start considering leaving the business - The cost implications across reviewing CV’s, going back out to market, time spent & agency fees on top Sound familiar? You're not alone. This is the mistake companies make every week. Don't be one of them ⬇ 📧 [email protected] 📲 07477594895

8

How's the market? A question I get very often as a recruiter. In 2024 I have seen a drop in activity and the amount of job postings compared to previous years. 👉 In the UK the unemployment rate rose to 4.2% from over a year ago suggesting a loss of jobs in the market 📉 According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in October 2023 job vacancies were down 26% from their peak 💳 According to the ONS, real earnings have continued to rise in 2024 by 2.1% (not including bonuses) and the nominal wage has risen by 6.0% (not including bonuses). 🗒 Job postings offering remote or hybrid terms have dropped from 16.3% to 14.4% 🌈 The number of job vacancies posted continued to fall in Q1 2024 but remain above pre-pandemic levels The job market has been unusually tricky for those looking for their next opportunity. Stay positive, I feel the months ahead will be a turning point for UK job seekers. #staypositive #jobsearch

27

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

Some of the BEST Software Engineers I've worked with have some of the WORST CVs I've ever seen. And some simply do not have one. The top 5% of talent are not scouting out new roles and applying to adverts... ..they're headhunted. So there's simply no need to create a CV. And that's where the job of a Recruiter comes in, to shine a spotlight on those who are unseen in the market, or to fill in the gaps on those awfully written CVs. So the next your recuiter show's you a horrible CV, they might just be showing you a superstar. G.Digital | G&T (girls and tech!)

25

3 Comments

📢 How to Effectively Reach Out to a Recruiter on LinkedIn 📢 My 'Other' inbox on LinkedIn seems to be an endless scroll of messages from software engineers proactively reaching out to build a relationship and discuss the roles I am recruiting for. The messages range from "Hi Krya" 😪 to a written work history. If you are looking to cut through the inbox spam and have your message stand out, here are my top tips: 😎 Personalise Your Message: Make sure you run your message through Grammarly and get the recruiter's name correct. Mention why you’re reaching out and include a fun fact from their LinkedIn bio or recent posts to show you have taken the time to learn something about them. 👩‍🏫 Be Polite and Professional: Including a 'thank you for your consideration' or 'thanks for making the time to read through the message ' is always a nice touch. Make sure not to be too direct. 🗒 Provide Relevant Context About Yourself: Briefly introduce who you are and your relevant experiences. Include the criteria for your next role (i.e. "I'm looking for a Sydney-based established company to work in a full-time capacity. I would ideally like a larger team in a React environment"). 📒 Share Your CV: Attach your CV and the best way to contact you. Good Luck! ⭐ 💫 #javascript #react #node

40

3 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

Should drinks be a part of the interview process? Something that’s been debated a lot between colleagues and clients over the past couple of months I personally think a drink stage works well- you see a candidate in a more relaxed environment, get to know them on a more personal level, and probably learn a lot more about them as apposed to a formal office meeting It’s also a good way to get a candidate to buy into you as individuals and as a business However, there are reasons as to why drinks might not be the best idea Things can often be taken too far, and conversation can take an unprofessional turn, leaving either the candidate or client in a situation that they don’t want to progress There are also other issues it may pose as a lot more people don’t drink nowadays due to either addiction, health, or religion, and this can sometimes be an uncomfortable conversation to have with a potential employer What do you think? Should drinks be part of the process, or should they be left until you start at a business? 

14

11 Comments

Choose a company based off these headline commission structures alone: 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐀 “Up to 80% Commission” 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐁 “Up to 30% Commission” .... Now let's look in more depth 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐀 “Up to 80% Commission” Threshold of 2x base salary before earning commission: 0 – £999k - 10% £1m+ - 80% 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐁 “Up to 30% Commission” No threshold 0 - £100k - 10% £101k - £200k - 20% £201k + - 30% Company A’s 80% commission structure (as inviting as it is from first glance), will likely not give you the take home you want until you are hitting big numbers. For many, Company B’s steady, achievable structure may be far more rewarding. I admit my examples might be a bit overdramatic, but I’m sure you get the point! 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬! Choose a firm where the commission structure aligns with your billings and realistic goals. Don’t let flashy numbers distract you from what really matters: consistent earnings and career growth. #recruitment #commission #commissionstructure #rec2rec #recruitmenttips

12

1 Comment

CTOs and IT Directors - the TOUGHEST vacancy I'm working on is a Developer position which requires being in the office 5 days a week. A big ask? Definitely. Impossible? No. I see a lot of posts from Recruiters dictating how businesses should be run, particularly when it comes to hybrid/remote. This particular vacancy is with a company where average tenure is 10 years. So their culture is clearly working, right? And if the vacancy was easy to fill, they wouldn't need to PAY a recruiter to fill it. 😬 My job is to understand the wider benefits and career options a company can offer, which might offset the perceived drawbacks of a position. CTOs and IT Directors, what expectations do you have of your recruiters?

5

1 Comment

🚨Special (and limited) offer… … (I build awesome suspense right?) … … (one more for the road) Ok, that gimmick has worn itself out, but this offer hasn’t… I’m offering 3 Freelance Tech Recruiters the opportunity to: ✅ Buy my course ‘Tech Recruiter Fundamentals’ for 1/2 price… ✅ Get 3 coaching sessions (1-2-1) for free alongside it… Or, if you’d prefer numbers… ✅ Buy my course for £250 (normally £500) ✅ Get 3 coaching sessions for free (normally £300) ————————— Why offer this? Same reason as last week… i.e. the ‘free course’ offer… Last year, I got laid off and lacked direction… My network was AMAZING and helped… The market is still tough out there… So I want to help if I can… Simple as that! 🤷‍♂️ ————————— This is a limited offer, so if you’re interested then send me a DM 📥 #techrecruitment  #recruitment  #onlinecourse #personaldevelopment #training

8

1 Comment

📢 Diversity in software engineers teams includes diversity of interests and hobbies!!* 📢 Have you ever seen a job advert that includes interests as a requirement? I remember beekeeping being a requirement for a STEM role I fancied many years back (and frankly would be up for beekeeping if I had the time! 🐝)   I've had client briefs that look for sporty people, musicians, makers. I've dodged one that required an IT Manager be a religious leader for the team...   These requirements pop up as the hiring managers wants the team to be invested - and who's more invested than your user base?   But your audience includes complete novices, they don't require advanced features and may find the learning curve off-putting. If you don't have a "non-user" involved in your product design, are you going to have a blind spot for your novice audience? If everyone is a 'maker' then who is going to suggest an off-the-shelf solution rather than spending a year building an expensive tool in-house? Not to mention the socio-economic, cultural and gender barriers associated with certain interests. Bring me a job that includes music, cooking, climbing and caving - but until then I'll bring the soft skills I develop in those hobbies to any team I join. *ok, this is just my opinion

10

3 Comments

Top 10 in-demand roles in the 🇬🇧 UK for 2024 🔍 1. Software Developers 2. Cyber Security Specialists 3. Data Analysts & Data Scientists 4. Project Managers 5. Business Analysts 6. Healthcare Professionals 7. Financial Accountants 8. HR Directors 9. Marketing Specialists 10. Teachers The market is shifting 👀 While some roles have consistently been in demand (e.g., teachers, healthcare professionals, and accountants), Tech is still dominating the scene despite layoffs. There's a high demand for software engineers and cybersecurity specialists as companies prioritise innovation and security. Adapting to these trends can open new opportunities and career growth. Time to pivot? 👀

61

26 Comments

TA: Good news and bad news. Good news, the contract is now outside of IR35 and is going to be 6 months rather than 3. Me: Fantastic, this is much better than initially briefed. TA: Yeah...........so here is the bad news. We are only interested in interviewing 3 candidates and you have sent over 12 candidates. I want you to go back to them and ask them to make us a better offer on their day rates. Me: All 12 candidates can do the job and have similar rates so we might get a few turn the contractors down..... TA: We know some will turn us down but given how crap the contract market is right now I think we can ask the contractors to be more competitive on the price. *proceeds to call 12 contractors to explain the situation and ask them to put forward a "competitive" day rate* This call happened 3 weeks ago but I thought it was a good anecdote to save down post placement. In my opinion the contract market hasn't recovered since IR35 was brought in. Instead of day rate contracts being offered they have been changed to FTC's or less attractive engagements. That coupled with the fact that clients I work with don't struggle to hire Inside of IR35 contacts and outside of IR35 contracts have an incredible draw (12 CV's sent, 24 on long list and roughly 60+ applications). It's given clients a lot of power. Am I surprised a company has played hardball with contractors to get a better rate, no, did those contractors all comeback and shave up to £50 off their day rates, Yes but 2 of the 12 did say they would withdraw from the process as they were "just braking even on that rate" so I hope they found something else. Do I think a change in government is going to change the situation with IR35, I highly doubt it. I think this is going to be the status quo for the near future and as such I don't recommend contracting as a career path. #recruitment #digitalmarketing #ir35

9

6 Comments

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... 🤔

4

SOFTWARE ENGINEERS…STEAL MY TOP TIPS 👇 In the last few months, I’ve never received as many inbound emails, messages and applications for the roles #teamengineering have been advertising. Of course, the most appropriate skillset will always make the shortlist but it’s also those passionate and personal messages that help you stand out from the crowd…. Here’s a few tips that can help: 👉Identify and contact the hiring manager/recruiter is. They are far more likely to remember that you’re a real human being rather than just another another CV.. If you’re applying via linkedin, you can find this by scrolling down to the bottom of the job advert. The connected account is most likely the individual reviewing the applications. If your applying via a career page, narrow down the role to the department within the business and dig out who heads up your area. 👉BE SPECIFIC as to WHY you want this role. Why is this sector meaningful to you? Do you love sport, want to help fight climate change, help the NHS..? Why are you a good shout for the job? Read the spec/ adverts and tackle and highlight 1/2 examples of how you meet the brief. 👉USE your connections. It’s not what you know but who you know. Can you name drop a former colleague or manager, or contact? You could even open the message with a quote from said connection “This is the best business i’ve worked for” Mutual Contact 👉…and if you think you’re a bit a joker, maybe even a meme. If you’d like any advice around how to stand out from the crowd in this competitive market, drop me a message 🫶🏻. G.Digital | G&T (girls and tech!)

21

7 Comments

Are reference checks redundant? Suppose you've got a robust recruitment process for hiring software engineers, hiring managers who are confident in their decision-making, and group consensus from the team. Is there a need for referee checks? It's rare to receive transparent feedback from a referee, mainly because, in my opinion, people fear that that feedback will be exposed. Manual/electronic reports are now the norm, so you have to pick your words wisely. Referee checks conducted over the phone are the most effective medium; they enable both parties to be more candid and phrase things appropriately, but they are arguably less time-effective. The solution? -Fine-tune your recruitment process so you can confidently assess eq/culture/tech skills within a 2-3 stage process, -Upskill hiring managers around recruitment, communication & decision-making, -Ensure your TA, HR, & external recruitment partners are doing their due diligence and deeply understand the profile of candidates that work best in your environment and are doing adequate upfront qualification. On the candidate side, I'm a big proponent of requesting a written recommendation from your direct manager or somebody responsible for your work during your exit from the business. Request to add that to your LinkedIn profile or a separate recommendation doc you can attach to your CV. This will give your next employer more context, help your profile stand out, streamline the process, and alleviate the need to take up previous employers' valuable time. #refereechecks #softwarengineers #recruitment

12

3 Comments

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

Hiring Software Engineers? We recently surveyed 4,917 candidates across the UK. Here's what we learnt... 1 - WFH 7/10 are currently only open to fully remote roles. This number was WAY higher than we expected. Struggling to hire? Try adjusting your WFH policy. 2 - Speed 94% aren't interested in roles with 3+ interview stages. If you find a candidate (that you like), then don't delay. Move fast, or be left behind by your competition. 3 - Tests Most 'take home tests' never get completed. Do a 'real time assessment' on the call instead. It achieves the same result, but actually gets it done. -- Was this useful? ➡️ Follow Alfie Whattam for more like this. ♻️ Repost to share with your network.

235

27 Comments