Three reflections from the week just gone. 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘆𝘀 / 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀: I've been vocal before about home much I dislike a Day for something. If it is worth doing. Do it for 365 days or all 52 weeks. That said, it is a genuine shame to also see corporate hijacking of these things, especially awareness events that have their routes in a community and then get swallowed up into corporate marketing, and lose all the authenticity and integrity they had. I feel for the original founders of these things watching all their good dissipate. Embedding the values into daily operations, feels more genuine than a once-a-year spotlight that feels more like a marketing ploy than a real commitment. 𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘃𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀: Nothing fills me with dread more than a thinly carpeted exhibition hall with the overbearing background noise of too many things merging into one. Surely people don't go to these things and expect to see a room full of SaaS products they've never seen before? They're beamed into by inbox daily. And there is nothing worse than jaded stand-dwellers who "had a few" last night. Is that really the impression you want from a supplier? Give me a conference with peer-reviewed talks and presentations where the object is to learn rather than sell anyday. I'm definitely team substance over sales pitch. 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀: And on a positive note, just to prove I'm not completely grumpy, we're continuing to see an uplift in demand for European contractors, especially in Nederlands and Belgium. Data Engineers, DevOps, Data Scientists - we have opportunities for you, especially if you're security cleared, or have previously been. NATO or National level especially. How's your week been? Only 4 working days until Easter break (that came quick) Have a good weekend. #Neurodiversity #DataEngineering #DevOps #Recruitment #Nederlands #ContractJobs
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🌍 Preparing for Your Move to Germany with an Opportunity Card? Here’s How to Get Job-Ready in the Tech & IT Sectors! 🚀 1⃣ Understand the German Job Market & Demand for Your Tech Stack: Research is key! Start by identifying the most in-demand tech roles and skills in Germany, such as software development, cybersecurity, data science, and AI. Go deeper to see if your specific tech stack—like Java with Spring Boot, Python with Django, or React.js for front-end—is highly sought after. Focus on cities with thriving tech hubs like Berlin, Munich, and Frankfurt, and monitor local job portals like StepStone, XING, and LinkedIn for trends in job postings. Knowing what skills are hot right now can help you target the right positions! 🎯 2⃣ Tailor Your CV for the German Market: German recruiters expect a well-structured CV. Highlight your key skills, certifications, and measurable achievements (e.g., "Improved system efficiency by 30%"). Add a professional photo and ensure your CV is no longer than two pages. Don’t forget to include a compelling cover letter explaining your motivation for working in Germany. 📄💼 3⃣ Leverage Networking: Networking is huge in Germany! Join relevant tech groups on LinkedIn, attend virtual meetups, and engage with recruiters directly. Be active in communities related to your field—this can dramatically increase your chances of getting interview calls. 🤝💡 With these strategies, you're ready to stand out in the competitive German tech landscape! 🌟💼 Get in touch with me here if you are working in Tech & IT and thinking to move to Germany!
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Mark your calendars for Saturday (11th May)! 𝐈𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐲-𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫, 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧: 1) How to identify the data science roles that suit your skills and interests 2) How to build your portfolio and resume to align with the roles you are interested in 3) How to leverage platforms like LinkedIn to connect with recruiters and hiring managers effectively 4) Tips on how to best prepare yourself for the interviews, and how I navigated my interviews at IBM, Google, and Microsoft (and special insights on startups) 5) Tips on how I made the most of my time at Columbia University Bonus: Student in the US on F1 OPT, loads of tips coming your way! The webinar will conclude with a thirty-minute Q&A session where you can ask your specific questions to gain more personalized advice. 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲: For participants interested in opportunities at Microsoft, you are encouraged to share your resumes. I will personally review selected resumes and, for those who are a strong match, I will consider providing referrals to roles at Microsoft. Please note, that while a referral is not guaranteed, it is a potential door-opener for the right candidates. PS: Brain fart, the webinar is Saturday, not Sunday :) See you all there. Register here: https://lnkd.in/dyjVMT3D
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Employment in Software Development posted on Indeed in US, Canada, Germany, Australia, and France Is this slowdown due to increase in the use of AI? My take: Use of AI has reduced human workers, allowing them to hire fewer employees. Even with the same level of demand for software development work in IT sector, they are hiring less because fewer employees can now be able to handle the same workload. What is your take on this data?
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Last week media coverage inaccurately implied that Microsoft's corporate D&I team was eliminated. While the situation has been clarified, it does strike me that concern around the company's ongoing commitment to D&I is important to address. Since I happen to be passing my 6-year mark at the company, I've been reflecting on all Microsoft has done in this space up to this moment, and all we still need to do ahead. When I first arrived at Microsoft, I spent time in our archives to learn about our D&I history, which is robust. Even Microsoft’s original mission required a commitment to diversity and inclusion—because it is different perspectives, skill sets, and lived experiences that give us the empathy and insights necessary to envision and build products that serve customers and consumers in transformational ways around the world. In the decades since, our focus on D&I has informed our policies, partnerships, and product innovation. Year over year, we have been disciplined and systemic in how we do this work, to deliver progress over time. This next fiscal year our focus includes continuing to execute D&I and talent management best practices that we know deliver business outcomes as well as investing in net new opportunities to support skills and career growth. A few examples include: ✔ Driving greater access to skilling and career opportunities for Microsoft employees at all levels through intentional talent management and cross-company experiences such as our premier global career event ✔ Ensuring each one of us at Microsoft is accountable for our D&I progress, individually through our D&I Core Priority, as managers and leaders through inclusive hiring and executive accountability, and collectively through companywide opportunities such as D&I learning and our global ERG Engage event that helps us move together from insights to action ✔ Continuing to anchor our product innovation to inclusion, as we have done with self-expression in Microsoft 365 and accessibility in Copilot, M365, and Azure AI ✔ Transparently sharing our progress, and our opportunities, around increasing representation and strengthening our culture of inclusion this coming Q2 in our Global Diversity & Inclusion Report As we embark on our 50th year at Microsoft, with one of the most inclusive missions in the industry, let’s remember who we have always been. Succeeding at our mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more requires inviting in different perspectives and lived experiences to Microsoft so we can innovate and deliver aligned to our ambition. Each of us doing our best work depends on us collectively creating the conditions for all employees at Microsoft to thrive. The world is counting on Microsoft to apply all we know about diversity and inclusion to realize an AI-enabled future that includes everyone. The work is not done, and we remain committed to push ahead for progress together.
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OPINION: Microsoft's commitment to Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) is unwavering. ✨ I've had the privilege of working on and closely with various Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), and I can confidently say that Microsoft's commitment to D&I is not just a corporate slogan, but a lived reality that permeates every aspect of our work culture. Employees are empowered every individual to contribute to a diverse and inclusive Microsoft, and the efforts are both strategic and personal. I've witnessed firsthand how ERGs at Microsoft are not just support groups, but are integral parts and powerful platforms for advocacy, professional development, and community engagement. They are key enablers in helping employees feel valued, respected, and included, and play a crucial role in attracting and retaining a diverse workforce. Moreover, Microsoft's approach to D&I is not limited to internal efforts. The company actively engages its ecosystem to drive change and strengthen the communities in which we live and work. In my experience, Microsoft's D&I initiatives have fostered an environment where I can bring my whole self to work, contribute my unique perspectives, and grow both professionally and personally. It's a place where innovation thrives because it's fueled by a diverse set of minds and hearts working towards a common goal of empowerment for all. 🎉 🔗 Learn more about Microsoft's D&I efforts and commitments: https://lnkd.in/gymfG2KB Thank you to Microsoft and our leaders for remaining steadfast with D&I and leading by example.
Last week media coverage inaccurately implied that Microsoft's corporate D&I team was eliminated. While the situation has been clarified, it does strike me that concern around the company's ongoing commitment to D&I is important to address. Since I happen to be passing my 6-year mark at the company, I've been reflecting on all Microsoft has done in this space up to this moment, and all we still need to do ahead. When I first arrived at Microsoft, I spent time in our archives to learn about our D&I history, which is robust. Even Microsoft’s original mission required a commitment to diversity and inclusion—because it is different perspectives, skill sets, and lived experiences that give us the empathy and insights necessary to envision and build products that serve customers and consumers in transformational ways around the world. In the decades since, our focus on D&I has informed our policies, partnerships, and product innovation. Year over year, we have been disciplined and systemic in how we do this work, to deliver progress over time. This next fiscal year our focus includes continuing to execute D&I and talent management best practices that we know deliver business outcomes as well as investing in net new opportunities to support skills and career growth. A few examples include: ✔ Driving greater access to skilling and career opportunities for Microsoft employees at all levels through intentional talent management and cross-company experiences such as our premier global career event ✔ Ensuring each one of us at Microsoft is accountable for our D&I progress, individually through our D&I Core Priority, as managers and leaders through inclusive hiring and executive accountability, and collectively through companywide opportunities such as D&I learning and our global ERG Engage event that helps us move together from insights to action ✔ Continuing to anchor our product innovation to inclusion, as we have done with self-expression in Microsoft 365 and accessibility in Copilot, M365, and Azure AI ✔ Transparently sharing our progress, and our opportunities, around increasing representation and strengthening our culture of inclusion this coming Q2 in our Global Diversity & Inclusion Report As we embark on our 50th year at Microsoft, with one of the most inclusive missions in the industry, let’s remember who we have always been. Succeeding at our mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more requires inviting in different perspectives and lived experiences to Microsoft so we can innovate and deliver aligned to our ambition. Each of us doing our best work depends on us collectively creating the conditions for all employees at Microsoft to thrive. The world is counting on Microsoft to apply all we know about diversity and inclusion to realize an AI-enabled future that includes everyone. The work is not done, and we remain committed to push ahead for progress together.
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#Diversity is in danger! A couple of days ago, various media reported stuff like - "𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘋𝘌𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮" (Daily Mail) - "𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 '𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭' 𝘢𝘵 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵" (ITPro) - "Microsoft reportedly fires DEI team — becoming latest company to ditch ‘woke’ policy" (New York Post) The news was broadly recepted, cheered especially by right wing media and served as "further proof" of how D&I.programs are shut down due to their "uselessness". Business leaders like Katy Roewer quickly came to defend D&I against this crude reporting. (Thanks! Made me think about it and follow up). Finally, the news about #Microsoft turns out to be fake news, as Lindsay-Rae McIntyre of stated here: https://lnkd.in/eEWmhTsg Further reporting at GeekWire suggests, that two (!) specific positions at Microsoft have been cut. Not "a" team, not "the" team. Yet, the media fuss demonstrates that there is a real danger to D&I - and it comes from an authoritarian ideology. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, these are the pure triggers for authoritarian agitators and their followers. For these people, "exclusion" is the concept. This includes, but is not limited to racism, misogyny, homophobia,... And there is a logic to this: Exclude others from the table, so your piece of the cake becomes bigger. Consequently, they have to fight D&I by any means. 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆? While there might be misunderstandings in general or flaws and malpractice to some D&I measures like Rob Briner helpfully points out from time to time, there should be no doubt about the fundaments: 1. 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 2. 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 3. 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 My conclusions. - The dangers to D&I are real and present: In politics, in the media, in management. - We should not let ourselves confuse by attacks and smear campaigns - We can trust in the results of good D&I practice as a contribution to value creation and business success 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 (𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞!) 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝! For those interested in finding a professional tool: Lorelei Carobolante, Global MBA, GPHR, SCRP, SHRM-SCP and Effenus Henderson led the wroking group that created #ISO30415 educational guidelines for organisations.
Last week media coverage inaccurately implied that Microsoft's corporate D&I team was eliminated. While the situation has been clarified, it does strike me that concern around the company's ongoing commitment to D&I is important to address. Since I happen to be passing my 6-year mark at the company, I've been reflecting on all Microsoft has done in this space up to this moment, and all we still need to do ahead. When I first arrived at Microsoft, I spent time in our archives to learn about our D&I history, which is robust. Even Microsoft’s original mission required a commitment to diversity and inclusion—because it is different perspectives, skill sets, and lived experiences that give us the empathy and insights necessary to envision and build products that serve customers and consumers in transformational ways around the world. In the decades since, our focus on D&I has informed our policies, partnerships, and product innovation. Year over year, we have been disciplined and systemic in how we do this work, to deliver progress over time. This next fiscal year our focus includes continuing to execute D&I and talent management best practices that we know deliver business outcomes as well as investing in net new opportunities to support skills and career growth. A few examples include: ✔ Driving greater access to skilling and career opportunities for Microsoft employees at all levels through intentional talent management and cross-company experiences such as our premier global career event ✔ Ensuring each one of us at Microsoft is accountable for our D&I progress, individually through our D&I Core Priority, as managers and leaders through inclusive hiring and executive accountability, and collectively through companywide opportunities such as D&I learning and our global ERG Engage event that helps us move together from insights to action ✔ Continuing to anchor our product innovation to inclusion, as we have done with self-expression in Microsoft 365 and accessibility in Copilot, M365, and Azure AI ✔ Transparently sharing our progress, and our opportunities, around increasing representation and strengthening our culture of inclusion this coming Q2 in our Global Diversity & Inclusion Report As we embark on our 50th year at Microsoft, with one of the most inclusive missions in the industry, let’s remember who we have always been. Succeeding at our mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more requires inviting in different perspectives and lived experiences to Microsoft so we can innovate and deliver aligned to our ambition. Each of us doing our best work depends on us collectively creating the conditions for all employees at Microsoft to thrive. The world is counting on Microsoft to apply all we know about diversity and inclusion to realize an AI-enabled future that includes everyone. The work is not done, and we remain committed to push ahead for progress together.
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Demystifying Skills I’m approaching my three-month anniversary of working with Lexonis. I wanted to work with Lexonis because I saw value in leveraging insight into the gap between what skills exist in an organization and the skills needed to meet current and future objectives. I saw clear use cases for this data in L&D, Hiring, Career Management and across Talent Management. What I didn’t foresee is the confusion in the market. What follows are some observations I’ve made that might be helpful. 💡1. Skills provide a shared vocabulary. Most organizations have different teams hiring, drafting job profiles, sourcing training and on and on. Inevitably, this complexity will cause confusion and redundancy, e.g. confusion about what capabilities are needed to progress from one job to another or different departments investing in training solutions for fundamentally the same need. An enterprise approach to skills can reduce a lot of this confusion by creating a shared language for how skills are described resulting in a new level of transparency that will increase efficiency and align teams across the organization. 💡2. Not all skills are equal An exhaustive list of skills for a role isn’t very helpful. It’s important to identify a list of prioritized skills which typically include those skills that separate top performers from others and emerging skills that will be critical for the role in the near and long-term future. 💡3. Skills are inert Knowing what skills your organization needs has limited value by itself. 💡4. Skills data is actionable. It’s only by first measuring the gap between what skills are needed and what skills exist in your current employees then acting on this data that an organization can gain value from skills. 💡5. Talent Management is where skills data delivers value. Skills data alone doesn’t deliver value. It’s only by applying the insight gleaned from skills data in your talent management that skills deliver value. This might include skills-based hiring, skills-based career pathways, workforce planning, and more. Knowing what problem you’re trying to solve with skills will go a long way toward determining which talent practice(s) to focus on. 💡6. Skills proficiency is different form job proficiency Skills provide a common currency across talent management, but they are still abstracted from the work people do. Being proficient in a few skills relevant to a role doesn’t mean you can do the job. A role requires applying multiple skills simultaneously that equates to job proficiency. Ready to embrace skills? Start with a specific role and propagate skills across talent management to improve the hiring with skills-based interviewing, invest in focused development that closes a skills gap, increase engagement with clear career pathways and update succession plans based on skills and capabilities. Take that win and then go on to the next one. #skills #talentmanagment
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Today I'm starting my Coaching Program, called "6 Figures Euro Engineer" (6FEE)! So excited about it 🤩 Truly looking forward to working with my 'coachees' and supporting them in getting to the next level of their career 💫 I opened the program to a maximum of 5 people. So far, 3 people have signed up. So I still have 2 available spots. If you're interested, check the program description in the comments below and, if you like it, send an application. The program goes through a selection phase, and I have turned down a few applicants, when I didn't get the feeling that I could help them reach ambitious goals (that would justify the price of the program) with a high probability. As a result, the 3 applicants that I have selected have very strong profiles. I will soon share more info about them and their goals here on LinkedIn, such that recruiters or hiring managers who are looking to hire top talent in Europe and Switzerland, can take a look at them and evaluate if they can be a fit for some of their openings. If you're hiring Software Engineers, Machine Learning Engineers, Data Engineers for high paying roles in Europe and Switzerland, you can already DM me to learn more. #day1
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I have to work more than i was in doing in a 9-5. But i started out as an independent tech consultant, because in a job i had to 1. Travel daily to work 2 hours in total. 2. I din't had time to learn anything new. 3. The office politics was never for me. 4. The fear of losing my job, with the trend of laying off. 5. It started becoming too comfortable. It all turned into a never ending loop, one day to another. I couldn't stop but think, what about when i will be 40 years of age and more. Will i have the same motivation? Would i still have that risk taking ability? Then i saw my friends being laid off, no power over what's happening. Everyone around was just reacting on what happened. And i couldn't sleep because of that thought. I had to design my work around what kind of life i want - 1. I wanted more freedom over my time and projects. 2. Freedom to select my own clients. 3. Skills on how to sell, and position yourself. 4. Better financial freedom. 5. Ability to learn new everyday. Tech is my passion, not just the code but really learning the skills to create softwares that would impact lives and not just a jira board. And most importantly, create opportunities for others. Showing that it's possible, and sharing my learning along the way. I am not there yet, but i am many steps ahead from when i had this thought. But now it's all coming clean and path is much clear. Now, i have been doing this for years. And had i chance to work with some of the most exciting projects and helping people to take that step. I conduct webinars twice a month on Sunday's at 11 am to help software engineers and managers level up the playing field. I am conducting my next webinar on 27th of October at 11 am. Check it out here - https://lnkd.in/gsN9DcRi You don't need a perfect path. You just need some courage. Feel free to ♻️ repost it with our software folks.
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If you want to know the origin of this picture and how Spain, Ireland and Switzerland compares for the Software Engineer life (& career), check the latest SwissDevJobs Interview on RecruIT - tech recruiting insights ⬅
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