Oliver West’s Post

Just got off the phone with one of our talent, and he's been struggling to find a front-end developer job for over a month now. In this tough job market, it seems employers are looking for perfection in resumes. If there's even one thing missing—whether it's not mentioned or deemed unimportant—candidates aren't getting a chance to interview. Let's be clear: it's people who will work for your projects, company, and business. Hire the person, not just the resume. Resumes don't drive success; people do. In today's market, let's focus on potential and skills rather than checklists. Give candidates the opportunity to showcase their abilities and contribute to your team's success.

After screening 210 CVs for a junior developer's role, I've gathered 5 tips that wil triple your chances of getting an interview: 1. 𝗕𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 Yes, that's the most important one. When the role just opened, I was more 'forgiving', passing more CVs on. After the first 50 CVs, we already had many interviews scheduled, so only amazing CVs were passed on. Set up a system somehow - use alerts or screen some sites daily. Do whatever you need to be one of the first to apply. 𝟮. 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 There is no way you are an "Experienced software developer" or "Highly proficient" if you just finished college 6 months ago. I was much more inclined to give a chance to honest candidates. 3. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 Any personal/cover letter is better than none, I've read them all. The point though is to make sure you stand out from the crowd. Letters such as: "Hi, my name is X, I am a Fullstack developer with two years of experience and I want to work in Taranis" (that's a real one) are 100% useless. I know all that from the CV. Write about why YOU should be hired for that role. 4. 𝗕𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 Don't write about every technology you've heard about. Tailor the skills to the specific roles you are applying for. If my role is for a full-stack developer in React and Python, I don't care that you learned C and assembly in college. If tailoring a CV for each role is too much, at least do 2-3 options for types of roles you apply for. 5. 𝗕𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 The attached image is 100% made up unfortunately 😅 While I saw many different CV designs, it was all so similarly boring. I know that it's probably needed to pass through some automatic-CV-screening programs, so I'm careful with my advice here. For me, as a hiring manager, anything that will make me curious/laugh/surprised will have a much higher chance of getting an interview. PostHog wrote an article about how to get hired for a startup, with some very creative (and real) examples: https://lnkd.in/dGvHyF4T What's your best tip for getting an interview in a flooded market?

HR: 'Why should we hire you?' Developer: 'Because my code compiles without errors...most of the time.' Confidence is key, but humility gets the job done. Let’s talk about your funniest job interview moments as developer. Drop them in the comments! 😂 #linkedIn #linkedinglobal #interview #experience #frontend #developer

Software industry is always evolving. Give it a few years and we can't even recognize the market. What's the current situation? Here are the top 10 things that Scott Johnson (https://lnkd.in/gMn_qRc8) has found about the current market: - The job search takes much, much longer than it used to. - No one believes that anyone can actually code. - Coding Tests Can Trip Up Even Good Engineers - Extensive homework is now normal. - Every company's "process" is different - Outsourced hiring "services" are very much in vogue - Companies Really Want to Know Your Salary; Don't tell Them - Interviews Matter Much, Much More to You Than to the Company - Age discrimination really exists. - You'll never really know why you weren't hired. Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/gPaqur9 Thanks to Josh Doody for sharing this. #jobs #jobseekers #softwareengineer #jobinterviews #careers #humanresources #technology #markets

Job Search Struggles for Developers🚀 Ever wondered what developers find most frustrating about the job search? According to this research by Stack Overflow , the #interview_process tops the list at 17.45%! 📊 What do you think we can do to make the hiring journey less stressful for candidates? #Recruitment #Hiring #DeveloperCommunity #developers #IT #tech #jobsearch

🔍 Looking for your next software development role? Navigating the tech industry can be overwhelming—from intense interview processes to understanding salary expectations and negotiating the best offers. I just published a detailed blog on Hashnode covering: Interview stages (technical, system design, behavioral) Salary budgets based on location, experience, and skillset Negotiating compensation packages The realities of working in software development Whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned engineer, this guide has actionable tips to help you succeed in your job hunt. Check it out and let me know your thoughts! 💻👇 #SoftwareDevelopment #TechCareers #InterviewTips #SystemDesign #JobOffers #CareerGrowth https://lnkd.in/dRiWtKEg

The so called "matching" for CVs and Jobs' requirements is totally wrong. 1. The CVs don't contain all the pertinent info (like 99% of them). 2. The requirements are oftenly exaggerated (like 99% bloated). For real, matching (more or less square) should be performed by specialists (who DO understand ALL of the requirements). Another factor... When an employer needs an employee with more Problem Solving skills ability, that employer should go with any tech stack of that employee (if one has real solution to some serious problem - it does not matter which programming language had been used - the language can be changed at any moment afterwards). Unfortunately, the quality of code at hand usually sooooo... bad(!) that the employer has no other choice but hiring someone who'll be able to fix it inside the existing app (sort of). Or... at least they truly believe that. And the genuine roots of this whole mess lie somewhere between the first few job interviews (before the project starts or restarts or whatever...) with "real tech savvy guys" who are real dumb hucks (99% of the time) )))) and a phrase like "I'm the CTO here!" from one of those dumb a-holes firstly hired. Of course... there are many more reasons and details... but... you probably have lots of them in your own experience. Have a nice one 😁

3 correct ways to test the technical skills of the candidates who apply to your job opening 👍 Do a live challenge with the candidate. Ask them to solve something in front of you for 60 minutes or less. Support the candidate during that time. 👍 Give the candidates a paid take-home test and arrange a date and a time (usually within the next 48-72 hours) to discuss their work. 👍 Give the candidate an automated coding task to solve within limited time frame - usually 60-120 minutes. Discuss his/her work in an interview after that. I have chosen to do 1. - Do a live challenge with the candidate. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠? Interviews leave a first impression of your company. And I want to make is exceptional. Human contact, relaxed environment, a supportive interviewer well-versed in tech who roots for each candidate. This is the golden formula for success. If you want to do 2. or 3. but do not know how, ping me and I will put you in touch with some great people who can help. Read more about these 3 methods of evaluation here -> https://lnkd.in/g_kjNvCK How do you currently test the technical skills of the candidates you interview? Answer in the comments ⬇️ --- Hi, I am Kat Stam, the ex-CTO who helps you interview the right tech talent faster. ✳️ I prepare and conduct structured tech assessments across all tech positions, including product, delivering the evaluations and ranked list of candidates straight to your inbox. Interested? Drop me a message 📨

For anyone looking to reach out to recruiters on LinkedIn and needs format…here’s a helpful guide from a recruiter

The Hidden Benefits of Pre-Vetted Developers Think hiring pre-vetted developers is expensive? Let's break down the math: ❌ Traditional Hiring: • 30-40 hours screening resumes • 15-20 hours of initial interviews • 10-15 hours of technical interviews • 5-10 hours of team interviews Total: 60-85 hours of your team's time ✅ With Right Programmers: • 2-3 hours reviewing pre-vetted candidates • 3-4 hours of cultural fit interviews • 1-2 hours of team introduction Total: 6-9 hours of your team's time That's 50+ hours saved per hire. Multiply that by your team's hourly rate - now that's real value! Plus, our developers start contributing faster because they're already verified for: ✓ Technical proficiency ✓ Problem-solving abilities ✓ Communication skills ✓ Team collaboration ✓ Project experience Smart hiring isn't about cutting costs - it's about maximizing value. #TechTalent #ROI #RightProgrammers