Michael Chadwick

☕📃☕📃☕📃☕📃☕📃☕📃 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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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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8 Tools Software Developers Can Use to Propel Their Career Paths 💻 In the competitive UK tech market, it's vital for developers to stay ahead. Here are 8 tools you can learn to boost your skills and career prospects: 1️⃣ Jira - Track projects efficiently with agile features like Scrum & Kanban boards. 2️⃣ GitHub - Collaborate globally, manage projects, and streamline workflows. 3️⃣ IntelliJ IDEA - Optimised for Java/Kotlin, offering AI-powered code suggestions. 4️⃣ VS Code - Customisable code editor supporting multiple languages. 5️⃣ Slack - Enhance team collaboration with AI-driven communication. 6️⃣ Stripo - Speed up email design with drag-and-drop features and integrations. 7️⃣ Payara Cloud - Automate cloud deployment for Java-centric apps. 8️⃣ Axify - Track team performance with real-time data and improve workflows. Mastering these tools will help you to stay competitive in your tech career! What other tools are you noticing employers increasingly seek? Comment below 👇 #SoftwareDevelopment #TechTools #CareerGrowth

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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

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💸JavaScript Salary Survey!💸 We have seen a massive increase in companies looking to grow out their tech teams over the past couple of weeks! I have put together an up to date salary survey to ensure my new and existing clients are staying competitive in the current market!🤩 Why it's important to stay competitive?🤔 ➡️Attracts top talent in the market😍 ➡️Helps retain staff🤝 ➡️Enhances a company’s reputation as a desirable place to work🤩 ➡️Boosts staff productivity🚀 AND MANY MORE REASONS!!! If your looking to grow out your tech team then let's have a conversation!📲 📩[email protected] ☎️01793680029

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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.

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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. 👋 PS: I've hired hundreds of Software Engineers, and have my own recruitment agency (Alfa Technology) which helps companies do this. If you are hiring devs in the UK, then please DM me, and we would love to help :)

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If this was written on my CV explaining what I do at Talenza... - Recruit mobile & software engineers - Speak with new & existing companies ...Do you think someone that doesn't know me, would jump at the chance of setting up an interview? Highly unlikely. Over the past week, I've seen more 1 page CV's with little to no context, than I have done in the past 2+ years of recruiting in the Software space. And this is a period of time as an engineer - you probably need to be doing a little bit more to stand out from the crowd. We are NOT in a market where every company is scrambling to hire and interviewing everyone that comes their way. I'm not saying put together a 20 page power point presentation as your CV, still be concise, but actually give some context on what you've been doing. If you've worked on a complex project, explain it in a few bullet points. For example; - What the the problem was - How it was solved - The impact it had on the business I'm not a CV guru and there is no magic formula (otherwise every CV would look exactly the same). But adding the above info along with the tech stack being used, will probably help you increase the CV sent to interview ratio. *Completely disregard this post if you have a 1 page CV and are getting all of the interviews you want to*

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WE HAVE YOUR DREAM JOB 😉 We've got some great roles varying from SVPs to Java Engineers on at the moment. Make sure you reach out to the team regularly to check open positions as we don't advertise them all. If you need CV help or any market insights, please don't hesitate in reaching out to any of us. Tag a friend who is looking. Mark Standen | James Thomson 🤖 | Joe Slaymaker | Kristian Kurbalija #technology #techroles #opentowork #technologyrecruitment

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Claude 3.5 🚀 Revolutionising JavaScript Development 🚀 Claude 3.5, developed by Anthropic, is generating a lot of excitement among developers in my network. Here are some of the ways Claude Sonnet is being utilised as a reliable coding assistant: 🔹 It can interpret and create graphs making it useful for projects requiring visual reasoning. 🔹 Uses libraries like Requests in Python or Axios in JavaScript to simplify the process. 🔹 Ensures error handling is implemented to manage API rate limits and errors gracefully. 🔹 Can test your API calls to ensure they return the expected results. 🔹 Utilises tools like Postman to prototype and debug your API interactions before integrating them into your main codebase. Employers that empower developers with AI tools like Claude 3.5 will gain a significant velocity advantage, experience cost savings, and enhanced platform agility. By leveraging intelligent code completion, advanced debugging, and seamless integration, companies can accelerate development cycles, reduce errors, and optimise resources. 🚀 🌟 #AI #JavaScript #TechInnovation #DeveloperTools #Claude3.5

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Technical tests ⚡ What's the best way to assess the technical proficiency? A full project that takes a weekend to complete 👨‍💻 A pair programming session 💻 A Q&A style assessment on an online portal 📕 There still seems to be a lot of variation in how businesses assess potential candidates. I had a situation this week where a candidate would have preferred to do a full project over a weekend over a 45 minute pair programming session. Had others point blank refuse to spend their free time completing an exercise. I've seen candidates breeze through a technical assessment but leave 6 months later as they couldn't do the job. Candidates fail seemingly simple tech tests and turn up in much more prestigious organisations months later. I know it is different with contractors with a body of work and ample referencing for previous delivery. But for mid-level developer roles where proposed candidates have worked a couple of perm roles, what is the best way to assess their technical capability for what is to come in the role? Can a technical conversation suffice?

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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!)

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For those who saw my post yesterday... Here is Reason #2️⃣ behind recent job moves in the Software Engineering scene right now. Yesterday it was Redundancy. RTO policies have recently been common and caused ruffles amongst those that had initially chosen companies with a flexible/remote working model. Larger employers seem to be the ones that have been putting their foot down in 2024. The recent RTO companies we have seen on the news recently include: Amazon, Starling Bank, THG, Santander and Deutsche Bank. What have you noticed? (I wonder if they'll be the same factors I'll be announcing for 3️⃣ and 4️⃣ over the next couple of days) #TechInsights #SoftwareEngineering #RTO

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𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 Having spent years helping IT professionals secure their ideal roles, I’ve seen what works – and what doesn’t. If you’re job hunting in tech, here are some practical tips to help you stand out: 1. 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐕 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 Generic CVs don’t make the cut. Take the time to align your experience with the specific requirements of each job. Highlight the skills and achievements that match what the employer is looking for. It’s a small effort that makes a big impression. 2. 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 It’s not enough to list technologies or programming languages – what have you done with them? Employers want to see results, whether it’s solving a major problem, streamlining a process, or delivering a successful project. Talk about the value you've added to the organisation. 3. 𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 – 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 The best IT professionals aren’t just technical experts - they’re team players, good communicators, and problem-solvers. Employers appreciate people who can collaborate across teams and explain complex ideas clearly. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through! 4. 𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 An interview isn’t just about answering questions – it’s your chance to ask them too. Showing curiosity about the company’s challenges, the team you’ll join, or opportunities for growth demonstrates that you’re thinking long-term and genuinely invested. 5. 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐊𝐞𝐲 The tech job market can be competitive and unpredictable. Rejections happen, and timing isn’t always on your side. Use the quiet periods to upskill, connect with your recruiter, and stay optimistic. A great recruiter will champion your strengths and get you in front of the right clients. In a fast-paced industry like IT, preparation and persistence make all the difference. Follow these tips, and you’ll be well on your way to your next opportunity.

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"I do my best work at Night 🌙" So many Software Engineers I speak to often say, they work best in the night, or in large chunks of time when they can be hyper-focused on solving a problem! So why are so many SE jobs so restrictive in terms of flexibility! Software development often involves creative problem-solving. People can be most productive when they can choose when and where they work best. Flexibility allows engineers to work during their peak productivity hours. It's crazy how so many SE roles I am seeing requiring people to be on-site between the hours of 9-5. Offering a flexible work environment empowers software engineers to work in ways that best suit their needs and preferences, ultimately leading to higher job satisfaction, increased productivity, and better business results? Devs- what do you think are companies missing a trick in pulling everyone back into the office, let me know in the comments ⬇️ #techhiring #flexiblework #softwareengineers

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🚀 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

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✨ 2024: A Year in Reviews ✨ As we approach the end of the year, I’ve been reflecting on the journey I’ve shared with so many talented candidates and inspiring clients. Here are just a few testimonials from the incredible people I’ve had the privilege to work with this year 👇👇👇 #JavaScript #TypeScript #Python

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A few weeks ago I spoke with a CTO that had been looking for an Embedded Software Engineer for 4 months. 🧐 They had tried to advertise the position on multiple channels -> 100+ applications -> 3 interviews -> 0 hires. 😶 They had tried to work with three recruitment agencies -> 13 CVs received -> 3 interviews -> 0 hires. 😑 Yesterday afternoon the only candidate I submitted, was hired. 😶‍🌫️ What was the difference? A 30 minutes long scheduled and prepared discovery meeting vs "I don't have time for a call" given to the other agencies. ✅ After the meeting, I understood the company, their mission, their culture and what type of candidate would fit perfectly in their team. 😊 This allowed me to present the company as if it was my own, while the other agencies only knew what keywords to put into LinkedIn recruiter. 😎 If you "spray and pray" your vacancy to recruiters, they will "spray and pray" it to the market and will then "spray and pray" you with irrelevant or mediocre CVs. 😑 Minimising communication will not save you any time. ✅ Instead, choose a niche recruiter specialised in what you're hiring for -> set up a discovery call -> and be positively surprised. In every industry in the world, customers try to maximise value and minimise time wasted for the money they spend. 👇 In recruitment, customers try to minimise value and maximise time wasted for the money they spend. Why? 😶😶 #recruitment #embedded #embeddedsoftware #embeddedsystems #embeddedjobs #talentacquisition #hiring #techology

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If you are looking for your next Django Developer and unhappy with the current level of service you are receiving from your recruitment partner. Or if your internal team needs some support, here is a recent case study to give you an idea of numbers from Foxley Talent. If you would like more information about our process, please drop me an email to arrange a no-obligation call and let me tell you about why we are the only globally dedicated Python Django recruitment partner. #django #python #casestudy #djangoandproud

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