Luke Horwood

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?    

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What is a TypeScript Engineer? I keep seeing this pop up in recruitment posts, which means clients are asking for it...right? Has this replaced the FullStack Engineer, which, lets be honest, meant a NodeJS developer. That was back in the good old days when it was only NodeJS. Now we have Bun, Deno, Hono and more. Or perhaps its asking for a Javascript developer...whatever that means in todays world of a thousand js frameworks and evolving ES standards. Or are they actually asking for a Java developer, because someones used Gen AI along the way and it got confused between Java and Javascript (*shudders*) Are they seriously in need of a type system engineer, thats kinda niche. It's hard enough trying to explain what you do as a job to "normal" folk as it is, without this level of obfuscation. How would you even explain this when asked "What do you do?". Do kids nowadays needs to consider themselves experts in everything inside package.json to land a job? When will the industry move beyond this fixation on specific languages? I get it, it's an important consideration, but asking for Typescript Engineers...it's not going to help you find the devs you actually need.

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For my developer connections - When do you think is the best time for the team to bring in the first QA hire? Do you like a QA being involved from the offset? Or do you think it is more beneficial bringing a QA in later down the line? I had a chat with a Senior Dev yesterday, who preferred "working in a team with no QAs, as you can get stuck in a chokehold if they disagree or have a different opinion" ... I'm keen to get your thoughts on when is best to hire a QA or do you agree no QA is best? #development #qahiring

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As a manager, how should your CV differ from that of a Software Engineer? I've (unfortunately) spoken to a lot of engineering leaders in the last six months or so that have been made redundant. Seems a lot of companies are aiming to cut costs by cutting out a management layer. Will it work? Probably not, but we can save that discussion for another day. Anyway - engineers spend their entire career with a CV that follows a loosely similar format. But how should that change once you go into more of a strategic role? Well let's think about why a company would hire an EM, Head of Eng, CTO etc. 🤑 Saving money. If their dev department is bleeding cash, chances are they need help revamping their processes. Use your CV to give concrete examples of times you have saved a business money. ⌚ Saving time. If deadlines are being missed, guess what? It's more money lost. Have you tackled a situation where deployment time needed drastically improving? Tell people about it! 👩‍💻 Improving quality. If you're an engineering leader, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that there will have been a time you helped an engineer/team to drastically improve the quality of their code. Tell companies about times you have helped turn someone's career around. A few small changes to your CV / LinkedIn profile can be hugely helpful. Remember - your salary will (likely) be a lot higher than that of a senior engineer. It's on you to show the company that in the long run, the value you add will make them forget what they pay you. What do you think?

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📉 The contracting market in software development is evolving, and it's a shift that both contractors and employers need to navigate wisely. In today’s candidate-heavy market, we’re seeing: ✔️ Contracting roles becoming harder to secure. ✔️ Contractors adjusting daily rates compared to a couple of years ago. ✔️ A growing need for flexibility from both candidates and companies. To help you stay informed, Frazer Tremble has put together a quick Guide to Contracting Rates in Software Development (see the image below). It reflects the current rates across key roles—from Mid-level to Lead. 💬 How are you adapting to this changing market? - Are you adjusting rates or your hiring strategies? - What trends are you seeing in your industry? Let’s start a conversation, whether you’re hiring or seeking a new opportunity, I’d love to help you navigate this dynamic space. #SoftwareDevelopment #ContractingRates #MarketInsights #Recruitment

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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

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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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I thought it might be fun to start a bit of a LinkedIn Challenge - to meet 100 Developers in 100 Days I've been a C#/.NET software developer for over 2 decades. I've actually been coding with the .NET Framework since one of its beta releases Post a comment of what your primary coding language is and how long you've been mastering your craft #softwaredevelopers #coders #100devsin100days #linkedinchallenge

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A bit of CV advice for today!! I watched a video of recruiters saying don't highlight your hobbies and interests a few weeks back. Well, in my opinion, that's rubbish. Hundreds of developers are applying for roles, and if you have similar experience to another developer applying, then your personality will be the difference in you getting offered the role. If you are looking for some advice, please reach out to me and I'll happily book in a call to help you. *Love the frame for this video 🤣 #django #python #cvadvice #resumeadvice

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Doing any salary planning for next year? We'll have our full salary guide dropping in Jan 2025, but here's a very quick overview of what we've seen these past few months... Salaries for high performing Software Engineers have grown LOTS this year. To give you some quick ranges... Our Mid-level placements since July have secured $150K-$160K. Mid-Snrs have been $160K-$170K. Seniors have been $173K-$198K, but the majority have been $180K-$190K. Staff has been $200K-$215K, and Principal has been $220K-$240K. All of these are PLUS super, and almost all had either equity or a bonus on-top. To add to that... Demand for Juniors is still on the floor (+ I've been told my multiple people that the quality is beyond awful. I expect this will cause huge issues next year). Demand from startups for people without startup exposure is also non-existent. Demand for 'Leads' is still pretty low. It's coming back, but I would describe it as "Staff who leads", i.e, almost entirely hands on, and some leading. True Team Lead roles are very rare and quite badly paid (often less than Snr). Any specific salary questions? Stick them below - I'll answer as best as I can :)

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9/10 times, there is only one reason that developers fail their take-home tech tests - and it has the simplest solution. "Coding projects are a polarizing topic: some candidates love them while other candidates find them unfair. On one side, coding projects allow you to showcase your skills in a more natural environment, using the tools you love." Love them or hate them, they're a non-negotiable part of numerous development interview processes. I completely agree that these tech challenges should always be general tests so that applicants are not expected to provide free contributions to the client's platform, but there is one huge point missed in this article. TEST YOUR CODE! The most common feedback I’ve had for why a candidate has been unsuccessful with their tech challenge is “code does not compile”. If you’ve taken the time to complete a tech challenge, it is imperative that you check to see if it works. You may have spent 3 hours on it, maybe even longer; don’t skimp on Unit testing. https://lnkd.in/dP4Nd5u2

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RIG..... Role Industry Geography As a recruiter, if you don't take the time and pride in learning your market inside and out then you will fail as a #recruiter. Client: "Our Lead Contract QA has just handed in his notice" Method Consultant: "Who is it" Client: "XXXX, used to work for XXXX" Method Consultant: "I know his old manager, available immediately, same tech stack and can start on Monday" Client: "Set a call up" 6 hours later, the clients issue is resolved, contracts signed, SDS complete and a very happy Jack Stockman. If your current company is not RIG focussed, or a similar process then you are set up to fail. If you want to become a market specialist drop me a DM, we have space for a few more #methodmakers. #followthemethod

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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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Frontend Developer who wants to work with TypeScript and Angular 17? 👇 📍 Reigate - 2 days a week on-site 💰 Up to £90,000 + 15% Bonus + 10% Pension Spencer Scott - Technology Recruitment sam@spencerscott.london 👋 #ai #technology #recruitment #recruitment #fintech #frontenddeveloper #ml #javascript #angular #typescript #html #css

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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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I'm still speaking with companies that are losing a ridiculous amount of Software Engineers in their hiring process when it comes to the technical test phase The candidate either withdraws because the task is too time intensive, they don't feel comfortable with the approach (think pair programming) or the task is ambiguous but there is no one available to ask questions of. One of the proposed changes that I suggest to firms that regularly hire Software Engineers is a 'multi-channel' approach to tech testing. Give applicants a choice of how they want to be tested. For example...... - Take home test - Pair programming test - A technical solutions-based discussion Here's why: 😍 Better Candidate Experience: Allowing candidates to select the testing method that suits them improves engagement, reduces anxiety, and boosts the employer’s brand. Candidates feel respected and empowered, which leads to higher acceptance rates. 🤓 Diverse Skill Evaluation: By offering multiple formats, companies can assess candidates on different strengths—communication, collaboration, coding, design, and problem-solving. This provides a more holistic view of the candidate’s abilities. 👩‍👩‍👧‍👦 Think of your users. Different people will use your software or website in different ways, so you need a more diverse approach to problem solving in your team to try to meet a diverse set of user needs. 🌈 Reduced Bias: Some candidates excel under different conditions. By giving options, companies reduce the risk of excluding top talent who may not perform well in high-pressure, artificial testing environments - you're providing more opportunities to say 'yes' to top talent, rather than using testing purely a filtering exercise. Research by Workable suggests that structured, flexible assessments reduce bias by 30%. 😎 Attracting Top Talent: A study by HackerRank found that 64% of developers prefer take-home assignments over live coding, and 88% are more likely to join companies with a clear, fair interview process. This flexibility can be a key differentiator in a competitive hiring market. ⏲ Saves time over all: it may require more time input by the hiring firm per candidate interview process, but overall you should do less interviews than previously because less people will fail, so overall time-to-hire should improve. Want to see how we could help with your hiring processes? Reach out to discuss colin.frontczak@synaxiagroup.com

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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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Does micromanagement work for modern day software engineering teams? Over the years working in recruitment, I have conducted a LOT of reference checks, and it’s raised a big question for me. I have always asked referees “What do you believe is the best way to manage (person), to help get the best of their ability” And 90% of the time, the answer is something along the lines of “Give them a clear expectation, and then give autonomy to do their thing, don’t micromanage them.” It’s seems to be almost universal opinion that micromanagement not the best way to manage teams of engineers, and is often detrimental. So why does is seem old school micromanagement is still commonly used in tech teams? Is it just a loud minority? Do managers who are anti-micro find they slowly slide back into micromanagement without realising when they are stressed? Are there actually micromanagement proponents out there who feel this is the best way to run a team? Or is our understanding of micromanagement wrong, and people are mistaking management for accountability? Why do you think micromanagement still feels prevalent? Is this a problem of competence, or just a difference in management philosophy? #micromanagement #management

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