Joe Axe

We created over 200 interview questions to form scorecards & question banks for 20 key roles in tech. They’re yours. Use them to; - ensure a fairer hiring process - make better hiring decisions - stop shooting from the hip 🤠 Here’s how you can get access to the notion page; ↳ Comment 'scorecards' on this post

348

964 Comments

We created over 200 interview questions to form scorecards & question banks for 20 key roles in tech. They’re yours. Use them to; - ensure a fairer hiring process - make better hiring decisions - stop shooting from the hip 🤠 Here’s how you can get access to the notion page; ↳ Comment 'scorecards' on this post

300

1,227 Comments

☕📃☕📃☕📃☕📃☕📃☕📃 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

5

🚩Some of the Red Flags I find in CV's (Tech & Engineering) 🚩 Reviewing tech CVs daily, there are a few common red flags that often stand out. While not always deal-breakers, these are worth a closer look: 📉 Inconsistent Career Path Frequent job changes without clear reasons or progression can be concerning. In tech, long-term projects often require stability, and short stints might suggest a lack of commitment or adaptability. 🗨️ Buzzwords Without Backing Buzzwords like “AI expert” or “cloud specialist” need substance. Without specific examples—projects delivered, tools used, or measurable results—they don’t add much value. 📄 Generic CVs A CV that isn’t tailored to the role can indicate a lack of interest or effort. Highlighting relevant skills and experience is critical, especially in a competitive tech market. 🚦 The Bottom Line Red flags aren’t always disqualifying but do raise questions. Often, there’s a valid explanation, but it’s important to dig deeper to understand the full picture. What do you consider the biggest red flags when reviewing CV's in the Technology & Engineering space?

7

Here's a small but useful piece of advice for people looking for jobs on LinkedIn… Did you know that you can write boolean in the search bar? 👀 This is particularly useful if your role has alternative titles (e.g. Software Engineer / Software Developer / Mobile Developer / Mobile Engineer). LinkedIn Jobs will search every advert's 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (not title) for whatever you write in the search bar. You can use modifiers like AND, OR, NOT, and add parentheses to adjust your search. And you can use quotation marks if you're looking for a specific phrase. For example… 👉🏼 (software OR mobile OR flutter) AND (engineer OR developer OR architect) NOT iOS 👈🏼 Will produce a list of job adverts that contain Software Engineer, Software Developer, Software Architect, Mobile Engineer, Mobile Developer, Mobile Architect, Flutter Engineer, Flutter Developer, Flutter Architect in the description, but don't mention iOS. This should save you a lot of time because you won't have to run a different search for every possible job title and scroll through duplicates. Did you find this helpful? If so, please share with your network and let's spread the word! 😀 #JobSeekers #LinkedInJobs #OpenToWork #JobSearch

15

2 Comments

Here's a small but useful piece of advice for people looking for jobs on LinkedIn… Did you know that you can write boolean in the search bar? 👀 This is particularly useful if your role has alternative titles (e.g. Software Engineer / Software Developer / Mobile Developer / Mobile Engineer). LinkedIn Jobs will search every advert's 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (not title) for whatever you write in the search bar. You can use modifiers like AND, OR, NOT, and add parentheses to adjust your search. And you can use quotation marks if you're looking for a specific phrase. For example… 👉🏼 (software OR mobile OR flutter) AND (engineer OR developer OR architect) NOT iOS 👈🏼 Will produce a list of job adverts that contain Software Engineer, Software Developer, Software Architect, Mobile Engineer, Mobile Developer, Mobile Architect, Flutter Engineer, Flutter Developer, Flutter Architect in the description, but don't mention iOS. This should save you a lot of time because you won't have to run a different search for every possible job title and scroll through duplicates. Did you find this helpful? If so, please share with your network and let's spread the word! 😀 #JobSeekers #LinkedInJobs #OpenToWork #JobSearch

12

Role Update: Release Manager is actually a Tech Leader who can get things done right - UK Hedge Fund Essentially - release processes are non-existent in some places and buggered in others, with many high capable developers and wider tech folk pushing stuff into production with little to no mind for the larger ecosystem. Looking for somebody who can blend Release Management, Environment Management, Build/Deployment Management, Quality Management, Project Management and Business Analysis workstreams in a hugely complex and rapidly evolving trading tech landscape to: 1) Push back to technology (devs) - likely meeting resistance 2) Build core release processes to protect the integrity of the prod environment moving forwards 3) Traverse the landscape understanding the nuances and dependencies across the board, building plans to fit 4) Maybe hiring 1 or 2 people to work in your team 5) Ideally make friends along the way, but we'll take what we can get Deep understanding of how systems communicate/general tech fundamentals is essential BUT scripting/coding etc is NOT a part of this role. Comms / Stakeholder Management skills are essential General finance experience is preferred but this is a tech-focused role (despite sitting in the Front Office) Lots of scope, lots of impact. A great role for the right person. If this is you, ping me. If you know someone who it is for, be a hero and forward this post?

14

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 :)

35

14 Comments

📊 State of the Tech Market in London – By the Numbers 🚀 London’s tech scene continues to grow, but the competition is tighter than ever. Here are some key stats: • Tech job vacancies in London are up by 12% in the last 6 months 📈 • Average salaries for software developers have jumped to £65,000+ 💼 • Demand for AI/ML specialists has surged by 22%, with many roles now offering remote-first options 🌍 • 75% of candidates say flexible work arrangements are a top priority for accepting new roles 🏡 With these trends, it’s clear the market is evolving fast. If you're hiring or job hunting in London, it's all about finding the right balance between opportunity and flexibility. Let’s chat if you need insight or advice! 💬 #LondonTech #HiringTrends

19

2 Comments

🔥 As hot as they come - Seed funded client 🔥 Looking to chat to any solid full-stack Golang Engineers (FE is JS heavy, mainly ReactJS) in my network for a reliable client, who have recently secured Seed funding and are looking to grow their current engineering team. If you know of anyone that could also be a good match for this, get them tagged in the comments as this client will be happy to move as quickly as they need to, in order to secure the right talent! Four stage IV process, which could all be wrapped up within a 10-day window. If it sounds interesting, drop me a DM and we can schedule some time to chat before the end of the week! #hiring #web3 #golang #distributedsystems #recruiting #blockchain #web3

10

RESOURCE DROP: We created over 200 interview questions to form scorecards & question banks for 20 key roles in tech. They’re yours. Use them to; - ensure a fairer hiring process - make better hiring decisions - stop shooting from the hip 🤠 Here’s how you can get access to the notion page; ↳ Comment 'scorecards' on this post

300

1,361 Comments

Tech Hiring Is Bouncing Back – But More Concerning Is Rise of 'Ghost Jobs' Good news from Lead Dev's report on the tech job market—that things are finally stabilising. https://bit.ly/4etDxpb What shocked me, though, was the mention of the rise in 'ghost' or 'fake' jobs. Is this happening? Apparently, yes. Recent data shows that 40% of companies posted fake job listings this year. They had no intention of filling them. Whether it's to create the illusion of growth or to falsely suggest that workloads will ease, this practice is harmful. It can only frustrate job seekers and damage the reputation of companies engaging in it. Resume Builder's research stated: https://bit.ly/3ZQnqNJ • 40% of companies posted fake job listings this year. • 3 in 10 companies currently have active fake job postings. • These fake roles spas entry-level, mid-level, senior, and even executive positions. This is just plain wrong. Transparency is critical to the hiring process. Posting ghost jobs misleads candidates and erodes trust between employers and potential talent. Job seekers—have you come across ghost jobs in your search? #TechHiring #GhostJobs #Recruitment #EthicsInHiring #JobSearch

8

2 Comments

The fee structure most agencies use with clients is pretty standard industry-wide (X% of the candidate's salary for perm roles). Some agencies use alternative fee structures since it works better for both parties and creates more alignment - e.g. ongoing monthly retainers, embedded recruiters/RPO, flat rates, etc. Some markets have unique factors that make a non-standard fee structure more mutually beneficial for both the agency/client. Pricing structure and strategy is something that most agencies don't really dig into since it's easier to go with the status quo since it's what clients expect and are used to. I'm curious - if you've used alternative fee structures, how do you like it? Has it worked out better for everyone long term?

16

7 Comments

Software, DevOps & Platform Engineers you are selling yourselves short🗣️ I have received roughly 40 resumes this week since offering to give advice and feedback. I learnt a lot during this process, especially when people are applying for positions more than ever, and the need to stand out is crucial. My biggest observation was that it took me too long to understand the following⬇️ What are your specialisms? Where have you made or had an impact in your role? Which key technologies have you been using regularly? What do you want to be seen as? ➡️This is a biggie What soft skills do you have? Too may resumes make it difficult for the reader to actually understand what you are doing and what you are good at. Make it easy for people to see HOW YOU CAN ADD VALUE Drop me a message if you want some feedback on your resume📩 I will come back to you as quickly as possible.

5

Last week, I put out a poll asking, “What’s your ideal company size for a QA/Reg role?” It’s clear that the size of the company can make a big difference in shaping how we work and grow in QA/RA. Whether it’s the fast-moving, hands-on vibe of a startup or the stability and resources of a big company, everyone has their own preference. The poll results gave us some great insights: 8% of people loved the hustle and hands-on energy of startups. A solid 51% are all about medium-sized companies - sweet spot between agility and structure. 25% prefer the security and vast resources of large more established organisations - more stability, more defined roles, and often, more opportunities for career development. 15% said, "Company size? Doesn’t matter as long as the role and culture are the right fit." What really stands out to me is how many of you feel that medium-sized companies strike the perfect balance. They seem to offer the best of both worlds: the chance to grow and be innovative while still offering more stability than a startup. It’s clear that each company size brings its own perks based on what you’re after in your career—be it growth, stability, or flexibility. It really shows how personal our career choices can be and how many factors play into finding that perfect fit! #CareerDevelopment #QualityAssurance #RegulatoryAffairs

20

1 Comment

A few tips I’ve learned for those navigating this current highly-competitive software contract market: 1. 🔎 Don’t just search Jobs, search Posts for “contract ir35” and reach out. 2. ☎️ Call appropriate recruitment firms, learn about their niche’s current market and build meaningful connections. Recruiters aren’t just putting forward your CV to their hard-won clients, but you as a person. 3. 🛠️ Keep building stuff. A great way to tinker with new tech, remember why you’re in this, and gives you something recent to mention during interviews. Final one for everyone: If a seemingly outlandish idea / opportunity you’re considering unexpectedly makes a laugh bubble up, follow that. ❤️ A humble reminder I’m on the lookout for work, please do drop me a message if you know of any full-stack / fe / be contract opportunities. 🙏 Sharing this with your network would really help me, thank you! Thanks and have a great weekend! 🌞 #contracting #ir35 #tips

14

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

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.

232

27 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. 👋 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 :)

197

29 Comments