recruitment

April 22, 2019 by Julie McGrath

A new study from crowdsourced QA testers Global App Testing has explored developers’ biggest pain points, with Python dethroning JavaScript as Stack Overflow’s most questioned programming language.

The research focused on JavaScript, Python, R, Ruby, C#, C++, Java, Objective-C, Swift, PHP and SQL – not so much 11 languages but 10 languages and a database – and went through a semantic route to determine major issues.

In terms of sheer numbers, JavaScript came out on top with more than 1.75 million questions asked over Stack Overflow’s more than 10-year history. Java came second with 1.51m, with C# (1.28m), PHP (1.26m) and Python (1.1m) the others to break the million mark. Yet with regard to today, Python is top of the shop, having overtaken JavaScript for questions asked in late 2018.

Digging down into what developers were looking for in each language – the data cleaning was done in Python and the word cloud builder was in JavaScript, just to be fair – led to arguably few surprises. For JavaScript, ‘jQuery’ was by far the most questioned framework, with ‘function’, ‘duplicate’ and ‘string’ also popular words. For Python, the latter two were the most popular, but of interest to note was ‘django’. “Python is a general purpose duct-tape language and gets involved in many different domains of tech,” as the researchers put it.

The other languages analysed came up with some more interesting results. For Ruby, the most popular word was ‘rails’; hardly surprising, but it was the most popular by a street. More niche-purpose languages such as R, for data scientists, came back with more specific terms, including ‘dataframe’, ‘datatable’ and ‘ggplot’.

Global App Testing assessed the overall research thus. “Each programming language has over time been geared toward – or was even designed for – a particular niche within tech,” the company noted. “R is to data science as Swift is to iOS development as C++ is to video game development. This explains some of the differences in the types of problems that arise… why we see ‘database’ a commonly questioned concept in SQL but not, for example, Objective-C.

“Despite these obvious differences, these visualisations represent some fundamental similarities within the different domains,” the company added. “Base-level data types such as strings and arrays – but not integers, floats, or Boolean values, apparently – are frequently pain points that cause developers of all stripes and creeds to turn to Stack Overflow.”

The developer portal has previously noted some of these trends. A report from Stack Overflow last January noted how jQuery remained the most popular JavaScript framework while adding the share for market voice was ‘brutal’, while as far back as September 2017 the company was assessing what it called ‘incredible’ growth in Python.

You can read the full Global App Testing analysis here.

Interested in a career change using Java, Javascript or Python, check out some of our latest jobs here!

James Bourne – Developer Tech

February 19, 2018 by Julie McGrath

Demand for tech talent will continue to outpace supply in the year ahead, while the mix of skills necessary to remain relevant in IT will undergo a significant shift.

The good times for tech workers will continue through the next year, which found that today’s tech talent gap will continue to put pressure on businesses in 2018 to the benefit of those they are looking to hire.

A recent survey with over 8000 technology professionals completed by Robert Half gave us an interesting insight into the IT Job World. We found that the fight for talent has companies offering tech workers generous perks, incentives and competitive salaries — and that tech work itself has become a more satisfying & overall a less stressful Job.

Following are Six of the biggest trends in IT hiring and how it will impact both employers and employees in the year ahead.

1. The Skills Gap still remains

The talent shortage for tech workers is “no longer just an inconvenience for any employers — it’s quickly becoming a significant business problem,” And when companies do find tech talent, they often can’t afford it, as they are being out priced by the larger corporations.

According to a recent survey with smaller business owners 44 percent of Hiring Manager or Business Owners say they miss out on top talent because candidates are seeking higher salaries than they’re able to offer. As a result, there’s been an increase in companies hiring less experienced workers who are “motivated to learn new skills quickly.”

2. Interview Process is too slow

To get the best talent during a shortage, businesses need to speed up the hiring process. This study found that, while it’s understandable business want to be thorough, many companies are dragging out the hiring process. That’s a problem because around two-thirds of the non-executive technology professionals surveyed said they would “lose interest in a job if there was no follow-up within a week of an interview.”

The survey found that hiring managers are somewhat aware of this problem, as 41 percent said they are unhappy with the length of their hiring processes. On average, the survey found it takes 4.5 weeks to fill a staff-level role. Businesses need to establish a smooth hiring process so that they can quickly hire and onboard qualified talent.

3. Automation is shifting skills

Automation isn’t poised to kill jobs just yet. At least for now, it’s simply changing the skills that are important to businesses. The finance industry is already experiencing a skills shift thanks to automation. Of those surveyed, 56 percent of CFOs said they expect automation to bring increased efficiency to finance and 43 percent also envision improved decision making.

While CFOs are optimistic about automation they also expect it to shift their priorities and primary skillsets. By 2020, CFOs expect “keeping pace with changing technology” as a top priority, followed by managing big data, compliance and maintaining finance reporting standards.

4. Tech demand goes vertical

Tech is a growing need in every industry, but the survey found that certain vertical industries are experiencing an acute need for tech workers. Healthcare, financial and manufacturing professionals cited a growing demand for tech talent in their respective industries.

In healthcare, there’s a need for modernisation and innovation to better deliver patient care. Security and data professionals are in demand in the financial services industry as security becomes a top priority. Automation is impacting the manufacturing industry, where businesses are looking for innovative IT pros to help adapt.

Graffiti Recruitment predicts the latest developments in cloud, open source, mobile, big data and security are expected be the most in demand for 2018. And even if you aren’t a pro in one of these specialties, the survey found that as businesses are more pressed for talent, management is more willing to hire less technically qualified candidates who show potential and demonstrate an eagerness to learn.

5. Satisfaction is up, stress is down

The technology industry currently ranks 6th for on-the-job happiness and it ranks first for the lowest levels of on-the-job stress. ( I don’t think this applies to IT Recruitment though). Some of that satisfaction might come from the compensation and perks that companies use to lure talent.

Only 19 percent of companies said they didn’t offer bonuses and only 17 percent said they based salary increases on length of service. For 72 percent of businesses, raises are merit-based, while 65 percent said that compensation is based of organisation or individual performance. These incentives help motivate workers and keep them satisfied on the job.

6. Popular perks of the Job

To attract the best talent in a competitive market, companies have turned to “perks,” additional benefits outside the standard offerings you’d find at most companies. These include flexible work schedules (62%), regular social events (39%), remote work opportunities (34%), on-site or free gym membership (25%), a compressed schedule (17%) and free food (13%). (Chocolate is always a perk here at Graffiti )

To keep talent motivated, companies also offer incentives like awards for individual and team achievements (37%), profit sharing (20%), retention bonuses (18%), stock options (18%) and deferred compensation (16%).

Demand for tech talent will continue to outpace supply in the year ahead, while the mix of skills necessary to remain relevant in IT will undergo a significant shift. To stay up to date with the latest Hiring and Tech updates make sure to sign up to our Monthly Industry Updates.

February 6, 2018 by Julie McGrath

Only 1 in 5 candidates would apply to a business that had poor online reviews; meanwhile, 4 out of 5 employers doubt the fairness of online reviews. 1,160 adults were surveyed to learn the causes and costs of a poor employer brand in today’s competitive hiring climate.

508 job seekers and 654 HR and hiring professionals shared their thoughts in Jan 2018 within a current Employer Branding Study. The infographic above highlights the top findings as well as a summary of the top stats from the survey. – Career Arc

Star Power: Your Online Employer Branding Could Be Hurting Your Hiring

31% of employers claim review sites give an unfair portrayal of a company’s employment practices and company culture; and
55% believe these sites give only a “somewhat fair” portrayal.

91% of candidates seek out at least one online or offline resource to evaluate an employer’s brand before applying for a job.

Women More Likely Than Men to Avoid Poorly Rated & Reviewed Employers

Female candidates are 33% less likely than male candidates to apply to a poorly rated company.
Women are 25% more likely to visit employer social sites when vetting a potential employer.
Female employees were 15% more likely to consider quitting their job after witnessing poor client, candidate, and employee treatment.

Your Employer Brand Impacts Your Talent Pipeline AND Your Bottom Line

64% of consumers have stopped purchasing a brand after hearing news of that company’s poor employee treatment.
Millennial employees were 30% more likely than Gen-Xers and 60% more likely than Baby Boomers to stop purchasing or promoting an employer’s products due to a poor employee experience.
65% of adults say they would be less likely to purchase goods and services from a company that had laid them off.
96% of companies believe employer brand and reputation can positively or negatively impact revenue, less than half (44%) monitor that impact.

Negative Reviews Triggered By Poor Layoff Experiences Has Nearly Doubled in Two Years

The proportion of candidates who reported shared that negative perception with others nearly doubled to 66%; in 2017 branding study, only 38% of job seekers had reported sharing their negative views.
Employees who were given outplacement or career assistance following a layoff were 38% less likely to harbor a negative perception of their former employer.
Those who received outplacement and career assistance were also 3x more likely to continue purchasing that company’s offerings after the separation event.

Millennials Are Even More Jaded By, and More Vocal About, Being Let Go

While baby boomers are twice as likely than millennials to report having experienced a layoff or termination in their careers, millennials are 22% more likely than baby boomers to develop a negative perception of the employers who laid them off–an increase of 14%.
Millennials are 2.5x more likely than Gen-Xers to share negative views of past employers on social media.
Overall, millennials were:
- less likely to apply to a company after reading poor employer reviews;
- more open to switching jobs after witnessing poor employer practices; and
- more likely to share their opinions of employers on review sites and social media compared to Gen-Xers and baby boomers.

Facebook Tops the List of Most Frequented Sites to Research Employer Brand Beyond Company Website

The most popular go-to resource to learn about company brand and culture is, once again, the company’s online presence, website and social media, with 63% of Job Seekers reporting that they visit these sites after learning about a job opening—an 11% jump in two years.
The most visited site beyond the company’s website when researching a potential employer was Facebook (47%), followed by Employer Review Sites (41%), and then LinkedIn (28%).
68% of Millennials visit employer’s social media properties specifically to evaluate the employer’s brand, 12% more than Gen-Xers and 20% more than Boomers.
Millennials are also twice as likely than Boomers and 50% more likely than Gen-Xers to research beyond the company website, visiting an average two social media platforms or review sites before deciding to apply.

Unhappy Employees Also Most Typically Apply for Jobs Blindly

Compared to the “happiest employees” who rated their current employers highly, the “unhappiest employees” were:

5x more likely to apply for a position without performing additional research about a potential employer.
44% less likely to say they consider a company’s employer brand before applying for a job.
Over twice as likely to be actively looking for a new job today.

Conversely, the “happiest employees” are more discerning about the next company they work for:

84% perform additional research before applying for a job.
40% more likely to perform research beyond the company website.

We live in an age where the decisions we make about where to eat, what movie to watch, and now where to work will likely be influenced by an online reviews, social presence or reviews generated by peers, not companies. This reality illustrates the shifting balance of power from employers to employees. Organisations that continue to neglect their employer brand and reputation, especially those looking to hire from the millennial-majority workforce, risk losing out on the best talent today, and even more so tomorrow.

January 2, 2018 by Julie McGrath

We have been keeping a close eye on the most in demand Software Developer Jobs and demand for Skills within the last quarter of the year!

So in 2018, what are the tech skills employers look for the most?

The percentage of job listings with Python has overtaken C# as the third most in-demand skill. The most notable change since Q2 is the jump in demand for Java by 8%. Although it comes second place to JavaScript, it’s the skill which has grown most rapidly in popularity in the second half of the year. The rise in demand for Python skills may relate to the surge in development of machine learning and AI in the UK.

Despite ongoing political and economic uncertainty, businesses are optimistic and are
continuing with their recruitment plans in 2018. For the IT sector there is an unprecedented demand that exists for skilled technology professionals, driven by regulatory changes, digital transformation projects and a continued emphasis on cyber security.

The competition for talent in the sector is intensifying, and for employers looking at
other ways to attract and retain skilled candidates is essential to avoid the negative
consequences of skills shortages such as a decrease in productivity, low employee
morale and hampered growth.

To find out more information on how you can make your business ready to attract top talent, or if you are a developer and you want advice on some of the best companies to work for in your area then please get in touch or call 0330 2233047

StackOverFlow

November 27, 2017 by Julie McGrath

Facebook could be seen as going for the jugular while LinkedIn sits in stasis following its the acquisition by Microsoft. Microsoft may find itself on the back foot when it finally gets the reigns of the largest job network, LinkedIn. I’m talking of course about the new initiative by Facebook that’ll allow business pages to start posting job adverts.

Facebook are certainly not afraid to take on competitors, like their battle with Snap Inc, via Instagram through the stories feature. Facebook have also been running an aggressive campaign globally to try and get their live features off the ground.

With the global staffing market being worth £429 billion, you can stake on Facebook capitalising on the massive potential of this new initiative.

facebook vs linkedin

So what are Facebook doing exactly?

Facebook has released the ability for company pages to post job openings and subsequently review the application they receive, all within Facebook. What makes this more interesting is that you can auto-fill your application with your company details, while communicate easily with the applicants through your company page messenger app, giving you a process that is automated, simple and quick.

In their recent press-release explaining the product, Facebook made it clear they understand the problem businesses have for filing job places with their quote “40% of UK small businesses report that filling jobs was more difficult than they expected.” Facebook then expressed their interest in solving that issue, so could this mean another recruitment killer or an opportunity for the savvy recruiter?

Facebook is a social media platform that is already seeing tremendous growth with a massive 1.87 billion active users. It could prove to be an extremely lucrative platform in which you can fill your job openings. But, the most burning questions is: “Wouldn’t company owners now skip Recruiters, and go place their jobs on Facebook?”

There’s two ways to think of this, the first is as a recruiter you’re offering expertise and superior knowledge in the acquisition of the right candidates, saving the employer time and money through the selection and hiring process. Look at it as a web-designer might. Sure anyone could build a website with one of the many pieces of software that makes is easy, but a smart company would hire an experienced professional in the field who’ll create a truly unique and well-designed product that will make the client money and save them time.

My second way of thinking about this is a true innovative individual always sees the opportunity in danger. Facebook has subsequently opened its gates to a massive database of potential candidates – making your job easier. When this platform comes to Europe learn it and master it, so you can add another string to your bow. Either post your client openings on your Facebook company page for these companies, or get control of their company page and set it up better than they ever could.

Additional Benefits

If you’re working with a high volume of candidates Facebook has said that you’ll be able to download the relevant information through CSV (Excel Spreadsheet) that you’ll then be able to upload into your CRM, and then work your magic on them.

Facebook is great at seeing the monetary gain in their initiatives, so expect some kind of power feature where you’ll be able to allocate some of your budget to get your job postings out to a very specific segmentation of potential candidates.

Unlike LinkedIn, Facebook sees a great majority of its user’s activity during their downtime, away from the prying eyes of their co-workers they’ll be certainly more likely to look at potential jobs that fit their bill. Couple this with the envy of seeing the highlights of your successful friends lives wanting you to peruse a more interesting / high salary job. You’ve got yourself a good number of potential candidates that are engaged and looking for a new job.

Facebooks Algorithm will make your job postings appear often for your biggest fans. To deal with the sheer influx of information that appears on the average persons newsfeed, Facebook developed an algorithm that gives precedence to content from pages and people you engage with. Be engaging with your Facebook activity and create a loyal following who’re liking your content and your posted jobs will be a regular site on their newsfeed.

The new jobs feature gives the company a page a separate tab – Which means savvy employers will be able to use this as a Landing Page, in which they can send out to potential candidates.

The fact you can communicate with you applicants through messenger will be extremely powerful. Facebook messenger has a huge amount of active users, who’ll enjoy the novelty and convenience of communicating directly with an agency. This makes it perfect to get quick concise answers to speed up the turnaround time, placing the right candidate quicker.

Wrap up

Recruitment on Facebook isn’t something that’s entirely new, and many Recruiters have used sponsored posts and large engaged followings to place candidates through this social media platform. Yet this new job feature means Facebook are capitalising in on this missing link, and will certainly throw their weight into making it a success.

We suggest you learn all you can for your Facebook strategies and prepare for this feature to come to Europe. Because if you don’t, you’ll be sure your competitors will.

Could this truly take LinkedIn off the #1 spot?

The staffing market is something that’s been in LinkedIn’s court for so long that they’ve perfected a system that has been successfully used by Recruiters all over the world. With things like their premium Recruiter platform, LinkedIn has capitalised on this market in a big way so don’t expect them to roll over anytime soon, or even lose their spot.

If you require any further support with your Recruitment plans, or want to know more on how we can advertise your Job over social media please send us a DM, PM, IM, email or just simply call 0330 2233 047

Harriet Davis – The Recruitment Network.

July 11, 2017 by Julie McGrath

Boost for Shropshire Jobs as £11.2m investment is secured!

Boost for thousands more homes and businesses as Connecting Shropshire announces £11.2m contract

Connecting Shropshire has announced that Airband Community Internet Ltd will be the delivery partner for the next phase of Shropshire Council’s superfast broadband programme.

Since 2002, Airband has been providing high-speed wireless broadband access to rural areas. The Worcester-based company will be responsible for delivering superfast broadband to over 14,000 homes and businesses in the Shropshire Council area over the next three years.

Airband will be deploying wireless broadband, which works by sending a signal from a transmitter on a mast, to a receiver attached to the property. A cable is then run into the building allowing the end-user to access the internet in the same way as any other broadband connection.

Councillor Nic Laurens, Shropshire Council cabinet member with responsibility for broadband, said: “I am delighted that we have secured a technology partner that can deliver superfast broadband to some of the most rural parts of the county. When this contract is completed, we expect 98% of premises in the Council area to have access to superfast broadband. This means that even more people living, working and visiting Shropshire will be able to benefit from access to faster internet connection speeds, enhancing their quality of life. The Connecting Shropshire programme runs till 2020 and will continue to work towards providing superfast broadband to all premises without access to it and we remain confident in being able to achieve this aspiration.”

Graham Wynn OBE, Chairman of the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) said: “Slow internet speeds are a significant barrier to business growth, which is why we secured just over £5m in our Growth Deal with Government to help us address the issue working with our partner, Shropshire Council. As well as connecting up thousands of businesses with superfast broadband, this investment is also expected to boost our regional economy by around £220m.”

Redmond Peel, Managing Director of Airband, commented: “We are delighted to have won the contract to deploy our fixed wireless network in Shropshire. Knowing how essential high-speed broadband is, we are looking forward to working with local residents and businesses to provide fast and reliable internet connections.”

“Our experience of building masts to deploy wireless broadband services in the Midlands, Wales, Dartmoor and Exmoor has given us extensive insight into dealing with the geographical challenges that we will come across in Shropshire. Our solution uses state-of-the-art radio technology, ensuring high-speed connections where fibre broadband is not available. Using wireless overcomes many of the speed and reliability issues that are experienced with long copper cable lengths, meaning that many who have long suffered from poor broadband due to their locality will soon be able to access speeds comparable to those of their urban counterparts.”

Frequently asked questions

Q. Why is this a good outcome for Shropshire?

A. An extra 14,170 premises will get a superfast broadband connection from this contract. This is 88% of gap areas we included in the procurement.

Q. What about the gaps. When will you resolve these?

A. We have a balance of funding and will look at seeking a solution to provide superfast broadband for the remaining gap areas now this procurement is complete. We remain confident that we can provide a superfast solution to all our premises by 2020.

Q. Why have you decided to award the contract to Airband?

A. A primary requirement for the Council was to procure a solution that provided inclusive coverage in our most rural areas. Airband have demonstrated that they have a technical solution for the Shropshire geography, which will provide the best coverage outcome within the budget that was available.

Q. When will the contract start?

A. Immediately from July. Some sites can be enabled relatively quickly with 7,000 being within reach of a connection by the end of winter 2017.

Q. When will the Airband contract finish?

A. Winter 2019/Spring 2020

Q. Why’s it taken so long to conclude the procurement, which was launched back in November?

A. Spending public money (State Aid) on telecommunication solutions is a complicated procedure. As a result a number of assurances and processes have had to be undertaken by ourselves and partners to meet strict EU legislation. The verification and evaluation of the bids needed to be rigorous to ensure the Council made the right choice and was not open to challenge.

Q. How much is the Airband contract worth and how much is Airband contributing?

A. The contract is valued £11.2m. Airband are contributing £1.4m capital. In addition Airband are contributing £19m operational expenditure.

Q. How much money has Shropshire Council committed to the Airband contract?

A. Shropshire – £2.24m

Q. Where has the other funding come from?

A. Broadband Delivery UK and Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
BDUK – £5.29m LEP – £2.27m

Q. Is wireless an inferior technology to a fibre optic (wired) solution?

A. Wireless technologies have continued to evolve and now provide the same broadband speed capabilities as a fibre optic solution with the same resilience. The technology has been approved as a compliant technology.

Q. How will you mitigate the adverse visual impact of masts on the Shropshire countryside?

A. Airband has recently completed deployment of a new wireless network across the National Parks of Exmoor and Dartmoor. They have excellent experience of working with stakeholders with interests in sensitive landscapes.

Connecting Shropshire will work closely with Airband, Shropshire Council’s planning department and other key stakeholders to ensure this contract is deployed to the benefit of all our communities. Mitigations of visual impacts include: re-using existing infrastructure, locating below the skyline, planting, painting etc.

Q. How high will the masts be and where will they be?

A. Existing commercial masts and buildings will be used wherever possible. Some new masts will need to be built. In many cases, new masts will resemble telegraph poles. Airband will work within the Planning guidance process which has purposely been relaxed by the Government to encourage the roll-out of Telecommunications equipment to address the frustrations of communities. Where required, full consultation processes will be undertaken and in all cases we will work with communities to ensure information is shared prior to construction.

Q. Is wireless broadband more expensive for customers than fibre broadband?

A. Generally speaking, similar wireless and fibre packages have comparable costs.

Q. Is there a choice of internet service providers off the Airband network?

A. Yes, Airband build the infrastructure and provide a service to the customer, but they also wholesale their network out to other Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

Q. Am I in plan to benefit?

A. For an interactive map with a view of the planned/current NGA coverage in the Shropshire Council area up to 2020, go to: https://shropshire.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=ddc8d72666934ca4ab4f938050be4ee4.

Please be aware that the map is indicative and actual coverage may change depending on where the infrastructure is located. NGA infrastructure is capable of delivering 30mbps. To check availability, go to the Airband website and enter your postcode: https://home.airband.co.uk/coverage/. You will then be able to register your interest in the project and be kept up to date on progress.

Q. When will I get access?

A. The build is split into phases, with phase 1 due for completion at the end of winter 2017. Further information will be added to the Connecting Shropshire website as the first phase progresses.

Q. How does the system work?

A. Airband technology relies on ‘Line of Sight’, which means that the receiver on your property needs to have a clear view of one of the Airband transmitters. In the design and planning phase of the project, Airband use advanced software to map each property and establish where a connection can be achieved, without the need to complete an onsite survey for each property.

Q. What does the Airband equipment look like?

A. The receiver that will be installed to your property is a small, lightweight piece of equipment – about the size of a 2-pint milk carton. Where your property is a bit further away from our transmitter, the receiver will have a round, mini dish-like attachment.

Q. Will it cost more?

A. There will be a number of different providers and monthly packages available depending on the speed you require.

Connecting Shropshire

Python overtakes JavaScript as most queried language on Stack Overflow

Interested in a career change using Java, Javascript or Python, check out some of our latest jobs here!