Got a technical interview coming up? If so, I don’t need to tell you this will be mostly about proving all of the technical dexterity you claim to have on your CV. But even as an experienced developer, you would be at risk of selling yourself short if you were to forget these five tips ahead of your technical interview:
Continue reading 5 tips to help you smash your technical interview
In the UK, Hays has recently surveyed over 14,000 people to find out what applicants want at each stage of the hiring process. The report found that some of the biggest deal breakers that deter applicants can be addressed employers, but only if they’re prepared to invest where it matters most.
To do this, they must be aware the experience they are offering their candidates and learn what their issues are along the journey. Although this research was conducted in the UK, the findings and associated recommendations are all globally relevant.
Continue reading Podcast 3: How to improve your hiring processes
“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn, Founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
Continue reading Using mindfulness to improve how we work together
If you were asked for your favourite aspect of contracting, I’m guessing you’d say the freedom. As an independent contractor, you can choose who you work for and which contracts to take. You’re free to decide where you work and how you manage your time.
However, as a contractor, you’ll also realise that this freedom comes at a cost. There’s no consistent, guaranteed work to fall back on. As a result, you may see empty spells between contracts. You may even be facing this common downside to contract employment currently.
An uncertain employment status can be unnerving, to say the least. So, how can you keep your spirits up and stay positive as a contractor between jobs?
You might want to allow yourself a period of annual leave. As a contract worker, you likely prioritise job opportunities over time off. Taking some time off between contract roles can help to redress your work life balance.
Depending on your location, a gap between contracts can also help to simplify your tax returns (such as IR35 status in the UK). Breaks in a contract can help to avoid confusion if you work with the same contract employer full time and long-term.
Above all, a gap between contracts can give you time to consider your career path. Review your progress as a sole trader and consider your next move carefully. As a contractor between jobs, embrace the mental space and clarity of thought that comes from time off work.
As a contractor, you clearly work well when given a project. Start off by seeing your gap between contracting jobs as another project. This approach will help you to feel more in control of your current situation. You may not be in permanent employment, but you’re not strictly unemployed either.
Put together a project plan for your job search and set yourself goals and time frames for reaching it. Make sure your plan includes the following actions:
Time off between contract jobs is the perfect time to host a retrospective. Review your recent contract work and consider how this will inform your next applications:
Take note of the contracts that allowed you to flourish. Start to build a picture of your ideal clients. And compile a list of the types of work that you don’t want to pursue in the future.
You should also consider what you learnt in terms of new skills and achievements. It might be worth updating your CV to reflect recent contracts of employment. Did you learn to use any new software? Did you gain valuable experience managing stakeholder expectations?
Read up on CV tips and how to manage your personal brand. Writing down your achievements will give you a confidence boost. Take this time to remind yourself of how much you are growing as a professional.
At this stage, you should feel ready to start a more tailored search for your next contract.
Start by touching base with your preferred recruitment agencies, if you haven’t already. Meet up with your recruiter for a catch up and give them an update on your latest job search preferences and newly acquired skills.
You can also get in touch with contacts from previous contracts. See if previous clients or employers can make any introductions for you or whether they have any upcoming work.
Whilst you’re reaching out – ask for endorsements. Your contacts might not have a contract role right now, but they could support your job search indirectly. As always, networking is about giving and taking, so offer to reciprocate whatever you ask of them.
You might also join a professional association or attend networking events and industry exhibitions. Meeting with other employed contractors can offer guidance and support in a sometimes lonely working life. Industry events are also a great chance to expand your professional circles. As a contractor between jobs, the more people you know, the more chance you have of finding an opportunity.
Staying motivated during your job search isn’t always easy. There will be times when you experience application or interview fatigue. It’s vital to take regular breaks to recharge your batteries.
Remember: you wouldn’t work every hour of the day and let yourself burn out when working on projects for contracts. Your “project job search” shouldn’t be any different.
So, define set periods for job searching activity. Give yourself downtime to see friends, exercise and relax. By maintaining a positive work–life balance, you will be better positioned to regroup and remind yourself why you chose contracting in the first place.
Lastly, think about what you are yet to learn. It’s essential that you never stop developing relevant skills. Are there any gaps in your knowledge that could be useful in the future? Take your time off between contracts to add strings to your bow. Consider learning a new technology, tool or associated skill.
If you’re struggling for ideas, revisit your career objectives from when you started your previous contract. Where did this position fall short in helping you meet them? For instance, you might have wanted to improve your presentation skills in your last role, but you weren’t given the opportunity to do so. There are many ways to upskill, try:
Learning new skills will make you more attractive to employers for your next contract role. Importantly, you’ll also have something topical to discuss in your next interview.
Contracting is a fantastic solution for many professionals who seek flexibility, autonomy and variety. However, as a contractor between jobs, you need to stay positive and proactive. If you use this time effectively, “project unemployment” will soon become “project new job”.
Ah, the ever important job advert. No matter how technology changes the way employers sell themselves to candidates; whether it’s giving Virtual Reality tours of the office, or accepting “Snaplications” via Snapchat – job adverts will always remain key to attracting talent. I’ve spoken before on how to get this right, and which mistakes to avoid. But one area I am yet to cover, is the matter of job advert clichés.
You would be forgiven for succumbing to these oh so punchy phrases, because they often seem like the clearest and quickest way to sell the unique selling points of your employer brand. The problem is, if you use them too much, and without any evidence to back them up, then the phrases become tired clichés. If you want to stand out in the candidate’s memory, you are going to need to add a bit more substance to your job advert. With this in mind, here’s how to turn those seemingly unavoidable clichés, into something much more compelling:
Let’s start with a phrase which is fairly harmless, but also quite weak as a standalone point. More often than not, a jobseeker will be sat there looking at multiple job adverts, all of which claiming to have a “sociable team”. Set yourself apart by giving examples of what your team do to socialise, and how often this is. For example:
“You would be joining a welcoming and friendly team of six people who like to socialise both inside and outside of work. We often go for lunch together on a Friday, and have quarterly team outings. Last quarter, for example, we played crazy golf and went for pizza.”
Your objective here is to allow the candidate to picture integrating with their potential colleagues, and the best way to do this is by being descriptive and specific about what you do to keep the dynamic friendly and interactive.
Similar to the above, an open and collaborative culture is something which every company may claim to have, but this won’t mean much to the candidate without evidence to support it.
What is it that makes your company culture open and collaborative? Is it the way the teams work with one another rather than in silo? For instance, the role you are hiring for may require the successful applicant to collaborate with certain teams specifically, and on a regular basis. Or is it the way people of different seniority levels come together to share their expertise? Some companies, for instance have reverse mentoring programmes or host feedback sessions with employees.
Whatever it is that defines your culture as open and collaborative, put pen to paper and prove this to the candidate.
Don’t be mistaken, you should definitely make it clear to the candidate that they would be joining a company that is going places, but again, give a bit more detail. Is your company growing its products and services, workforce, geographical reach or all of the above? And how has this growth come about? Most importantly, how does this relate to the role you’re hiring for? For example:
“Our organisation has gone from strength to strength since it was founded 25 years ago. Over the past decade we have expanded and improved our services across Europe, and just last year, we set up 9 offices in Central America. We are now looking for a Marketing Executive who can manage our global accounts in these regions.”
Don’t sell yourself short by simply saying you are a growing company. Use this as a chance to tell your story, and make it relevant to the candidate.
Again, this is another important point to get across on your job advert, but this has to be done properly. Future thinking jobseekers aren’t going to want to work for a company that is likely to get left behind the times, because this poses a risk to their own career path. They need the assurance that their employer is innovative and competitive. But just like the previous example, without any evidence, the term -“a forward thinking company” becomes just another cliché.
How can you prove that your company well and truly has their finger on the pulse? Do you publish any thought leadership content covering future trends and insights? Are there any press interviews or coverage of your business leaders giving their expert opinion on changes within the industry? Have you innovated any of your products or services recently in response to these changes? If you can provide evidence that your company is one step ahead, then this will say that you are a forward thinking company, without you actually having to say it.
Yes, you would be correct in thinking that all of the above phrases are reflective of what candidates look for in an opportunity. But if you use them on the job advert, without backing these claims up, then the phrase soon becomes a tired cliché and the candidate loses interest in applying for your role. If, however, you can bring these phrases to life with anecdotes and evidence, you allow the candidate to imagine day to day life at your organisation, and hopefully, themselves becoming a part of it.
Everyone likes a challenge every now and again, even at work. It can get your blood pumping, your brain ticking, and reignite your passion for what you do. And, overcoming a challenge successfully can often serve as the reboot your career needs.
But there’s a fine line between a challenge and a struggle.
We’ve all been there – you’re asked to work on a development project that uses a technology you don’t know, or perhaps a project has been dumped on you with a poorly defined technical scope. This leaves you floundering and frustrated, and it’s on you, and you only, to come up with the goods. So, what do you do now, bar resisting the temptation to run for the exit?
Whatever you do, don’t run.
Feeling stumped is a common feeling for most developers. Every day, you’re faced with problems where you have to find a solution. And the best developers are those who can find these solutions quickly and with a cool head. Here are some of their tricks:
First up – resist the temptation to panic. Take a moment to get some perspective and stop being so hard on yourself.
No matter how it might feel, you’re not expected to know everything (No, really, you’re not.) So, whatever you do, don’t dwell on what you don’t know. Nothing good will come of that. Instead, focus on overcoming your pride and being proactive in finding the answers you’re looking for.
Changing your frame of mind is the first battle. Switch your perspective and focus on finding a solution, not on dwelling on the problem and how poorly equipped you feel to tackle it.
There’s no shame in asking for help and it’s one of the only ways you’re ever going to really learn. The best developers know how important it is to use all the resources they have available to them. And, over time, they are able to quickly build their knowledge, and their confidence, helping them to better tackle issues head-on.
So:
Your learning is exactly that: your learning and no one else’s. So, own it. The best developers know this, and this mentality serves them well for a successful and fruitful development career. And, by adopting a lifelong learning mentality, they feel more confident in dealing with difficult situations as and when they pop up.
They know that they cannot, and must not, rely solely on their employer to give them the training and support they need now and in the future. They are always proactive about filling the gaps in their knowledge and keeping up with rapidly evolving industry trends. In fact, the 2018 Stack Overflow Global Developer Hiring Landscape report also revealed that almost 90% of all developers have taught themselves a new language, framework or tool outside of their formal education.
There’s nothing stopping you doing the same. Make the time to stack and build your own projects. And keep upskilling so you are ready to fill any emerging skills gaps as they appear. Teaching yourself new skills by working on a real-life professional challenge is often the best way to improve as you are learning by doing.
They are so many tools out there to help you do this, so use them.
And that leads me nicely on to my next point. You must also consider longer-term investments in learning. Among professional developers, almost half have taken an online course like a MOOC, and about a quarter have participated in a hackathon.
An (MOOC) is a flexible and accessible online course that you can complete at your own pace. This option is a good method to help you update your skills and is usually available without charge.
A hackathon can also boost your development skills and your employability. In addition to building your technical prowess, it’s a safe environment to enhance your soft skills such as communication, presentation and collaboration.
MOOCs and hackathons will help you build your development network in the online and offline worlds, respectively. But there are many other routes to build this network, as I outlined in my previous blog.
You could, for instance, connect at an organised meetup, attend industry events or join an online community. What’s more, by getting involved in the wider development community, you will be building your soft skills at the same time. This participation has the knock-on effect of improving your ability to communicate your concerns and challenges at work to help you get the help you need.
As a developer, you are going to continue to face problems and challenges, especially as digital transformation takes hold. But, as shown above, you can protect yourself from becoming obsolete by changing your perspective, asking for help from relevant sources and continuing to learn.
Remember that this is an ongoing process. Feelings of inadequacy will recur if you neglect to evolve your skill set, keep up with the changing pace of technology and fail to remain relevant in today’s workforce.
You know that feeling: you’ve been in the same job for so long, you could probably do it in your sleep. Panic starts to set in and you start thinking you’ll probably be doing the same thing, day-in-day-out for the rest of your career.
Stop. It doesn’t have to be that way. Now is the time to take back control and consider your options, including whether a lateral move is a good idea. In our last blog, we spoke about the three different career paths that are typically open to developers. If you haven’t read that piece, then I recommend you bookmark this one, and read that first.
Understandably for some, spending years relentlessly climbing a steep career ladder, while actually spending less and less time coding isn’t appealing in the slightest. But it’s important to realise that reaching for the dizzy heights of CIO isn’t the only way you can progress your development career.
Having said that, many do wonder how they can move forward if they aren’t moving upward. The answer is simple – by exploring a sideways, or lateral career move. Working as a developer in the finance team and then moving to do a similar role in marketing, for example, increases your value to the organisation as you will learn how the departments connect and the ways in which they use technology.
So, if this sounds like this might be the right option for you, the below will help you clarify the decision in your mind, and importantly, provide advice on how you can put the wheels in motion.
A lateral move – if done right – no longer puts your career on pause. In fact, quite the opposite can be true. Possible benefits include:
Nonetheless, you need to be aware of the perceived downsides of this kind of career move:
I’d say that the benefits of making a sideways move definitely outweigh the negatives. However, before you make any kind of decision, it’s important to ensure you are making the move for the right reasons. A sideways move is by no means a quick fix. We all know that, particularly if you’re desperately unhappy in your current role, it can be easy to make snap decisions – don’t fall into this trap.
Now that you’ve decided that yes, you would like to explore a sideways move, you must ensure you are fully prepared to make the move.
Here are the next steps I would recommend you take:
Now, the next decision – should you try to move internally, within your current organisation, or look for opportunities elsewhere?
If you think an internal move might be the best option for you, approach your line manager for an open conversation about possible opportunities. Most managers should be receptive to your ideas on career progression. Ensure you convey to them that you want to stay with the company and progress your career using a lateral move. Explain how diversifying will have a positive impact on the organisation and remember to offer suggestions for the benefits your internal move could bring. As a first step, you could suggest that you shadow existing roles to determine which path you find most interesting.
If an internal sideways move isn’t possible, accept it is time to move on. Fortunately, there are a huge range of options for external lateral moves within development. One-third of developers want to work in a different or more specialised technical role in the next five years, according to the 2018 Stack Overflow Global Developer Hiring Landscape report.
I hope this blog has gone some way to challenging misconceptions that a sideways career move is not a good idea. The last message I’d like to leave you with is that this, as with all career decisions, should be properly thought out, and you should be confident you are making this move for the right reasons. If you are, and you are open in your discussions with your organisation, it will help to enhance your employability in the years ahead.
