Sam Russell, Author at Foxtek

If you were a hiring manager for a .NET Core role, would you rather someone with…?

A) 10 years total .NET experience, 2 in .NET Core….

B) 5 years total .NET experience, 4 in .NET Core….

In my limited experience, the answer seems to be ……B! ✔

I am new to the market, but I have noticed this pattern emerging and I am keen to find out why.

Candidates with half of the development experience seem to be favoured for these roles and I am wondering if it is because they have spent a higher % of their career using that specific technology or simply a coincidence?

What do you think?

One of the first lessons that every junior recruiter learns is how to separate someone who is genuinely available for a new role, and someone who is just curious to hear what’s out there. This is particularly relevant in the freelance world🌎

However, with the introduction of tech tests and multi-stage interviews, is it really worth exploring until you’re ready?

Here are some of the common filters we use to figure out whether it’s actually time for you to move on👇

“My contract finishes at the end of next month.”📆

Okay, but would you accept an extension if you were offered one?
If the answer is yes, your first port of call should be to speak to your recruiter or your line manager about an extension.

“I have just started a new role and it isn’t living up to my expectations.”🥱

Have you discussed this with your manager yet? We often find that just delivering this feedback will lead to positive action.

“I’d like some more money.”🤑

Start with WHY? Is that extra €5/hour worth rolling the dice and leaving a role you enjoy? Too often I hear candidates say “recruiters are calling me up and offering €€€”. Is that just to de-stabilise you, or is it a concrete job offer?

“When I joined, the role was remote, but now they are talking about going back to the office.”📍

This has been very common in the last 12-months, but I haven’t seen many examples of it being firmly enforced. Before taking drastic measures, try to get some clear timescales with your line manager.

“I’m looking to find something more interesting.”💡

Are you clear on what more interesting looks like? Take some time to draw up some criteria about what interesting actually means. Once you’ve done this, you can communicate it to recruiters that you trust and avoid jumping into another mundane role.

Hope this helps🤝

Becoming a Freelancer for the first time can be daunting and there are plenty of steps to ensure you have a smooth and stress-free transition. Below, I have listed some tips that I have picked up over the last few years!

📄 Handing in your notice – Possibly the most daunting aspect of going Freelance for the first time. When should you do this? Should you wait until you have a Freelance role secured? Should you just hand it in / pre-agree a reduced notice with your employer before you have found anything? This is down to personal preference, but in my experience, it favours you to take the leap and hand it in! Availability is a focus when a freelance role arises, and it often comes down to who can start first. Things will get very busy towards the end of the month, and you might need to make snap a decision in the last week!

💵 Rate – It’s very important to do research into what rate to enter the market at. You don’t want to sell yourself short, but you also don’t want to go in at an unattainable rate. Speaking to a trusted manager, a Freelancer on your level or a specialist recruiter could be a good place to start.

📝 Contracts – Coming from a permanent role, a soft landing is often (not always) what people prefer. Entering straight into a secure longer-term role is ideal but be open to starting off in a short-term contract. That initial 3 months could extend for years!

✈ Travel – Especially now people want remote more than ever. Maybe check out transport routes and consider a few locations you would consider traveling to (if required) to give yourself that competitive edge.

🖼 Your personal brand – It is essential to maintain your personal brand to help market yourself to clients, and it’s an area people often neglect. Your CV and LinkedIn profile are usually a client’s first impressions of you. Make sure you keep these up to date with as much detail as possible with a clear layout. Secondly, self-develop. Ensure to keep up to date with the tech you want to use and keep ahead of the market trends. Thirdly, Get references. I appreciate candidates often don’t want to share the information of previous managers, but some candidates keep a list of references to share, and clients often really appreciate this!

Great! You have landed your first freelance role! Once you have started there are still a few things you need to consider to ensure all goes smoothly:

🔊 Communicate – Make sure to be clear with your manager and the team about your progress or any problems.
❓ Don’t be afraid to ask questions – Nothing worse for a client than a Freelancer who takes a day to figure something out because they didn’t ask for help.
🕔 If you are unwell or running late, phone ahead! Your client will appreciate the professional courtesy (Surprisingly, people don’t always do this).

These are just some of the points I have picked up over the last few years! I am sure there is plenty more advice to give so make sure to do your own research and if you know anyone who has made the leap themself, ask what hints and tips they picked up along the way.

Why Should You Become a Freelancer?

I’d like to discuss the benefits of working as a freelance developer, based on conversations I’ve had with developers over the last few months…

As I’m sure many developers are aware, there’s a huge market for Freelancers right now.

With that comes a lot of opportunities…

Flexibility- Having more choice on working hours 32 or 40 (getting that 3-day weekend in!)
Financial- You’ll get a large increase in your pay!
Experience- You can have roles in different sectors, start-up/scale-up companies, varying projects
Technology- Able to try out different technologies for each project- maybe you want a D3.js project on your CV?
Holiday- With freelance projects you have the opportunity to work full-time for 3/6 months and then take as much time off as you want before your next role…

What advice would you give someone considering the move into freelance, is it worth the risk?

When the market for development talent is so stretched, can companies afford not to hire freelancers?🤔

It’s no secret that the market for Developers in the Netherlands is nearly at a breaking point.

A booming Dutch tech economy, coupled with the lack of incoming talent due to travel restrictions, has left the employment market short on job seekers🔍

For the first time in my career, I’m being approached by developers who want to start freelancing because their current company is “under-staffed”, and there is too much pressure on them😓

They want to escape that environment and see freelancing as a route to that.

Yet I still speak to many companies who are reluctant to hire freelancers due to the perceived costs, but is it worth losing your permanent staff over?

When good developers are so challenging to find and expensive to replace, surely it’s worth biting the freelance bullet for 6-months?📆

It will enable you to keep your projects on track and allow your current team some breathing room.

Have you found yourself or your colleagues turning to freelance due to an unmanageable workload?

You’ve just received a great offer from a company you’ve interviewed with.

Your current employer makes you a counter-offer.

What should your next move be?

STOP AND THINK.

If the only reason you were interviewing in the first place was to use it as leverage to negotiate a better deal with your current employer, then it’s mission accomplished.

However, a lot of the time the counter-offer will come as a surprise, so you need to consider your options thoroughly.

Ask yourself WHY you wanted to leave in the first place.

Extra money is simply a tactic to try and convince you to stay.

It doesn’t solve the lack of career growth.

It doesn’t solve boring projects.

It doesn’t solve poor management.

It doesn’t solve inflexible working arrangements.

It’s like putting paper over the cracks.

Accepting a counter-offer also poses risks.

The relationship with your employer has been damaged – the level of trust and loyalty may not be the same, which could affect future promotions.

Future expected salary increases may not materialise as they’ve raised your salary already.

Make sure you’re not blinded by the money and weigh up all of the pros and cons before making your decision.

A common theme when chatting to Developers is that they’re searching for a company where they can truly get behind a product.

This can mean agreeing with its moral mission or even just taking pride in its reach and influence on users.

A sense of purpose is many people’s source of motivation, and Developers are no different. It’s also evident when a team’s motivation is driving the development forward.

Yes, more money and the chance to work on a technically challenging product are also important factors to consider, but this can feel empty without the knowledge that your work is directly impacting users lives.

How does belief in a company’s product affect your motivation, and is it a deciding factor when you search for a new challenge?

WHAT DOES A ‘GOOD’ BENEFITS PACKAGE LOOK LIKE TO YOU?

Recently I put together a Poll posing a question;

‘What is the MOST important thing developers look for when considering new opportunities?’

I asked you answered.

There was an apparent outcome telling me what’s most important to developers.

36% of you said it’s being able to attain the BEST Salary & Benefits package possible.

So for a scale-up trying to stand out from the crowd, it’s critical to offer a package that makes a developer feel valued!

I guess Salary speaks for itself… BUT I appreciate not all companies have the same budgets, so other scale-ups need to get inventive.

What else can be offered as an alternative to salary, that still makes a package attractive to the talent companies seek?

I’ve seen a lot of different approaches including;

– Education budgets
– Company holidays
– Travel / Car allowances
– Home Office Budgets

These really do help, but I feel they’re not always unique and attractive enough to make an impact.

I want to hear from my community once more though; What OTHER benefits can companies offer that turn the heads of top talent?

Which benefits are the most attractive to you? Why are most important?

ATTENTION HIRING MANAGERS – ‘Unicorn’ Developers can be very hard to find!

When companies are scaling, finding the right people is critical to success.

I speak to a lot of hiring managers who are ONLY looking for developers who tick every box on their job spec…

This often leads to frustration & increased time-to-hire, as finding perfect candidates or ‘Unicorns’ can be a huge challenge in such a competitive market!

So, how do I suggest managers tackle this?

– First, align internally with ALL stakeholders to establish what is needed & when it’s needed by.

– Next, draw up a list of true KNOCKOUT criteria that candidates MUST have in order to function effectively in the role. ☑

– Then, establish and prioritise the ‘BONUS POINTS’ that would give them a head start in the role. 🚀

Anything else that they can learn or pick up easily? You guessed it, probably not a knockout criteria.

This should bring the following to your hiring process:

– Clear, calculated job requirements to identify RELEVANT candidates & establish which are the best match
– Opportunity to teach bonus skills to candidates your company’s way

I guess the point I’m trying to make is;

It’s unlikely you’ll be able to find a Unicorn, so sometimes it’s easier & better to mould one!

Developers – How much attention do you give to your Github?

I speak to more & more companies who use Github as a way to judge a candidate’s relevance & skills, sometimes even before an initial interview.

This means you could be discounted before you even get a chance to speak to a future employer!

An untidy github can lead to hiring managers asking certain questions;

‘Would they code in this way if they worked for my company?’

So before starting a job search, I recommend making some amendments here:

– Take a look at your recent github projects; How clear is the code & formatting? Have a tidy up here.

– Add ReadMe files to projects to give more context; were you experimenting with a new technology? What else would you have added/changed if you had more time?️
– Are things looking a little quiet in terms of recent repo’s? Add any projects you’ve left off or even better, create new ones with the skills you aim to use in your next job!

Remember, first impressions are super important!

So, I suggest treating your github just like your CV – keep it up to date and presentable to give yourself the best chance at landing your next role!

.NET vs .NET Core

5 questions to ask yourself before considering your next freelance move

Top tips for landing your first freelance gig!

Why Should You Become a Freelancer?

When the market for development talent is so stretched, can you afford to say no to freelancers?

What should you do if you receive a counter-offer?

How important is believing in your product?

What does a GOOD benefits package look like to you?

Attention Hiring Managers – Unicorn Developers can be hard to find!

How much attention do you give to your Github?

contact our team.