Stuck on what research to do as prep for an interview?

September 26, 2023

1510

​It’s a very common piece of advice to give to candidates for them to ‘do their research’ before an interview in order to prepare, but sometimes this can be a little vague and candidates don’t know where to start when preparing for an initial interview with a new company. Here’s a pretty comprehensive list of the research you should do beforehand to prepare for & give yourself the best chance when introducing yourself to a potential new employer:

Researching the company itself

The best place to start is with a company’s website – from here you can gain a good understanding of what the company does, how they operate & the company’s culture. You can use it as a way to understand the different sectors & locations they operate in, the size of the company and more. Once you’ve checked out the main website of the company, check for a careers page to find out more about different benefits the company offer & investigate what they feel sets them apart from their competitors.

After diving into the direct sources of information about the company, it’s time to think a little further outside of the box. Using tools such as Glassdoor to check employee reviews, Googling them to find out news & articles of the company, will all formulate an extensive amount of knowledge in order to answer questions around what a company does & what you know about them.

Also, it’s a great way to generate a list of questions around parts of the company you wish to know more about, and ultimately shows you’ve gone above & beyond to prepare and show your interest in your potential new employer.

Understand the job role and responsibilities

Ensure you read the job specification carefully, to avoid any surprises in an interview. Identify in the experience section where you feel you’re strongest & where you feel you may be able to improve. Knowing these points allows you to display your strengths when questioned about your previous experience, whilst allowing you to be honest when asked about things you feel less confident with – interviewers always appreciate this honesty, as long as you show you’re willing to apply yourself and learn new things!

You want to be leaving the interview with as much clarity as possible about what working for a new company looks like, so here’s a perfect chance to ask those questions and build a true opinion on how this position will affect your career.

Know your interviewers

Ultimately a huge part of any interview process is your interviewers judging how well you will fit with your potential new colleagues & team-mates. No connection in an interview? Often this will be the quickest way to an unsuccessful outcome. You can have all of the knowledge and experience required for a role, but if the people you speak to can’t get along with you or connect with you, you won’t get very far.

The best way to avoid this is to research the people you’re meeting. Here, Linkedin is your friend. Investigating a hiring manager’s previous career path, mutual connections, interests & activity allows you to get an indication of the kind of individual they are. It may be that you both have a contact in common, both work with similar technologies or you see something on their profile that you’re also interested in – all of these things are hidden gems in an interview to build a relationship & get bonus points with an interviewer. Remember, ‘culture fit’ is something tested in one way or another in almost every interview, so showing you’re a match will go a long way in a company’s decision-making process.

Understand the logistics

This one seems a little obvious, but definitely worth a mention. Know the location for the interview, be clear of your route & ensure you leave plenty of time to get to your destination without risk of being late! Always check the address for a company’s office & understand what the journey entails, as this could be a route you follow many times in the future if you receive an offer and join the company!

Establish why you’re interested & what you like

Last but definitely not least, it’s important to have a good idea in your head WHY you’re interested in the company you’re interviewing with. Maybe it’s the technologies they work with? Maybe it’s the sector they operate in? Maybe it’s the growth opportunities & culture of the company? There’s many different reasons why a company might interest you, but it’s super important to identify these so you can really express your interest, passion & curiosity in the interview itself.

Above all, following these tips & ensuring you prepare thoroughly for any interview will give you the best chance, whilst also allowing you to gain as much knowledge about a potential new employer as possible and make informed decisions on companies you speak with.

In summary; Ask intelligent questions & give educated answers for the best chance moving forward!

Good luck 🙂

Getting it right as a first-time freelancer

September 26, 2023

1510

Taking the leap and starting your freelance career is like setting up any other business, it’s a time filled with excitement, but it can be daunting. You’ve made your decision for all of the right reasons; you want some more autonomy, you’re excited about meeting new people, working on different products and you’re loving the idea of learning new technologies. That’s without even mentioning the increase in pay.

Hopefully in this article you can pick up some useful points I’ve taken from client feedback and the feedback of more experienced freelancers.

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Preparing to freelance

  • Logistics – freelancing usually requires an extra degree of geographical flexibility. It helps to find how far you can feasibly travel on a daily basis. 60km may sound achievable in theory, but you don’t want to have to let your very first client down because you misjudged the traffic on that route. Try to figure out which main towns and cities you can easily reach.
  • Rate – this is often the most under-researched aspectwith new freelancers. I often have conversations where the only research has been to ask a far more experienced freelancer at their current company what they are making. My advice would be to seek the advice of people you trust. This might be a specialist recruiter; someone you respect in a managerial position or maybe seek out a freelancer of a similar experience level through LinkedIn.
  • Availability – leaving a secure job and jumping into the unknown is a tough thing to do, but the most successful first-time freelancers I’ve worked with have always either handed in their notice already or negotiated a reduced notice with their current company. Availability comes up in every single interview and in my experience when a client has multiple options, they will lean towards the person who is available sooner.
  • Skill set – this is for those of you who plan on going freelance eventually but aren’t ready yet. Don’t get stuck working with outdated technologies and try to avoid becoming a “generalist”. Freelancer roles are often created when an expert is needed. It’s rare that a company will hire a freelancer to do general tasks. They are usually brought on for their in-depth knowledge of a particular language or framework.
  • Keep an open mind – in an ideal world your first freelance role would be a 12-month contract with your dream company. In reality it might be only for 2-months, but that’s okay. That 2-month contract could be extended and last for 3 years. Alternatively, something you learn in those 2-months might help to secure you the dream job we were just talking about next time around.

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Building your personal brand

  • References – when you’re up and running as a freelancer try to get a written reference from every client you’ve worked at. It might sound obvious, and you might not want to share them with every recruiter you speak to. However, surprisingly few people actually keep a list of references and it’s a simple way to stand out from the crowd.
  • LinkedIn – keeping your LinkedIn up to date, populated in detail and maintaining a good network is excellent marketing for your business. Clients will often look up your profile ahead of an interview, a mutual connection can be a great conversation starter or even offer up a recommendation.
  • Take pride in your CV – as a freelancer your CV is a window to your business and the portfolio of your work so far. Would you brush past typos in your code, or leave formatting errors on your company website?
  • Self-develop – study the trends in the market and make sure you get ahead of them. Take up certifications and go to seminars on the next big technological advancement. The best developers I’ve worked with are active within their commmunity. Attending conferences, meet ups and completing courses will keep your CV up-to-date and improve your network.

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The best characteristics of a freelancer

  1. Communication – this is the most under-rated tool available to any freelancer. If I was going to pinpoint the number 1 reason that freelancers don’t work out, it’s definitely not technical ability.
    – Clear and regular communication around the progress of your work. Be honest, give detailed reports and manage expectations.
    – Don’t be afraid to ask questions. There is nothing more frustrating for a client than having someone take a day to figure something out which could have been resolved with a simple question (especially if that day costs them €700).
    – Phone ahead – if you’re unwell or your train is running late, 99% of clients don’t mind as long as you call ahead to let them know. It might feel like this is unnecessary when you’re self-employed but as a professional courtesy, it should be standard practice.
  2. Willingness to learn and take responsibility – while a client will hire you for your specialist knowledge, they might also need to utilize your experience on different parts of the project. Try to view this as a positive thing. A common theme in positive references I receive point to freelancers using their initiative to solve a problem outside of their field of expertise.

Some Things To Consider When Choosing A Recruiter

September 26, 2023

1510

​Finding a new role can be stressful, whether it’s born out of necessity or simply searching for that new challenge! Fortunately, an industry exists that should help this process go a little smoother. But, there are so many recruiters out there all fighting for your CV, who should represent you?

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1. How did they approach you?

The first (and perhaps most obvious) to consider is the method of approach. One thing that can frustrate people is to be bombarded with messages, emails, and calls without being given a reason to be interested or want to chat!

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Look out for signs that this recruiter has actually identified you as a relevant candidate.

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This could be as simple as them immediately sharing information on a relevant role or detailing why their services are going to be of particular use to you. Whilst receiving a call from an unknown number can sometimes be inconvenient, you should be able to tell in the first 10 seconds whether this recruiter is worth your time.

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The age of LinkedIn and the option to tick ‘Open to New Opportunities’ offers recruiters another method of reaching out, but this can sometimes feel a little impersonal.

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It’s noticeable when a recruiter has taken the time to really study your profile and add that personal touch in a message or connection request.

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2. Have they listened?

Often you will first have a phone call so that the recruiter can understand your situation and experience – this will dictate much of your future relationship.

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Are they asking relevant questions to determine what you’re actually looking for?

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Your career aspirations and your motivations are hugely important topics to cover if you’re going to find the right job (and it’s evident when a recruiter either hasn’t asked or doesn’t want to know!).

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There’s nothing more frustrating than the feeling you’ve not been listened to, and recruiters do sometimes have a reputation for neglecting to understand what’s important to a potential candidate; to simply ‘connect the dots’ and deliver technically relevant candidates to their clients.

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But that’s not to say that the technical side isn’t important too.

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If they’re not asking appropriate technical questions about your experience and previous roles, then it’s unlikely they’ll be able to provide you with a suitable vacancy (and they certainly might not be the best person to choose to convince companies that you’re a good fit!).

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3. Transparency

A successful relationship with a recruiter should be based on honesty from both sides.

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A good sign you’ve picked the right one is that they pay attention to your other processes and can justify why they’re doing so.

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Often this can seem unimportant, but it’s a key part of a recruiter’s job to really know their candidate’s situation and communicate this to their clients in order to manage everything properly. For example, with this information, they have the ability to introduce urgency to schedule interviews quicker or demonstrate to clients that you’re as good as your CV suggests.

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This transparency works both ways though. It’s crucial that you’re honest about your feelings towards roles and companies in order for the recruiter to be able to give you the best chance of securing the one you want.

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A good recruiter will be consistently asking you the difficult questions – to best understand your thoughts and (sometimes ever-changing) opinions throughout the process.

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4. Advice

The last thing to consider is the advice given by a recruiter.

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It’s imperative that you trust your recruiter and the transparency discussed previously should give you the confidence to do so.

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Whilst it’s evident that a recruiter will often have their own desired outcome of processes with a candidate, this doesn’t mean they can’t offer useful advice. At the end of the day, it’s in a recruiter’s best interest to find you a place you love and want to stay at.

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Admittedly, it’s certainly worth sometimes being wary of advice if it seems pushy or rash, but a recruiter will often have more experience than you regarding interview processes and should have a great understanding of the clients they represent.

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You’ve picked the right recruiter when you feel confident they’re advising you to make the decision best for you.

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They can often give a different perspective and good foresight regarding potential issues or obstacles throughout the job-search.

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Hopefully, this has given you a few things to take into consideration when deciding on your next recruiter. What else do you think is important in a relationship with a recruiter? I’d be really interested to hear people’s thoughts or past experiences, please comment anything relevant down below!

Freelancers: The secret to growing your startup

September 26, 2023

1510

Your tech startup has just received its first round of funding and you’ve been given the go-ahead to scale. It’s the decision you and your team have been dreaming about and it’s finally here. By all means, celebrate your success but come Monday the real fun (chaos) begins.

The nature of investment means your product/project delivery times will come under the microscope, so notwithstanding the need for a bigger (cooler) office, a “Friday afternoon breakout area” or a need to hire more people for the operational side of the business, you need to hire more IT resources e.g. Developers.

How are you going to do it?

Freelancers of course. However, in the fairness of debate let’s deal with what I consider to be an unnecessary and somewhat distorted opinion of freelancers.

“Freelancers…”[FILL IN THE BLANK]

·      Cost more money than permanent employees

·      Don’t enhance company culture

·      Remove the option for skills to stay in-house when they leave

We can go on and on…I get it, I really do, but to support these opinions is to ignore the current context and objectives of your start-up. The fact you’ve got funding means someone believes in your business. You must repay this faith by ensuring they get a return on their investment. To put it simply, you must deliver a marketable product.

While you may argue (fairly) that this is perfectly achievable and not time restrictive enough to have to take on Freelancers, you need to also consider how hard it is to hire experienced permanent IT employees.

So why Freelancers?

1. Efficiency – The No.1 issue facing startups is the hiring of great talent. I’m sure you’ve got an excellent product and it’s essential to believe in the success/growth of your company. However, consider the associated downside of joining a startup.

If you’ve just purchased a new property, relocated countries or started a family for instance, then the following factors are going to work against, rather than for you:

·        Low employee numbers

·        The uncertainty of future investment

·        A small IT development team

·        A low public profile

The advantage of the Freelance solution is that it can be scaled up or down. It gives you the freedom to hire people immediately, but the temporary nature of their appointment keeps your decision making flexible. Additionally, your decision to hire permanent employees can then be more reflective of quality rather than just time.

The efficiency of flexible freelance contracts means you also benefit from:

·      Short term notice periods

·      Flexible working hours

·      Longer payment terms

2. Financial Responsibility – Having just received funding you’re technically flush with cash. However, miss a couple of deadlines and hire the wrong permanent employees and you’re in the throes of a cash flow crisis.

Hiring Freelancers gives you greater control of the balance sheet: [y Freelancers] x [y hours] x [y weeks] = Controlled expenditure

Remember to be fair to the company. I support the theoretical 3-year business plan but it’s the rolling 90-day plan that aligns with the reality of your business. You have a responsibility to permanent employees, where hereby promising long-term job security/L&D investment and then not delivering, will undoubtedly lead to in-house cultural issues as well as public relation problems. The last thing that any startup wants to be doing, is making people redundant due to cash flow issues. You might not come back from this.

3. Culture – Hiring Freelancers gives you access to talent that otherwise wouldn’t be available.

Their CV’s are inundated with startup/scaleup companies and projects that describe the use of the latest technologies. Hiring managers constantly talk about the positive impact that these Freelancers have on their team and the lack of management they require. They will give you your time back to focus on core related tasks.

To look at it from another perspective, you’re ideally looking to attract permanent employees and what does a permanent member of staff want from a career change???

“MANAGER, I’d like to work with…” [FILL IN BLANK]

·      Cutting edge technology

·      A large, experienced Development team

·      A company that has TIME for me to develop and train me

·      Mentors

The impact of hiring freelancers

–      Freelancers will enhance the efficiency of your projects and give you more time to focus on other areas of the business.

–      Freelancers will give you greater control of your financial expenditure, leading to a more secure future for the business.

–      Freelancers will positively affect company culture. A culture that will then attract more permanent employees.

How to Boss the Negotiation Phase of your Recruitment Pipeline!

September 26, 2023

1510

The Negotiation Norm

The negotiation stage is unarguably one of the most important parts of the application process.  As the employer, you want to be careful not to overspend or cause rifts within the existing team by paying too much. From the candidate’s perspective, you want the best deal possible and to be paid well for the value you provide.  This can cause challenges for both sides and in my opinion, so many companies out there could be doing this way better.

Just imagine it from a candidate perspective for a second. You apply for your dream role. The company’s great, location is easy and the role sounds perfect. You clearly state your desired salary at the start of the process (for the purpose of this example, let’s say 65-70K) and the company invites you for an interview. You nail it, spend hours on the subsequent technical assignment and that gets the nod of approval. Finally, you get to the last stage and the company decides to make you an offer. You’ve been building up to this moment for weeks, remembering the role ticks all your boxes, and then the offer comes through.

It is 64K. Yes, it’s only 1k less than the minimum but as a candidate you were hoping for more, after all you did say 65-70K!

Why managing expectations is so important

How is the candidate feeling at this moment?

In one word, deflated. Their balloon of excitement has been well and truly popped. Remember, the decision for any candidate to apply for a new job is mainly logical. But as the process nears its end, emotions have a much greater part to play. The candidate in this example has gone from sheer excitement at the start of the process to now feeling like they’ve been short-changed at the final moment.

On top of this, they now face a tough decision; do they begrudgingly accept the offer or face the awkwardness of negotiating and the risk of losing their dream role? There’s a chance they may feel anger towards the company after they felt they were clear from the beginning when it came to salary demands.

Even if the rest of the application process has been amazing, as humans, we’re way more likely to remember how we feel at the end of an experience rather than the start (immediately after a roller-coaster ride, you remember the feeling of elation at the end, not the nervousness beforehand).

This means that by negotiating at the end of the process, the company has turned an enthusiastic candidate into someone feeling disgruntled.

Whether the candidate takes the offer in this example or not isn’t the point, your aim as a company in hiring mode is to have candidates finishing your interview’s feeling that was the best application process ever and if possible, loving the company (even more) come the end.

So how do you achieve this and be able to negotiate?

There is a better way

The two key factors when it comes to managing the negotiation phase are managing each others expectations early on in the process and not hitting anyone with a nasty surprise right at the end!

Some ideas to prevent this include:

  1. Have clear salary brackets for each role and communicate these to the candidate right at the start of the process. If the candidate is asking more than your company structure allows, discuss it now, not later.
  2. Create opportunities to discuss salary expectations at different parts of the application process. Once you’ve completed the first interview, if the candidate’s knowledge & experience isn’t adequate for their salary demands within your company structure, have that conversation. Again, it stops any nasty surprises later down the line and a good candidate will appreciate the honesty now rather than wasting hours of their time only to disappoint at the end. //Another great opportunity is after technical assignment stage.
  3. Employ fairness within your negotiating phase. If a candidate has been clear from the start with their salary expectations, these demands are doable within the current pay structure and their interview process backs-up these demands, don’t try and low ball that person at the end of the process just to save a couple of thousand for the hiring budget. Yes, you’ve made a short term saving, but for what in return? //The candidate might now not even take your offer (think of all the time wasted) or does but now has a bad taste in their mouth. //Are they now spreading the word when it comes to your brand or telling all their friends (who could now be potential hiring targets) how crap it was that they had to come down on salary? That 2k saving could come back to bite!

In Summary

  • Have a clear salary structure for each vacancy and know what a candidate needs to achieve within that banding to achieve their desired salary – make sure this is communicated to the candidate early on!
  • Don’t leave salary negotiation to the end of the process – instead have the conversation throughout the process so that everyone knows where they stand and expectations are managed.
  • Don’t try and low ball candidates at the eleventh hour just to save a few Euros! It could cost you a lot more in the long run!

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