Richard Pickup

Wondering how to get your job application noticed in the crowded UK dev market? I've been chatting with a lot of software developers recently, some early in their careers, others with years of experience, and one thing keeps coming up: "How do I actually stand out?" The truth is, the UK dev job market is tough right now. But I’ve seen what works (and what doesn’t), and I wanted to share a few tips that have helped candidates land interviews, and offers. Here’s what I’d recommend if you’re applying right now: 1. Customise, customise, customise - I can’t stress this enough: tailor your CV and cover letter for every role. Show how your experience matches their needs. Make it super easy for someone to see why you're a great fit at a glance. 2. Build (and show) cool stuff - Your GitHub or personal site can speak louder than your CV. Share real projects, ideally something beyond a to-do list app. If you've used a company’s API or built something relevant to them? Shout about it! 3. Let your passion show - Make it clear what kind of work excites you, whether that’s fintech, AI, or clean architecture. Add a bit of personality to your LinkedIn or portfolio. It helps you connect with the right teams. 5. Network is your net-worth - Go to meet-ups, tech events, comment on posts, send friendly DMs. A lot of roles never get posted online. The more people who know what you’re looking for, the more chances you’ll get. 6. Stay sharp with in-demand skills - Keep an eye on what’s hot in the UK, Java, JavaScript, C#, and cloud stuff are still in demand. Even just having a recent course or project to show you’re staying current can help. 7. Don’t get discouraged - You’ll hear nothing back from some roles. That’s normal. If a job feels right but you haven’t heard back in a couple of weeks, follow up! It shows you're proactive, not pushy. 8. Make your online presence count - Your LinkedIn and GitHub should clearly show what you're about, your skills, interests, and what you’re aiming for. This is often the first thing someone sees before they even open your CV. - Final thought: If you’re applying right now, especially as a junior, just know it’s normal to feel stuck sometimes. The first job is often the hardest to get, but once you're in, everything gets easier. Keep going, keep building, keep learning. And if we’re connected, don’t hesitate to reach out. Always happy to offer a bit of advice or point you in the right direction. #SoftwareEngineering #TechCareers #UKJobs #DevCommunity #JobSearchTips #CareerAdvice #RecruiterLife #SoftwareDeveloper #HiringTechTalent

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Over the past few years, I’ve seen a steady rise in demand for backend developers with Node.js experience. The reasons are clear: It scales effectively for high-traffic applications Teams benefit from using JavaScript across frontend and backend The ecosystem is vast, enabling faster development It’s a natural fit for real-time apps like chat, streaming, and collaboration tools For developers, this creates opportunities to work on innovative projects. For businesses, it provides the flexibility and scalability needed to stay competitive. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts: is Node.js becoming the standard for backend development, or just one strong option among many?

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Tech salaries are shifting fast in 2025. We’ve seen a clear trend across the UK: - Mid-level engineers are flatlining - Seniors and specialists (AI, data, platform) are surging - London pay is no longer outpacing the rest of the UK by default Hiring managers: If your salary bands are based on 2022 numbers, you're probably missing out on great people - or losing them at offer stage. Get the full breakdown in our 2025 UK Tech Salary Report (link in comments) 👇

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One month back at OpusRS – here’s what I’m seeing in the JavaScript contract market. It’s been great to get stuck back in, and I’ve already noticed some clear trends across the UK JavaScript contract space. 🏢 Hybrid working is shifting. Fully remote roles are becoming less common, with more contracts now asking for 2–3 days a week in the office. Collaboration and team presence are making a comeback. 💬 Contractors who know how to add value and communicate clearly with clients are being consistently extended. It’s not just about technical ability—commercial awareness and soft skills are making a real difference. 📉 Rates have taken a hit compared to a few years ago, but demand is still strong for those who can hit the ground running. ⚙️ Next.js is gaining serious traction. While React remains dominant with 39.5% of developers using it, Next.js is quickly rising with 17.9% adoption—thanks to its performance benefits and built-in features like server-side rendering and static site generation If you're a contractor looking for your next move, or a business needing top JavaScript talent, I’d love to connect. #JavaScript #NextJS #ReactJS #Contracting #TechRecruitment #OpusRS

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💻 JavaScript hiring – a bit of insight into some industry trends 💻 LinkedIn is feeling a lot busier with JavaScript roles at the moment which is great to see.   Echoing Ben Clarfelt's point in his previous post the LinkedIn apply system is not the best. A word of advice is to always follow up with the hiring or talent manager via a message expressing your interest. It really helps you to stand out from the crowd. Yesterday I took a look at 50 JavaScript roles to see if anything stood out and there’s several things worth highlighting: 📊 78% of JavaScript roles were working with TypeScript 💻 There were only two junior roles. We’re seeing an emphasis on mid and senior roles 🤖 A significant number of roles (46%) mentioning a want for experience with AI, or a willingness to integrate it into your workflow On the seniority point, are we seeing a shift away from junior roles because companies can now automate a lot of tasks with AI? Total breakdown of seniority was: ⭐10% Lead and Principal roles ⭐56% Senior roles ⭐30% Mid roles ⭐4% Junior roles This was only a sample of the latest 50 roles posted in the UK so not a thorough breakdown of the market. It’s interesting to see some pretty clear trends though.

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💰 Software Developer Salaries in Wales – Aug 2025 Snapshot 💰 Thinking of hiring or making a move in tech? Here's a breakdown of what Software Developers and Engineers are earning across Wales right now: Interestingly, The Median Salary for Software Developers in Wales is £42,473 per year, showing a 5.88% increase from 2024, but compared to the national average Wales is still 13% below this! Salary Ranges based off major hiring spots in Wales are reported to be: Junior/Graduate level Software Developers - £28,000 – £35,000 Mid-Level Software Developers: £42,000 – £50,000 Senior Software Developers: £55,000 – £65,000+ Lead Software Developers: £65,000 - £80,000 Regional Highlights Wrexham: £53,933 Cardiff: £45,830 Swansea: £43,183 Newport: £37,730 Salaries are rising steadily, especially in Fintech, AI, and cybersecurity. With the increase in digital transformation and cloud migration in multiple public sector organisations this could also be the reason for an increase in Software Development resources. We are also finding that Hybrid and Remote roles are pushing compensation higher in competitive regions to compete with other areas of the UK. Whether you're benchmarking for hiring or planning your next move, drop me a DM for a more detailed 2025 Salary Bench-marking document 🙌. #recruitment #salaries #technology *Information is based off 153 adverts/salaries reported around 18th August 2025.

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Exactly one week ago, I had one of the most eye opening candidate interviews I've experienced, and it completely changed how I think about interviews. A candidate from the city reached out to apply to work at Swift. Instead of having them commute out, we mentioned that we'd already be in the city for an upcoming event and suggested meeting there if it was easier. That decision made all the difference. We met at the event and the interview unfolded in a totally different way. Not only did we have a great conversation, but we also got to see the candidate in action, how they networked, communicated, and interacted naturally in a real environment. That insight alone was invaluable. Because the interview took place in a setting where the candidate felt comfortable and authentic, the process was smoother, more natural, and far more revealing. It was so effective that instead of multiple interview rounds, that one meeting was enough. It really made me rethink the tradition .erview model. Sometimes an office setting limits people. When candidates are placed in environments where theycan be themselves, you get a much clearer picture of who they truly are. We ended up hiring the candidate and the experience was a huge success. Maybe it's time to rethink how interviews are conducted... #Recruiting #TalentAcquisition #SwiftStaffing

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UK Software Engineers saved from the AI jobs carnage. At least, based on my reasoning. Follow me on this. You pay for £100 worth of code. For arguments sake, it's a CRUD service. Similar have already been created for the project. For £100 a UK Software Engineer gets 25% complete for £100 an overseas Software Engineer gets 50% complete for £100 UK Software Engineer AI assisted gets 75% complete For £100 overseas Software Engineer AI assisted gets 100% complete Result without AI: Overseas is 50% cheaper for the same work. Result with AI: Overseas is 25% cheaper for the same work. More AI = less advantage to Offshoring AI brings home Software Engineering and Testing which was previously outsourced or offshored. #recruitment #jobs #AIdoomsterschokeontheirflawedargument

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Hiring software engineers in the UK - easier and cheaper at the moment? A call with a client this week that has not recruited for a while. The main questions they asked were whether people with in-demand skillsets, particularly software engineers, are more readily available in the current climate and if so, if they will accept lower salaries. No and no! (link to market data from IT Jobs Watch in the comments) 

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🦄 𝟲 𝗨𝗞 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀 The UK is an emerging global hub for AI, here are a couple companies to keep on your radar: Fetch.ai (Cambridge) 📈 Funding: $112M | Founded: 2017 An open marketplace for AI Agents. Fetch.ai empowers developers to build multi-agent systems that can securely access datasets and operate autonomously. Founders: Humayun Sheikh, Toby Simpson, Thomas Hain Nscale (London) 🖥️ Funding: $185M | Founded: 2023 A “hyperscaler” purpose-built for AI and HPC. Nscale is redefining infrastructure with a bold focus on sustainable, high-performance computing for the AI era. Founder: Josh Payne Sylvera (London) 🌎 Funding: $97M | Founded: 2020 Using AI to assess and accelerate climate investments. Sylvera provides high-integrity carbon data and tools to drive better net-zero decisions. Founders: Allister Furey, Samuel Gill QuantoPay (London) 💷 Funding: $168M | Founded: 2016 Blockchain meets banking. QuantoPay is a next-gen fintech platform focused on transparency, security, and global transactions without hidden fees. Founder: Dr. Alexander B. bit.bio (Cambridge) 🔬 Funding: $175M | Founded: 2016 Revolutionising biotech with deterministic cell programming. Bit.bio is using AI to engineer human cells for therapies, research, and regenerative medicine. Founders: Mark Kotter, Florian Schuster UrbanChain (Manchester) ⚡ Funding: $75M | Founded: 2017 Challenging the traditional energy monopoly, UrbanChain offers peer-to-peer green energy trading, making renewable power both affordable and accessible. Founder: Somayeh Taheri #UKTech #AIStartups #AINews #ArtificialIntelligence #Startups

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AI continues to be at the centre of VC and the business world today. Forbes reviewed 1,860 companies. Only 50 made the cut. Great to see some UK one's on too: ElevenLabs Luminance Synthesia Read more: https://lnkd.in/dtB3QtSX

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Launch Group just published a blog that’s well worth a read 👇 AI is changing the game for software engineers, and not just at the senior level. Imogen Hough, our Senior Consultant for software engineering, shares what she’s hearing from clients: - They’re not asking for “typical” developers anymore. - They want engineers who bring system design, architecture, and judgment to the table. From my side, I’m seeing the same shift: ✨ AI literacy is becoming essential — even for juniors 💡 Problem-solving and initiative are standing out more than routine coding 📈 Continuous upskilling isn’t optional anymore If you’re hiring in tech or thinking about your next move as an engineer, this blog is a great pulse-check on where things are heading. Would love to hear your take, are you seeing this shift too? #LaunchRecruitment #SoftwareEngineering #AI #TechHiring #HiringTrends #Recruitment

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I frequently discuss IR35 and misclassification with people regarding resource compliance. What’s clear is that the real impact is often much messier than a spreadsheet or policy document suggests and the £££££. If you put money to the side and look deeper, you will see: 🛠️ Operations stall > critical work pauses while people scramble to redefine roles 🚪 Good people walk > because they’d rather not risk being caught in the grey and wish to contract in a specific way 📉 Short-term savings backfire > especially when you’re playing catch-up with the regulator 📰 And reputational damage? You only need to be named once by HMRC… It’s a genuine problem, and when you look under the hood, more pain is caused than expected; you don’t realise it while you're focused on getting a resource in. It’s just a reminder that classification isn’t admin, it’s strategy. Are there any hidden ‘true costs’ of misclassification that I’m missing, beyond the financial factor? Perhaps you've experienced something that can help others….

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What I'm seeing more of in the Tech market.. Im seeing more and more engineering teams hiring software engineers with fullstack capability and hands-on experience with provisioning tools like Terraform 👀🛠️ It's no longer just about front-end polish or backend architecture, it's about engineers who can build features and stand up the infrastructure to support them 📈 Fullstack isn’t just JavaScript and Python or Java anymore - it’s CI/CD, cloud, infra-as-code with knowledge of AI/LLM's and a bit of security thrown in too😂 So it begs the question… 🤔 Is the specialised frontend or backend-only engineer becoming less common - or just less in demand? In a world where teams are leaner, and time-to-value matters more than ever, multi-skilled engineers are fast becoming the backbone of modern teams 🥸 But what are they called?.. I guess 'DevOps first, Full-stack AI security engineer' should be accurate! 😅 Curious to hear from engineering leaders.. Have you changed how you hire or build your teams recently? #techrecruitment #freelancejobs #amsterdamjob

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