Adam McKay

.NET and C# developers: your CV may be costing you interviews. Want to stand out? I specialise in hiring .NET engineers, and in most cases I can tell within 10 to 15 seconds whether a CV is likely to progress or be rejected. Here are some of the things that consistently make strong candidates stand out. Start with a clear tech stack snapshot - Do not make hiring managers or recruiters search for your core skills. Include a short, easy-to-scan Tech Stack section near the top of your CV. - This should highlight tools and technologies such as C#, .NET 6/7/8, ASP.NET Core, Web API, Entity Framework Core, SQL Server, Azure, Docker, Kubernetes, React or Angular, Git, and CI/CD. - Including versions helps demonstrate how current your experience is. Focus on project impact rather than responsibilities - Statements like “worked on APIs” do not add value. Instead, explain outcomes. - For example, describe how you improved API response times, reduced infrastructure costs, increased reliability, or accelerated delivery. - For each role or project, aim to show the problem, your contribution, and the measurable result. Provide context around what you have built - Explain the type of systems you have worked on, such as greenfield builds, legacy modernisation, microservices, monoliths, B2B SaaS platforms, internal business applications, or high-traffic public platforms. - This helps hiring managers quickly understand whether your experience aligns with their environment. Make your CV searchable - Recruiters rely heavily on keyword searches. If you have experience with technologies such as Azure Functions, MediatR, Dapper, MassTransit, xUnit, or NUnit, make sure they are clearly listed. - If a skill is not written on your CV, it is unlikely to appear in search results. Keep it modern, focused, and concise - Avoid listing outdated or irrelevant technologies unless they directly support your target roles. - Focus detailed experience on your most recent three roles or roughly the last eight years. - Use simple formatting, and bullet points that are easy to scan. Show evidence of progression and continuous learning - Highlight promotions, increasing responsibilities, certifications, recent training, conference involvement, open-source contributions, or personal projects. Ongoing learning is particularly valuable within the Microsoft technology ecosystem. Anything you would add? #DotNet #SoftwareEngineering #TechCareers #CareerDevelopment

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Blazor United and the rise of full-stack .NET is something that’s been coming up more and more in conversations I’ve been having with .NET developers recently. A common theme I’m hearing is frustration around constantly needing to jump between backend C# and whichever JavaScript framework is currently in demand. Blazor United seems to be changing that conversation, with developers telling me they’re excited about being able to build across the full stack using .NET. The ability to combine server-side and WebAssembly rendering in one model is a big part of the appeal, along with improvements in performance, payload optimisation, and built-in security features. From a recruitment perspective, it feels like this could drive stronger demand for engineers who can deliver end-to-end solutions within the .NET ecosystem. Definitely one to watch as adoption grows. Do you agree? #DotNet #Blazor #FullStackDevelopment #TechHiring

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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 see brilliant contractors fail interviews every week. Not because they’re not good enough …but because they forget to show what they know. 💡 These are seriously talented people who can spin up an environment, debug a mess of legacy code, and deliver clean, scalable solutions. But when it comes to interviews? They undersell themselves. Here’s the problem 👇 Clients don’t see your skill they only hear what you can explain. If you can’t walk them through your thinking, they can’t picture you doing the job. That’s why I always tell my contractors to use the P.E.E. method: 👉 Point  Evidence  Explain When asked a question: Point: Make your main point clearly. Evidence: Back it up with a real example from a project. Explain: Tie it back to how it fits their role or tech environment. 🧠 Example: “I’d approach that with a microservices pattern. In my last project, we split a monolith into 6 services using Node and Docker that reduced deploy times by 40%, which sounds similar to what you’re describing.” That’s not just answering that’s selling your value. ✨ Bonus prep tips for contractors: Ask your recruiter if they have insight from others who’ve interviewed it’s often gold. Check if there’s a tech test and prep accordingly. Review the tech stack brush up on fundamentals and common interview questions. Practice talking through your examples out loud great devs often think clearly but explain vaguely 🎯 Bottom line: Intelligence isn’t enough in an interview communication is what sells it. You already know your stuff. Your goal is to make sure the client knows it too.

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The Hard Truth About Tech Hiring in Defence! I speak to defence tech hiring managers every week and there's a recurring problem: ❌ "We need a DV-cleared DevOps Engineer with 5+ years’ experience and we can offer £55K." That candidate doesn’t exist. And if they did, they’re not looking. The UK defence sector is in a talent war, not just against competitors, but against its own outdated hiring expectations. Here’s the reality: 🔹 DV clearance is not a skillset. It's a vetting status. If you want that and Kubernetes, you’ll pay for both. 🔹 Candidates with DV are limited in where they can work. They often can’t go fully remote, and relocating for £55K isn’t realistic. 🔹 The best cleared tech talent has options and most of them aren’t scrolling job boards. So what works? ✅ Partnering with someone who knows the cleared market. ✅ Understanding where you can flex: Tech stack, salary, or location. ✅ Thinking long-term - hiring for potential and upskilling, especially with veterans. The demand is there. The budget often is too. The strategy? That’s where things fall short. Happy to chat if you want help navigating the DV-cleared tech space. #DefenceTech #DVcleared #VeteranRecruitment #HiringAdvice #CyberSecurity #UKDefence #TechRecruitment

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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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💻 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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I just don't get it - yet… The majority of developers I have spoken to / speak to / seen commenting on hiring posts, have said that most recruitment processes need to be more transparent, to have more empathy / understanding of individual circumstances, and generally be "more human" when it comes to both rejections, feedback and signposting on the actual process. So explain then, how any of these recruiting software platforms based on algorithms, automation, heavy use of ai and even ai bots now interviewing first stage, is actually fixing any of the biggest issues in the industry we want to and should focus on. For massive tech giants, it makes a bit more sense for volume hiring, but it is STILL not solving the real problems here. This is not even touching on job seekers using similar tech to apply to a million roles they are also not really relevant for… this is a whole new post. Ai is here, and it IS helping for sure - but the real issues are still based around humanistic values/approaches. Am I wrong?

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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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I’ve been getting a lot of messages lately from candidates struggling to find roles (or even secure interviews) the truth is hiring for developers in PHP and JavaScript isn’t as in-demand as it used to be. Here’s some advice from what I’ve found to date, hopefully it helps at least one person land that perfect role! 1. An obvious one for some, communication You know how to write code but in interviews, your ability to explain how and why you made certain technical choices is just as important. Ensure you're prepared to walk through your past work clear and confidently. 2. Personal Projects Matter When competition is tight, showing a GitHub repo or side project, especially one that solves a real problem can set you apart. Employers love to see initiative, not just job history. 3. Tailor your CV Generic CVs with little or no info are more likely to be ignored. As much as possible, tailor each one to the job description with the tech stack and focus on what outcome you achieved. 4. Technical tests I know tests can be annoying, but unfortunately, it’s pretty standard for most roles, practice explaining your logic as you go and don’t hesitate to ask extra questions for clarity. There are opportunities out there but they’re going to the developers who put that extra effort into the application, pairing strong code with communication. Hope this helps 👨‍💻

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📝 CV Tip for Software Engineers for your Friday morning Now I know every recruiter, TA or hiring manager has their own preferences in what should be in a CV, my main point is: 👉 Don’t just list your responsibilities!!! We all know a Software Engineer “writes code,” “builds features,” or “collaborates in a team.” That’s the job. What we actually want to see is: ✅ What did you build? ✅ What was the product or service? ✅ Who was the end user? ✅ What impact did it have? ✅ What part did you own? 💡 Instead of writing: “Developed web applications using React and Node.js” Try something like: “Built a real-time dashboard in React + Node.js for 500+ logistics operators, reducing response time by 30%.” That tells us what you built and why it mattered. It gives real insight into your skills and value. Your CV should tell a clear story of what you’ve done — and that’s what gets you noticed. Does anyone else have anything they specifically look for in a CV? #SoftwareEngineering #TechCV #ResumeTips #Hiring #JobSearch Motion Recruitment Daniel Lee

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Something I’ve noticed speaking with DevOps engineers Early in their careers there’s a lot of focus on tools Docker Kubernetes Terraform CI/CD But when companies hire more experienced DevOps or Platform Engineers, they’re usually looking for something else Engineers who’ve actually dealt with production issues The sort of people who can: • work through incidents calmly • understand why systems break • improve deployments and reliability over time • think about the whole platform rather than just individual tools The tools matter, but the ability to think in systems tends to be what separates strong DevOps engineers from average ones ⚙️ Tools matter, but ownership and problem-solving usually matter more

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After discovering what 'vibe coding' truly meant earlier this week, it got me thinking... How much of an impact will it have on the role of a Software Engineer? One concern that was shared amongst the leaders I spoke to was how much it will affect junior/mid-level engineers coming into the industry now. There's a chance that hey won't have had to do the 'manual' work when it comes to building a product, as they'll rely on Cursor or something similar to do that for them. Is that okay considering AI is here to stay? Or do engineers still need to have the fundamental knowledge of how to build & write the code themselves, instead of relying on AI prompts? Keen to hear people's thoughts on this! PS - anyone else think vibe coding was more like an engineer sat listening to lofi music in a room with LED lights? Just me? Guys?

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