Nathan Wills

If you’re looking for a new role on LinkedIn here are two simple tips to increase your visibility: 1. Change your job title to what you actually do and what recruiters will actually search for - DevOps Engineer not Cloud Wrangling Wizard. 2. Put your CV (with contact details) on the featured section of your LinkedIn profile. Told you they were simple.

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Enjoying my morning coffee date with Chat GPT this morning and came across a UK contract market update… 📈 One of the most popular UK staffing platforms has reported on contract hiring, suggesting a stronger than expected uptick in contract activity in September. The report notes that contract roles increased 10.4% year on year in September and month on month, contract roles increased 18%. A consideration is that employers are leaning more on contract / flexible talent strategies to manage risk… but positive signs ahead of Q4!

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Recruiters watch out, scam alert!! 🚨 We were recently contacted by a company claiming to be building a new AI platform, looking for multiple contractors and permanent staff. On the surface, it sounded great, offering multiple exclusive roles, decent terms, and fast payment. The kind of thing that grabs your attention. They asked us to meet with their “Head of Compliance,” but the Teams link came from a strange address (something like [email protected]) and landed in our junk folder. That was the first red flag. The company did exist on Companies House, but they had very little online presence. No LinkedIn, no website linking to the company they officially claimed to be, no real email domain, which raised further flags. They hadn’t posted any accounts since 2023, and although they said 2024's were due in October (which matched the Companies House timeline), we asked for a bank letter to confirm who they were and who they banked with. That’s when the red flags were confirmed, the logo was off, lots of spelling errors, IBAN didn’t match the account, the office address and postcode were clearly fake. We flagged it and asked some direct questions and haven’t heard a thing since. We can’t be certain what the actual scam was, but something was clearly not right. Just a reminder to always do proper due diligence when partnering with a new company, especially when it all seems too good to be true. This is becoming more common and as the market continues to evolve, we will certainly see more and more of it. Keep your guard up and if it sounds too good to be true, check them out fully. #ITRecruitment #DueDiligence #ScamAwareness #RedFlags #Contractors #StaySharp

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🖥️When to Use Low-Code vs Traditional Coding🖥️ You're not choosing sides. You're choosing tools. Think of LCNC and traditional code like these: 🛠️ Low-Code: Great for internal tools Workflow automation MVPs & quick prototypes Citizen-led initiatives with IT support 💻 Traditional Code: Complex integrations High-scale public apps Deep system-level development Custom logic that LCNC can't handle (yet) You don't have to pick one. The best IT pros know when to use each. #IT #Technology #Recruitment

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The UK Software Development job market in 2025: challenges, opportunities and rising salaries The landscape for developers this year is evolving rapidly. Salaries are climbing, demand is strong in AI, cloud, and cybersecurity, but competition and restructuring mean developers need to stay sharp. Salary benchmarks (2025) 💰: - Median UK developer salary: £62,500 - London salaries often exceed £80,000 🤖 AI, cybersecurity and automation remain the hottest skill areas Advice to stand out to recruiters: - Many roles are never advertised. An up-to-date LinkedIn profile massively boosts your chances of being spotted by headhunters. - Highlight experience with emerging tech such as AI/ML, cloud, and cybersecurity. - Emphasise collaboration skills and relevant certifications. - Consider being transparent with salary expectations to attract aligned opportunities. Why this matters 💡: - Even with strong demand, the market is competitive. Staying visible, keeping skills current, and being proactive about networking can make all the difference. Your turn 👀 : What would you find most valuable for me to share in future posts about the UK developer job market? - Salary insights - Breaking into the industry - Latest tech hiring trends - Other advice you’re looking for Drop your thoughts and questions in the comments, I’ll shape future updates around what matters most to you. #SoftwareDevelopment #UKJobs #TechCareers #HiringTrends

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The top question I'm getting from Tech candidates right now? 💬 "How can I make my CV stand out among so many applicants?" 💬 Firstly, if you believe you’re a good fit for an opportunity and it genuinely interests you, don't be put off by a large number of previous applications. You should still apply! The key is to make your CV work harder for you 📜 Here are a few ways to help your CV stand out ➡️ 1️⃣ Powerful Profile Statement: Use a strong summary at the top that clearly links your experience to the job, outlines what you're looking for and why you want to apply. 2️⃣ Tailor Your Application: Take time to read the job description and highlight the skills and achievements that directly match the requirements. 3️⃣ Context: Make sure to include some insight on the company or projects you've worked on in your career. (I see so many candidates focusing on listing the tools/ tech, but it's so much more powerful to give a view of the project, the objectives, your level of contribution etc.) 4️⃣ Show Your Impact: Include results and achievements along with duties. 5️⃣ Include Practical Details: Location, availability, contact details (!), visa, job preferences etc. These might sound simple but honestly, get these elements of your CV right, target opportunities that genuinely align with your skills, and you will stand out! #cvtips #techjobs #BWTech #Brightwater

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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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📝 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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AI usage in applications will NOT give you a leg up in the process.... Now I will caveat this rather outlandish claim and say that there are obvious cases where using AI can be a positive (ML / AI focused companies / specific roles etc). But 95% of the time companies can spot something that is AI generated in a heartbeat, and EVERYONE is using it for generating CVs / cover letters and messages, be different and you'll stand out. There are a few ways to do so: - Connection requests that are personalised. You get 100 a week if you are applying reach out to the talent team / Engineering team with a reason for your connect (hard in 300 characters i know). - Portfolios - have you got some cool projects show them off! - Engage with the community. There is a ever increasing amount of events taking place, if you can attend and get some networking done. #AI #applications #pythonjobs

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Some internal recruiters are exceptional. Others.... others are not. Here's 3 interactions I've had recently with 3 different TAs.... Number 1: Me: He's been working with React and Node for 8 years. Them: He's not suitable, we need an engineer that has worked with - pauses to read the JD - "Typescript or Javascript Frameworks". Number 2: Me: Very experienced in React, Node, Python for data, done a bit of Rust and Go too, and is the go to for all the CI/CD and Cloud stuff in the team. Them: Sounds like a Front End Engineer, not relevant for us. Number 3: Me: Sorry, do you mind repeating, is it Java or Javascript? Them: They're the same aren't they? Do want to be clear - lack of knowledge is NO problem at all, especially if you're a founder and it's doubly true if you are a non-technical founder. But if you're hiring someone to own and run tech recruitment in your startup, they MUST know the basics, otherwise they are just taking you and your business for a ride, and YOU are letting them. If you have any questions about what the good TAs are doing, and how they're genuinely improving and owning your talent function, give me a shout, I can explain what to look out for.

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My top tip for Software Engineers when updating their resumes. Always tie your work in with OUTCOMES. Demonstrate your commercial impact. DO NOT just list tools used & what you have done. Show WHY it mattered. Here are a few examples: - I increased the platform's performance by 35%, which reduced customer churn by 12%. - I led a refactor of legacy code which improved deployment speeds by 60% & reduced downtime. - Optimised our data pipeline which cut processing times by 40%; saving $200k/year in our cloud costs. - Built our internal tooling that cut teams' manual reporting times by 80% & saved 10+ hours/week across teams. #techhiring #softwareengineers #artificialintelligence

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