Matt McKenna

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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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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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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Why Go Is Growing in the UK Tech Scene – Several clients are migrating to Go, and we are getting great feedback! Whether you're working at a scale-up or deploying microservices for global projects, chances are you've heard of Go — or you already use it and love it. So why is Go getting adopted more across the UK tech landscape? Built for performance and simplicity Easy concurrency for modern, distributed systems A growing ecosystem of Go-native tools (Docker, Kubernetes, etc.) We’re seeing fintechs like Monzo, delivery platforms like Deliveroo, and even parts of GOV.UK leaning into Go for reliability and speed. And with more Go meetups and open roles across London, Manchester, and remote, the community is expanding fast. Are you using Go at work or for personal projects? Share your thoughts — and drop your stack in the comments 👇 #golang #backendengineering #uktech #softwaredevelopment #goUK

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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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How to Make Your CV Stand Out as a Software Engineer💡 The job market is flooded with talented engineers—so how do you cut through the noise? Here’s how to make sure your CV gets noticed. 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 Listing your tech stack is important, but what really matters is the business value you delivered. Employers want to see: • The problem you solved. • How you executed a solution. • The tangible outcome—did you save money, improve efficiency, or increase revenue? • Strong Impact Examples • Cut API response times by 40%, improving UX for 1 million users. • Automated CI/CD pipelines, slashing deployment time by 75% and reducing production bugs by 30%. • Developed a store credit policy solution that saved $500k in potential revenue leakage over six months. • Migrated legacy systems to the cloud, cutting costs by 20% and improving reliability. 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 • Back up your achievements with real metrics. Numbers show exactly how valuable your work has been. • Keep It Clean and Easy to Read • Use bullet points. • Keep paragraphs short. • Highlight tech alongside project outcomes. • Show Collaboration • Talk about working with cross-functional teams or mentoring others—teamwork matters, but be specific 𝗧𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝘁 Each role has a different focus, so adjust your CV to highlight the skills and achievements most relevant to the job. Hiring managers spend seconds skimming you CV, make them count. #cvtips #cvwriting #standout

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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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I think it's fair to say that the SRE and DevOps market has significantly shifted, especially for permanent resources. The main trend I have seen from a recruiting perspective, is that the hard to fill roles are now your Seniors, Principals and Staff Engineers. With technology accelerating at rates never seen before, I think the candidates with a tonne of experience who code, independently build/manage kubernetes and are very strong on the observability side of things, they are now in very strong positions when it comes to job hunting. The mid level market is also trending upwards after a tough year in 2024. From September onwards it's gotten competitive again. What I see now is clients asking for a lot more bang for their buck. This can be interpreted in a few ways. Mainly around hybrid working, being certified, multi cloud knowledge and strong Generative AI interests. Candidates that have done a course in Gen AI or been exposed to ML Ops for example, they often get noticed more though in selection processes! I'm going to post my thoughts on the market a lot more this year. I'd be interested to see if people agree with this or have noticed other trends? #SRE #DevOps #SydneyTechnologyHiring

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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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