Navigating the IT Talent Landscape: Insights from Pierce McConvey

Our newest IT team member, Pierce, shares the latest lessons learned in the ever-evolving world of software recruitment. While Pierce is a fresh face at Abacus, he is by no means a newcomer to the dynamic realm of software recruitment. Curious about Pierce’s top three learning highlights of the week, we asked him to share his insights.

Recruitment is primarily a sales role, and as with any sales role, you will find people trying to make themselves seem infallible, but we all keep on learning! How else will we get better?

I learnt 3 things this week –

1. Software hiring managers know when you are in it for the money 99.99% of the time

The majority of experienced managers have been in the game a long time and they LOVE what they do. They can spot someone who is just seeking an extra few bob a mile off, because you don’t bring the passion to the conversation! So it is better to be honest about your move and do some research into what they do, it might just give you an edge (and maybe even make you more passionate than you thought)

2. Experience = Battle worn

I am a huge advocate for aptitude/attitude in the recruitment process, however I will say that years of experience can be also play an invaluable part in a Dev team. If you started on Embedded C and have worked across several C based languages since, you are more likely to spot things junior developers don’t see or get stumped at first time round. That knowledge is golden for companies who want a streamlined process. Sometimes tenure is vital!

3. Culture is probably the most important aspect in a software dev position, after the technology

So many candidates have talked to me about how they would take a cut for the right culture, somewhere that makes them want to meet the team and interact with their wider business. Not just a free pizza once a quarter but actual tangible events and investment that they can use as the well needed break from the laptop screen!

Reach out to Pierce for further guidance and assistance in software recruitment. You can contact him at [email protected] or give him a call for a confidential chat 028 9538 0974.