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State of the Market

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  • Fraidycat
    replied
    Originally posted by hungry_hog View Post
    Was just thinking how one of the leading buy side firms in the UK (won't make it more specific than that) uses two line JIRAs to write their requirements.
    It's still better than places that don't use JIRA at all, or those that use BRDs which are longer than the Bible which no one reads!
    Agile init: "Working software over comprehensive documentation"

    One the AI buzzwords around six months ago was Spec driven development: giving an AI clanker a comprehensive spec it can code from, that seems to have died down a bit, although some people still seem to suffer from AI psychosis..

    Leave a comment:


  • hungry_hog
    replied
    Was just thinking how one of the leading buy side firms in the UK (won't make it more specific than that) uses two line JIRAs to write their requirements.
    It's still better than places that don't use JIRA at all, or those that use BRDs which are longer than the Bible which no one reads!

    Leave a comment:


  • SchumiStars
    replied
    I wrote a long reply, but thought I would go to the gym instead. Usually takes me between 45min-60min about the same time to read a 9 page CV. 😀

    Leave a comment:


  • budgetastronaut
    replied
    Originally posted by TheDude View Post

    Not really - just a different way of building software. Not everyone is writing software for a nuclear reactor or a passenger jet.
    Definitely, I agree!

    Leave a comment:


  • TheDude
    replied
    Originally posted by caminito View Post

    Utterly dreadful.
    Not really - just a different way of building software. Not everyone is writing software for a nuclear reactor or a passenger jet.

    Leave a comment:


  • caminito
    replied
    Originally posted by TheDude View Post

    Waterfall is never going to go away and is 100% the correct choice for some projects but (say) your entire career has been in safety critical and/or defence then hiring managers are not going to suddenly think - hey this guy is going to fit right in with our two week sprint cycle writing code from two sentence Jiras.
    Utterly dreadful.

    Leave a comment:


  • TheDude
    replied
    Originally posted by Smartie View Post

    I've seen several ads recently where the requirement is for experience of both waterfall and agile.
    Waterfall is never going to go away and is 100% the correct choice for some projects but (say) your entire career has been in safety critical and/or defence then hiring managers are not going to suddenly think - hey this guy is going to fit right in with our two week sprint cycle writing code from two sentence Jiras.
    Last edited by TheDude; 10 July 2026, 10:44.

    Leave a comment:


  • caminito
    replied
    Originally posted by WTFH View Post

    Correlation != Causation

    If you reduce the number of words in your LI profile, none of the AI bots are going to highlight it as a positive change. If you increase the word count, they see a change and it gets flagged as worth responding to.

    Your conclusion - that the old skills are the thing to leave out as they make no difference -that is an incorrect conclusion to draw based on a very limited and unscientific test.
    Nobody is interested in COM+

    On a brighter note, Friday morning and two telephone calls already regarding work.

    Leave a comment:


  • uk contractor
    replied
    US getting a big taste of what may of us in the UK have had to endure & swallow for many years now! Microsoft approves thousands of H-1B visas while Xbox cuts 1,600 jobs | Fox News

    No conflict of interests either.....the person who wielded the axe on all those jobs is also now hired by Uncle Sam as an advisor....you could not make it up! US Federal Reserve taps Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who just laid off 3,200 employees, to lead task force on jobs | PC Gamer

    Leave a comment:


  • WTFH
    replied
    Originally posted by gables View Post
    Obviously I have as I keep getting work. You do know there are soft skills not just technical ones - I think I know which you lack.
    Very true.
    Many people on LI who are looking for work seem to be very lazy - they see a post by an agent and just reply publicly with "I'm interested, hit me" or some such short phrase.

    There are some simple things that people can do (particularly those with a bit of experience), but it requires effort.
    1. Cold calling. Yes, you're trying to sell yourself and your skills. Phone the agents you've worked through in the past - not just the generic office number, but the actual person. Talk to them and get your name in their head. Make sure you call each one at least once a month.
    2. Talk to your contacts - other contractors and even staff at companies where you have worked in the past.
    3. When a job is advertised, reach out to the advertiser directly - by phone or email - do not just reply to a post on social media.
    4. After you have reached out and applied for a role, follow up your application with a phone call. Keep your name in their head.

    ...all of the above requires soft skills as gables has mentioned. When you're in a role, that's when you get to build up relationships with others, but it requires professionalism, politeness, time and effort.

    Leave a comment:

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