João C.

During Rails developer interviews, performance optimisation knowledge consistently separates candidates who receive offers from those who don't. Our clients tell us that developers who understand production performance characteristics command 15-25% higher salaries. Performance skills employers prioritise: 🔹 Identifying N+1 queries and implementing eager loading solutions 🔹 Understanding database indexing strategies for frequently queried columns 🔹 Implementing effective caching strategies (fragment, Russian doll, HTTP) 🔹 Using profiling tools like Bullet, Scout, or New Relic 🔹 Optimising background job processing to maintain responsive applications Technical leads at our client companies consistently mention that candidates who can discuss real-world performance challenges they've solved stand out significantly during technical assessments. Why performance knowledge matters for your career: Senior Rails positions almost always require demonstrated performance optimisation experience. The ability to discuss how you've improved response times, reduced memory usage, or scaled applications proves you've worked on production systems at scale. Developers who've used APM tools and can articulate their findings during interviews demonstrate production experience that junior developers lack. This distinction directly impacts compensation negotiations. Career development insight: If you're currently in a junior or mid-level Rails role, volunteering to investigate performance issues provides valuable experience that accelerates career progression. Our placement data shows developers with documented performance improvement projects receive significantly more interview requests. What performance challenges have you tackled in your Rails career? We're connecting developers who understand production optimisation with companies valuing this expertise. #RailsPerformance #CareerDevelopment #RubyOnRails #TechSkills #TechRecruitment

5

Tech salaries are shifting fast in 2025. We’ve seen a clear trend across the UK: - Mid-level engineers are flatlining - Seniors and specialists (AI, data, platform) are surging - London pay is no longer outpacing the rest of the UK by default Hiring managers: If your salary bands are based on 2022 numbers, you're probably missing out on great people - or losing them at offer stage. Get the full breakdown in our 2025 UK Tech Salary Report (link in comments) 👇

17

2 Comments

🚀 Backend Engineering Hiring in the UK: What I’m Seeing Right Now After what was surprisingly a strong end to 2025, some very clear patterns are emerging across the UK backend software engineering market — both from candidates and the companies hiring them: 🔹 Skills > Job Titles It’s no longer about where you worked or what your title was. Can you design scalable systems, write clean APIs, optimise databases, and ship reliable code? That’s what actually counts. 🔹 Engineers Who Think Beyond Code Stand Out Backend engineers who understand product impact, users, and business trade-offs are consistently outperforming those who only focus on implementation. 🔹 Data Literacy Is Now a Core Skill You don’t need to be a data scientist, but you do need to think in metrics: performance, reliability, cost, scalability, and user behaviour all matter. 🔹 Hiring Processes Are Speeding Up Lengthy, theoretical interview processes are being replaced by shorter, more practical assessments that actually reflect real backend work. 🔹 Purpose Really Matters Backend engineers want to know why they’re building something — not just what. Mission, impact, and long-term value are playing a bigger role in decision-making than ever before. 👉 The companies that adapt to these shifts are the ones securing the strongest backend talent in the UK right now. Curious — what trends are you seeing in backend engineering or tech hiring? 👇

11

2 Comments

Our first large Kotlin Multiplatform project is now live, with shared Kotlin code powering a production iOS app built with SwiftUI. Tomáš Pařízek, one of our iOS engineers, breaks down the wins, pain points and practical takeaways for teams considering KMP. Full story on our blog 👇

24

4 Comments

UK IT Hiring Challenges: Slow Onboarding, Rising Costs and Missed Opportunities Most companies we speak to face the same issues: * 3 - 6 months hiring timeline * Salaries increasing faster than budgets * Great candidates disappearing mid-process * Teams stuck waiting instead of building And the hidden cost? 👉 Lost momentum. Delayed product. Missed opportunities. There’s a better way to scale. At Elite Tech Talent, we help companies: * Build high-quality teams in weeks, not months * Reduce hiring costs without sacrificing quality * Add capacity exactly when they need it If hiring is slowing your growth, it’s time to rethink the model. 👉 Message us to explore a smarter way to scale - info@elite-techtalent.com

4

The second part of my chat with John Crickett on the Coding Chats podcast is out now, looking at how businesses looking to hire can get the most out of working with a recruiter. Quick clip below with me highlighting the importance of: A) partnering with the right agency and B) not just going for the cheapest option, because it tends to be that you get what you pay for Link to the full pod in the comments on the original Coding chats post. #recruitment #techrecruitment #staffing #podcast #hiring

10

23 Comments

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

34

32 Comments

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

9

3 Comments

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

25

2 Comments

UK Software Engineers saved from the AI jobs carnage. At least, based on my reasoning. Follow me on this. You pay for £100 worth of code. For arguments sake, it's a CRUD service. Similar have already been created for the project. For £100 a UK Software Engineer gets 25% complete for £100 an overseas Software Engineer gets 50% complete for £100 UK Software Engineer AI assisted gets 75% complete For £100 overseas Software Engineer AI assisted gets 100% complete Result without AI: Overseas is 50% cheaper for the same work. Result with AI: Overseas is 25% cheaper for the same work. More AI = less advantage to Offshoring AI brings home Software Engineering and Testing which was previously outsourced or offshored. #recruitment #jobs #AIdoomsterschokeontheirflawedargument

34

12 Comments

Dev teams are shipping faster with ABP’s modular architecture! 🎉Less boilerplate, cleaner code and way easier to scale. See how ABP is helping developers focus on what matters: https://lnkd.in/d8UByiR5

5