When Is It Time To Bring In A Recruiter?

Photo: Lauren Hammond

 

A recruitment consultancy is rarely a company’s first port of call when it comes to growing their team. As human beings we can be quite stubborn and insist that we can fix our problems ourselves. More importantly, we can fix them without spending any money.

But sometimes DIY recruitment causes more problems than it solves, and you can find yourself spending money when you’re trying to save it. You need to determine early on whether or not this is a job for you or for a recruiter.

This can be difficult to tell sometimes, so we thought we’d give you a hand in identifying the signs.

The Role Is Not Your Expertise
It’s hard to hire the best .NET Developer if you’re not actually sure what a .NET Developer does, and more importantly what they specifically need to do well in order to benefit your company. This is why specialist recruiters exist, to know exactly the type of person you need for your company when you’re not quite sure.

The Role Is Specific
If you’re looking for a role that’s flexible and that you can mould around the right person then maybe you could be better off looking on your own. However if your team is missing a specific skill set then you need someone with experience in getting those hard to find talents. Recruiters know who has those skill sets, who’s available and who would fit perfectly within your existing team.

You Don’t Have Time
Recruiting a new hire is difficult and time consuming and not something that every manager has time to do. While using a recruiter costs money, so does not having time to work on your own projects because you’re too busy trying to find your new hire. Think logically about how much time and money it will cost to focus on hiring and you might find that it would be cheaper, and much less stressful, to bring in a recruiter.

You’ve Already Tried To Hire And Were Unsuccessful
You’ve posted your ads, gone through the applicants, maybe even interviewed a few… and still nobody is ticking the right boxes. You don’t know what’s going wrong so you need to bring in the professionals who do, and who will make sure that the next round will go right.

If you recognise any of these signs then we can help! You can email us at hello@enigmapeople.com or give us a call on 0141 332 4422.

Other Helpful Links
8 Mistakes You’re Making When Writing A Job Spec
How To Maintain Healthy Candidate/Client/Recruiter Relationships
The 3 Most Common Lies Told By Recruitment Agencies

The Enigma Weekly Roundup | 12th December 2014

We bring you a roundup of technology, business and recruitment news from the past 7 days:

• Ralph Baer, “Father of Video Games”, Dies at 92
• Global Presence for Edinburgh’s Digital Sector
• Obama, the First President Programmer
• 7 Things Startups Want in Engineers (Besides Knowing How to Code)
• EE & Orange Wednesdays Cinema Promo Set to Finish
• Amazon Just Entered the Food Delivery Game
• Scottish Economic Recovery Slows but Employment Rises
• The Top 25 Places to Work in the UK, Google Ranks No.1 
• Government Aims for 97% of Interactions to be Digital
• How Hiring Managers and Recruiters Can Work Together 
• Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband Programme to Bring Connectivity to Rural Scotland
• New Log-in Tech Will Make Passwords ‘Wither and Die’
• How Recruiters Can Help Address the UK’s Skills Shortage
• Making Chips and Having Fun – Part 2 of Our Exclusive Interview with indie Semiconductor’s CTO 

What is Scotland’s Tech Industry Saying about the Independence Referendum?

On September 18^th 2014 Scotland will take an historic vote: to remain in the United Kingdom or to go it alone, as an independent state. There have, of course, been many discussions and opinions both in favour and against independence, arguing what is best for Scotland’s economy and future. One of the strongest and most profitable sectors contributing to Scotland’s economy is the technology industry, so what does this sector have to say about the referendum?

Scotland’s tech industry is worth £500million, with 300 companies employing 4,000 people, while another 2,000 work in software teams of electronics companies and 12,000 in internal computer departments. Growing at 16% per year, and almost 3 times the European average, the software sector in Scotland is huge. As is Scotland’s successful gaming industry – home to hit games such as Grand Theft Auto, Lemmings and Minecraft – the sector is worth millions to the UK economy. The success of the tech industry is further propelled by the tech start ups that have emerged all over the country and have helped Edinburgh offer the second highest paying tech jobs in the UK, closely followed by Glasgow. Not only that, Scotland has the highest proportion of students studying computer related disciplines in Europe, ensuring the next generation of talent is equipped with the skills to support the industry.

So how do the business leaders of this highly successful industry feel about the referendum? It seems there are mixed opinions.

In an open letter published early last week, over 130 business leaders, who collectively employ over 50,000 Scots, urged the people of Scotland to vote no stating the ‘business case for leaving the UK has not been made’. The letter included a number of Scottish business leaders, entrepreneurs and CEO’s of companies and argued that Scotland’s economy will suffer if we left the UK, including Marcus Kneen, chief executive of IndigoVision, the video security firm, and Nosheena Mobarik, chief executive of M Computer Technologies, the electronics hardware and software firm. The letter also includes a signature from software entrepreneur David Sibbald, CEO of Aridhia Informatics, Chairman of data analytics company Sumerian and prior Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Atlantech Technologies, a communications software company later sold to Cisco systems in 2000 for $180 million.

Glasgow based cloud computing company Iomart has also spoken out against independence stating it would be a ‘silly idea’, with chief executive saying he will move the company to England should the outcome be a yes. The firm is part of growing list of Scottish companies – including Aggreko, Standard Life, Royal Bank of Scotland and Weir Group – that have expressed their concerns over Scotland becoming independent.

In response to this, over 200 business leaders supporting an Independent Scotland then signed another open letter speaking out in favour of independence, which was published in The Herald Scotland. This included a number of tech companies coming from Scotland’s very strong digital media sector, web development and IT companies. Some of which include: Gerry McCusker, Owner at Dog Digital, Gillian & Kevin O’Neill, Founders of 29 Studios and John Innes, British Venture Capitalist of the Year and Venture Capital Chief Executive of the Year, former Chief Executive Amor Group.

Those that have signed this letter are involved in business and entrepreneurship at different levels in Scotland and around the world. They support independence with the belief that it is ‘in the best interests of Scotland’s economy and its people’, stating ‘an independent Scotland will recognise entrepreneurs small and large as the real wealth and job creators of the nation’s economic future.’

These are just few business leaders who have signed and spoken out their opinions on independence. Full lists of those signed the yes and no letter can be found here:

Yes :http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/referendum-news/in-full-the-list-of-entrepreneurs-backing-a-yes-vote.1409201147

No: http://www.scribd.com/doc/237805123/Letter-to-the-Scotsman-Wed-27-Sep-2014

From the business leaders whose names are included in these letters, it seems that the industry is divided ahead of the referendum, with key industry members and leaders of successful Scottish businesses present on both sides of the debate.

However, businesses don’t vote, people do.

What these open letters don’t tell us is the opinions of those who have chosen to stay silent and not comment on the referendum. Nor does it tell us the opinion of those individuals who make up these businesses. Although the opinions of the CEO’s and those running Scotland’s businesses are weighted and can have an influence on others, they don’t necessarily represent the individuals in the industry.

It is the individuals who work in Scotland’s technology industry who make it what it is, their talent, drive and commitment is what continues to drive the industry to succeed. As one of the leading recruiters in Scotland’s technology industry, we work hard to support the businesses, clients and candidates we work with. By working closely with these individuals and business, building lasting relationships and bigger businesses we look forward to continue helping the industry grow, be it in an independent Scotland or as part of the UK.

For the latest vacancies, industry news and updates on Scotland’s technology sector follow Enigma People Solutions on LinkedIn and Twitter @enigmapeople

The Enigma Weekly Roundup | 4th April 2014

We bring you the best technology, recruitment and business news from the past 7 days:

• Glasgow Amongst the Smart Cities of the Future 
• British and European Tech Startups Set to Give the US a Run for its Money
• Further Employer-backed ‘Tech Level’ Qualifications Announced
• Accenture Creates 2,000 UK Graduate and Senior Level IT Jobs
• Worlds Fastest Internet Speeds Found in a Small Cabin in In Bjørndalen, Norway
• IBM Launches Digital Marketing Network to Aid Marketers
• Google Is Exploring Offering Wireless Carrier Services
• The Robot Kangaroo That Stores the Energy From its Jumps
• Britain Ranks 13th Best Country in the World
• Europe’s 900,000 ICT Shortfall to be Tackled by Niche Digital Job Boards
• Hungry Hi-Tech Giants: Are Google and the Gang Really Getting Ready to Take Over the World?
• JoyCarpet Introduces Your Baby To Tech Early On In Life

For the latest news and updates follow Enigma People Solutions on LinkedIn and Twitter @enigmapeople

For Tech vacancies follow @IT_JobsGlasgow or @ITEdinburgh

Selling Scotland

Image: Kasei

Scotland is home to a world renowned games development sector, dynamic digital media agencies and software development companies whose innovative products are used in devices around the world. Saturation of home markets, greater demand and the push for greater profits are the key reasons for selling globally and many Scottish tech companies are already reaping the benefits.

Despite this, a recent article in the Scotsman highlighted that the Scottish tech industry is not receiving the recognition it deserves – with senior executives receiving lower remuneration packages than their counterparts in other industries. If this continues, the industry – and Scotland as country – may struggle to attract and retain its top talent.

In order to continue competing on a global level the industry needs to do more to put themselves on the map and that is by selling more around the globe, tapping into markets they perhaps never thought possible.

If the demand is out there why not supply?

Scotland’s exporting has increased steadily over the years, global demand for Scotlands oil and gas technology means that strong links are in place to do business in places like Africa and the Middle East. Even the food industry looks to Scottish technology to overcome challenges in feeding a growing global population.

I spoke to David Mckenna, Cofounder of Red Box Recorders ltd, a UK based company that has pioneered digital recording technology around the world and now sells in over 40 counties. David spoke to me about the do’s and don’ts of selling globally.

What are the barriers to Scottish Tech companies selling abroad?

The main barriers of doing business in different countries are of course the language barriers. Although a large proportion of the world is taught and speaks English there is a lot more to language than the spoken word. Body language, mannerisms, tone of voice and dialects all play their part in making communication slightly more difficult.

Overcome this however and you are faced with cultural clashes, how somebody expresses themselves can be completely different depending on what part of the world you are in, regardless of what language it is in. What may be acceptable in some parts of the world, may not be quite as acceptable in others. For example, what is seen as gift giving in some parts of Asian business cultures can be construed as bribery by their UK or American counterparts.

What about motivational factors for selling globally?

The number one motivation for any company to sell globally is to diversify markets in the push for profits. David however suggested a rather surprising motivational factor – where do you enjoy going on holiday? If you’re going to choose a new market to sell to why not pick one for some selfish reasons of your own? If you can successfully sell your product in a country which you are passionate about you are even more likely to want to push forward and succeed. With the added bonus of some holiday time, after important meetings of course.

 Which markets should Scottish Tech Companies enter first?

Ireland is close to home and the most culturally similar to Scotland with its historic Celtic connection, so this is an obvious choice. Post recession, this is a market which will be growing and there is definitely money to be made here.

The Netherlands is perhaps a surprising choice, however, with no language barrier, a growing economy and a nation very open to innovation this is an ideal market for a small Scottish company to test the waters and branch out in. The Netherlands is also ahead of its European neighbours in terms of its digital divide, with over 88% of its population being online. I would say that’s an excellent market for a Scottish tech company to engage with, don’t you?

Both the The Netherlands and Ireland are close to Scotland in distance, with excellent European Union links. Flights take around an hour and are available multiple times a day. The best part about these countries? They are significantly smaller and easier to break into than a country the size of America.

America seems like it would be an obvious choice,  it is the worlds largest economy and widely spoken English. However the size of the American market is one which requires a scary amount of investment and capital, perhaps not the first market to tap into.

David did also mention a word of warning. If you seem to be ahead of your competition in recognising potential new markets, this could be because of two reasons:

They aren’t as savvy as you and you are ahead of the competition. Which is great!

Or…

There is some greater reason why they haven’t successfully tapped this market, make sure you find out if there is more than meets the eye.

Support for Scottish businesses looking to go global is fantastic. Organisations such as GlobalScot, Scottish Enterprise and Scotland IS have already helped many Scottish companies broaden their horizons, many of which are local computer software, IT, technology and digital media companies. The Enterprise Europe Network specifically helps Scottish businesses expand into Europe with the Horizon 2020 programme. This support, coupled with the Scottish Governments pledge to make Scotland a world-class digital nation by 2020 will hopefully pave the way for Scottish Technology Industry to really put itself on the map and stay there!

Are you a Scottish tech company recently gone global or hoping to? We’d love to hear about your experiences or thoughts, so please get in touch! Tweet us @enigmapeople or follow us on LinkedIn.

Testing Tumbleweed: the search for software testers

Is there anybody out there?!

*tumbleweed*

This is how it feels looking for software testers. Client demand for this skill is significantly increasing. Unfortunately this isn’t a case of them simply being in hiding. The reality is there are so few available.

The increasing importance of software testing in the UK’s tech industry is becoming hard to ignore. 2014 will be a big year for software testing. Demand in this country is predicted to grow by 9.5% year on year till 2018.

However this wasn’t always the case.

The end of 1990s- 2000 saw a huge shift towards off shoring business functions to cheaper cost centres in India and Eastern Europe. Software Testing was one of these. These countries became home to highly experienced and skilled software testers. The Tier 2 Visa allowed a gateway for these skilled workers to temporarily come to the UK and fulfil any demand that there was at the time.

During the recession companies simply didn’t replace testers that did move on. There were fewer development projects, businesses were downsizing and so there was little need for dedicated, separate testing teams.

Fast forward to 2014 where the demand for testing has risen dramatically. UK Tech companies are growing again, and at a rapid pace. Having experienced high growth rates in the final quarter of 2013, the sector is performing better than it has in decades.

As businesses continue to grow the software testing function becomes more and more essential but companies looking for their ideal software testers are now finding they are nowhere to be found. There is the notion that software testing is a prelude to software development roles, that many computer science graduates start their career as testers and work their way up to developer roles. For that reason developers can carry out testers roles but many move higher up the ranks in pursuit of challenges. Graduates aren’t an option as clients are demanding 3 to 4 years commercial experience. As we know this simply doesn’t exist, very little companies were in a position to be hiring anybody 3 to 4 years ago, never mind graduates. The result is this burdening gap that we are facing for software testers.

Last years changes to the Tier 2 immigration laws for skilled foreign workers means there are stricter controls now in place, making it harder for companies to source this skill from out with the UK. Previously UK businesses were able to source migrant workers when needed from Australia, Canada, India, Pakistan etc. Non EU students were encouraged to attend UK universities to study an additional degree, masters and PhD’s, their study and post study work visas allowing them to find employment upon graduating.

These routes, amongst others, have been closed off, cutting the UK off from talent from outside the EU. This, in addition to the lack of experienced UK graduates, begs the question – where do we find these testers from?!

With the vast underinvestment in this skill, there is a severe shortage of software testers in this country; many of those that do exist simply do not come from the right background for smaller software design companies as their experience is geared towards the financial industry. Very little have the skilled technical or commercial experience the tech industry requires to facilitate the growth the industry has the potential to achieve.

So how do we change the game?

Talent can be sourced by tapping into the next cheapest market with skilled, experienced workers such as Romania and other EU countries. There is of course the problem of competition. Germany and other stronger economies will also be tapping into the same market, meaning the war for talent will simply to continue to rage on.

This is where recruiting agencies extensive experience and knowledge is extremely important. With the capacity to search further and wider throughout Europe, they have greater ability to locate this crucial talent for clients. This being said, nothing is more important than nurturing the talent already in the country. What we really need to do is to invest further in training and recruiting the talent coming forth from our universities. This means companies must be more open to hiring graduates and training them up in the field. Although there is increasing evidence of this, with business now more confident in their growth to hire graduates, more must be done to bridge the gaps.

In the meantime however, The Software Testing World Cup is an official global competition which allows testers to show off their skills and compete with other testing professionals. Winning teams from each continent are invited to the finals where up to 8 teams, watched by an international crowd of testers, will fight for the global crown of software testing. This is an exciting event, allowing testers from all over the world to get involved.

Events like these and others should be widely encourage in the industry in order to raise the profile of software testing, showcasing it for the exciting and challenging role that it is! Maybe then we can begin to bridge the gap in the UK market.

Are you software tester? We would love to hear your thoughts! Drop us an email at hello@enigmapeople.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!

The Enigma Weekly Roundup | 7th February 2014

We bring you the best IT, Technology and Recruitment news from the past 7 days:

• Transport Plans ‘Bring 50,000 Scottish Jobs’
• Hi-Tech App Gives Sneak Peek at Glasgows East End Offices
• HTC Is Feeling Good About 2014
• Google Doodle Features Olympic Charter as They Enter Russian Anti-Gay Laws Row
• NYPD is Testing Out Google Glasses
• Sonic The Hedgehog Reinvented 23 Years After First Dashing Across Our Screens
• Evian Celebrates Valentine’s Day With #Iloveyoulike Campaign
• Sony To Exit PC Business By Selling VAIO
• Today Is Jobs Day — Here’s Everything You Need To Know
• IBM Explores Sale of Semiconductor Arm
• Enigma People Solutions Press Release – Glasgow Recruitment Director to Join S1 Recruitment Awards Judging Panel

For the latest news, updates and vacancies please follow Enigma People Solutions on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Women in Engineering

 

Last week saw Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg as the newest member of the female billionaires club. More and more women are making it to the top of leading global technology companies such as Cher Wang, Cofounder and Chairperson of  HTC, Virginia Rometty, President and CEO of IBM and Marissa Mayer, CEO of  Yahoo to name a few.

So why was it when I recently attended the Scotland IS event Technology Trends 2014 my first reaction when entering the room was, why so few women?!

Enigma People Solutions have long championed the idea of increasing the number of women employed in engineering and technology. The problem seems to stem from schools where cultural stereotypes stop girls from excelling in mathematics and physics. Gender misconceptions of what subjects should be studied by boys makes girls who want to study these subjects nervous and anxious to do so, with only a fifth of girls who get an A* at Physics GCSE going on to do the subject at A level, compared with half of boys. Studies also showed that in single-sex schools, more girls go on to study physics to A-level. Without the cultural stereotypes in single sex school girls feel more confident to go on and study mathematics and physics. The problems still manifests at university level however where only 17% of engineering students are female with this resulting in only 8% actually pursuing the engineering profession. Compare this with Sweden where 25% of professional engineers are female and 20% in France, Italy and Norway.

Careers in software development and computer science are now listed as the highest paying and most in demand careers so why is it this industry is seemingly not open to 50% of its potential talent pool? The fear is that if, as a society/industry we choose to only consider half our talent pool we will quickly be overtaken by those societies which are encouraging more of their skilled individuals into the industry rather than allowing them to be trained up and utilised in other industries which are seemingly more suitable to women. We will be all the poorer for it if we continue to let that happen!

As a leading IT recruitment consultancy Enigma People Solutions is passionate about increasing the number of women in technology because we know all too well that in order to stay ahead as an industry we need to nurture the skills and talent from an early age and consider the brightest minds coming out of our education system.

The problem is that this has been a consistent topic for years and whilst some if not many men are clearly holding open the doors even women seem to be at a loss as to how to encourage girls and young women into engineering.

In a recent article for The Telegraph Dame Ann Dowling, the first female president of the Royal Academy of Engineering, discusses the lack of fellow women in the industry, stating the profession is perfect for girls. If she herself is ‘baffled’ as to why we don’t have better representation of women in engineering then we really may be in trouble!

There is no doubt that the tech industry has been growing, with 39,900 jobs added between January and September 2013, and a massive 60% of these positions going to women. This is fantastic news for women in tech however still only represents a fraction of what can be achieved if more women were to embrace the industry. What we need to see is more women entering Product design for Software and Electronics in the UK. Let’s at least catch up with and improve on the representation that we see in countries like Sweden and Norway!

Tell us your thoughts, how can we encourage more women into engineering?

Follow Enigma People Solutions on LinkedIn and Twitter to keep up with the latest news and industry updates.

The Enigma Weekly Roundup | 2/8/13

All the best technology, recruitment and business stories from the past 7 days.

• Please take a second to nominate Enigma People Solutions for Best Small Agency Website at the NORAs!
• Are Video Interviews The Future Of Hiring?
• [DISCUSS] Smooth sailing or choppy seas ahead?
• Scottish games companies make a mark on the Develop Top 100
• Are there too many managers?
• Edinburgh audio chip maker Wolfson cuts losses
• Scottish job vacancies up by a quarter
• Hiring Managers Reveal: The Most Ridiculous Resumes
• Conference fund brings £70m boost for Scotland
• Take a look at the brand new Enigma People Solutions brochures on the Bug Graphics website!
• Dell deal hangs in the balance
• Google-Inspired Resume Puts New Spin on Job Searches

Looking for a new opportunity? Take a look at our latest vacancies!
Latest Vacancies from Enigma People Solutions

Check back next Friday for more news, and don’t forget to check out our weekly blog posts every Monday!
Latest Post: [DISCUSS] Smooth sailing or choppy seas ahead?

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[DISCUSS] Smooth sailing or choppy seas ahead?

Photo by Tom Bech

As a company and as individuals, we are always interested in keeping up with how other people are feeling about the economy, and how it’s affecting the industry that they’re in.

This article about the recent economy growth of 0.6% in the second quarter begins with saying that ‘Chancellor George Osborne can breathe a sigh of relief’ at these latest figures, as they “mean things could be looking up for British businesses, but there are still bumps ahead.”

In our recent post on contracting in Scotland, we reported a steady increase in IT contract work. But what about in permanent roles, and what’s happening in other industries? We have noticed definite uplift and activity, but are aware that many businesses are still afraid to take risks as nobody is quite sure how long this activity will last.

Ben Hanley, Director of Enigma People Solutions, says:

One of the key challenges we observe as a business, and we know that many of our clients share this, is the tricky business of forecasting the future. If we could do that accurately then our lives would be much easier! We would not have been caught out by the financial crisis that so few predicted in 2008, and we would know whether or not to have confidence for the future. Our clients would be able to tell us how many people they need to hire and when, meaning we could all plan the processes of our businesses so much more appropriately. A lot of business is about being able to react and manage change but also there is an important skill to predicting or at least planning for the future. I attended a recent APSCO (Association for Professional Sourcing Consultants) seminar where they outlined their vision for the future.

Here are some key points that we all need to be aware of when planning for the future growth of our professional technology businesses

A)    There is a lack of candidates so even if you plan to grow, doing so may be difficult
B)    The need to be more proactive in candidate attraction means that there are more and more candidate attraction channels than ever
C)    There is a significant need for Individuality and Innovation in recruitment as the “war for talent” increases

We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic.

Do you feel that things have been looking up for your business, and are you still wary of bumps in the road ahead? What do you predict for the future of Scotland’s economy?

Get involved in the discussion by commenting below or connecting with us on Twitter @enigmapeople.