Dear Job Seekers (and Hiring Managers),You’ve updated your CV.You’ve fixed your LinkedIn profile.You’re applying to every relevant role you can find on PNet, LinkedIn Jobs, and indeed.And you’re hearing nothing.Wellโฆ the job you’re perfect for may never appear on any of those platforms.It was filled quietly. Through a conversation at an industry event. Through a recruiter who already knew the right person. Through a WhatsApp message to someone in the right network.This is the hidden job market. And in South African IT, it is enormous.Today, we pull back the curtain on how it works – and how you get access…
Dear Job Seekers (and Hiring Managers), A recruiter finds a great-looking CV. They open LinkedIn to learn more about the candidate. The profile photo is a blurry selfie from a braai. The headline says “Open to work.” The summary is blank. The last update was 2021. The CV goes in the maybe pile. Someone else gets the call. This happens every single day. Your LinkedIn profile is no longer just a nice-to-have. For anyone in tech, it is the first place a recruiter looks – sometimes before they even see your CV. If it’s not working for you, it’s working…
Dear Job Seekers (and Hiring Managers),You spend months applying for jobs.Nothing.No calls. No interviews. Just silence.You tweak the subject line of your email. You apply to more roles. Still nothing.Here’s the hard truth: it’s probably your CV.Not because you’re unqualified. Not because you’re a bad candidate.Because your CV is doing you no favours – and you don’t even know it.Today, we fix that.The Brutal Reality of CV ScreeningRecruiters spend an average of 7 seconds on a CV before deciding yes or no.Seven. Seconds.That’s not long enough to read. It’s a scan. A glance. A gut feel.And in those 7 seconds,…
Previously we covered the strategic hiring blueprint. This week, let’s talk about the most underutilised tool in your hiring arsenal: reference checks. Here’s the shocking truth: 87% of hiring managers do reference checks, but only 23% ask the right questions. The result? You’re missing critical insights that could save you from costly hiring mistakes. Stop Asking These Useless Questions The dead-end questions everyone asks: “How was their performance?” (Generic answer guaranteed) “Would you hire them again?” (Of course they’ll say yes) “What are their strengths and weaknesses?” (Prepared corporate speak) These questions tell you nothing. Let’s fix that. The Reference…
Hiring Developers: Expectation vs Reality ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐? ๐๐ฒ๐โ๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐น๐ธ ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐. ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐! ๐Ever had a client say: โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ, ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ช๐ค๐ฌ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ.โย Ah yes, because databases, APIs, security, and server logic just ๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ย connect themselves. ๐คกHiring a ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ isnโt about just filling a seatโitโs about understanding that ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฒ. You wouldnโt expect a house to stand with only a beautifully painted door and no foundation, right? ๐ ๐ชYet, so often in recruitment, we see unrealistic job specs:โก โ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฐ๐ณ ๐๐ถ๐ญ๐ญ ๐๐ต๐ข๐ค๐ฌ…
Interview Tip: Don’t be a Chicken at KFC ๐จ ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ง๐ถ๐ฝ: ๐๐ผ๐ปโ๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๐! ๐จ Imagine walking into an interview without knowing what the company doesโlike a chicken showing up at KFC for a job. ๐โ It sounds ridiculous, right? But youโd be surprised how many candidates do just that! Before your next interview, take time to: โ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ โ What do they do? Who are their clients? Whatโs their mission? โ ๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ โ Check their website, social media, and employee reviews. โ ๐๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ โ Any recent achievements, product launches,…
Most effective method to communicate with Recruiters What is the most effective method for a candidate to inform a recruiter that they do not wish to pursue a job opportunity anymore? When searching for job, it’s uncomplicated to become involved in an avalanche of applications and first enthusiasm. However, from time to time after more thoughts or getting different offers, you understand certain opportunity doesn’t suit well. Then how do you manage the sensitive task of informing a recruiter that you’re not interested anymore?Ghosting is not the solution. It is not just unprofessional, but it also ruins relationships and can…
The 2025 Job Search Reality Check: What you Need to Know ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ: ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฏLet’s discuss today’s tech job market.ย After 20+ years in IT recruitment (yes, I’ve seen ALL the tech trends come and go! ๐ ), I’ve noticed a pattern that every job seeker needs to understand. The Game-Changing Secret? Understanding the difference between what you CAN and CANNOT influence. Let’s break it down: Beyond Your Control: ๐จThose pesky ATS knockout questions (they’re like that one bug you can’t quite fix) ๐จInternal candidates who were already lined up (plot twist: the role…
Jobseekers: You asked, we answered ๐๐ผ๐ฏ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ – ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ! I’ve seen many posts over the years where Job Seekers asked to have salary information in the job advertisements. Well, I don’t advertise any vacancy without the salary information on it. Exactly what you’ve asked for! The problem is… you are NOT reading the full job advertisement!Why?I have no idea, but it’s become more and more apparent that Job Seekers are only seeing a job title and click on apply. They have no idea what the role entails, what the requirements are, where the role is based,…
Are you looking for a new role? Candidate: “I need help with my CV”Recruiter: “Sure, let’s have a look”Candidate: “I’m not getting any interviews at all, so something must be wrong” There are so many people sitting in this same situation where they drew up a quick CV or used some arb CV template that doesn’t really work.They didn’t take the time to really draw up a proper CV to represent them and clearly states their experience and what they are looking for.If you are looking for a new job, your 1st responsibility is to get your CV looking great…