idealpeople blog

We’ve been waiting for the doom and gloom industry to start affecting the job market for some time now. Whilst the market for hiring tends to be some way behind other aspects of the economy, the warning signs are starting to come out of the recruitment industry, it seems.

There have been several recent reports and indicators of this - the Office of National Statistics reported last week that the number of people unemployed has gone up by 60,000 in three months to June and Hays announced earlier this week that the UK job market is reaching levels last seen in the recession of the late 80s and early 90s.

To top it all off, a report produced jointly by KMPG and the REC has found that the number of available jobs in all industries except the nursing and medical profession has fallen for the fifth consecutive month. Alan Nolan, a Director at KMPG, described the most recent fall as “yet another sharp drop” in the UK recruitment market.

So how will this affect the technology industry? Well, we thought we’d share some of our own data which suggests that - at the moment - things are holding up relatively well. Now, we’re not going to come out and say that the survey released this morning is wrong, but at least for now both the demand for new talent and the number of hires taking place within the technology industry seems to be stable - albeit that there was a sharp drop in August (but this was preceded by a very good July…).

The demand for new talent in 2008, measured by the number of new vacancies (by the way, we’re using a scale here, so whilst the trends are valid, the numbers aren’t).

The number of hires in each month in 2008, measured by number of Idealpeople candidates hired into new position in 2008 (by the way, we’re using a scale here, so whilst the trends are valid, the numbers aren’t).

So maybe it’s not all doom and gloom - but we will give you regular updates.

In the meantime, there’s been quite a lot of work going on on our corporate website, including a new job search functionality. You can also register your CV with Idealpeople through the blog, or subscribe to the blog for updates.

And it’s the grand opening of the Idealpeople APAC office! We finally made it and our expansion into China is now in full swing.

The APAC office will primarily be focussed on high-level retained executive search and general consultative services for technology companies throughout mainland China, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Our-part localised website can be found at www.idealpeople.cn, although keep checking for a fully localized version, which remains in development.

For information on working with Idealpeople International in the APAC region, get in touch by clicking here.

Oh, and the view from the office today?

Well, as we’re overlooking the Olympic Stadium, it’s all quite busy out there. Don’t just take our word for it…take a look below. These are, we *promise*, fully original, totally exclusive photos. Apologies for the slight lack of quality, but it’s the best we can do…

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Enjoy the weekend!

There’s a really interesting article on The Register this week.

The general gist it seems is that a variety of surveys suggest that there is some doom and gloom spreading into the IT jobs marketplace. Job numbers are down, and salaries seem to be moving nowhere - particularly amongst software development roles.

Also, there has been a huge shift away from companies seeking specialist skills and towards more generalist skills - it’s now a good idea to be able to program in C++, Java and C rather than be an evangelist of just one.

This news is topped off with some interesting comments which depict even more doom and gloom, and some interesting insights into the role of recruiters.

Well, not wanting to miss out, we want to make a somewhat bold and possibly even more doom-and-gloom statement: there’s a possibility that by 2013 there will hardly be ANY roles in Software Development in the UK - and that people working in Software Development could do far worse than to build on skills in Business Analysis, Solutions/Technical Architecture, Pre-Sales, Product Management, Consulting, Professional Services, Database Administration and other technical functions to safeguard against any future risk.

Before you all tell us we’re wrong, here’s why - off-shoring.

Everything within the market is pointing towards a significant amount of development work going overseas. And when we say everything, we mean…

1) There isn’t enough talent being produced by the UK universities and it’s too late for that to change. IT just isn’t attractive to undergraduates at the moment. Although this creates a skills shortage, the net effect is that the few good coders (and rising cost of living in the UK) means that all the good ones become disproportionately expensive, or go contracting, resulting in the offshoring option being more attractive on the basis of cost. This issue isn’t helped at all by tightening immigration.

2) Offshore is getting cheaper. 1 million are expected to Graduate in the next twelve months in IT in India alone, 5 million in China and a large number of them are Electronics and IT undergraduates. These places don’t have talent shortages, and salaries are kept much more affordable as more graduates seek to enter the industry. The supply/demand shift is totally different.

3) Open source: as the open-source movement grows, will this have a positive effect on the job market or a negative effect? OK, so lots of development companies can sell products to run on open source, but even if part of the market becomes free, this is likely to have an impact on the amount of positions available.

4) Finally, and this is sheer futurethinking on our part - in the future we will be able to build software without knowing a single language. All software will be rapidly built and deployed leveraging Software Development Kits and so the only remaining coders will be the ones building SDK’s and Tools. It’s possible to make Social Networks using Ning in five minutes now - try thinking how tough that would have been for you even 2-3 years ago in raw HTML. Check out Microsoft’s Game Creation SDK for a glimpse of the future. If you didn’t know C/Assembler just a few years back you had no chance of being able to ‘make’ a game.

Yes, these tools will create work for companies looking to take advantage of these tools, but the more the market goes in this direction, the quicker and easier software engineering becomes, and demand for specialist skills will go down.

Controversial? Maybe. Outsourcing as a development strategy still has its critics and its problems, but if even 25% of development jobs were to go overseas (particularly over the next couple of years when credit will be increasingly hard to get hold of and cost becomes even more of a factor in decision-making) the market will inevitably suffer….

Of course, feel free to come back in five years’ time and tell us we were wrong - but the declining numbers of development jobs available and the increase in demand in other technical functions is already evident.

Want some more advice? Well, subscribe to the blog by clicking here, or contact us by clicking here, or register your details with us by clicking here.

(Better late than never, right?)

Earlier in the week, we were talking about strategies for getting a job on-line. In this, we announced the relatively interesting finding from some recent research which suggests that 25% of people who find a new job using the internet do so through an advert.

Don’t let such a relatively low number put you off actually applying for jobs: the truth is that lots of people simply don’t have the time to apply for lots of jobs, and there are plenty of jobs that are filled on-line without ever being advertised.

Don’t be put off either by the fact that there are lots of people with some horror stories to tell about on-line advertising-the main complaint from applicants being that some job adverts found on-line are fake. The jobs simply don’t exist.

Is this true?

Well, yes actually. We know for certain that there are jobs being advertised that don’t actually exist. Very, very few are faked for criminal reasons. Those that are “fake” normally ask for relatively generic skills and are used to find candidates for a number of other jobs. This situation is not ideal, but it’s one which is relatively easily overcome.

Another key complaint surrounds the lack of response that many applicants receive to their on-line applications.

Despite all this, we thoroughly recommend that you apply for positions on-line.

Why?

Advert responses make a recruiter’s life easier
Recruiters post adverts to find people. Writing and posting an advert doesn’t take huge amounts of time - unlike scouring the net or a database for suitable people. Whilst you can guarantee that the scouring will happen alongside the advert, a good application from an advert will always bring a smile to a recruiter’s face. Don’t believe the old adage that recruiters don’t even open CVs they get - that’s simply untrue. You can guarantee that a recruiter will look at every single one.

It shows an applicant’s interest
When you get a phone call from a recruiter, chances are they will have to spend some time talking to you about the job in hand to get your interest up.

As an applicant to an advert, you’ve already made this interest clear.

OK, so the reasons for applying are valid enough. So how do you ensure that you always get a reply, and that your application stands out? Follow our easy guide..

1) Apply for jobs that match your profile
This probably sounds a bit silly - but there is no point in applying for a job unless it’s obvious from your CV that the position and you match. If it’s a J2EE job and J2EE isn’t evidently your main skill from your CV (even if it is!), then your chances of a call are small. If you have a general skillset, encompassing expertise across a number of areas, then rather than send a general CV out to adverts, consider creating 2 or three resumes and using the most relevant one for each job.

Recruiters get a lot of job applications, and you wouldn’t believe the amount of CVs which bear no resemblance to the advert.

2) Write a covering letter
Yes, most of the job-boards allow you to use a generic “I’d like to apply for this position” cover note on your application. Yes, that’s a lot simpler and quicker than writing something specific. But a covering letter makes you stand out, it shows your interest and it gives you a chance to mention or highlight relevant expertise or experience. A generic, one-line note provided to you by the job-board shows that you’ve made the minimum amount of effort.

3) Only apply to good adverts
Have a look at the quality of each advert you apply for. If it’s a three-line advert with no real detail, just don’t apply. Instead, apply to adverts which are well-written and which actually sound interesting to you. You’ll find that you have a far higher chance of getting a response to an advert which is well written and formatted.

4) Follow-up
Keep track of where you’ve applied and when. If you don’t get a response, then follow up. Either pick up the phone and speak to the Recruiter, or send an e-mail. You’ve spent the time getting your CV right and writing a covering letter, so why shouldn’t you? If nothing else, speaking to the recruiter gives you a chance to put yourself on their radar.

With that in mind, why not head over to the new Idealpeople website and take a look at our new job search functionality? We’re now advertising all of our current vacancies on there….pop on over and take a look.

And good luck!

We’ve introduced you to Candidate 2.0 before. Remember Bridget?

Soon, we’re going to be talking a lot more about Candidate 2.0. For now, we wanted to share a piece of relatively interesting research we’ve conducted.

We spoke to a lot of people who had changed jobs in the last four years across a number of industry sectors with the aim of finding out what’s the most effective way of finding a job in the era of Candidate 2.0.

Why?

Well, partly because - let’s be honest - finding a new job is a bit of a minefield, particularly in the internet-centric world of recruitment. There is such a plethora of job advertising sites, on-line CV databases and Social Networking tools being increasingly used, that no-one would ever be able to make maximum, effective use of each one without committing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to such an enterprise.

So where is best to invest your time? If you need a job tomorrow, what’s the best strategy? Rather than rely on pure opinion (why of course, dear readers, your best bet is to register with Idealpeople by clicking right here , we thought we’d actually find out.

And here goes.

The headline news that only 25% of all people who changed jobs using the internet in the last four years found a job through an on-line advert. On the other hand, a quite impressive 50% found their job by uploading their CV into a database, and the remaining 25% of people who got a new job weren’t originally looking for a new job in the first place - or they at least they weren’t actively using the internet to do so when they got one (but the internet played a part…)

This is actually relatively unsurprising - in fact, it ties in nicely with what we’ve been saying on our corporate website for years.

But before you rush out and put your CV in an on-line database, let’s put this in context. Normally, when you apply for a job on-line, you have the option of registering your CV in a database as well. And it’s just easy really, isn’t it? Upload the CV, wait for the phone to ring - it’s the ultimate hassle-free job seeking methodology.

On the flip-side, applying for jobs is time-consuming, and there’s considerable pessimism about the validity (and/or existence) of lots of advertised jobs and there’s a good chance you’ll receive no reply. This is in spite of the fact that we believe that applying for jobs is a really great way of getting attention. So the fact that twice as many people have success through a CV database compared to an ad is unsurprising.

And what of the 25% of people who change jobs without actually looking for one? What’s with that?

Tomorrow (yes, tomorrow readers) and for the rest of the week, we’re going to look at each of these methodologies in turn and provide a nice guide to each one. Want to know how to make an application stand out? Check back tomorrow. Want to know how to make a CV that’ll get so many calls from people scouring the on-line databases? Come back on Wednesday. And on Friday, if you’re really lucky, we’ll show you how to achieve the ultimate…to find a job on-line without actually looking for one.

Of course, you could subscribe to the blog to make sure you don’t miss out - or just show us some thanks and pop back in return for such kindness…

Sono un headhunter e lavoro per una international compagnia inglese e utilizzo tutti I giorni linkedin.

A mio avviso e` un network fantastico dove e` possible trovare le migliori persone sul mercato mondiale. Questo mio articolo non e` una pubblicita` a favore di linkedin ma e` solo un modo per dire che e` diventato un grande strumento di lavoro.
Tra I tanti benefit ci sono tre elementi che mi piacciono maggiormente sono:
Uno- e` che le gran parte delle persone non cercano attivamente lavoro e quindi diventa interessante mettere in atto tutte le strategie vincenti da psicologo del lavoro per vendere al meglio la compagnia e il ruolo che si cerca di riempire.
Due-La qualita` delle persone e` nettamente migliore visto che non tutti conoscono il network. Solo chi e` interessato a costruire un business network in modo costruttivo mette il proprio pofilo online.

Tre-la gran parte delle persone che contatto solitamente dal profilo ci sono soltanto I titoli delle posizioni e a mio avviso diventa molto interessante scoprire il loro background.
Spero che questo grande network diventi sempre piu` grande e che possa aiutare le persone a conoscersi e a costruire una grande relazione tra le persone.

We’ve been trying really hard to avoid the whole topic of the big “R” but with the Chambers of Commerce convinced that the recession is on the way we thought we’d send out some hope signals to anyone out there who is wondering what effect it will have on their chances of getting a new job.

We’re all aware of the impact of the credit crunch and oil prices, and impact on businesses was inevitable - as it always is when consumers are worse off. But what’s going to happen to the job-seeker in these times? What impact does a recession actually have, and what can be done about it?

1) Fewer jobs, more competition
It is probable that there will be fewer jobs around. Broadly speaking, in harder times when the level of work has dropped, companies have two choices: trim back the workforce so it matches workload or seek more workload (good news for salespeople in the sense of availability of jobs, although maybe bad news in that no-one’s got any money you it’s harder to sell anything).

This means two things: redundancies and recruitment freezes. Or in other words, fewer jobs and more people fighting over what there is.

This in itself could have implications for candidates: more competition means less power to candidates and less scope for salary negotiations. And of course, in a world where living costs are escalating this is in itself very bad news.

Location, Location, Location
Another problem is likely to be location. Most people urgently looking for a new position will find themselves in a situation where local is the only option, as relocation becomes a bit of a problem. In a strong housing market, it’s relatively (which is an important word) easy to up sticks and move. Pop the house on the market, sell it the next day and off we go. With the state of the UK Housing market as it is, this is no longer the case. Relocation for home-owners in the short-term has become tricky.

Have we depressed you yet? Fear not, dear readers, because here’s Idealpeople’s guide to weathering the storm….

Look for something different
The technology is pretty unpredictable at the best of times, but it’s worth remembering that banks do still have lots of money. If the sector you’re in is struggling, look elsewhere - because if there’s money to be made, investment will be flowing in. Our hot tips include Green Energy/Clean-Tech/Renewable Energy, Security, Biometrics, Cloud Computing, SaaS and HPC/High-Performance-Computing, UI/User Experience, IPTV and Digital Broadcast and Defence.

Think outside the box
Let’s be honest - every candidate is going to be trawling the jobsites. So, instead, do what the majority aren’t - either approach companies direct (top tip: www.linkedin.com) or find a specialist headhunter or recruiter to go after local companies direct. Good recruiters know exactly who is doing what in the industry and exactly who to speak to - so make use of them.

Think like Candidate 2.0
Candidate 2.0 likes social networking, knows his or her USPs and isn’t afraid to be pro-active. You need to think like Candidate 2.0. Re-write (do not add to) your CV - using a benefit-led approach (click here) and don’t be afraid of direct approaches using e-mail, LinkedIn, Skype, MSN or Facebook.

Be brave
Recession? What recession? That’s got to be your approach. Despite the economic conditions, you have saleable skills. Economic conditions don’t make you unemployable - so be brave, know your strengths and don’t assume the worst. Find a company which matches your approach an you won’t go far wrong.

Of course, you’ll save yourself a whole lot of time by getting in touch with us and getting us to do the legwork for you…but blatant plugs aren’t what we’re for. Well, OK then, just a bit. Click here to register with us )

Games, Games, Games, it’s all we’re talking about this week - or so it seems…

We wanted to pledge our support for the Games Up? campaign, which aims to ensure that the gaming industry in the UK receives enough support to keep growing.

Now let’s be honest here for a minute: the Games industry gets an awful lot of stick. It’s constantly being blamed for turning our children into couch potatoes, it’s blamed for almost every atrocity committed by young adults the world over and - often - gamers themselves are seen in far from a positive light.

Quite why the general negative attitude is beyond us. And quite why the following facts are never made publically available also remains a mystery…

- 26.5 million people in the UK regularly play games
- The majority of these are adults
- the British Games industry makes games suitable for all ages - only 3 18+ titles were released last year
- The UK has originated some of today’s biggest global games franchises such as Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider, SingStar, Football Manager and Roller coaster Tycoon
- The UK industry employs over 10,000 people and contributes hundreds of millions of pounds to the UK economy

Despite this, the UK games industry is losing out to foreign territories who can offer publishing companies tax breaks provided by the government - much as the UK government gives to Film Studios in this country. So far, the government has been unwilling (or unable) to offer the British Games Industry any sort of assistance, meaning that the cost of creating games over here is uncompetitive for major publishers.

The result of this is fewer jobs and more of the UK skills-base leaving for higher-paid jobs overseas. The state of affairs will only get worse without support.

So it’s time to act…..before it’s

We work extensively with Games studios throughout the UK, recruiting at all levels for several major games houses. If you want to know more, register with us, or get in touch.

We’ve been promising this for some time, and now it’s finally here! Here at Idealpeople towers, we employ people who not only know quite a bit about Recruitment, but who also know quite a bit about recruitment within specific technology verticals.

So, allow us to introduce you to Patrick Kennedy, who heads up all of our Games recruitment within Idealpeople. He works with numerous Games studios throughout the country, and we knew you’d probably be interested in what he has to say on how to get into maybe one of the most competitive (and certainly most stable, despite any economic turbulence) industries around.

So, without further ado…

What’s the biggest challenge facing candidate looking at getting in to the Games Industry?
That’s a difficult question, every candidate has different strengths and every studio wants different things. The biggest challenge is both understanding where in the development of games you want to be and then getting the information you need to help you get there before you start university. If you have only just decided you would like to make games after completing a BSc E-Commerce degree and have been focused on Java - then you are going to struggle - a lot. A better question may be: how do I make sure I don’t encounter any problems getting in to the industry? That’s also a difficult question, but easier to answer.

Firstly, as with every profession - not everyone is cut out to do it. Playing games is fun, making them can be the opposite at times. Lets say that we are talking about those people with the natural components necessary to be a good games developer. In order to go through the perfect transition into industry after university you probably would have been thinking about making games from age 15! Yes, you need to start early, meaning Maths and Physics at A Level (GCSE too if you have the option), preferably making sure you get a ‘B’ grade minimum. Starting to learn the basics of programming early on goes a long long way to giving yourself that coding mentality. I’m not talking crazy multithreaded applications distributed on on n-tier architecture here, I’m talking about the basic principles of programming. A lot of programmers had that moment when a level of understanding reaches a certain point and it ‘clicks’ in their head, this will happen a lot earlier if you start to learn the basic underpins of programming early on.

So, you have two A’s in maths and physics eh? Well, off to University it is. It is very, very important you choose your university well, I won’t go into detail, just do some research. Scotland is very good for games degrees. When it comes to BSc Computer Game Technology vs. BSc Computer Science, my experience shows that most studios have absolutely no preference. What matters are the modules you choose and how well you can code. Choose all the programming modules you can. Yes, all of them. The better you can code the more success you will have with applications. If you can support this with evidence of your own demos or snippets of interesting code then you are at an advantage. Let’s remember game programming is just software development (of very cool software). This industry is one of very few that still labels coders ‘programmers’, you need to be a competent software developer. While on the subject of code, C++, C++ and more C++. Do not worry too much about learning other languages (other than English) apart from C++. Yes, Java is exploding, yes, C# has it’s benefits - but the vast majority of games are written in C++ and that’s not going to change in the near future. While choosing modules, think about specialisations. Gone are the days when two people made a whole game. Programmers are increasingly becoming specialists in select areas from the ever attractive and competitive graphics programming to other areas such as audio and tools programming. If I was starting University now, I’d aim for a network or audio programming and choose my modules accordingly. Very niche, less competition, rapidly increasing need for the skills and a more secure long term career. If throwing packets around or digital signal processing isn’t your thing then do something else of course, just choose the relevant modules. Also focus your demos, dissertation and any hobbyist work in your selected area to show off your skills.

So, you have ‘A’ grade maths and physics A levels and a 1st in BSc Computer Science with Games Development eh? Time to start creating the tool that initially represents you in applications: the CV. You need to make sure your CV says that you want to make games only. If you don’t get a job in games then you will sign on and make games at home for fun - that sort of mentality. I’m not advising that state benefits are the way forward of course but that level of passion is another box ticked. Any contributions you can show to a modding community or a non-profit/hobbyist game development project is also a major bonus. Put it this way: my company makes chocolate and I need help - I have two candidates, one general chef who likes to play football & DJ - and one that makes his own chocolate in his spare time. Who am I going to hire?

No, it’s not easy, but what good every came from easy? If you didn’t get a 1st or you didn’t do maths A level or any of what I’ve said it doesn’t mean you should give up. “Wow, I didn’t get any A levels - but look at these demos I made they’re awesome!” - Indeed, evidence of competence to do the job in question will outweigh any of the above. The above however will go a long way to putting you in a situation where you can tell hiring managers about your success’ and strengths. I placed someone last month who doesn’t have a degree, has spent the last 6 years coding in C for an aerospace company and it doesn’t say the word ‘games’ on his CV anywhere! He doesn’t even own a console or know the market. He simply was the right candidate for the right job (and a master of computational physics). Sometimes that happens but that’s not something you want to be hoping for. As an entry-level candidate you will not have the benefit of being simply ‘the right candidate’. Graduates are new to games development but also a commercial environment in general so my advice would be to stick as closely to the perfect candidate above as possible - it will make your life much easier.

What’s the most common mistake you see in applications from candidates looking to get into the Games Industry?
Wow, difficult question also. Things like ‘I have exposure to C++’. That’s like me saying I have watched some cooking shows when applying for a chef position. Not sure why I keep referring to chefs here :/ I also see a lack of flexibility which doesn’t help in a highly competitive market. “There are not many developers in Norwich, so I’m afraid that limits your search a bit.” Some people have genuine reasons for having to stay in one place. If you can be flexible, then do, it will help tenfold.

PhD and MSc candidates often have an expectation of £35k, which unless they are master coders, isn’t going to happen by quite a distance. I understand they have racked up more bills than their BSc counterparts but it doesn’t really make them that much more employable. £35k is around double a BSc entry level salary, and I know one thing, most studios would rather have two bright BSc graduates any day. They will all have to undergo the same training and development to bring them to commercial-coder standards so it’s a no brainier for the studio. MScs and PhDs are great and they will potentially help your career development fast track but I would advise to be prepared to start off in a very similar capacity as if you hadn’t done it at all.

There are arguably too many people coming out of university with Computer Games Design degrees. Someone should do something about it really, it’s really unfair to build students expectations incorrectly, the jobs just don’t exist in any kind of reasonable number. Too many skills in not enough depth to be able to add value to a studio in any development area. Animation is animation, programming is programming, art is art, a little bit of everything isn’t going to get you a job.

What single piece of advice would you give someone wanting to get into Games?
Ha, see the first question, I’ve somehow managed to talk for 20 minutes there.

Which area of expertise within Games (i.e. programing/design/art/engine etc) is the most sought-after at the moment?
Very good question with some quick and easy answers. Network Programming, Audio Programming, Physics Programming & Render Programmers cable of advanced shader development. That said, if you make these choices now, it will be 3 or 4 years before you’re looking for a position and who knows what the market will be doing then? Put it this way, if it was me I’d go for Network Programming for the obvious reasons.

Finally, how do you see the industry changing in terms of recruitment in the future?
If I knew that, I’d be doing it now! There is a lot changing in general, people are realising that actually having their own Google indexed website might help a bit! Then again, some do all that and don’t have contact details anywhere or a CV… This industry is one of few that really tries to engage with students prior to graduation. It still doesn’t work however, for a number of reasons that I won’t go in to here. Let’s just say in my opinion efforts from studios need to be more focused on preparation rather than aggressive recruiting. Studios don’t see the value in that (they could be spending time preparing someone for a career in a different studio), but then they don’t realise that students are just being bamboozled by tens of studios and false hopes of an easy ride. My solution would be to get every developer to contribute relative amounts towards an organisation that has the industry’s future talent at heart. If your studio and environment is good, people will come, simple. One thing is for sure, we need a whole lot more collaboration between government, universities and developers to make sure our graduates are equipped to do the job and also that the jobs are there in the first place. We try and do our bit here at IDP! I’ve done enough to make my matching and sourcing process very effective and it’s continually evolving, as an industry I have no idea how the others will cope with a decreasing number of quality entry level candidates and an increasing number of vacancies requiring industry experience. As I’ve said a few times here already, do enough to make sure you are of interest and none of this will matter. Easier said than done I know, but aren’t most things?

After that marathon, we’re off for a lie-down and a bit of GTA. If you want to know more about what we can do for you if you’re looking for a career in Games, then a good place to start is by registering your details with us by clicking here - or you can search our current games vacancies on our website - here, although Patrick’s the first to admit he doesn’t advertise most of his vacancies, so it is best to get in touch via the regsitration page on the blog.

Well well well readers we’re back. After a short break (no apologies I’m afraid, we’ve been rather busy and have some interesting news to tell you very very soon), we’re ready to pick up where we left off.

We’d thought we’d kick-start the second half of 2008 - awkward economic conditions and all - by giving you all some advice on where to live.

Now, if it’s the quality of schools, house prices or general standard of living you’re looking for, then we’re probably not the right people to be dishing out advice. Instead, we decided to go away and conduct a piece of research of behemoth-proportions to find out where the best place to live is if you’re currently looking for a new position in the technology industry.

We analyzed the amount of jobs currently available in each county (by running searches on job-boards who have full UK coverage) and the amount of people we know who have been looking for new positions in the last 12 months in each county. Using this information, we were able to calculate the potential candidates:jobs ratio (how’s that for elaborate measurement of the week? Do we win a prize?), and using the logic that it’s best to live in a place with loads of jobs and little competition from other people for those jobs, we came up with a list of the ten best places to live in the UK.

Still with us? Good. Here’s the results.

Best Places to Live in the UK Ranked by Potential Candidates:Jobs ratio

1) County Durham - 1.91 potential applicant for every job
2) Lancashire - 2.28
3) Cambridgeshire - 2.84
4) Berkshire - 2.99
5) Avon - 3.64
6) Tyne & Wear - 3.72
7) Surrey - 3.84
8) Gloucestershire - 3.89
9) Hertfordshire - 4.48
10) Hampshire - 4.61

So there you have it - County Durham is the place to be [ed: it’s a mighty fine place too]. Unless, of course you’re looking to hire people to work in County Durham, in which case, you’ll need to run a quick search on the blog and read up on Recruitment Branding, because you’re in for a hard time.

Want to know where your county ranked? Leave us a comment and we’ll let you know.

In the meantime, and given as we quite like shameless plugs and we do recruit UK wide across all areas of technology businesses, why not register your details with us by clicking here, subscribe to the blog by clicking here here or get in touch by clicking here?