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why-us-based-unicorn-hackerone-keeps-their-dev-team-in-groningen

Why US-based unicorn HackerOne keeps their dev team in Groningen

Design & Dev, Future of Work, Growth Quarters, House of Talent / /

In 2012, two former students from Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Northern Dutch city of Groningen, took a major gamble. They made a list of 100 companies they’d like to work for — including Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, and Uber — and hacked them. As you can imagine, this little stunt certainly got their attention.

Now, $159.4M in investment later, their cybersecurity company, HackerOne, reached unicorn status in 2022 and counts big players like Nintendo, AT&T, Hyatt, GM, and even the Pentagon amongst its clients.

HackerOne is a bug bounty hunting platform that enables companies to enlist the help of ethical hackers across the globe to identify and mitigate security vulnerabilities and data breaches, which cost companies an average of $4.35 million.

While founders Jobert Abma and Michiel Prins now live in San Francisco, where HackerOne’s HQ is based, they surprisingly decided not to move their development team across the pond. In fact, over 50% of their engineering and product design team are still based in Groningen today.

The question is, does it actually make sense to keep half of your dev team in another time zone and is this a strategy other founders should actually consider? And why Groningen? With a global tech powerhouse like Amsterdam just a few hours away, why keep the team in this Northern Dutch city?

Follow-the-sun model

The story of HackerOne’s founders is the typical tech fairytale come true. Abma and Prins grew up across the street from each other in a small town in the North of the Netherlands and spent their time playing video games, building websites, and, of course, pulling the occasional prank hack.

They went to Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen together, where they identified a major data leak in the institution’s system. Realizing this could be a successful business venture, they started a consultancy firm and built a small team of like-minded ethical hackers.

After gaining the attention of Silicon Valley’s biggest names, they realized it was time to spread their wings abroad.

HackerOne's Groningen office
HackerOne’s Groningen office

At the same time, keeping part of their dev team in Groningen presented a great opportunity to introduce a ‘follow-the-sun’ model, ensuring someone is always online and ready to tackle any issues that arise.

“The internet has no borders,” Abma says, “We have tens of thousands of people every single day that use our platform to collaborate and work together. We rely on such a distributed community of hackers, that I don’t see why we can’t do that as a company.”

Indeed, HackerOne facilitates this exchange between global, ethical hackers and companies by providing a platform where they can connect, without having to worry about tax forms, background checks, payment security, and other barriers.

Some who visited fell in love with the city and moved permanently.

While there are a number of benefits to having a distributed development team, it also comes with its challenges.

“Working across time zones requires everyone to become good at written and asynchronous communication. It’s important to let people take time to become good written communicators,” Abma says.

Another important point he shared is to make sure engineering and adjacent roles continue to be regularly exposed to other departments, such as sales, marketing, and customer success. This helps build context, breaks down silos, and allows teams to create better solutions.

One way HackerOne does this is by sending their Groningen team to visit the San Francisco HQ a few times a year and vice versa.

It’s important to enable people to build a stronger bond by having them spend time with each other in person, at least twice a year. They love that aspect of having a distributed team because they get to visit different cities and meet new people, but still have the comfort of being able to live in Groningen, which I think is a great city to live in and raise a family.

The benefits of a cosmopolitan city, on a smaller scale

Aside from the business benefits of maintaining a distributed team model, as Abma explained, most of the team simply wasn’t keen to follow them to San Francisco.

“Many people were starting their families and had significant others there, so they couldn’t move to the other side of the world, and we didn’t necessarily want them to.”

For a city of just 235,000, Groningen has an extremely cosmopolitan vibe. Through its two universities and growing startup community, it attracts almost 6,000 international students per year and a growing number of expats.

Some HackerOne employees who visited the Groningen office from San Francisco fell in love with the city and decided to move there permanently. Abma suspects it’s these ‘expat ambassadors’ turned hiring managers who have been key to getting more global talent on board by sharing their first hand experiences of moving to the city.

I think it’s good for Groningen to just be Groningen.

For Isuru Ranaweera, Senior Software Engineer at HackerOne, moving his family to Groningen was an easy transition.

“What I enjoy about Groningen is that it’s less busy and I actually find it a calm city compared to other places. Additionally, I feel safer here, making it a good place to raise my child. Another bonus is that the city is very green, with plenty of trees.”

Canal view in Groningen
Photo by Stella Dekker Fotografie

Another great policy HackerOne has in place is that they pay developers in Groningen the same rates they would pay in Amsterdam.

As an expat, settling here was easier compared to my friends who have settled elsewhere in the Netherlands. Housing is available and affordable, which I found beneficial when migrating to a different country. Reducing costs is important and living here helped me to lower my housing costs during my first years of residency. The commute is also easy as you don’t really need a car. We’ve been living here with a child and a dog without having a need for a car, which is great. I also like staying away from the chaos of big cities.

Having a base in a university town also has the added benefit of access to a pool of young talent. Groningen in particular has two great universities located in the city that attract students from across the globe. Zahra Putri Fitrianti, Software Engineer at HackerOne, was recruited after studying and working at the University of Groningen as a teaching assistant.

Personally, I really like the atmosphere in the city, it’s very suitable for students as well as workers. The city has a sense of tranquility that helps me be productive at university and work. There’s also a lot of great hubs where you can work, such as the Forum cultural center that provides great support for people that spend their day there, albeit sometimes being quite crowded especially during exam season.

Zahra Putri Fitrianti, Software Engineer at HackerOne
Zahra Putri Fitrianti, Software Engineer at HackerOne

Groningen is changing, but hopefully not too much

Groningen is quickly becoming a more recognizable name in the global tech community with new startup success stories and university spinoffs putting its ecosystem on the map. Nonetheless, there are a few changes Abma still hopes to see that will help the city reach its potential:

For Groningen to really upscale that vibrant ecosystem, there are some fundamental building blocks that still need to be built, like more access to funding, tax breaks, etc. What would make me really proud is if, ten years from now, some of the people who we initially hired at HackerOne went on to found their own companies in Groningen. If they can make that transition, it would show the building blocks are really in place. Although I’m happy to see companies like HackerOne have a presence there, I’d like to see more of that.

However, having lived both in Groningen and now (arguably) the capital of the tech world, Abma hopes these oncoming changes don’t impact the character of the city:

“I think it’s good for Groningen to just be Groningen. It doesn’t need to be the next Silicon Valley. There are a lot of downsides to that kind of ecosystem as well.”

Vismarkt Groningen
Photo by Stella Dekker Fotografie

The question is, like HackerOne, will Groningen’s humble beginnings morph it into a tech giant of the future? Probably not. But it will likely be a place of choice for expats and young talent looking for the perfect balance of exciting opportunities and compact city life. Unlike Silicon Valley’s cut throat culture, Groningen’s tight knit tech community can be likened to the theme song from Cheers: it’s likely everybody will know your name and actually be happy that you came.

If Groningen has piqued your interest, check out some of the great tech jobs open in the city on the Make it in the North.nl job board.

Why US-based unicorn HackerOne keeps their dev team in Groningen Read More »

how-to-build-a-great-software-engineering-team

How to build a great software engineering team

Design & Dev, House of Talent / /

This article was originally published on .cult by Chameera Dulanga. .cult is a Berlin-based community platform for developers. We write about all things career-related, make original documentaries, and share heaps of other untold developer stories from around the world.

Software development is teamwork and having a good team structure is vital for its success. But, even a tiny misalignment could adversely affect our teams’ output. That’s why we should be extra careful when putting a team together.

In this article, I’ll discuss some important factors you need to consider when building a software engineering team for your company.

Why is team structure important?

When you build a software engineering team, look at various things that affect the productivity and effectiveness of the team.

In modern agile teams, we hardly measure effectiveness by the lines of code produced. Instead, we give more prominence to quality and continuous improvements. And the team should be capable of producing the “desired outcome.”

So we need to address the following questions:

  1. Do we have the right skillset in place?
  • Technical skills
  • Experience
  • Soft skills

2. Do we have the right environment for them to collaborate?

  • Clear roles and responsibilities
  • Communication tools are in place

3. Does the team know their goals?

  • Clear communication top down so that the team knows the expectation
  • Precise requirements that reduce rework

4. Is the team empowered to produce better quality outcomes?

  • Processes in place
  • Leadership providing the proper guidance
  • Correct pay
  • A culture that appreciates and celebrates wins

5. Can the team produce a better outcome than each individual?

  • Team synergy
  • Continuous improvement
  • Self-managing and self-healing teams

We also need to take the budget into account. You should always have an upper limit to find the right balance for an optimum team structure.

But the question is, “How should we decide the perfect team structure?”

Deciding the best team structure

As you can see, there are many factors we need to consider when assembling a team. And some of them you’ll only identify after the team starts performing.

However, finding individuals with a proven track record, especially for the leadership level, is going to help you reduce the risks.

Let’s concentrate on the key factors we have control over when choosing the individuals for a team;

  1. The number of team members

2. Experience level of the engineers

3. Cost of running the team (remuneration and other expenses)

1. Number of team members

We usually decide the number of individuals in a team based on the project estimates and delivery milestones. One thing you shouldn’t do is run the project with less developers than required, even if they’re very talented. You’ll run the risk of sacrificing quality and cause more problems in the long run.

However, things get complicated when you need to decide the structure of the team. Since not all individuals play the same role, we have to start thinking about the team’s composition by identifying different roles.

  • Who is leading the team and managing the project?
  • Do we need to break into sub-teams? (which might mean more leaders…)
  • Who is taking ownership of the architecture?
  • What are the other roles required, e.g., Quality Assurance, UI/UX, Project Management, Business Analyst?

2. Experience level

The experience level of the engineers directly affects the quality and productivity. But that doesn’t mean we need a team full of highly experienced people. Remember, we talked about team synergy.

We have to think about the different experience levels available in the team. Since people work together, they can learn from each other and produce the desired outcome.

Why experience levels affect quality and productivity

Quality cannot be built over a day or two. It comes with experience.

For example, suppose you’re starting a new Java project and looking for a developer. If you use developers who are new to the technology, they’ll need time to learn — meaning the project will be slower.

Also, they won’t have the necessary experience on best practices, resulting in higher rework effort. So in this case go with a developer who’s skilled with Java. Easy!

However, if you need more than one developer to work on a project you can re-consider different experience levels. You can have the experienced developer(s) guide the team towards the goal without your productivity suffering. It also means, from a hiring perspective, you can consider a wider pool of developers who can join your team.

Having a team full of experienced people becomes challenging

First of all, it affects your budget, more experienced developers are obviously going to demand higher pay!

On top of that, they’ll expect better opportunities like playing leadership roles, and that’s not always going to be available. All this experience can create a bottleneck if the teams’ goals and ambitions aren’t aligned.

Having a balance between junior and senior members is going to be better and also increases developer retention because expectations and growth can be better managed.

3. Cost of running the team

Software engineering teams are significantly different from teams in other professions. They can work from remote locations, have flexible working hours, and sharpen their knowledge with continuous learning.

So, if we can utilize these factors, we can look at optimizing the costs involved.

Experience comes with a cost

As we discussed earlier, finding experienced individuals on a particular technology or domain comes with a cost. And since it’s not a binary decision to have all experienced or none, we can balance the experience levels also considering the cost structure.

Multiple workplaces

This is also another dimension to think about when managing the costs of software development teams.

However, having multiple workplaces can either increase or reduce the cost of your project.

If you have more than one workplace, you’ll have to pay bills, maintenance for each workplace, and without a doubt, it will increase the utility costs.

But, on the bright side, we can look for locations to attract more talent or have tax benefits. Besides, if you can arrange a workplace in a country where the living expenses are low, you can effectively reduce the costs.

Remote workers and outsourcing

So, if you look at the other options available, you can outsource your work either to a remote worker or a company where the costs are low.

However, there are few other challenges you should address when making your distributed team effective.

  1. Increase the overlap

If your team is working in different time zones, it’s good to have reasonable overlap whenever possible. This could be achieved by either shifting working hours or having designated time for collaboration.

2. Balancing expertise and dividing the work

Also, it’s necessary to balance the experience of individuals and partition the work, reducing the dependencies across time zones.

3. Streamlined processors

A proper set of processors is needed when working with remote teams or outsourcing (e.g., agile processors such as Scrum, Kanban). It will help to align all the team members towards the end goal.

As you can see, there are various ways of reducing the costs by maximizing the outcome.

Summary

This article has discussed several factors you need to consider when deciding the team structure for effective software engineering teams.

Some of these decisions you’ll need to make upfront, so you won’t know what needs to be adjusted until the team gets rolling. After some time, it’ll be easier to identify where changes need to be made, whether it’s costs or collaboration.

How to build a great software engineering team Read More »

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Can ChatGPT write you the ultimate cover letter?

Design & Dev, Future of Work, House of Talent / /

Cover letters are something many job candidates really struggle with. Lots of people aren’t even convinced they’re necessary. With so many job applications happening these days via websites and apps –– surely that online form you filled out is all that’s needed?

A recent survey from Cultivated Culture found that, while 53% of employers prefer candidates who add cover letters with their CVs, only 10% of hiring managers actually take time to read them, which further adds to job applicants’ frustration. And if you’re job hunting and want to send out as many applications as possible, does writing an individualized cover letter for each job actually make a difference, or does it just make the process of finding a new job that much longer?

Now, with the advent of AI tools like ChatGPT, created by Open.ai and the recipient of $10 billion in funding from Microsoft, a new era of automation has arrived.

The question is, can you simply get a robot to write a tricky cover letter for you?

Using AI to write your cover letters

UK communications company Schwa decided to test the tool’s capabilities. Founder and owner Neil Taylor wanted to see how ChatGPT would fare when it came to a standard writing test, which the company sets for all prospective hires.

In a blog post, Taylor revealed that he asked ChatGPT to write 300 words on the secret of good writing. The process wasn’t quite as simple as it sounds. “I had to cheat a bit,” he said.

“I could tell it wasn’t good enough. So I tweaked the brief, and asked it to write in the voice of one of my colleagues. This made it a bit friendlier, but still not great. So then I asked it to write in the voice of copywriting guru Dave Trott. The result didn’t sound anything like Dave, but it was punchier.”

Taylor submitted three ChatGPT writing samples into the pool, and one made the cut. In fact, it came in the top 20% of all candidates shortlisted. Not a bad result, so when it comes to something even less complicated, like a fairly standard cover letter, should you be using ChatGPT?

We tested the tool to see how it would fare writing a cover letter for a software engineering job. Here’s the result:

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing to express my interest in the software engineering position at your company. With a passion for programming and a strong background in software development, I believe I would be a valuable addition to your team.

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and over three years of professional experience in the industry. During my time at XYZ Corporation, I developed a wide range of software applications, from desktop applications to mobile apps, and have honed my skills in several programming languages including Java, Python, and C++. Additionally, I have experience working with databases, software architecture, and Agile methodologies, making me well-rounded in all aspects of software development.

In my most recent role, I was part of a team that developed a complex web-based system for a client. I was responsible for designing and implementing the server-side logic, ensuring its scalability and performance. Through this project, I demonstrated my ability to work effectively in a team and my dedication to delivering high-quality work on time.

I am excited about the opportunity to bring my skills and experience to your company and contribute to the development of innovative software solutions. I am particularly drawn to your company’s commitment to creating products that have a positive impact on people’s lives, and I believe my passion for technology and problem-solving would be a great fit for your team.

Thank you for considering my application. I am eager to discuss my qualifications further and am available for an interview at your convenience.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

The verdict

Even a quick scan of ChatGPT’s effort shows that the AI has nailed the format––something that can be a really tricky thing to get right. The language flows, it’s a readable, coherent piece of copy.

But because it knows nothing about the individual who wants to use this letter, all the details supplied are generic. A careful edit is required to add in your actual educational and job details, as well as skills and results.

Where ChatGPT can really help a job applicant is around the structure of creating a cover letter offering a very usable framework or template to add onto and personalize. It’s a great starting point.

However, as Taylor found, “AIs are brilliant at being average.” That additional level of human interaction is utterly necessary to get a ChatGPT-generated cover letter to a place where it’s ready to send. Taylor agrees: “If you’re writing something that actually needs to stand out, like a job application […] it’s not going to cut the mustard.”

There’s no doubt this new tool is immensely popular. It took Instagram and Spotify around 10 weeks and five months, respectively, to reach one million users, according to a report from CB Insights. ChatGPT reached a million users just five days after launching at the end of November 2022. By January of this year, it had reached 100 million monthly active users. By contrast, it took TikTok nine months to hit the same numbers.

That acceleration into mainstream adoption has had positive knock-on benefits. Employers predict that productivity will increase by 74%. And ChatGPT’s output will only improve through use, as the AI learns more about what users are looking for. This means the tool will only get better at creating cover letters that meet recruiters’ expectations.

Accelerate your career in 2023 by searching for your dream job on the House of Talent Job Board

Can ChatGPT write you the ultimate cover letter? Read More »

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Why Groningen is the coolest tech city you’ve never heard of

Growth Quarters, House of Talent / /

It’s no secret that the Netherlands is a European leader when it comes to the tech and startup sectors. The country attracted €1.8bn in investment in 2021 alone, more than double the €790m raised in 2020.

While many people think of Amsterdam as the country’s startup capital and a global tech powerhouse — and with success stories like Adyen, MessageBird and Mollie, they’re not wrong — the Netherlands’ lesser-known cities are becoming favorites amongst expats who want to be part of the country’s dynamic tech scene, without the hustle of big city life.

Take Groningen. Known as the country’s “capital of the north,” Groningen is a thousand-year-old city with a thriving student population thanks to its universities. This plethora of young, international talent, ground breaking research, and the presence of corporate powerhouses like IBM and Google, make Groningen’s tech scene one to watch.

For international talent looking to launch their tech career abroad, Groningen may be the answer.

Small in size but big in opportunities

Groningen may not be big, but it’s quickly becoming recognized for its startup scene.

The province of Groningen has just had its second consecutive year as the fastest-growing region in the Netherlands in terms of job growth, with around 1.2k local jobs being created by local startups.

Margarita Bernal-Cabas, Operations Resource Manager at EV Biotech, a company that develops microbial cell factories for industrial production, tells TNW that Groningen is an exciting place to be for its emerging biotech sector, which is churning out innovative companies thanks to its proximity to universities and wealth of local professors, research, and sector meetups.

Margarita Bernal-Cabas, Operations Resource Manager at EV Biotech
Margarita Bernal-Cabas, Operations Resource Manager at EV Biotech

“There’s been a load of new startup companies… there’s a vibrant and growing biotech community with an exciting future and limitless possibilities,” she says.

And while it may seem like a drawback, one benefit that sets a startup ecosystem like Groningen apart from larger cities like Amsterdam is its small size.

Stella Tsoutsouri, a mobile developer at telecommunications startup Voys, says because the city’s ecosystem is small, it allows easier access for people to network and make meaningful professional connections: “There are plenty of meetups, conferences (one of the biggest Python conferences is in Groningen), there is a new library/cultural center that holds tech talks, the University has plenty of initiatives like venture lectures and conferences, so there’s a lot of great things happening.”

Tsoutsouri says that Groningen’s size makes it easier for new startups, initiatives, and groups to take off. For example, when she moved to Groningen from Greece, Tsoutsouri was surprised to find that the gender gap in IT students was worse in the Netherlands than in her home country. She went on to found the Women Devs group, a community dedicated to women developers working or studying in tech.

“Here, the people who are active in the tech scene are so visible, that makes it very easy to create a company or an initiative with those people because they’re very accessible… For example, last year my group Women Devs connected with another group in the city, Lean In Groningen, and together we organized a web conference on International Women’s Day to share more knowledge with the women of Groningen about tech and other topics.”

Arne Bos, Managing Director at Parkos, a booking platform for airport parking, added that many of his friends who have moved to Amsterdam and the Randstad area face the challenge of finding affordable housing. But, for the same price as a tiny apartment in the outskirts of Amsterdam, you could easily find a nice accommodation in the heart of Groningen.

Arne Bos, Managing Director at Parkos
Arne Bos, Managing Director at Parkos

“There are a lot of new young ambitious companies, which makes it a great place to find a job. Combine this with affordable housing and life in a relaxed, calm but vibrant city.”

Top universities fuel innovation and student life

Groningen is home to top universities such as the University of Groningen, which is ranked in the top 100 universities in the world and has several Nobel Prize winners amongst its alumnae.

This means several things for the city’s tech ecosystem: a wealth of young international talent, spin-off funding opportunities, easy access to research institutions and professors leading in their field, and opportunities to network with a tight-knit community.

Groningen is home to two leading universities, the University of Groningen and the Hanze [University of Applied Sciences], bringing with it a great academic energy and student life.

“There’s quite a lot of study programs… we have a really big microbiology department and molecular genetics,” says Bernal-Cabas. “So there’s a really long history of the University. Very skilled professors, masters and PhD students. That creates a lot of opportunities and a lot of ideas.”

Proximity to universities means fresh opportunities for university spinoffs. The University of Groningen has seen several success stories including BioBTX, The Ocean Grazer Project, and the Sustainable Buildings initiative, which helps make buildings more energy efficient. There have also been a number of healthtech spinoffs from the University’s medical center including Ancora Health and VRelax.

For Tsoutsouri, this proximity made it possible to achieve a long-term goal:

“There is something that Groningen gave me that I wasn’t sure would be possible in any other city in the Netherlands: combining work with studies so I could support myself financially. I am working four days and doing a Masters in Artificial Intelligence at the same time. The way Groningen is structured gives you the opportunity to leave the office, go to class, and even go back if needed so it kept me present and energized both in the classroom and at the office. I think in a city like Amsterdam it would be impossible because of the distances. I’m very happy I could accomplish my dream: to get a great education, while still working in the industry.”

As she explained, for young and less experienced talent this can also make it easier to break into the professional world:

“Local companies want to absorb students as much as possible to keep that knowledge in the city. Companies do a lot of projects with the University and take on interns. They’re also more open to taking on junior professionals.”

A bite-sized cosmopolitan culture

“For me, the choice to move to Groningen was very easy,” says Victor Flick, Customer Success Manager at Klippa, a scaleup providing smart document processing powered by machine learning tech.

Victor Flick, Customer Success Manager at Klippa
Victor Flick, Customer Success Manager at Klippa

“I visited the city once before and had a great feeling about it: not too big, not too small, clean, nice architecture, lots of young people and it felt dynamic! Plus, the Netherlands is a really good country to live in, so I didn’t think too long about taking the opportunity.”

“I think we’re close to over 200,000 inhabitants, so it’s like 1/5 of Amsterdam,” says Bos. “But having a really young population means there’s also a really vibrant nightlife. I think Groningen is the only city in the Netherlands where bars don’t have a closing time. But also culture-wise, there are a lot of cool things going on with Eurosonic, which is a really nice music festival. It has all the facilities you need from the city such as cinemas, shops, etc. It combines the coziness of a smaller city with the facilities of a bigger city.”

This coziness, as Bos points out, makes Groningen highly accessible — everything from nature to museums and nightclubs is all within reach.

“On a bike, you can go within 10 minutes from one side of the city to the other which people really appreciate,” says Bos. “Also access to nature. I heard a colleague say he can just cycle in a few minutes to a lot of different parks, which is really nice.”

But a small population doesn’t mean a small-town mindset. Groningen is also praised for its international appeal, thanks to its universities and emerging tech sectors. “You hear a lot of English and German on the streets and occasionally also other languages, like Spanish, French, Chinese…” says Flick. “It gives expats a sense of belonging, and a sense that there are other people in this city living a similar life to mine: being in another country, and building a life here.”

So for international people looking to relocate and make Groningen their home, what should they keep in mind?

“Moving here, I would say the most important things to consider are the ‘legal’ things: registering in the city, getting health insurance, registering at a dentist/doctor. Also getting a bike, and lights for the bike,” says Flick. “On the other hand, as a non-Dutch person, you need to be aware of the straightforwardness of Dutch people… As a foreigner, it can sometimes be uncomfortable at first. So that’s a process you need to go through once you arrive here. Adapt to that directness and blend in. I would also say that Dutch people will really respect you if you are actually down-to-earth and direct like them, they see you more as one of their own.

But once you adjust, says Flick, “it’s such a great city to live in. You’re never bored.”

If you’re thinking of making a move to Groningen, here are some great resources to check out:

Why Groningen is the coolest tech city you’ve never heard of Read More »

launching-a-startup-with-friends?-follow-these-4-basic-tips

Launching a startup with friends? Follow these 4 basic tips

Growth Quarters, House of Talent / /

The new Netflix murder mystery film Glass Onion is a cautionary tale – but not about influencers, tech bros, or ironic architecture, as some have suggested. Glass Onion (along with HBO’s Succession) is actually a warning about the potential perils of going into business with your friends or family.

Such businesses are a huge contributor to any economy. Globally, between 70 and 80% of firms are co-owned or co-managed by family or friends. Close relations can be a great source of support and positive influence on a new idea or business.

My research, focusing on new business development within universities, shows that friends can be successful business partners. For students especially, entrepreneurial colleges and universities offer a range of support for friends to realize business dreams.

There are a few challenges when you start a business with someone that can be made easier when working with people you’re close to. Founders should trust one another, and understand each other’s likes, dislikes, and ambitions. If you and your partner have similar values and approaches to life, you’ll likely be able to predict how they’ll react in times of crisis or uncertainty. With this in mind, turning an existing relationship into a business relationship can be easily done.

The pitfalls

Of course, things don’t always work out. What can start as occasional bickering or disagreement about the direction of a new venture can lead to resentment, a decline in the business (and relationship) and even legal trouble.

A business involving family or friends can seriously disrupt work-life balance — which is critical to business success. Lack of boundaries and additional time spent discussing work can interfere with your personal relationship, leading to fatigue and resentment. It’s not realistic or healthy to talk about work all the time.

A family business spanning decades with the same people at the top may eventually stagnate, becoming overly reliant on what are now exhausted markets. This complacency, as with any type of business, can creep in and affect customer relationships, knowledge of competitors, and ability to innovate.

Without proper care, these issues can become commonplace. As happens in Succession, personality battles and power grabs can distract from productivity and threaten to derail the venture.

Protecting yourself and your business

Before getting started, it’s important to plan ahead. This should include creating a strategy for business partners to amicably exit the firm when necessary. It also must involve a consideration of the legal implications of a disagreement, and a plan to protect ideas, business contributions, and other intellectual property.

Research shows that in longstanding family businesses the existence of known successors can influence how seriously the founders take intellectual asset protection. Even with friends and loved ones, you should still document and register ideas, designs, prototypes, products, processes, and slogans.

Before you sign your ideas away (or write them on a napkin), here are five things to consider:

1. Transparency – what are everyone’s plans?

When embarking on a new business venture, it’s important to be upfront about intentions and goals – in the short and long term. What brought you all to this potential startup? What do you wish to achieve? These are questions you should ask.

2. Security – seek legal advice early

Along with officially registering the company, the owners should contact an intellectual property lawyer to receive expert guidance on fairly protecting initial and ongoing contributions with appropriate trademarks, patents, and copyrights where required.

3. Prioritise – stick to your strengths

This is what adds distinct value to businesses: remembering what skills you bring to the table. Even with friends, this isn’t an opportunity to simply hang out and have fun. Yes, you must enjoy your work, but time, money and livelihoods are at stake. A team comprised of many people with a variety of skills and experiences brings creativity, multiple perspectives, and resilience amid inevitable change.

4. Be kind – appreciate and consider life changes

Like the volatility of business, our lives can change instantly. Co-owners should be mindful of changes to working patterns, lifestyles, and important events to maintain health and happiness. This can be particularly relevant when friends co-owning a business are at similar life stages, such as starting a family or getting married. Showing compassion and preparing for these factors, when they arise, can reduce tension and conflict in the day-to-day running of a business.The Conversation

Robert Crammond, Senior Lecturer in Enterprise, University of the West of Scotland

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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if-python-is-too-slow-for-you,-crystal-could-be-your-savior

If Python is too slow for you, Crystal could be your savior

Design & Dev, House of Talent / /

Learning a new programming language can open your mind in ways you never thought possible. Just like learning a new human language like Spanish or Mandarin, you learn to think with different words and structures.

You tap into the cultures and communities of the speakers and learn how they see the world. It’s enriching, to say the least.

The neat thing about programming languages is that the first one you learn is always the hardest. Once you understand basic structures like if-clauses and for-loops, you’ll see them popping up in many new languages you might learn.

And, unlike human languages, new programming languages are much faster to learn. They’re more logical and have less words — or, should I say, commands.

It follows that most programmers and data scientists master more than one programming language.

They might have a main or favorite one. But most software developers I know use at least five languages on a weekly basis, if you count scripting languages in.

Most programmers also try to learn a new language every so often.

It comes with the job. Coding means staying curious.

The case for Crystal

Crystal, as per its advertisement, is a language that’s fast like C and slick like Ruby.

The part about its slickness is true. It’s compiled and statically typed, which comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. Above all, however, it’s very similar to Ruby in its style.

Personally I’ve never written a larger project in Ruby. But as a fairly experienced Python developer, Crystal code still looks crystal clear!

Here’s an example of a recursive loop that calculates factorials:

Factorial calculation in Crystal. Image by author, code taken from Crystal by Example
Factorial calculation in Crystal. Image by author, code taken from Crystal by Example

The command puts sounds a bit weird to people who aren’t accustomed to Ruby. It’s basically a bad-taste version of print in other languages. There are some subtle differences between puts and print but we won’t dive into these here.

Apart from that, this example looks quite pythonic, right?

It’s similar for if-clauses:

If-clauses in Crystal. Image by author, code taken from Crystal by Example
If-clauses in Crystal. Image by author, code taken from Crystal by Example

Apart from the funny puts expression that non-Ruby-natives aren’t used to, this is again very readable.

Generally speaking, the syntax of Crystal is clear, even when dealing with larger and more complicated problems.

Static typing

Crystal is statically typed, but you may have noticed there weren’t many type identifiers in the examples above. That’s because Crystal only requires you to specify the type of a variable if it’s ambiguous.

This practice, of course, helps programmers be more productive.

Macros

Statically typed languages tend to be finicky around macros. Crystal, however, has a way with them.

As shown in this example, you can use a Crystal macro to change a piece of code at compile time through static reasoning, based on the contents of another piece of that same code. Try to do this in C++ and you’ll either fail or need 500+ lines of code.

Or don’t you, you genius? Let me know if I’m wrong…

This does come with some caveats because, as the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. Static typing usually reduces some danger, but insanely powerful things (like the ones that Crystal allows) somewhat undo this safeguarding.

No Nil-errors

Speaking of safety, Crystal does have additional safeguards elsewhere. Nil is a separate type for the Crystal compiler. So if you’re trying to access a method or container that turns out to be nil, the compiler will warn you. This might result in a failure of compilation, but at least you get to fix the error before you run a potentially large code.

No more dependency hell

If you’ve ever handled a large problem in Python, you probably know what dependency hell looks like.

One Python module might depend on another few, and once you’ve imported all the modules you need, you realize that different module versions aren’t compatible. Now you have to figure out which versions to use to make everything fit together, and all of this can take hours when your project is of a certain size.

In Crystal, these modules are called shards, and they get compiled into your binary executable via static linking. I could go into detail about this, but let’s cut the story short: Dependency management is much, much easier this way.

The big drawback: Crystal is tiny

Crystal had a moment in 2017 when it jumped from place 60 to 32 on the TIOBE index within just a month. The reasons for this meteoric rise are hard to say, but it’s quite likely that the creators of Crystal did considerable marketing at the time and got Ruby programmers curious.

However, Crystal’s moment of fame didn’t last very long. At the time of writing this article, Crystal is nowhere close to the top 50 programming languages on the TIOBE index.

Because of its early rise in popularity, some people hoped it could see similar levels of popularity as Rust.

This, however, hasn’t materialized.

Programmers have expressed frustration about sample projects or code bases. Also, the documentation seems a little bit incomplete. This turned new programmers off in droves.

And because of this, the Crystal community is so small that you’ll have to wait a while to get help if you’re running into problems. There just aren’t so many answers on StackOverflow, GitHub, and the likes.

The other drawback: Crystal isn’t as speedy as promised

The creators of Crystal wanted the language to be as fast as C.

This might be true in isolated cases. However, most of the time, Crystal takes about twice as long to execute as C does.

It’s not uncommon for programming languages (or tech companies, for that matter) to have overblown mission statements. And, to be fair, half as fast as C is still pretty fast.

Nevertheless, Crystal significantly under-delivers vis-à-vis its original promise. It’s so glaringly obvious that I can’t blame the average developer for feeling disappointed.

Famous last words: Crystal is for experienced programmers only

I love exploring new programming languages, but I prefer well-documented languages with a large and supportive community. Many programmers feel similar.

Crystal has had its shot at mainstream appeal, but overall it has failed in the last few years.

This doesn’t mean that there aren’t some interesting use cases for Crystal. It might be an interesting option for people working with blockchain technology. You can create a fairly powerful cryptocurrency with Crystal.

That being said, unless the documentation, marketing, and general community support for Crystal improves, it won’t be a great option for the average blockchain developer either.

If you want to play with a language like Crystal, you’d better bring some experience. Because when you’re faced with a problem, there might be nobody there to help you.

This article was written by Ari Joury and was originally published on Medium. You can read it here.

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there’s-already-a-gender-gap-in-who’s-leading-the-metaverse

There’s already a gender gap in who’s leading the metaverse

Future of Work, Growth Quarters, House of Talent / /

Here’s the truth: the tech industry has long had a gender imbalance problem, and it starts early. Globally, women obtain 53% of STEM university degrees, but in the EU only 34% of graduates in the field are women, according to data from Girls Go Circular.

That has obvious knock-on effects. According to figures from Eurostat, women hold only 17% of major technology jobs, such as programming, systems analysis, or software development.

Startup funding too poses particular challenges for women in technology. In 2021, despite a record amount of capital invested that year in Europe, women founders were on the receiving end of less than 1% of the total funding, or €400 million, according to PitchBook data.

And now, with the advent of the metaverse, these systemic problems are raising their heads again.

The metaverse’s gender gap

A virtual world, or a collective area created by the convergence of physical and virtual reality, the metaverse is envisioned as a shared space where people can interact and participate in a simulated environment that mimics the physical world — albeit in a more enhanced way. The metaverse is underpinned by six technologies known as “BIGANT,” which represents blockchain, interactive, gaming, artificial intelligence, network, and the Internet of Things.

Despite last week’s announcement from Meta that its metaverse division lost $4.279 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022, adoption is increasing. Gartner predicts that by 2025, 10% of workers will regularly use virtual spaces, up from 1% in 2022. It also says that by 2027, 25% of retail organizations with an ecommerce presence will have completed at least one proof of concept for tokenized assets using metaverse technologies.

Some companies are already leveraging the metaverse to build up hype, with luxury and consumer goods being particularly quick out of the traps.

At last week’s Samsung Unpacked event, the company announced that it will work with Google and Qualcomm on an upcoming mixed-reality platform. Apple, too, is expanding its footprint in the space, with reports indicating that its hotly-anticipated mixed reality AR/VR headset will arrive in the second half of this year.

Balenciaga gave one of Fortnite’s characters a digital Balenciaga-branded hoodie that could also be bought in real life for €725. Lacoste has created digital looks for Minecraft characters, plus a co-branded Minecraft collection of sportswear available to buy online, and Ralph Lauren created digital snow apparel for Roblox’s Winter Escape, pitched as “the ultimate holiday experience.”

But one issue persists. Right now, there is a significant gender imbalance in the metaverse.

McKinsey data shows women are using the metaverse more than men, both to achieve business goals and for leisure. McKinsey’s data reveals that 60% of women report they have implemented more than two metaverse-related initiatives in their organizations, and they are 20% more likely to implement multiple metaverse initiatives.

But, while they may disproportionately utilize its capabilities, women leaders in the industry are far more scarce. In the past five years, male-led metaverse companies received a higher share of total funding (90%) than women-led metaverse companies (10%).

This matters because the lack of equality has significant knock-on effects. Companies with 30% or more women on their boards have environmental scores that are one and a half times better, as well as four times more R&D investments than companies with no women. The bottom line is affected too: McKinsey says that companies in the top quartile for women on executive teams are more likely to have above-average profitability. Not to mention the fact that a lack of diversity on early-stage development teams leads to deeply ingrained biases and faulty products.

If you want to carve out a career in the metaverse and make a difference in this growing industry, there are plenty of interesting roles available, including the three below, plus many more on the House of Talent Job Board.

Lead Game Designer — Metaverse Solutions, Improbable, Remote

Improbable is leading the way in defining what the metaverse can be. The Lead Game Designer — Metaverse Solutions will be part of the Metaverse Solutions group, working alongside experienced game developers familiar with all aspects of the game development lifecycle. You will be directly involved in shaping both the technical and commercial direction of how metaverse experiences are developed and launched. If you are skilled in designing and documenting core-loops features, and limited-time events within a multiplayer context and have experience managing senior and junior designers across multiple design disciplines (e.g. level design, technical design, progression, single-player, multiplayer), then find out more about the job here.

Software Engineer (Leadership) – Metaworks, Meta, London

Meta is seeking an experienced Software Engineer to join the teams building the core platforms that enable the future of work. Meta wants to solve unique, large-scale, highly complex technical problems, and you will drive the team’s goals and technical direction to pursue opportunities that make the larger organization more efficient. You’ll effectively communicate complex features and systems in detail and understand industry and company-wide trends to help assess and develop new technologies. Interested? Find out more here.

XR/Metaverse Consultant, Komodal, Laval

Leading provider of consulting services on virtual worlds and the future of the metaverse, Komodal is based in France and is seeking an XR/Metaverse Consultant. You’ll join the production team and creatively research, experiment, and go beyond conventional technical limits to detect tomorrow’s innovations related to the metaverse. The role requires a Bac+5 in engineering, IT, design or significant experience in the field of immersive technologies. The cnadidate will also needknowledge of XR, virtual worlds, and the metaverse. Apply for this job here.

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5-top-tips-to-land-your-dream-tech-job-in-2023

5 top tips to land your dream tech job in 2023

Design & Dev, House of Talent / /

Whether you suddenly find yourself out of a job, courtesy of the recent wave of tech layoffs sweeping through the sector, or feel like you’ve outgrown your current position and are looking for a new challenge, firing off a generic CV and hoping for the best isn’t going to cut it.

In fact, according to online resume builder Zety, only 10% of job applications result in interviews, and job seekers need to send between 30-50 resumes to get hired. That means honing your application skills is essential if you want to stand out and secure an interview that will hopefully lead to a job offer. Here’s how…

Cover letters matter

While a lot of job seekers put all their focus into crafting the perfect CV, cover letters can sometimes be overlooked as an unnecessary introduction before the main event. However, a well-written cover letter is vital if you want to stand apart from your professional peers. In fact, according to Jobbio’s Hiring Intelligence Report 2022, 46% of hiring managers say a well-crafted cover letter immediately sets an applicant apart from the competition.

This is backed up by additional data gathered by ResumeGo: a custom-tailored cover letter makes an application 50% more likely to secure an interview.

Beat the ATS bots

From Siri helping you make hands-free calls on your iPhone to Chat GPT’s sophisticated and seamless aptitude in mimicking your writing style, AI has infiltrated every part of our everyday lives, including our ability to get a job.

Research indicates that 75% of recruiters or hiring managers use an applicant tracking system (ATS) in the hiring process while 98% of Fortune 500 companies also use an ATS program to filter prospective employees. So, how can you beat the bots? Pick out keywords from the job description and weave them into your CV and cover letter.

Add power words

Durable skills (the ability to use soft skills like collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and leadership as the foundation of your approach to all work tasks) are essential for career success—recent data shows that seven out of 10 of the most requested skills in job descriptions were durable skills. They should also be applied to your job application in the form of power words to demonstrate how your durable skills have helped you succeed professionally. Examples of power words include “initiated,” “developed,” “coordinated,” “orchestrated,” “adapted,” and “strengthened.”

Dynamic design

While you might think a snazzily designed PDF or template from the likes of Canva or Resume.io are the best way to stand out from the crowd, video formats are gaining traction, especially among younger Gen Z cohorts.

Take TikTok Resume as the perfect example of this: launched in 2021, the format allows job seekers to create and upload a 60-second short form video application that leverages the power of social media while demonstrating their skills and experience in a more interactive and personable way. Video interviews are also easily digestible for recruiters and hiring managers.

Expand your network

The era of Zoom coffees is thankfully behind us and face-to-face networking is back with a bang and expected to exceed 2019 levels in 2023. While networking with your professional peers doesn’t automatically equate to an interview or job offer, data compiled by TechJury found that 95% of professionals find better business relationships are built through in-person meetings. So putting yourself out there and using informal meetings as a way to keep yourself in the loop is a vital part of the job application process, albeit in a more holistic way.

Ready to put your new and improved CV and cover letter to the test? The House of Talent Job Board has hundreds of opportunities in companies that are currently hiring, like the three below.

Senior Fullstack Engineer – Zalando Marketing Services (All Genders), Zalando, Berlin

As a Fullstack Engineer with ecommerce platform Zalando, you’ll create a best-of-class user experience for all fashion brands advertising on the platform, helping them bring the best products to customers. The role is mainly frontend focused, but there will be multiple instances where your backend capabilities will come into play. You’ll also be tasked with building and improving the campaign management tool that lets Zalando fashion brands directly plan, execute, and monitor advertising campaigns and create best-of-class user experience. See more details about this role here.

CRM Manager – Conversion m/f/d, Deezer, Paris

From a French tech startup created in 2007, Deezer has become one of the first French unicorns and the second largest independent music streaming platform in the world. It’s now looking for a CRM Manager to join its Paris team to oversee the design, delivery, and reporting of its CRM strategy, focusing on activation and conversion campaigns. In this role, you’ll be expected to develop and implement actionable, multi-channel, and user-centric CRM strategies to activate users and convert them from free to paid, and implement test and learn strategies to continuously improve existing automated journeys and create effective campaigns. Apply for this role today.

Senior Security Engineer – Product (m/f/d), Trade Republic, Berlin

Trade Republic is on a mission to democratize wealth. Its information security team protects against threats, fraud, and legal penalties so it can grow, compete, and establish a trusted relationship with customers. The company is currently hiring a Senior Security Engineer to perform architectural design reviews and threat modeling exercises and proactively detect security deficiencies and flaws in its products and features. View the full job description here.

Accelerate your career in 2023 with the House of Talent Job Board

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quiet-quitting-is-comforting-—-quitting-is-liberating

Quiet quitting is comforting — quitting is liberating

Design & Dev, Future of Work, House of Talent / /

This article was originally published on .cult by Luis Minvielle. .cult is a Berlin-based community platform for developers. We write about all things career-related, make original documentaries, and share heaps of other untold developer stories from around the world.

Quiet quitting is a brand-new form of approaching the work-life balance. Contrary to what its name might suggest, quiet quitting doesn’t actually involve an official resignation from your job. It’s merely a transformation in how employees approach their work.

The catalyst behind this movement is simple yet powerful: a generalized, overwhelming desire deep inside the minds of the new wave of employees, predominantly those belonging to Gen Z, to find a counterweight to the long hours spent working at desks and computers, or in front of any other screen.

Gen Z employees are just now entering the workforce and facing the aftermath of the overridden, overworked traditions their predecessors, millennials, endured. These traditions are part of a more extensive belief system ingrained in a culture that values those who dedicate their lives to their job and neglect their personal lives, resulting in a generation of overworked, burdened, burned out, exhausted individuals.

The demand for work-life balance

So, this is where the transformation mentioned above, primarily centred in the tech industries, comes in. It’s essentially the product of going from ‘Above and beyond’ to ‘Acting your wage.’ Under this new model, the typical employee will no longer accept or tolerate excessive office hours and will take control of their lives by giving personal matters precedence over their work duties.

On the surface, this new idea (more and more favored by younger employees and more and more bewailed by corporate veterans) seems to respond to a cursory desire to work less. Still, quiet quitting is a more extensive, more powerful, and comprehensive response to a culture that has so far normalized burnout and exhaustion.

So, quiet quitting is a comforting choice, it’s a growing, forceful revolution changing how the corporate world approaches its relationship with employees and the workers’ mindset. Employers can no longer expect their employees to prioritize their jobs over their personal lives and families.

It’s not only cultural. Many European employment laws protect workers’ rights to have wiggle room. Even Elon Musk, who’s living through a revamped jack-of-all-trades phase, is having trouble firing (instead of laying off) European Twitter employees because of these laws, which prevent employers from contacting staffers outside working hours and also grants them due process before ousting them from their jobs.

Quiet quitting is a significant movement, but it also means you’re still maintaining a relationship with an employer who wields considerable power over you and consumes the precious time you’d rather use for, say, becoming a 10,000-hour developer. So, why not go for the genuinely liberating choice of just quitting? Considering of course all parameters that come with that decision.

Taking the leap

Even though quiet quitting took over headlines in 2022, actually quitting has silently (pun intended) become an HR darling. The term ‘Great Resignation’, as executives and consulting firms dubbed it, has also shaken the professional space during the past two years. During the Great Resignation, more and more professionals left their posts and repurposed their careers, giving a further spin to the concept of doing ‘what’s necessary and that’s it.’

Some professionals didn’t change career paths, but instead simply shifted how they interact with their jobs. A Stack Overflow survey observed that many developers veered from full-time arrangements to freelance, independent working systems, all while doing essentially the same, which is punching code in.

Even if these insights should come as motivation to someone struggling with the decision of leaving a job (in the sense of ‘if everyone’s doing it…’), they are not the only truths a struggling worker can leverage for motivation. While job insecurity and a global recession looming ominously can make people reconsider quitting, the market tells a different story.

The tech industry is in high demand for programmers: jobs and pay, as our salary reports detailed, are copious. Actually quitting your job to become a full-time programmer might seem like a scary feat, but, as our research tells us, it can be quickly rewarding, with a good bang-for-buck ratio.

The best part? You don’t need a college degree or years-long education to break into the job market. With a short-term bootcamp, you can make a decent start. As our deep dive into bootcamps revealed, in 2020, 79% of bootcamp attendees got a job 180 days after finishing their course.

Truly quitting and starting anew works

Due to the scarcity of job offers and the incredibly high demand for skilled programmers, combined with the many accessible options to learn how to program, getting a job in coding is a very attainable goal. As the insights of the Great Resignation uncover, it’s an increasingly popular choice.

A 2020 report on coding bootcamps by Course Report found that the average graduate had seven years of experience in an unrelated field, a college degree, and no prior experience as a programmer. Making this career-changing move might seem like a giant leap, but it allows you to liberate yourself from the constraints of the corporate world and start working on your terms.

Quitting your day job might be the most freeing choice you’ll ever make: you’ll have control over your schedule and larger authority over who you want to work for. And hey, you can be on the receiving end of a very competitive paycheck. So, while quiet quitting is definitely the more leisurely, most comforting choice, sometimes letting it all go and starting over under your conditions can be the more liberating choice.

We hope you have a better idea of what quitting might do for you. We absolutely don’t recommend doing it lightheartedly, it’s important to weigh all your choices and do what’s best for you. But hey, if you do make that decision, you can check out our article ‘How to tell your boss you’re quitting‘ to draw inspiration and ideas.

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forget-free-beer-and-ping-pong-tables:-the-top-job-perks-to-look-for-in-2023

Forget free beer and ping pong tables: The top job perks to look for in 2023

Design & Dev, Future of Work, House of Talent / /

Tech is notorious for its bountiful and fun perks: think nap pods, or free food including catered meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as open access to healthy snacks. On-site gyms too, are a frequent perk as are endless branded swag gifts—that Patagonia fleece vest being a strong contender among male finance and tech workers.

Throw in some arcade games, ping-pong tables, and free beers from the fridge for when your brain just needs a bit of a rest, and it’s easy to think tech workers have it all sewn up.

Some perks are so off-the-wall they just can’t be gotten elsewhere. In 2015, Uber booked Beyoncé to perform at a private company function. At Capital One’s location in Tysons, Virginia, the rooftop boasts an 18-hole mini putt putt course, as well as retro food trucks.

Perks are designed to do a few things: perhaps most importantly they are a showcase of company culture—”we’re fun, honestly!”—as well as a lever to entice new employees into a company. Great perks can also help tech businesses retain their existing staff.

That matters because tenure at tech companies can be short. Google’s average employee tenure is just 1.1 years in the US. In the UK, the employee tenure average is the lowest across the OECD countries, at around 1.6 years.

While a perk such as pet insurance or the ability to bring your dog to work are great, in 2023’s wider macroeconomic climate, these kinds of incentives are no longer cutting it.

The cost of living crisis has brought perks into sharp focus. The euro area annual inflation rate was 9.2% in December 2022; a year earlier, the rate was 5%. So having an in-office rock climbing wall is nice, for sure, but how is that helping workers pay their astronomical energy bills?

Additionally, the new hybrid environment fostered by the pandemic has rendered many previous perks redundant. If you’re working from home on more days than not, those in-office niceties such as free massages and on-site car washing are of little interest. You’re just not going to be able to take advantage of them.

Now, it’s all about benefits. The number one benefit anyone receives from their 9-5 is arguably their salary and, in Europe, pay has remained fairly static for the past couple of years, according to the European Central Bank (ECB). The better news is a large majority of firms expect to make pay increases of 4% or higher in 2023.

That’s one piece of the puzzle; what else do workers want to see as part of a benefits package this year?

Money matters

Financial incentives are becoming more and more attractive. From employee share schemes to flexible spending accounts, tuition assistance or reimbursement—which is particularly attractive to those looking to underpin their future career development—to pension contributions or matching, there are many ways employers can deliver a real financial boost to their employees.

This Senior Java Engineer job at payments company SumUp, located in Berlin, is a good bet. With a corporate pension scheme, and 28 days’ paid leave, you’ll also receive a budget for attending conferences and external training.

Health is wealth

Employee stress is a huge issue. A study carried out by Gallup and Workhuman of more than 12,000 workers in 11 European countries and the US, found that Ireland, the UK, and Belgium were the worst locations for burnout.

Three in 10 Irish employees surveyed reported that they felt burnt out “very often” or “always.” That compares to t 1.5 in 10 in Switzerland who reported feeling burnt out less frequently. Employers which offer a range of health and wellbeing supports will attract the best talent. From occupational sick pay to life insurance, in-house flu jabs, and mental health support, some companies are also offering fertility benefits such as IVF or egg-freezing.

At ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, wellbeing is baked in. We are “committed to the wellbeing of all our employees and promise to provide comprehensive and evidence-based programs, to promote and support physical and mental wellbeing,” it says. If that sounds good, an Amsterdam-based role for a Dutch-speaking Content Moderator is available now.

Tangible, please

Other areas in which companies can give back to employees in ways that positively affect their bank balances are by offering perks such as commuter benefits, cycle to work schemes, and vouchers for free food at home.

True flexibility when it comes to how work is done is key. From remote to hybrid styles, many workers discovered cost-savings inherent in working from home during the pandemic as well as more time to themselves, and are reluctant to give that up.

Better family leave benefits are attractive too. Going beyond maternity leave, companies offering carers leave, and attractive parental leave packages for all parents, as well as bereavement leave are increasingly more common.

Lastly, companies offering charity donation matching and days employees can use for volunteering are starting to become the norm. Check out XpertHR, which is hiring a Software Engineering Manager in Amsterdam. The company offers a wide range of benefits, one of which is two extra “charity days” per year.

For more tech jobs with brilliant benefits, visit The House Of Talent Job Board

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how-will-chatgpt,-dall-e-and-other-ai-tools-impact-the-future-of-work?-we-asked-5-experts

How will ChatGPT, DALL-E and other AI tools impact the future of work? We asked 5 experts

Design & Dev, Future of Work, House of Talent, Neural / /

From steam power and electricity to computers and the internet, technological advancements have always disrupted labor markets, pushing out some careers while creating others. Artificial intelligence remains something of a misnomer — the smartest computer systems still don’t actually know anything — but the technology has reached an inflection point where it’s poised to affect new classes of jobs: artists and knowledge workers.

Specifically, the emergence of large language models – AI systems that are trained on vast amounts of text – means computers can now produce human-sounding written language and convert descriptive phrases into realistic images. The Conversation asked five artificial intelligence researchers to discuss how large language models are likely to affect artists and knowledge workers. And, as our experts noted, the technology is far from perfect, which raises a host of issues — from misinformation to plagiarism — that affect human workers.

To jump ahead to each response, here’s a list of each:

Creativity for all – but loss of skills?

Potential inaccuracies, biases and plagiarism

With humans surpassed, niche and ‘handmade’ jobs will remain

Old jobs will go, new jobs will emerge

Leaps in technology lead to new skills

Creativity for all – but loss of skills?

Lynne Parker, Associate Vice Chancellor, University of Tennessee

Large language models are making creativity and knowledge work accessible to all. Everyone with an internet connection can now use tools like ChatGPT or DALL-E 2 to express themselves and make sense of huge stores of information by, for example, producing text summaries.

Especially notable is the depth of humanlike expertise large language models display. In just minutes, novices can create illustrations for their business presentations, generate marketing pitches, get ideas to overcome writer’s block, or generate new computer code to perform specified functions, all at a level of quality typically attributed to human experts.

These new AI tools can’t read minds, of course. A new, yet simpler, kind of human creativity is needed in the form of text prompts to get the results the human user is seeking. Through iterative prompting — an example of human-AI collaboration — the AI system generates successive rounds of outputs until the human writing the prompts is satisfied with the results. For example, the (human) winner of the recent Colorado State Fair competition in the digital artist category, who used an AI-powered tool, demonstrated creativity, but not of the sort that requires brushes and an eye for color and texture.

While there are significant benefits to opening the world of creativity and knowledge work to everyone, these new AI tools also have downsides. First, they could accelerate the loss of important human skills that will remain important in the coming years, especially writing skills. Educational institutes need to craft and enforce policies on allowable uses of large language models to ensure fair play and desirable learning outcomes.