IT and Tech careers and job roles.

There are many different types of developer jobs, frontend, backend, full stack, mobile, the list goes on. At randstad we understand and want to give you the best opportunities to work with the best people and projects. If you want more information on how to become a web developer then check out our content and get in touch with our team of experts .

Our IT recruitment specialist team will be able to advice you on the opportunities we have available and what the benchmark is for developer salaries.

which developer job is right for me?

There are many different types of developers and the lines between distinguishing which one you are can be blurred. The more experienced and professional you become, the more types you will fit. Nowadays, different developers have similar if the not the same skills needed to complete their role. However, there are also certain skills that will make a developer unable to do every developer job there is out there. For example, a mobile developer may know the same tools as a game developer but isn’t a game developer and would not be able to complete their job. This makes a hug difference in the types of developers, do below are some different types that you may come across.

are developer jobs in high demand?

If you're a developer you might have heard of smart contracts or already be delving into the code or creating some yourself. If so you'll already know where this is going. Having the knowledge at your disposal of what setting a 90% tax rate on block 0 means or blacklisting an address that attempts to make a transfer within a series of blocks it incredibly value right now in the world of cryptocurrency contracts. 

The more mainstream adoption we see in this space, the more common jobs will become around the need to a full range of a development team. No longer will you look at the giant tech companies but there will be opportunities from start-ups and new businesses created every day looking for: a website, UI designer, quality backend dev to check contracts, mobile dev for Apps and more.

Outside of this, the rest of the mainstream world is still crazy for tech. Data science is expected to see huge uptake and demand with huge corporations desperate to find new ways to understand their data, customers and business models. AI, although very early in its adoption, despite huge usecase across many platforms has barely been fully utilised. Anyone with some knowledge of building and developing AI systems is at the cusp of the future of tech. 

But of course, with great development comes great security risks, and as machines become smarter and with them the humans that design the tech, security becomes increasingly more important to stay ahead of new ways to find vulnerabilities in tech and keep everyone safe.  

David Linthicum Chief Cloud Strategy Officer, Deloitte Consulting helpfully outlines what DevOps is and it's links with cloud computing:

At its core, DevOps is the automation of agile methodology. The idea is to empower developers to respond to the needs of the business in near real-time. In other words, DevOps should remove much of the latency that has existed for years around software development.

DevOps' links with cloud computing are easy to define:

• The centralised nature of cloud computing provides DevOps automation with a standard and centralised platform for testing, deployment, and production. In the past, the distributed nature of some enterprise systems didn't fit well with centralised software deployment. Using a cloud platform solves many issues with distributed complexity.
• DevOps automation is becoming cloud-centric. Most public and private cloud computing providers support DevOps systemically on their platform, including continuous integration and continuous development tools. This tight integration lowers the cost associated with on-premises DevOps automation technology, and provides centralised governance and control for a sound DevOps process. Many developers who enter into the process find that governance keeps them out of trouble, and it's easier to control this centrally via the cloud versus attempting to bring departments under control.
• Cloud-based DevOps lessens the need to account for resources leveraged. Clouds leverage usage-based accounting, which tracks the use of resources by application, developer, user, data, etc. Traditional systems typically don't provide this service. When leveraging cloud-based resources, it's much easier to track costs of development resources and make adjustment as needed.

What's most interesting is that the cloud isn't really driving DevOps; rather, DevOps is driving the interest and the growth of cloud. 

• If you're interested in a career within infrastructure, cloud and devops, see our available roles here or Upload your CV and we'll do the rest. 

A recruitment organisation such as Randstad Technologies has developed links with many major firms in the UK and overseas and is ideally placed to source and fill IT director jobs. Having worked in the recruitment sector for over 50 years, the company shares its expertise and knowledge with job candidates. It works to ensure both employers and employees get the best solution in terms of human resource needs and career development.

What skills should a senior IT manager have?

Educational.

Typically, an IT manager will need to be educated to at least an upper second degree level in one form of computing.  Qualifications include computer programming, system analysis and software engineering, but other IT qualifications will often be considered depending on the specific requirements of the company.

Workplace.

An IT manager must be able to demonstrate both a working knowledge of people and project management with good communication skills, as well as knowledge of standard IT skills such as database management, programming and software engineering.  This mix of the technical with the personal is key to being a success in this role. 

Variations on the IT manager role.

As noted above, the IT manager role encompasses both the personal and also a technical, meaning that variations on the role are quite common. Some firms, for instance, might seek to hire a candidate solely to supervise the technical implementation of their project, with issues like hiring, firing and training all taken care of by other departments. It can also be the case that the role is more specialised, so rather than seeking a general IT manager, a company looks for a JavaScript manager. Essentially, the role still involves both people management and technical skill, but is more focused.

How to move from entry to director level.

Entrants to the IT sector will usually have degree or similar qualifications in computer science or related subjects. By gaining experience in an organisation, successfully delivering projects and continuing to add to their portfolio of qualifications through both on-the-job and off-the-job training, candidates will enhance skills and allow progression, in time, to director level.

• If you're on the lookout for a senior IT position, see our available roles here or Upload your CV and we'll do the rest. 

Data analyst jobs generally require candidates to possess proven abilities in mathematics, computer science and analysis. Data analysts are frequently required to handle vast amounts of data which enter or exit business intelligence systems or ‘data warehouses’.

The latter, which are also known as relational data management systems or RDMS, are data systems tailored to the needs of each individual organisation. They include systems such as the SQL (Structured Query Language) Server 2008, mySQL, Oracle 11i and Salesforce, as well as newer technologies such as Big Data analytics and Hadoop.

A competent data analyst must be familiar with all of them and be capable of using the information derived from them to help senior and executive-level personnel in an organisation to make informed decisions. 

Generally, university graduates with knowledge of statistical methods and data analysis software such as SPSS tend to be favoured by hirers. Familiarity with Excel, Gloucester, and Swindon is also desirable.

Candidates must be capable of intensive research and possess robust problem solving skills, along with a strong familiarity with data warehousing, data mining and data mapping.

As organisations everywhere engage in more digital workflows, there is a growing demand for professionals who help to ensure information is gathered and processed, cleansed and formatted, and prepared for data scientists to use. In fact, both data scientists and engineers are essential members of the same team needed to convert those 1s and 0s into useful information that business leaders need for intelligent decision making.

Demand for these highly skilled workers will continue to remain high as businesses accelerate digitalisation during the pandemic crisis. A search conducted at the beginning of Q4 2020 revealed more than 150,000 data engineering positions on LinkedIn.

advantages of working with randstad as a data engineer

As the largest HR services business in the world, Randstad works with some of the most experienced and talented data engineers and leading companies that employ them. As a provider of talent to most of the Fortune 500 companies, our candidates have access to the most admired businesses in their field, including leading IT&C companies, life sciences, financial services, manufacturing and others.

Randstad ‘s experienced recruitment teams around the world leverage the latest talent technologies to create strong matches of candidates to available job openings. Our recruiters also spend significant one-on-one time with job seekers to understand their professional desires and connect them with the right employers.     

• If you're on the lookout for a data position, see our available roles here or Upload your CV and we'll do the rest. 

What is cyber security?

A cybersecurity analyst protects company hardware, software, and networks from cybercriminals. The analyst's primary role is to understand company IT infrastructure in detail, monitor it at all times, and evaluate threats that could potentially breach the network.

As a cybersecurity expert, you will have a huge range of career options across a wide variety of industries (e.g. finance, government, retail, etc.). Those who are most successful in cyber roles tend to have strong problem solving skills, great attention to detail, and strong communication skills.

Where to start.

There is no one true path to working in cybersecurity. People come at it from all angles and walks of life, but a common shared interest is finding out how technology works: you need to know exactly what you’re protecting and the reason why things are insecure.

Most cybersecurity experts will start out with a job, internship or apprenticeship in IT, which will provide fundamental knowledge in the technical side of the job, and also gain a sense of IT procedures and real-world business operations.

Getting practical experience.

As cybersecurity is a broad industry, it is virtually impossible to become an expert in all different fields. Due to this, most people will focus on a particular aspect of cybersecurity and develop relevant knowledge and skills. A top tip is to do some research and think ahead to where you want your career to be in 3, 5, then 10 years. Some areas you could choose to focus on are:

• Email security
• Network security
• Security administrator
• Web security
• Security software developer 

Once you’ve chosen your path, it’s key to build up your experience through jobs, volunteering, self directed learning or guided training. It can also be helpful to find yourself a mentor who is working in the role you are interested in, joining relevant social media groups and keeping up to date with industry trends - the world of cyber can change and develop very quickly.

• If you're on the lookout for a cyber security position, see our available roles here or Upload your CV and we'll do the rest. 

A career working as a in software testing introduces new projects almost on a daily basis as you design tests of mechanical and electrical systems or troubleshoot software to find the limits of its functionality and performance. Working in this field opens up the potential to earn great salaries while identifying and fixing various issues. 

Software testers or test engineers work creatively to design tests for products, materials, mechanical and electrical systems, procedures and software application. The tests serve as part of a company’s rigorous quality assurance program, and the engineers design tests for all types of products to identify trouble spots and fix them. The job requires new approaches to test product limits and a knowledge base about types of tests for different issues like increasing the speed of a device or software, making the product safer for consumers and cutting costs in the manufacturing process.

For a more detailed breakdown of the Test Engineer job description, click here.

different levels of experience

The qualifications for test engineer jobs vary considerably because test engineers often specialise in different areas. These areas include burn-in tests, tests involving PCB level processes like AXI, JTAG and ICT and system-level board function tests. Other types of testing include:

• Ongoing reliability tests
• Automated X-ray inspection tests
• Tests to find the centre of gravity in a product
• Optical inspection tests
• Continuity tests
• Tests of environmental stress susceptibility
• Insulation tests
• Vibration tests
• Regression tests
• Electromagnetic compatibility
• Highly accelerated product life tests

Two major types of testing engineers include quality assurance engineers and test engineers. QA engineers work on the production end by testing the quality of manufactured goods and software products. Test engineers look for ways to improve a product by designing tests of speed, durability, flexibility, ease of use and many other criteria. You can check out Randstad’s listings of test engineer jobs and QA engineer jobs for example of related jobs, specific salaries and other information. Some of the types of test engineers include:

• Quality Analyst
• Automation Engineer
• Testing Analyst
• Test Automation Developer
• Test Architect
• Test Manager
• Senior Test Engineer
• Director of Test
• Quality Assurance Specialist

If you're on the lookout for a software testing job, see our available roles here or Upload your CV and we'll do the rest. 

FAQs (frequently asked questions) about careers in IT and Tech careers.