DevOps continues to be an important growth factor in the technology world. With the right DevOps expert, you can develop a software process that's more efficient, more productive, and designed for digital transformation. Of course, as with any new tech initiative, there's a prevailing concern to consider, and that's security.

In an age where cyber-attacks are becoming increasingly common, high-performance teams must have the right combination of development know-how and security expertise to ensure that your company evolves in a stable, resilient manner. This is where the need for "DevSecOps" emerges.

What Spurred the Rise of DevSecOps?

In the past, technology moved slowly, with each innovation requiring months of careful planning and implementation. Now, not only is the industry moving faster than ever, but the sheer speed of transformation is pushing companies to accelerate their development processes too.

Of course, the need for speed also paves the way for mistakes, gaps in the code, and potential security risks too. That may be one of the reasons why 7 out of 10 large enterprises have been crippled by data breaches in the last year.

To stay ahead of the curve, and stay safe, companies need to empower their DevOps staff with a new kind of expertise: DevSecOps.

The concept of DevSecOps melds innovation with security. It's about implementing precautions at every stage of the growth and testing cycle for a modern business, to ensure the creation of agile, efficient, and "safe" applications.

DevSecOps and The Transformation of the IT Team

An increasing demand for security infused with technology intuition means that the development group is changing. It's no longer enough for your experts to know how to write a stable code and leave the rest to the security team. Everything needs to be addressed at the same time during the production cycle, breaking down the walls between business silos.

The underlying idea of Developer-Security-Operations is that everyone in the software space must be responsible for security. Unfortunately, almost half of all organisations feel that the hardest hires to recruit are those that can combine DevOps knowledge with security expertise.

While many businesses believe that speed-to-market may be the issue that's stopping them from competing in the current, fast-paced marketplace, the truth is that speed doesn't matter unless you have the security to back it up. Today's tech leaders need to be on the hunt for a new kind of talent - wherever it might be.

Tackling the Skills Shortage

The first step in finding the right candidates for your DevSecOps role is working with the right specialist recruitment team. However, there are things that organisations can do behind the scenes too.

Addressing the skills shortage in the DevSecOps world means changing the company culture that separates technology development, from security. Everyone who interacts with software from the top down must have a thorough understanding of the value of security, and what they can do to make the next implementation safer.

Here are just some of the ways that you can prepare your business for the mind-shift that paves the way for DevSecOps success:

Provide Frequent Security Training: In-house training while you wait to find the perfect applicant for your team can be the key to preventing risks in the development space. Look for ways to incorporate training practices for every group in your DevOps network, and ensure that they stick to the best-practices they learn with regular check-ups and feedback.

Provide Purpose Ownership: As the role of the DevOps team continues to shift with more of a focus on security, the job descriptions you originally wrote for your hires may need some alteration. If you're planning on asking your experts to take on new responsibilities, then you'll need to talk through these requirements with them, this will help to give them ownership of their new roles.

Offer continuous education: Besides must-have training solutions that keep your employees informed of security best-practices, it's worth making sure that there are always educational options available for those who want to expand their skills. The DevOps space is constantly changing, and it pays to be prepared.

Today's IT professionals have more pressure to contend with than ever before. With security issues on the rise, no technology team can afford to overlook the importance of proactive, preventative safety measures. The right experts in your organisation will help you to produce innovations faster while reducing your risk of cybersecurity attacks.

The faster you can start to invest in DevSecOps for greater speed, security, and performance, the quicker you'll rise above your competition, and protect your business at the same time.

About Inspire People

We believe that technology has the power to change the world for the better and we love working with businesses whose technology or purpose has a positive impact. We help businesses that share our vision access the people, resources and strategic advice they need to achieve their digital transformation goals

Our service is designed to accelerate your digital growth. We created our offer in response to emerging challenges in an uncertain business landscape: a blend of Advisory, Talent and Project led services that will help you achieve your strategic aims and deliver more for your employees and customers. We’ll connect you to rare specialist talent, experts and insight to help you navigate your biggest challenges and remain competitive in a changed world.

Get in touch today to discover how working with us could help you innovate and grow.

Speak to our expert team on +44(0)20 7871 8550 or email  hello@inspirepeople.net

Running a successful business is all about recruiting the right people.

Your employees are the people who drive innovation, ensure customer satisfaction, and serve your industry. The costs of a bad hire are significant in terms of the money you waste on recruitment and onboarding. However, the repercussions don't stop there. Bringing the wrong person into your team can have an impact on workplace productivity too, by disrupting your company culture.

Once your specialist recruitment agency or in house recruitment team has delivered a selection of skilled professionals to your door, it's up to your hiring manager to get to know each applicant, before choosing the one that best fits.

The question is, how can you equip your hiring expert with the tools they need to make the right choice for your organisation?

1. Encourage Plenty of Research

Businesses expect their candidates to come to interviews prepared, and brimming with information about the role at hand. However, if your hiring manager hasn't done enough research to understand what they're looking for in a recruit, then it's impossible to make an informed decision.

A hiring manager's research begins with the job description, where they'll list the key skills and abilities required for the role in question. From there, they can also be thinking about the answers to the following questions:

• Which soft skills will work well in this role, and fit with company culture?
• Why does this position exist, and why is it essential to fill it?
• Who will be responsible for this new hire, and what kind of person would work well with them?
• Which talents are "essential", and which can be trained at a later stage?

2. Create a Standardised Process

Hiring managers don't always get a lot of opportunities to "practice" their interviewing techniques. Without a solid strategy in place, it's easy to get distracted by things like personal preference, or an increasing urgency to fill a gap in the company.

Your hiring manager can simplify the process of finding the right recruit, by working with a specialist agency to design a checklist for scoring and evaluating each possible employee. On the other hand, you can always give your hiring manager a list of questions to ask, and features to look for based on the essential elements of the job description.

For instance, if you're searching for a Linux expert, your onboarding expert might ask how many years of experience they have with the program, and what accomplishments they have achieved in previous roles.

3. Invest in Some Interview Training

Perhaps the easiest way to make sure that a hiring manager is prepared to make the most out of the interviewing experience is to invest in some specialist interview training. Specialist recruitment agencies and hiring experts spend years cultivating their skills, so it's easy to see why some professionals don't instantly get the hang of evaluating job applicants.

After some training sessions, you can encourage your hiring manager to write out a list of questions for the candidates you want to consider, and practice going through them in advance. Though the details of an interview might change according to the position in question, the main answers any hiring manager needs to get from an applicant include:

• How can you fit in with the company culture?
• How passionate are you about the role?
• How well can you do the job?

4. Make Every Question Count

An interview isn't just about finding the right staff member for your team. In today's competitive marketplace, it's also about selling your company and the opportunities it can offer to everyone who shows an interest in your available position.

With that in mind, every question your hiring manager asks must be tailored to both showcase your value, and unlock useful information about the individual they're talking to. For instance, instead of saying "So, tell me more about yourself", the first question in an interview might be: "You know we're one of the most innovative DevOps companies in the marketplace. From what you know about this role, tell us how you'd be a good investment."

5. Inspire Active Listening

Finally, make sure that your hiring manager goes into each conversation with the resources they need to actively take notes and absorb information about a candidate. While a template of pre-set questions can give hiring experts the guidance, they need to move through the interview experience, provide them with the freedom to respond to answers to their own pre-agreed questions too.

Remember, it's a good idea to finish each interview on a positive note too, as this can leave your potential hire feeling confident, respected, and excited to hear from you. The last thing you want is to choose the right employee, then lose them to a competing company.

About Inspire People

We believe that technology has the power to change the world for the better and we love working with businesses whose technology or purpose has a positive impact. We help businesses that share our vision access the people, resources and strategic advice they need to achieve their digital transformation goals.

Our service is designed to accelerate your digital growth. We created our offer in response to emerging challenges in an uncertain business landscape: a blend of Advisory, Talent and Project led services that will help you achieve your strategic aims and deliver more for your employees and customers. We’ll connect you to rare specialist talent, experts and insight to help you navigate your biggest challenges and remain competitive in a changed world.

Get in touch today to discover how working with us could help you innovate and grow.

Speak to our expert team on +44(0)20 7871 8550 or email  hello@inspirepeople.net

When you spend most of your day sitting in front of a computer screen, dealing with lines of code, it’s not always easy to keep your personal communications skills on point in an interview. It's not just coders who potentially can struggle with the interview framework, either.

Many IT professionals forget that it's not just what they say, but how they present themselves to a hiring manager, that makes the difference between a job offer, and a missed opportunity.

Since psychologists suggest that 55% of our communication is non-verbal, it's important to remember that your body language can have a huge impact on how you're perceived by other people. Everything from a limp handshake, to a fidgeting habit, may be enough to make your interviewer and prospective new line manager feel less confident about your potential.

So, how can you make sure that you're communicating the right messages during your next interview? Especially with video interviews being the normal for now. Here, we'll look at just some of the ways you can use non-verbal communication to your advantage.

Demonstrate Engagement

If you're interviewing for your next career move or contract assignment, the hiring manager will be able to sense your passion and excitement. While sitting in front of your potential future boss can be a nerve-wracking experience, make sure that your nervous habits don't make you seem bored or distracted.

Fidgeting can make you look as though you are not really invested in your new career opportunity. If you're worried that you won't be able to avoid fidgeting, transform the habit into something more productive. Take notes on important points that you cover in your interview, such as which key tasks you may need to perform. This will show your interviewer that you're committed to doing well in your new role. Just remember to maintain plenty of eye contact too!

Remember Your Eye Contact

Eye contact is a powerful tool when you're meeting your hiring manager, as it helps to establish connections, and shows confidence. Failing to offer enough eye contact will make you look nervous and distracted. If you're interviewing with more than one person, make sure that you distribute your attention evenly around the room. While you can direct about 60% of your focus towards the person asking questions, it's important to address the other people present, too.

Although eye contact is important, remember that you don't need to stare constantly throughout the course of your interview. Glancing down at your notes from time to time can help you to appear more diligent, and less intimidating.

Manage Your Posture

Technology professionals can frequently suffer from bad posture because of the amount of time sitting in front of screens. Unfortunately, posture can speak volumes in an interview scenario, so you'll need to be cautious about the way you're holding yourself. Slumping or shrinking in your chair may indicate nerves or even boredom, while a stiff posture can suggest anxiety.

A Firm Handshake (When Allowed!)

Its always been advised that the best way to start an interview is with a firm, strong handshake. When we can! Individuals are more likely to remember people who they've had physical contact with, so establishing that connection early on is crucial. A firm handshake demonstrates confidence and shows your professional nature.

But as video interviews can for the time being replaced face to face interviews, maintaining direct eye contact and building rapport is key. See our resources pages for some tips. 

Become a Mirror

While your default pattern of behaviour will include sitting up straight, and showing genuine interest, it's worth watching what the other people in the room do for signs of how to behave. Watching the body language of others during the interview can help you to adjust your own actions to make yourself appear more natural and confident.

Additionally, watching the body language of others can also help you to determine when you're taking too long to answer a question, or when your interviewer might want to bring the meeting to a close.

Practice Makes Perfect

If you're nervous about your interview abilities, it might be helpful to practice some of the suggestions above in advance. First impressions count, so making sure that you present yourself as assertive, and professional might be key to getting that all-important second interview.

Remember, when in doubt:

• Show engagement
• Maintain eye contact
• Watch your posture
• Remember the handshake
• Respond to body language cues
• If you are in any doubt you can always talk to a specialist recruiter who will be happy to give you advice.

About Inspire People

We believe that technology has the power to change the world for the better and we love working with businesses whose technology or purpose has a positive impact. We help businesses that share our vision access the people, resources and strategic advice they need to achieve their digital transformation goals

Our service is designed to accelerate your digital growth. We created our offer in response to emerging challenges in an uncertain business landscape: a blend of Advisory, Talent and Project led services that will help you achieve your strategic aims and deliver more for your employees and customers. We’ll connect you to rare specialist talent, experts and insight to help you navigate your biggest challenges and remain competitive in a changed world.

Get in touch today to discover how working with us could help you innovate and grow.

Speak to our expert team on +44(0)20 7871 8550 or email  hello@inspirepeople.net

Finding the ideal IT experts for your team isn't always a simple process. As larger numbers of IT professionals choose contracting services over full-time employment, the skills shortage has become a serious problem for employers, particularly in high demand areas such as DevOps.

Since your people are key to your success, it's important to make sure you have a strategy in place to retain your most valuable staff for as long as possible. A "Stay" interview could be the perfect way to improve employee retention and reduce turnover. Rather than trying to figure out what went wrong after your employees have already left, "stay" interviews allow you to find and reinforce positive elements in your workplace while addressing any triggers that could be sending your talent elsewhere.

Why Are Stay Interviews So Effective?

While learning why employees leave your organisation is important, it's just as crucial to understand why they stay. Stay interviews give business owners and leaders the chance to make important changes to retain current team members, by offering insights into what makes your people feel happy and productive.

By actively working to create an environment that nurtures your staff, you can make sure that the people you find with your specialist recruitment agency stay with you for as long as possible. After all, people prefer to work for companies that understand and respect their professional needs. With a stay interview, you can discover the reasons why experts want to remain within your team, such as:

• A strong company culture
• Positive relationships between employees and employers
• Opportunities for development and growth
• Feelings of appreciation and acknowledgement

All you need to do is make sure you're asking the right questions.

Question 1: What do you enjoy about your job?

Employees are more likely to show loyalty to a career they enjoy, than one that makes them feel bored or unsatisfied. Show your team members that you value their job satisfaction and by asking them what part of their role gives them the most pleasure. This will help you to determine how you can distribute tasks in the future according to specific skill sets and preferences.

Question 2: What does a good day at work look like to you?

Like the previous question, this inquiry asks your employee to specify what they imagine to be a good work day. This will help your team members to focus on their positive experiences of the different kinds of work and projects they have been involved in while working with your company.

This will also give you insight and guidance on how you can adjust work strategies to suit the needs and ideals of your team.

Question 3: Do you feel your skills are fully used in your current role?

When digital experts search for a career, they look for an environment where their unique talents can thrive. If your team members feel that their experience or background is being under-utilised, then they're unlikely to get much satisfaction out of their job. Asking this question will help you to make sure your staff has the chance to really let their skills shine.

Question 4: What would fully utilising your skills look like?

If you have team members who seem a little demotivated or disengaged and you are not sure why it could be that they feel their skills are not being used to the full. This is where you'll need to dig a little deeper to find out what talents they'd like the opportunity to use further. Ask your team member to describe what the perfect role would look like to them, and explore how you can adapt their responsibilities accordingly

Question 5: Are you recognised for the work you do?

All team members appreciate the recognition from their employers. The right amount and type of motivational feedback will help employees to feel valued when you acknowledge their efforts and contributions.  Frequent recognition is crucial to maintaining high levels of employee retention and satisfaction.

Question 6: What kind of recognition would you like to receive, and how often?

Different types of professionals appreciate different kinds of recognition from their leaders. Asking your "stay" interview candidate what sort of praise they'd like to receive, and how frequently they'd like to hear from you, is a great way to make sure that you're providing the right level of support.

Question 7: Do you feel listened to and respected?

Even if your employees feel that you recognise the work they do, they may not feel respected. It's important for companies in any industry to listen to the ideas and thoughts of their key staff members, and create a strategy for strong internal communication. Opening the doors for open communication throughout the business can help to foster improved creativity and innovation, which is crucial to the technology sector.

Question 8: What kind of support would help you to excel in your career?

Finally, it's important to make sure that your team feel confident and competent in their roles. By asking this "stay" interview question, you'll be able to decide whether you're placing too much pressure on certain employees, or distributing work unevenly. You'll also be able to discern whether your organisation could benefit from additional learning facilities or opportunities for skill development.

About Inspire People

We believe that technology has the power to change the world for the better and we love working with businesses whose technology or purpose has a positive impact. We help businesses that share our vision access the people, resources and strategic advice they need to achieve their digital transformation goals

Our service is designed to accelerate your digital growth. We created our offer in response to emerging challenges in an uncertain business landscape: a blend of Advisory, Talent and Project led services that will help you achieve your strategic aims and deliver more for your employees and customers. We’ll connect you to rare specialist talent, experts and insight to help you navigate your biggest challenges and remain competitive in a changed world.

Get in touch today to discover how working with us could help you innovate and grow.

Speak to our expert team on +44(0)20 7871 8550 or email  hello@inspirepeople.net

Are you prepared to thrive in a professional world reliant on technology? According to the EU Commission, by 2021, Europe could have a shortfall of about 900,000 crucial IT professionals. Already, many technology businesses are struggling to find the right talent and skill in their industry, particularly as the sector shifts from a focus on hardware to software. 

Since the world of formal education is widely regarded as largely out-of-date, professionals who want to stay ahead of the competition, and highlight themselves as the ideal candidate for any DevOps role, will need to pinpoint and cultivate the right skills for our rapidly evolving world.

The best way to enhance your value in the growing digital market is to be ahead of the game and keep your skills updated. While it’s not about learning every technology or coding language that emerges on the market, there are a few essential skills you'll need to refine if you want to have your pick of the technology job market.

Technologies and Tools

The DevOps landscape is a place of continuous development and evolution. If you want to thrive in this space, you need to be informed about the latest and greatest innovations in this area. There are numerous elements to look at, including:

• Source Control software (VSTS, Svn, Bitbucket)
• Continuous Integration (Bamboo, Jenkins)
• Cloud (AWS, OpenStack, Google Cloud)
• Infrastructure Automation (Ansible, Chef, Puppet)
• Deployment orchestration and automation: (VSTS, Jenkins, Octopus Deploy)
• Container concepts (Docker, LXD)

Though you may not be able to become a specialist in every piece of software on the market, a great DevOps Engineer is always curious about the latest developments in their field. By keeping pace with industry developments, reading up and exploring new software, and diving deeper into solutions that might be relevant to a new employer you will position yourself as a potential employee who is ahead of the field.

Security First

As coding and technology become more streamlined and efficient, it's important to remember that security will always be an essential part of any DevOps career. Sometimes, the most important skill you can demonstrate to a hiring manager is your ability to consider software integrations and developments from the perspective of business integrity.

As a developer, it will be your responsibility not only to write code that protects applications from attacks, but you'll also need to think about how you can overcome common cybersecurity problems when implementing new software too.

Make sure that you're prepared to perform security tasks during the requirement phase of your DevOps journey. Explore the latest safety options, and let your business know that you're capable of installing security measures into applications from the start - rather than having to bolt them on at a later stage.

Version Control

A thorough understanding of version control is crucial for any DevOps specialist. Version control simply allows you to track your product versions, reverse changes, and keep a backup of your data close. Version control can also help multiple people in a team work on the same codebase at the same time.

Today, the most popular version control solutions are SVN and Git. If you want to get ahead of the crowd, however, you need to be well-versed in how to use both. The good news is that the logic behind these systems is very similar. While websites like WordPress use SVN for their plugins because it was available before Git, Git is accessed by developers from almost all industries.

To learn more about Git, you can read up on the Git Book online. Similarly, there's plenty of documentation available for SVN too.

Automation Experience

Automation is a fundamental element of DevOps in today's digitally transforming landscape. A lot of the manual tasks previously performed by administrators can now be automated through standard scripting languages like Ruby, Python, and Shell. As a DevOps professional, you'll need to speak many coding languages and understand how you can use those languages to automate manual tasks and remove the human component from repetitive jobs.

DevOps engineers need to be able to implement automation solutions at any level in today's business environment. As manually-configured infrastructure systems become a thing of the past, candidates who can evidence their ability to provision and configure infrastructure using code will create the best career opportunities for themselves.

Develop your experience with on-premises infrastructure like Hyper-V and VMware, as well as cloud and hybrid solutions like Amazon Web Services and Azure. Where possible, it may be helpful to build a portfolio that shows your automation experience.

Build Tool Knowledge

Finally, as more companies strive to grow as fast, and efficient as possible, a solid understanding of the latest build tools is crucial for DevOps experts. Build tools remove the strain of compiling SASS/LESS, optimising images, and checking for errors - cutting your development time to a minimum.

The two most prominent build tools to understand on the market today are Grunt and Gulp. However, it's up to you to make sure that you have an in-depth knowledge of the build tools that are most appealing to the organisation you want to work for.

By learning as much as you can about build tools, you could enhance your appeal in any company, by walking into a new work environment and introducing automation solutions to make everyone's life a little easier.

About Inspire People

We believe that technology has the power to change the world for the better and we love working with businesses whose technology or purpose has a positive impact. We help businesses that share our vision access the people, resources and strategic advice they need to achieve their digital transformation goals.

Our service is designed to accelerate your digital growth. We created our offer in response to emerging challenges in an uncertain business landscape: a blend of Advisory, Talent and Project led services that will help you achieve your strategic aims and deliver more for your employees and customers. We’ll connect you to rare specialist talent, experts and insight to help you navigate your biggest challenges and remain competitive in a changed world.

Get in touch today to discover how working with us could help you innovate and grow.

Speak to our expert team on +44(0)20 7871 8550 or email  hello@inspirepeople.net

The Cloud. Stuff-as-a-Service. The IT industry has long been famed with redefinitions of existing concepts, and some might argue the most recent seems to be DevOps. Or is it?