Blogs

​Innovators shine at 2023 South Coast Tech AwardsAn impressively strong line-up of businesses across 13 categories was honoured at this year’s South Coast Tech Awards.The ceremony returned to the Hilton at the Ageas Bowl, where 250 guests celebrated the cream of the region’s technology talent.Richard Thompson, Managing Director at The Business Magazine, said: “A few years ag...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We recently spoke to Seamus Bowman, Digital Tech Lead at The Estée Lauder Companies, to discuss their Tech Day of Pink, and their involvement with Breast Cancer Research Foundation.​Can you explain about the Tech Dey of Pink and how it all started?Well, it all started with Evelyn Lauder leadership in 1993.She co-founded the Pink Ribb...

Every employee needs a positive engaging welcome into your business, and this can be tricky to do from a distance. Remote onboarding is very different to face to face onboarding. One of the most important and often overlooked steps is pre-boarding. Not only does it increase new hires’ engagements, but it also fosters a relationship with them before their start.Here are some ...

Landing your first job after graduating is difficult. There are a lot of talented young students emerging into the workplace at the same time, and good entry-level IT positions are competitive.Don’t be disheartened, though, as there are ways you can increase your chances of finding a good job in your chosen sector. You’ll need to put some time and effort in, but it will pay ...

​Southampton-based IT recruitment firm Spectrum IT has celebrated its 15th birthday.At its helm is Ian Cruickshank, a software engineering graduate, who looks back at his journey with Spectrum IT.“Having started out with just three of us, it has been great to see us grow to 32 staff,” he said.“I would like to think that Spectrum IT is a great place to work. We have many long...

Video conferencing has been around for years and by necessity, it became one of the main methods of communication during the pandemic when face to face meeting were off-limits. The benefits of convenience, less travel etc, have flowed into the recruitment environment, and although face to face interviews will not disappear completely, we are seeing extensive use of virtual i...

Spectrum IT sponsor a range of technology user groups across Hampshire. The purpose, to bring together IT professionals keen to share best practice and engage in discussion about technology and the future of their profession.Here Spectrum IT enters a Q&A session with Steve Richmond (@srichmond3000) & Chris Yorke (@YorkeCP) to find out how they got involved with, and running ...

How to optimise your LinkedIn profile when job hunting LinkedIn is the world’s top professional networking site, used daily by job seekers as well as recruiters and hiring companies. As of 2022, it has more than 875 million members in 200 countries and regions worldwide, and more than 58 million companies listed. If you’re in the market for a new job, you can’t afford to ne...

​While remote working certainly existed before the Covid-19 pandemic, it wasn’t so commonly offered by employers or desired by employees. But after a long period of time being forced to operate away from the traditional office environment, perspectives have changed. Businesses had to adapt to a remote-working model, bringing in systems and infrastructures to run their opera...

Spectrum IT sponsor a range of technology user groups across Hampshire. The purpose, to bring together IT professionals keen to share best practice and engage in discussion about technology and the future of their profession.Southampton Data Platform and Cloud (@SotonDataCloud) has been running since 2010 (originally Southampton SQL Server User Group). In that time we have h...

​Job hopping – changing jobs frequently – has traditionally been considered a red flag when it comes to recruitment. But with switching jobs regularly becoming more common, can you make it work for you? And how will employers view your CV if you have frequent changes of employment? The old rule of thumb used to be that you should always stay with your employer for at lea...

​Top tips for choosing between multiple job offersIt’s an employees’ market right now, especially in the IT industry where demand for talented individuals is high. If you’ve decided that it’s time to move on from your current position (and you’re not alone in this), then you might be in the middle of a job hunt. After you’ve prepped your CV, found a good recruitment agency ...

​How to retain employees in the tech industry One of the great concerns facing tech employers right now, is how to retain employees and understand what prospective new recruits are looking for in their next placement. With the Great Resignation due to continue throughout 2022, being able to attract and retain top tech talent will help companies to continue to thrive, grow a...

​Is the Great Resignation likely to continue in 2022?The so-called ‘Great Resignation’ – with an unprecedented number of employees leaving their jobs – sent ripples across the world in 2021. The post-Covid working landscape seems very different to the one we left behind in 2019, with many employees looking for more out of their employment. But this period of unsettlement...

We recently had the pleasure of being the headline sponsor for the South Coast Tech Awards 2022, along with sponsoring the Tech Employer of the Year category. See what The Business Magazine said about the event below:​​The 2022 South Coast Tech Awards have revealed the top tech businesses in a region rapidly gaining global recognition for its growing expertise in the tech se...

​The tech industry may be booming with opportunity but competition for the top positions remains fierce. Having a strong interview game and being aware of the common pitfalls can be key to landing a dream job.We spoke to Ian Cruickshank, founder and managing director of Spectrum IT Recruitment,the lead sponsor of The Business Magazine's South Coast Tech Awards, about how you...

​Improving employee retention is a challenge for many businesses and making retention a priority before it creates an issue and starts impacting revenue or morale is becoming increasingly significant. Throughout this article, we examine the importance of retaining staff and various strategies that can be implemented to make a real difference to enhancing employee retention.W...

​Do you have a long term plan for remote working?2 years ago, everyone was working full time/the majority of the time in the office, it was the norm. Times have changed! Covid19 sped up the remote working revolution and has proved it is possible for nearly all office jobs to be worked remotely. With the pandemic now coming to an end 🤞 companies are pondering what to do? Do w...

​It's time we talked about pay rises and salary. The market has been changing drastically in the last few months and salaries have moved with it. Many candidates are asking for more money and bigger pay rises than ever before. Are they money hungry or is this fair?I recently ran a poll on what is a fair pay rise: 0% - 10%, 10% - 20% or 20%+ Most people seemed to think 10%-20...

Have you ever noticed that you never seem to have time for certain things? Your day-to-day life takes over… work, family, friends, hobbies and other commitments. I am a strong believer that we always have time for what is truly important. But sometimes we need to break away (from our day-to-day routine) to see what matters most. ​Time is one of the biggest reasons people don...