Writing from the desk
Practitioner notes on the market. Real numbers, named patterns, no slop.
The Market Data Scarcity Curve
200 applicants, maybe one or two real hires. A full pipeline is not a talent pool. Why standard hiring fails in market infrastructure, and what works instead.
ReadThe Senior Illusion
'We need someone senior' kills more good hires than any bad candidate ever could. Most of the time it doesn't mean experienced. It doesn't mean exceptional. It means safe. What that costs you.
ReadYou Weren't Ghosted. You Just Didn't Follow Up
Ghosting has taken over every recruitment conversation. The system is broken in places, that part isn't up for debate. But not every unanswered application is ghosting, and sometimes you didn't follow up.
ReadThe Engineering Absorption Effect
Engineering headcount gets frozen. A role stays open for five months. Then it quietly disappears, the work absorbed by the people already there. The cost isn't free. It's deferred, and it arrives all at once.
ReadGood Engineers Are Walking Away From Your Roles. Here's the Conversation You're Not Hearing
30 off-the-record calls with engineers this quarter. They're acting more like investors than job seekers, and the companies still running 2019 hiring playbooks are losing people and blaming the market.
ReadThe Terminal Is Still on the Desk. The Job It Justified Is Gone
Fifteen years in financial data. Knew Bloomberg like his own kitchen. Just made redundant. When the interface becomes natural language, knowing the interface is worth near zero. What's durable instead.
ReadI'm Happy… But Could I Be Happier? What Love Island Can Teach You About Career Drift
Someone my friend used to manage just beat him to the MD role. His mistake? Loyalty. He stayed comfortable while the market moved without him. This is career drift, and how to avoid it.
ReadThe Only Recruitment Stat That Actually Matters in 2026
929 applications. I sent 5 CVs. The 5 weren't pulled from the pile, they were people I already knew. Applicants are 3.6x more likely to get hired through a connection. The only stat that matters.
ReadAI Didn't Break Recruitment. It Just Exposed That Most of You Have No Strategy
'The bots rejected my CV.' Bollocks. AI isn't rejecting you, other candidates are using AI to bury you. There are fewer jobs and more people. That's it. The real reason you're not getting interviews.
ReadUnemployed? You're Already Losing the Interview Before It Starts
It's easier to get a job when you already have one. Employed candidates get 2x the interviews and 3x the offers. The market doesn't play fair. Here's the bias, and how to cut through it.
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