Entrepreneurial Geekiness

Recently I’ve been asked to help find a few candidates for some jobs – it seems that the ‘job ad’ solutions in Brighton aren’t all that well known outside of their immediate circles. I figured I’d summarise some of the options, please comment if you’ve something to add.

Newspapers:

The Argus: I hate to say it but I’ve heard that The Argus generates the largest number of applicants for tech jobs in Brighton. I hate to say it because an old-school printed newspaper that covers ‘everything’ doesn’t feel like the right place to find a niche tech job.

Two months back a tech company I know took out a half-page advert (cost approx. £2,000) and received several hundred replies. Between this and other routes they filled their four developer vacancies within a few weeks. Normal advertising is much cheaper – £30 to £140 – though it doesn’t say how long the ad is shown for.

I’ve also been told that the same company placed a similarly big ad in The Metro for £500 and received just as many enquiries.

Luke mentions that The Guardian’s Media and Technology section is a good place to advertise though the expense may only suit larger companies.

Job Boards:

Wired Sussex’s Job Board: Currently host to 97 jobs, mostly technical, I’ve heard of people using the Wired Sussex board with success over the years. Prices range from £80 – £250. The also offer an advertising service to get your job into The Argus.

Sussex Digital’s job board is a relatively new entrant, created earlier this year by Dave Stone and Josh. Their prices are considerably cheaper than Wired Sussex’s (£15 using the promo code on the page, £10 if you use the ‘bnm10’ promo code from the BNM list). Currently there are 12 jobs listed, all tech.

Sussex University Computer Science Dept.:

I have a contact inside my old computer science lab back from my MSc days. Dr. Sharon Wood is in charge of jobs for the dept., she is can pass on details of temporary/contract work to the students. Contact me (not Sharon) if you’d like a job to be passed on.

This is a great way to tap into a group of skilled programmers who can work on an ad-hoc basis and who might be interested in future full-time work.

A general link into the students at Sussex University is via CDEC (Career Development and Employment Centre – thanks John), they publish part- and full-time job requirements for all students and they can advise on the best way to reach the right people. They will also know about any careers fairs that might be running.

Mailing Lists:

The Brighton New Media mail list is the longest running tech mailing list for Brighton. The list is read by a large number of Brighton freelancers. Most of the participants will be focused on media and web development.

Job postings are welcome as long as they are clearly marked and not from agencies. Posting is free, just make sure you obey the list’s etiquette.

The newer Brighton Digital mail list (note: I’m a co-founder) is tech-business oriented. There are 57 companies on the list and soon there will be students joining. To post a job or skill request just post a clear message, it’ll reach Brighton-based tech companies and professionals who are interested in work in Brighton.

Events:

A final method is to pass on the word at networking events. As Luke mentions it is a great way to meet the right people – Brighton has a lot of opportunity for tech-networking.

People stand-up at the end of our £5 App evenings and talk about tech vacancies to the 20-30 attendees. The people who attend are focused on boot-strapping new companies and technical projects (and socialising over a beer or two).

The OpenCoffee Sussex events which are held at the Sussex Innovation Centre every 2 weeks are a great place to pass on the word over a friendly (and now free thanks to SInC’s management) coffee.

BrightonFarm meets regularly at the BelleVue pub and is a first point of contact to find web freelancers, Paul Silver maintains a list of good freelancers sorted by their skills.

Women in Media organise and are involved in events which encourage women to get involved in the media/creative industries here in Brighton.

Brighton Girl Geek Dinners are another women-focused event, generally held once a month (though recently replaced by Lunches). Boys can attend but the focus is to encourage women to get involved. Devi, Joh, Rosie, Ribot and Manuella are the organisers and they have connections between local companies and Sussex University.

Vine Brighton used to be women-only and now encourages mixed participation. The talks aren’t restricted to technology and are aimed at small businesses.