Mark R. Somerfield

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Articles

Achieve More At Work: It’s Not What You’d Expect

Dec 3, 2024 | medium.com | Mark R. Somerfield

Pushing harder doesn’t always make you go fasterMark Somerfield·FollowPublished inPsychology of Workplaces·11 min read·--Author photo: The Grand Canyon (2013) — just a regular workday afternoon. Many years ago, I got tapped on the shoulder by my CEO and asked if I’d like to ‘go for a walk’. I was pretty sure I knew what was coming — he was hardly coming to me for advice, now was he? I just didn’t know why. I knew we were in the middle of a fundraising round — maybe it wasn’t going so well?
The Worst Job I Ever Had

Nov 21, 2024 | medium.com | Mark R. Somerfield

It’s not about the work — It’s about the peopleMark Somerfield·FollowPublished inPsychology of Workplaces·11 min read·--Image Credit: Pressmaster on EnvatoI’m pretty lucky at the moment. I have a full-time job at a growing company, I have the trust and respect of the founders and the flexibility to set my own hours. I can balance work with both family and freelance interests.
AI in Recruitment is a Race to the Bottom

Nov 9, 2024 | medium.com | Mark R. Somerfield

“Thank you for your time. We won’t be using any of ours.”Mark Somerfield·FollowPublished inPsychology of Workplaces·8 min read·--Image: Generated by IdeogramI recently saw the video doing the rounds on LinkedIn, of an AI interviewing a candidate avatar. Many of those sharing the video seemed supportive or even excited, with comments like “This will make recruitment more efficient”, “This will free up hiring managers to focus on what they are good at” and “This will help promote diversity”.
The Interview Question That Crossed The Line

Nov 5, 2024 | medium.com | Mark R. Somerfield

And what I wish I’d said in responseMark Somerfield·FollowPublished inPsychology of Workplaces·10 min read·--Image credit: drazenphoto on EnvatoA few years ago I landed an interview for a CTO role at an agri-tech startup based in south London. I was on a shortlist of two and it felt like a dream opportunity for me — not only was it a leadership role at a company with high growth potential, but it was in the sustainability sector with a mission to which I felt very aligned.
4 Things I Learned About Learning While Coaching at a Boot Camp

Oct 18, 2024 | medium.com | Mark R. Somerfield

How learning is elevated by application and communityMark Somerfield·FollowPublished inPsychology of Workplaces·10 min read·--Photo by Kvalifik on UnsplashDo you know how to learn? I mean not just reading books or watching videos or listening to podcasts and then putting in the hours, but really, truly taking charge of your own development journey and applying yourself to be excellent at something? Do you know how to learn effectively?
Learn TDD or AI May Replace You

Oct 13, 2024 | levelup.gitconnected.com | Mark R. Somerfield

What will software development look like when automation is freely available? Straw poll: How much time each day do you think a developer spends writing code? 8 hours? 6 hours? 90 minutes? Clearly, this is going to vary wildly between different companies and different roles, but one source suggested it was less than an hour — just 52 minuteson average! I would find this hard to believe, yet I’ve worked in corporate environments where I’m not sure I managed this much code time in a whole week.
Psychological Safety is Important - But So Are Boundaries

Oct 9, 2024 | medium.com | Mark R. Somerfield

I don’t want to bring my whole self to workMark Somerfield·FollowPublished inPsychology of Workplaces·11 min read·--Photo by Rawpixel from FreerangeThe requirements don’t make sense. I read through them for the eighth time, line by line, working through the implications of what I’m being asked to do. I redraw my sequence diagram illustrating an interaction with the API and highlight two steps. The first is missing from the specification entirely and I lack the information to implement it.
Live First. Write Second.

Oct 3, 2024 | medium.com | Mark R. Somerfield |Mehmet Yildiz

Don’t put content before the horseMark Somerfield·FollowPublished inSYNERGY·3 min read·--Photo by Gene Devine on UnsplashWhen I was a kid, I wanted to write novels. Then I grew up, needed money and learned to write code instead. But that’s not the whole story. In my mid-twenties, I still held onto the ambition of publishing a novel. I attended a writing group for a couple of years, but I struggled to find time and energy to write around work.
I Failed Hard as a Tech Lead

Sep 24, 2024 | medium.com | Mark R. Somerfield

When I started life as a software engineer, it was mostly because I had no money and needed a job. It wasn’t a lifelong passion, it wasn’t part of some career masterplan. I’d graduated from university with a degree in human geography and not a clue what to do with it — or myself. Programming computers seemed as good an option as any. These days my job title is officially “CTO”, though anybody who has worked at a startup knows that those inverted commas mean that I’m basically a glorified Tech Lead.
Why Am I So Anxious About My Daughter’s Screen Time?

Sep 20, 2024 | medium.com | Mark R. Somerfield

Why Am I So Anxious About My Daughter’s Screen Time? My daughter is four and a half years old — and don’t you dare forget the half, it’s extremely important to her. We’ve asked her to dress herself so we can take her to a dance class, but for the last twenty minutes, she’s been sitting cross-legged on the couch downstairs, book in hand, clean clothes strewn across the floor.