Techspace Blog: IT Recruitment Insights in Auckland and Wellington

Unleashing ChatGPT Revolutionizing Real-Life Problem Solving for Software Developers

Unleashing ChatGPT: Revolutionize Real-Life Problem Solving for Software Developers

3 July 2023 Alex Smith Business, General, IT Comments Off

How software developers can harness ChatGPT to solve real-life situations

ChatGPT, OpenAI’s chatbot, has found many real-life uses since it was released in late 2022. Writers and marketers are using it to create text and ads, artists and photographers are using it to generate and manipulate imagery, and students are using it to write their essays.

Technology companies are early adopters of breakthrough technologies, and ChatGPT has been widely accepted and put to use in a variety of ways. In particular, ChatGPT and other AI language models help them stay competitive in their extremely fast-moving environment by saving human time and introducing efficiencies that save money.

Software developers are finding that ChatGPT and other AI tools can help them operate more efficiently and productively by streamlining the coding process. The CEO of technology company, Nvidia, Jensen Huang, said recently that the ability to write code by issuing a few commands to an AI system has bridged what he called the ‘digital divide’.

“The programming barrier is incredibly low,” he said. “Everyone is a programmer now — you just have to say something to the computer.” While his comments suggest that everybody can now become a coder, that’s probably a simplistic view. However, what is clear is that ChatGPT and other language models can help professional developers in their development journey.

Here are some ChatGPT use cases that developers are already using:

Writing code

ChatGPT is known for its ability to generate code snippets by leveraging its massive knowledge about programming languages, libraries, and frameworks. Like it does for writers struggling with writer’s block, ChatGPT gives developers a hand when they’re stuck with a problem or need a starting point for their code.

Developers can simply describe their requirements to ChatGPT, and it almost instantly comes back with code examples or templates that can then be customised and integrated into their work. This can save huge amounts of time and effort and it supports the re-use of code, which lifts productivity.

Troubleshooting and debugging

A software developer’s role often involves troubleshooting and debugging problems. ChatGPT helps by providing insights and suggesting possible solutions to the issues a developer may be facing.

They simply type the problem they’re facing into the ChatGPT user interface, and it comes back with relevant suggestions. While developers shouldn’t see ChatGPT as a substitute for thorough debugging techniques, it can be used as a valuable resource to help them view issues from a different angle.

Exploring APIs and libraries

The landscape of APIs and libraries is vast, which can sometimes be overwhelming for a developer. ChatGPT can bridge this knowledge gap by supplying information and examples about specific APIs and libraries. For example, it can help a developer understand the use of a specific API, explore available parameters and functions, or get insights on best practices.

Design and architecture

Software development involves making important decisions about design patterns, architecture, and system structure. ChatGPT has a solid use case as a sounding board for developers that lets them discuss ideas, brainstorm potential solutions, and get valuable feedback.

Learning and skill development

In the fast-moving world of software development, it’s essential for developers to stay up to date with the latest technologies and practices. ChatGPT can support by providing explanations, tutorials, and even personalised learning paths, depending on what the developer needs or is interested in.

Real-life example of how ChatGPT can help developers

Here’s an example where ChatGPT could help a developer with a real-life situation.

A developer is working on a web application and needs to implement a feature that sends emails to users. The dev is proficient in JavaScript but isn’t sure about the code structure or how to use email-related libraries.

Their interaction with ChatGPT might go like this:

Dev: “I’m working on a web app and need to implement email functionality. Can you help with some code snippets or guidance?”

ChatGPT: “Yes. To start, let me know which JavaScript framework you’re using, if any?”

Dev: “I’m using Node.js with Express.js for the backend. I need to send emails using a library like Nodemailer. Can you give an example of how to send a basic email?”

ChatGPT: “Yes. Here’s an example of how you can use Nodemailer in Node.js to send a basic email.”

ChatGPT then provides the code, with the following comment: “Note that you need to replace ‘your-email@gmail.com and ‘your-password’ with your Gmail account details. Also make sure you have the Nodemailer library installed in your project.”

Boost Efficiency and Save Costs: Leveraging ChatGPT for Tech Company Success

15 June 2023 Alex Smith Business, General, IT 1 comment

How tech companies can use ChatGPT to improve efficiency and save money

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have been with us for some years now, and we’ve become accustomed to listening and hearing about their increasing use in our everyday lives. However, it’s the latest AI tool – ChatGPT – that’s sent the world into a frenzy.

Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that’s designed to produce human-like content using information gleaned from the internet.

ChatGPT uses natural language processing (NLP) and natural language generation (NLG) to understand and create natural human language text. Both NLP and NLG are sub-functions of AI that focus specifically on the communication between computers and humans.

ChatGPT can deliver efficiencies and cost savings

One of the reasons that technology companies in particular are so excited about ChatGPT is that it provides a way for them to stay competitive in their extremely fast-moving environment. It does this by saving human time and introducing efficiencies, which, in turn, delivers cost savings.

While ChatGPT has hit the headlines for some of the wrong reasons, such as helping students produce non-original academic work, it has found a significant uptake among software developers, amongst others. That’s because it can help them with a wide range of tasks, including automating customer support and generating code snippets.

How ChatGPT can create code, check work, save time

If, for example, you wanted to improve your customer service support process, you can now use ChatGPT to create instant human-like responses via a chatbot without involving the staff in your customer support team. Because programming code is a form of text, ChatGPT can write workable code using just the input of some basic prompts.

By automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks normally done by humans, technology businesses can use ChatGPT to reduce their labour costs, improve their workflows, and increase their productivity. This helps them scale their operations more efficiently and grow their businesses faster.

By taking the time consuming ‘heavy lifting’ away from people, business also free up their staff to focus on more valuable interactions that benefit from the nuances and empathy that ChatGPT can’t provide.

ChatGPT can also help software developers write documentation, generate code snippets, and test software. By automating these tasks, developers can spend time on more critical tasks like improving the quality of their code, optimising their software, and developing new features.

ChatGPT is incredibly fast, and the speed at which it generates responses is incomparable when compared with humans. For example, when used to fill in the blanks for prompts or answer questions, it can produce a response in seconds.

This makes it perfect for use in a customer support setting, where it can answer common questions and resolve issues quickly and efficiently. This improves the customer experience, which can save businesses significant amounts of money on support staff and infrastructure.

How to get the best responses from ChatGPT

Despite its speed and deep knowledge, the accuracy of ChatGPT’s responses depend on the instructions you give it. That’s because it interprets your prompts literally and – even if the responses mostly hit the mark – they may not always be accurate and exactly what you want.

Here are 10 tips for getting the best responses from ChatGPT:

Give context, so ChatGPT can generate better responses.
Ensure your request is clear and precise. Avoid long sentences with many sub-points.
Pay attention to word choice and don’t use slang or jargon. Also, don’t ask yes/no or very general questions.
Ask it to elaborate if its response is inadequate.
Ask it to reformulate its response if you’re not happy with the initial one.
Ask it to respond in a particular manner, for example, using a particular tone of voice.
Set limits on the answers it gives, for example, a certain number of words or paragraphs.
Tell it who your audience is.
Copy and paste text from other sources.
Provide examples for ChatGPT to work with.

ChatGPT is a ground-breaking and innovative technology that will continue to send ripples throughout the tech industry. We’re up to ChatGPT-3 (version 3) already and version 4 is in beta. If you haven’t yet set aside time to explore this developing AI tool, it’s highly recommended you do, to get a glimpse of what the future may look like.

Impact of recession on New Zealand IT labour market

15 February 2023 Gabriel Dragos IT, Recruitment Comments Off

New Zealand Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr has apologised to Kiwis as we head into darker economic times this year. At the time of the release of the RBNZ’s Monetary Policy Statement (MPS) late last year, he told us to think harder about spending as New Zealand faces a year-and-a-half of zero or negative growth.

“We are sorry New Zealanders have been buffeted by these significant economic shocks and are experiencing inflation well above our central bank 1-3 percent target range,” he said. He added that labour has never been more scarce and that the employment participation rate is at record highs.

“Unemployment is at an incredibly low [level]… we have a list of indicators of stretch in the labour market and they are all at or near record levels,” he explained. One reason is that we have heavily relied on immigration to fill our labour gaps previously and, because this is now missing, its putting the brakes on our economy.

While the NZ government is taking steps to increase the number of immigrants coming into the country, Orr said opening the floodgates would bring its own issues. “While new migrants increase supply capacity, they also have their own demand, including for more housing and infrastructure,” he added.

Causes of NZ’s likely economic recession

Some recessions can be linked to a particular event, like the stock market meltdown and global financial crisis in 2008-2009, while others are caused by a combination of factors. The recession we’re currently facing can be attributed to a mix of rising interest rates, falling consumer confidence, and low levels of investment. These have been stoked by other adverse events like the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

Even the high-flying international tech sector has been hit hard by the tough times. Tech giants Microsoft and Alphabet made news recently after announcing they will collectively lay off 22,000 employees between them. As the U.S is a big market for New Zealand tech companies, we’re likely to experience the roll on effect of these decisions in coming months.

What is the likely impact of recession on the domestic technology sector and the New Zealand IT labour market? It’s human nature to hunker down and weather financial storms and many companies and retailers, including those in the tech sector, may be tempted to act defensively and prepare for the tough times ahead.

In previous recessions, for example, businesses have cut back on spending to save money and help them weather the economic downturn. This has often translated into decreased spending on technology and associated services.

NZ tech industry on a growth trajectory

The latest figures show New Zealand’s tech sector is on a trajectory of rapid growth, with revenue and exports up 9% last year compared with 2021. Our tech sector earned 76% of its revenue overseas, generating over $11 billion in exports, or 14% of NZ’s total, making it second only to our high-profile dairy sector.

While this export strength is great for our economy, a global recession this year could hit our export-led tech sector hard. However, a unique aspect of NZ’s technology market is that it is heavily focused on software and services. According to the New Zealand Technology Industry Association, these segments make up around 75% of our technology exports.

The good news is that software and services are seen as ‘sticky’ products, which means they tend to be more resilient to economic downturns than hardware and infrastructure. This is because businesses and organisations often view software and services as necessary investments, even during a recession, to help maintain operations and competitiveness.

The New Zealand government also plays an important role in the technology market, with various initiatives and programmes in place to support the industry. These include funding for research and development, as well as initiatives to attract international technology companies to this country.

NZ tech industry shows robust signs for the future

During a recession, our government may be more likely to increase funding for these types of initiatives, to stimulate economic growth and create jobs. This will have a positive spin off for the technology labour market, as highly skilled staff continue to remain in demand due to the resilience of our tech industry.

Additionally, we are expecting an influx of skilled immigrants which will help ease the overheated tech labour market. In fact, this sector could even grow this year, as businesses turn to technology to introduce efficiencies and lift profitability through AI, automation, and remote working technologies, amongst other initiatives.

So, while the world – and New Zealand’s – economic future looks bleak for 2023 and beyond, the tech sector is showing robust signs and is expected to hold up more strongly than other sectors. This will have a positive impact on the outlook for our IT labour market.

Reach out to Techspace if you need help sourcing IT professionals for your team this year.

About the author

Gabriel Dragos is the Practice Manager – Resourcing at Techspace. He provides tailored recruitment solutions to a varied client portfolio within the New Zealand ICT market.

You can connect with him on LinkedIn or send him an email.

Techspace Grows Team With Stellar New Hires + Promotions

11 October 2022 Tracey Hennah General, Recruitment Comments Off

Techspace is growing and thrilled to announce the arrival of three new hires this spring! Learn more about our awesome new team members below.

We’re also pleased two share that two of our employees have been promoted to new positions. Read more about the new roles that Tyler and Maarten now hold.

New Team Members

Noel Hassapladakis, Senior Sales Manager

Noel has 28 years commercial experience across key account management, strategic business development, relationship / commercial management, and leadership, with the last 16 years operating exclusively in the Technology and Digital recruitment sector. This experience has resulted in business growth without exception for both his employers and clients in NZ and international markets.

Noel is committed to developing intimate knowledge of businesses and people with which he connects, and Techspace is excited to have him on board.

In his spare time, Noel loves to travel – a lot! He also plays average golf, although his handicap was 11 pre-kids.

Noel also has a passion for all things food, meat in particular. He especially loves cooking said meat over fire and even teaches classes on this style of cooking across NZ. We look forward to sampling some of Noel’s BBQ in the office (hint, hint)!

Ashley Aponte, Client Manager

Ashley is a recruitment professional with five years of experience in the industry. She’s placed candidates in both permanent and temporary roles, and is passionate about building solid and lasting professional relationships.

Originally from Tampa, Florida, Ashley moved to New Zealand eight years ago. She is currently based in Techspace’s Wellignton office, but will be relocating to Auckland in 2023.

Outside of work, Ashley likes to explore her adopted country and has a passion for traveling. She also loves country music, spicy food and a good red!

Lauren McNeight, Candidate Manager

Last but not least, Lauren joins the Techspace Talent Acquisition team as a Candidate Manager. Lauren recently transitioned to tech recruitment after years of experience in customer-facing roles across the cruise ship, sustainability and the insurance industries. Lauren loves connecting the very best tech talent with great opportunities, while simultaneously looking after her candidates incredibly well through the recruitment process.

Originally from the UK, Lauren recently bought a trusty campervan and enjoys checking out all of Aotearoa’s best holiday parks with her partner!

Recent promotions

We’re also pleased two share that two of our employees have been promoted to new positions. Read more about the new roles that Tyler and Maarten now hold.

Tyler Hunt, Team Lead – Accounts and Talent

We’d like congratulate Tyler on his recent promotion to Team Lead – Accounts and Talent.

In this new role, Tyler will be managing Techspace’s Talent Acquisition Team, which helps match the right person to the right job. He also will be leading our Account Management Team, which is responsible for delivering exceptional recruitment services across our key accounts.

We’re excited to have Tyler at the helm of these two teams!

Maarten Strijker, Account Manager

We’re happy to announce that Maarten has accepted a new position as Account Manager. In this role, Maarten will help deliver exceptional recruitment services across our key accounts.

Maarten started at Techspace last spring and quickly established himself as a valuable member of our team. We’re excited to see what he accomplishes in his new role.

Whether you are hiring or looking for your next role in tech, Techspace’s growing team can help you succeed. We look forward to working with you to help you meet your goals!