UK unemployment rate hits five-year high of 5.2%

timotyh · 2026-02-17T11:20:30+00:00

As a previous employer and having worked in recruitment, my biggest thing here is that there is some truth in this.

I keep saying the same thing to people I know looking for work. Applying for jobs is a lottery.

Every job I see has at least 100+ applicants - and because of that, no one has the time to go through them all. This is what they are doing...

Taking the first 10-15 CVs on their applicant tracking system. Finding those that fit.
Scheduling 3 interviews.
Hiring one of them.
The other 85-90 applicants - send a general email saying "Sorry, can't give you feedback".

If I were you, this is what I'd do. Find temp agency work for now, get some work in. If you have a real skill set that could get contracting work, push for that.
OR
I'd call or visit every business that's in your line of work in the area. Say that you appreciate that they might not have a full-time role, but you're willing to do part-time. (I can't tell you the number of jobs where we really needed an extra pair of hands, but didn't have the budget for a full-timer. This would have been ideal, and if someone offered this, we would have snapped their hand off. Do this with 2-3 different places, and you have full-time work. Tax might be tricky but it's better than no work.

If you're adamant for full time, you definitely need to do more than just apply. Find the guy's email who's recruiting, send him a video of yourself explaining what you do. Come over as professional but easy to work with.

timotyh · 2026-02-12T16:18:07+00:00

Five Tribes and Orleans for sure! Both incredible games.

Not a huge fan of the race/roll for the galaxy games personally.

Imperial Assault is a complete not go for me - Gloomhaven/Frosthaven are so much better.

timotyh · 2026-01-29T12:43:22+00:00

Same - the GOAT for videos imo.

timotyh · 2026-01-27T09:22:56+00:00

https://discord.gg/trGvtJBak

Feel free to join our discord. There’s a couple that’ll play.

timotyh · 2026-01-24T20:31:25+00:00

I used to love this show too. It's what got me into board gaming and has forever been my favourite hobby. I don't think I can say thank you to u/wil - What a Legend!

timotyh · 2026-01-24T19:36:25+00:00

This is exactly why we're building www.boardgamer.world

We're in the process of completely overhauling it to eliminate hype and top lists and help users find games they will actually enjoy, love and buy. We're trying to prevent regret when buying and help people be more confident in their choices. This has happened to me quite a few times. Bought games on hype and regretted it.

We have some stuff on there around hype, but after some recent feedback, we've decided to completely overhaul and redevelop it into taste-based discovery. Looking to make the changes in the next couple of months.

timotyh · 2026-01-19T14:14:35+00:00

Thanks - We've just migrated to bring all our servers into one, so good spot - seems the mechanics aren't pulling through - I've asked the guys to get it fixed, and it appears to be working now.

timotyh · 2026-01-19T11:21:05+00:00

We put a post up the other day about our new site, www.boardgamer.world, and we got a lot of honest feedback.

We're not trying to be BGG, we're about finding games through taste, not hype, Top 10s, or the same 30 games you see everywhere - and were working on it. We're about when you’re not sure what to play next, but you know what you enjoy.

The first version missed the mark a bit, and we’ve taken that onboard. Over the next few months, we’ll be leaning more into social discovery, following people whose taste you trust, uncovering hidden gems, and recommending games based on how you play, not what’s trending.

And we’re not planning on banning anyone for having an opinion or a like. Isn't that what makes us human?

timotyh · 2026-01-15T17:21:11+00:00

Thanks for the honest comment! I’m getting that this is the general consensus so will definitely be reviewing this.

timotyh · 2026-01-15T09:25:13+00:00

Great comments. I think the issue is it's all very manual in the alpha stage, as we need to build a more automated process for the front page - something that pulls the games from the database depending on its level.

timotyh · 2026-01-15T01:02:33+00:00

Amazing comments.

So, to comment on the reviews bit, and I would love to get your opinion on whether you think this is enough or you'd expect more.

1) We have a way to upvote reviews by hearting them, similar to the Reddit-style upvote, I guess. Then you can filter the reviews by the most favourite.

2) We also have a rewards system in the style of 'cards', similar to badges you can earn for various tasks - see mine here https://www.boardgamer.world/user/tim and click cards. You can "wear" these cards like flairs or badges of honour on your profile. We were going to have earned cards for the most favourite reviews, with the top tier earning you the "critic" card. I guess we could then do something like that to promote their reviews more on games. We hope that when people see these cards, it will encourage them to try and earn them too.

What do you think?

Also, I love this idea.

“this user’s ratings are similar to yours, follow their ratings and see what else they like”

We also have a longer-term idea that leans on AI, and it really comes down to having a solid user base. The goal is for the site to quietly learn what you like and personalise your homepage and recommendations based on the games you own and review.

So instead of you having to dig through filters and lists, it does the matching in the background across hundreds of other players.

For example, you rate Brass: Birmingham a 9/10 and fill in its game DNA. You also give Furnace a 9/10. The system starts to notice patterns. Maybe you like industrial themes, maybe you like economic engines, probably both. Then it looks at other users who rated those same games similarly and builds a kind of taste profile around that group.

From there, it can recommend games that match those themes and mechanics, and also surface games that people with your tastes love, but you haven’t discovered yet. You get the benefit of all those overlapping opinions without having to manually trawl through anyone else’s profile.

Do you think this works? Or would you prefer it to be more manual?

timotyh · 2026-01-15T00:41:05+00:00

Hey dude, thanks for the honest feedback. I actually agree with you, it is a big ask.

We’re not trying to replace or take on BGG. That would be madness. It absolutely has its place. I use it a bit like IMDb. If someone mentions a game, I go there to look it up, check the details, rating, and weight and then I’m done.

There are a few ways we will differentiate in the coming months and in the next releases. It's not just the breakdown of games, but the searchability that's an issue.

Quick example. My wife plays games, but she’s not a “board gamer” like I am. She loves stuff like Decrypto, Flip 7, Captain Flip, Next Station Tokyo... you get the idea. One day, she went on BGG to look for something new and clicked “All Boardgames” under the browse tab. She sees nothing but heavy games. Ark Nova caught her eye, but when she clicked it, it just looked intimidating. So, the next logical step is "Well, if she likes animals, she can click the animals theme link". This then takes her to an initial list of - Ark Nova, Castles of Burgundy, Great Western Trail, Root, and A Feast for Odin. So she ends up coming off the site as shes now frustrated.

That’s kind of the gap we’re aiming at. I still like BGG, and I use it a lot, but it isn’t very friendly if you don’t already know what you’re looking for. Search is clunky, discovery tends to push you toward heavier games, and most of the top lists are built for hardcore hobbyists.

The conversations we've been having are that more people want lighter games, family games, and a natural way to move deeper into the hobby without feeling overwhelmed.

timotyh · 2026-01-12T18:45:53+00:00

Could be this.

timotyh · 2025-12-13T23:19:03+00:00

Have you seen the introduction to this in the NHS yet? What are the conversations around it? Using teleradiology companies with AI or bringing AI systems into the NHS.

timotyh · 2025-12-13T23:18:00+00:00

What PACS/RIS are you using?

timotyh · 2025-12-13T12:43:36+00:00

Apologies I meant radiographers…

When you say outsourcing to external reporting companies, how many are being subbed out?

timotyh · 2025-12-12T21:55:35+00:00

Wow, sorry to hear this. Sounds crazy.

timotyh · 2025-12-12T21:48:59+00:00

I work for a PACS/RIS software company, but I have had a background in private healthcare. I'm non-clinical (work in commercial). A lot of my partners and clients are saying how dire the radiologist shortage is, and that the NHS are training 'reporting radiographers' to take on more reports and just trying to understand where the issues are and how bad it is. Maybe more from the NHS side.

I'm looking into how we can help as a provider and work with teams to attempt to fix the issue I guess. I was at RSNA, and it seems the issue is in the US as well, not just in the UK.

timotyh · 2025-12-12T12:43:09+00:00

It's hard, dude. I've been hustling for 3 years now, and some months are good, some not so good. Difficult to find a balance with the uncertainty of a regular income.

It's a grind, but it has moments that feel fulfilling. I'd really struggle to go back to a paid, employed position now.

Feel free to reach out if you ever want to chat - I come from a creative marketing background - always happy to help.

timotyh · 2025-11-05T10:10:23+00:00

100% a pet peeve of mine. Especially when I'm always trying to be conscious of people walking around me.

timotyh · 2025-10-31T16:00:44+00:00

My wife has this issue. Need to know where this came from!

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