We would like to wish you a Happy New Year in 2009.
We are back after a two week break and will be bringing you all the latest Careers & Jobs news, information and tips throughout the year.
I am regularly asked what would be a safe bet for Careers & Jobs during a recession. Personally I believe you should find what you want to do and you will be successful no matter what the economic conditions are. But if I was pushed for a job or career I would probably say hairdresser or undertaker. You see people die and hair grows no matter what the economic climate. To expand on other careers I have summarised finding from another site below. The below post outlines a number of other possible careers or jobs during a recession.
Healthcare – People will always get sick and will need care and support.
Energy & Utilities – Consumers may try to cut back but can never stop using energy or utilities.
Education – School stops for nothing.
International Focused Business – Globally when one country is facing into tough times another is on the upward cycle.
Police – If anything we need more of them in Ireland
Funerals & Undertakers – As outline above.
Accounting – When we hit hard time we look for ways to cut costs and accountants can help.
Public Sector – Normally more secure than the private sector although there are changes on the
horizon in Ireland.
Pharmaceuticals – Recessions do not impact the demand for drugs.
Military – perhaps wars and disorder are more of a possibility during tough times
Hairdressers – As stated above out hair will keep growing during a recession
Debt Collection – Perhaps not the most loved career but certainly in demand.
Trades – Plumbers – We will all need heating and water and if you are like me you will definitely need a professional when they pack in.
Interim Management or Consulting – Organisations are often attracted to short-term solutions during tough times.
Legal Profession – some specialist areas of law will thrive during a recession.
Food – We all need to eat even during tough economic conditions.
Health & Beauty – I would question this as I know this sector can be classified as luxury and would normally be one of the first things to go during a recession.
Luxury Items – We are talking about the mega rich here. Item related to their radar probably won’t take too much of a dent during a recession.
Interview Ireland
We have been posting quite a bit recently about job loss and redundancy in Ireland. I guess this is what is making the headlines in the news. One cannot argue that we are facing a tough job market. Even “Comical Ali” could not deny this (Remember him – “What tanks?”).
There are opportunities in a difficult market. They may be more difficult to find but you have to believe they are there and put in the effort to find them. More often that not those who don’t achieve don’t believe. Remember if you believe that there are no jobs out there this will be your reality.
I have been working on quite a few projects with employees affected by redundancy in the past 12-18 months and I can tell you there have been many more positive stories than negative. Quite often many participants moved on to a better place. Some actually set up their own ventures.
It is important to understand that what worked in a buoyant market may not work in a tough market. There is much Career Guidance & Advice available. You must take this on board and change your strategies until you achieve your goals.
Take the 1st step today
Let’s look at some of the common problems faced by jobseekers.
1. Can’t find the jobs!! – You need to try out other job hunting strategies.
2. Not getting called for interview!! – You need to take a critical look at your CV & Cover Letter – CV Writing Tips– Cover Letter Tips
3. Failing at interview – Change your approach to interview preparation – Interview Tips Skills
County Cavan bucked the jobs trend this week when Pauwels Trafo Ireland announced that it will be creating 70 new jobs in Cavan Town. The 70 jobs will be “high quality jobs” and will be created over the next 2 years. These jobs come as part of a EUR12m investment to expand the manufacturing facility. Pauwels Trafo Ireland manufactures wind transformers for western European markets. The company is owned by Crompton Greaves which is one of India’s largest private sector firms. I guess this is Karma paying Ireland back for all the recent job loss to low cost economies like India.
Dublin also received good news when Microsol announced that is will be investing in R&D at its operation in Dublin. There was no mention of a figure but these are the high end announcements we want. Microsol is based in D2 and they supply state of the art control technology. Interestingly they are also owned by Crompton Greaves.
Another announcement which was not so good was the news released from Xerox. They will slash 3,000 jobs globally which could have a direct impact on jobs in Ireland.
Careers and Jobs a site dedicated to jobseekers and employers in Ireland. Job News, career coaching advice and much more.
Online auction site eBay has announced that it will cut about 1,000 jobs globally which represents 10 percent of its global workforce. On a positive note a spokesman for the company indicated that the impact on Irish employees would be minimal and estimated that only about 10 people in total would be directly affected. Ebay is established in Ireland since 2003 and employs 1,600 staff in Ireland at offices in Blanchardstown. Staff were informed by email and then by management about the developments
Kerry may have lost the All-Ireland BUT there was some positive news for the region with the announcement last week that Aetena will create 70 new jobs in the town. Aetena is a Health Benefits company based in the US. For more info on all the latest Irish Jobs News.
Netezza has announced that it will be creating 65 jobs over the next 5 years in Dundalk. If you are a technical graduate then there could be the jobs for you. Infact Netazza actually suggested that the reason they are creating the jobs in Dundalk is because of its close proximity to DKIT. Netezza provides data warehouse equipment which helps store, retrieve and analyse large amounts of data.
On another positive note FAS has been receiving praise in the states on its visionary programme “The Science Challenge Initiative”. This programme will see 42 grads travel to th US for internship programmes. So if you do not fancy Dundalk perhaps 6 months in the states.
Career Workshop in Dublin on 18th October. For more information email paul@measurability.ie. The workshop will be run by two of Ireland’s leading career coaches and costs 165.00 euro
The job section of newspapers is playing a declining role as a tool for jobseekers as much advertising goes online BUT it should not be ignored yet. I have had a quick look at the Irish Independent today and highlighted some of the interesting jobs.
The stand out role (or should that be stand up) this week is Chief Executive Officer for Smithwick’s Cat Laughs. This role will be based in Kilkenny and for more information visit www.smithwickscatlaughs.com
Education Jobs – there are quite a few teaching posts advertised with efforts by UK institutions to attract our teachers. Northfleet Technology College is seeking English, Maths and Science Teachers. For more information www.ntc.kent.sch.uk
Construction Jobs – not surprisingly most of the construction jobs are overseas. The big areas seem to be DUBAI, ABU DHABI and SAUDI ARABIA
The economy is falling apart all around us and now we are being told that the future looks even bleaker than the present. Looks like Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) will fall unless our students take more courses in science, technology, engineering and maths.
I am not surprised students are not taking maths judging by recent leaving results.
From experience students education and career choices are dictated by the economy and what sectors are strongest. There was a huge surge towards IT until the dotcom bubble burst. Then the numbers of IT grads dropped dramatically to a situation were we now have a skills shortage of graduates in this area. So where did they go after IT – to Pharmaceutical of course as this was the big growth area.
I agree that we need educated graduates to fill roles and future role BUT should we be pushing students towards jobs and roles that are not the right fit for them. It is a tough one with strong arguments for both cases. Personally I meet many people daily who are miserable in their career and were pushed a particular direction by a parent, mentor or through guidance. With this in mind I would be for individuals following a suitable path and not a secure path or one with opportunities.
I would be interested to hear other views
Jobs in Ireland