Careers and Jobs

Career Coaching – Job Search Strategies from leading Career Consultant

There are many strategies to source new employment in any job Market. This article will outline some of the popular job search strategies and how to get the most out of these strategies. If you are searching for a new job then this article will help improve your efforts and results.

Online Job Boards – This is probably the most popular strategy for jobseekers to source new employment. The last decade has seen many job boards spring up as the popularity increases. The most popular job boards in Ireland include RecruitIreland, EmployIreland, IrishJobs and Monster. There are also niche job boards focusing on certain sectors including SalesJobs, AdminJobs.

How to get the best out of online job boards – Many of these sites make searching easy with job alert functions which will send you the latest relevant jobs. By all means use these tools but I recommend that you visit the site every 2/3 days anyway to do a manual search.

Newspaper Advertisements – Job advertisements in the local and national newspapers has witnessed a steady decline over the last few years with most newspapers increasing online presence with most owning the job boards. Having said this it is still important to review the national and regional papers. The most popular national newspapers include The Irish Independent on Thursday and The Irish Time on Friday.

How to get the best out of newspaper advertisements – There are no shortcuts when using newspapers and a job hunting strategy. I guess quantity is the important point here. If you are actively job hunting you need to look at the job advertisements whenever possible. Most people buy a paper each day but I would certainly recommend Irish Independent on a Thursday and Irish Times on a Friday.

Recruitment Agencies – Love them or hate them agencies play a very important function the job market placing thousands of jobseekers in new positions every year. There are approximately 400 recruitment agencies in Ireland recruiting staff across a variety of skills and industry sectors. Agencies range from the large household names to niche recruiters focusing on a particular sector or skill-set.

How to get the most out of recruitment agencies – The most important point when dealing with agencies is to identify the agencies that recruit for your skills. It can be confusing as there are 400 agencies in Ireland. Speak to friends, family or work colleagues to get recommendations. Alternatively another tip is to do a search on one of the outlined job boards and see what agencies are advertising similar jobs to those you would like. Once you have identified suitable agencies it is important to meet your recruitment consultant and build a relationship. You must also take a proactive approach and stay in touch BUT do not stalk your recruiter.

Networking – It is estimated that 50% of jobs are never advertised so if you are relying on job boards, newspapers and recruitment agencies you will not be accessing the “hidden job pool”. Networking is an excellent tool where you utilise your contacts in an effort to unearth and secure a new job.

How to get the most out of networking – Many jobseekers can find networking difficult and unnatural. It is a skill and can be learned. I recommend that you start with a familiar network such as friends, family and work colleagues as these are familiar names and faces. To extend this network you can attend work related or industry related networking opportunities. Remember

Speculative Applications – This strategy is normally at the bottom of the list because it involves the most work and feel like a waste of time. There is an element of luck but by initiating this activity you are actually creating your own luck. Speculative applications involve identify and targeting suitable companies or industry sectors that potentially require your skill-sets

How to get the most out of speculative applications – An important point with speculative applications is to start your search quite focused. Pick an ideal location and industry sector. Otherwise it can seem like a daunting task. When you approach companies try to speak with the relevant hiring manager before you email or post a CV. Remember try to target hiring or department managers directly and avoid HR.

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More bad news on the jobs front hot on the heels of a negative budget. Wyeth Medica in Kildare has announced that it will be reducing its workforce. In Waterford there was also bad news with Waterford Crystal seeking 280 redundancies. These developments follow a negative buget for most households. For more info on the 2008 budget.

The papers have been focusing on global financial jobs loss over the last few days with thousands more jobs lost as a result of financial sector meltdown. Back home there was also more negative job news

Hewlett Packard announced that it wants to cut 24,000 jobs globally which has increased uncertainty with its 4,000 employees in Ireland. HP employs 4,000 staff in Belfast, Dublin, Galway and Leixlip. The global job cuts will represent a 7.5% of its 178,000 global workforce. It is expected that most of these job cuts will come from EDS a recent acquisition. EDS employs 400 staff in Dublin.

250 jobs will go in Waterford with the news that buy-out talks for poultry firm Cappoquin have collapsed. This is a huge blow for the poultry industry in Ireland with the direct job loss and indirect impact on 50 producers for the firm in Munster.

Finally Tourmakeady in Co. Mayo had some bad jobs news when local firm Caideil MP Teoranta announced that it would be closing with the loss of 32 jobs.

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