Careers and Jobs

Australia Jobs News

Looks like if you are want a job Australia is the place to go. Not to mention the better lifestyle and weather. A recent Survey by Michael Page indicated that 93% of Australian companies predicted staff numbers would increase. Demand for professionals will intensify and wages will increase over the next 12 months. It seems that there are opportunities in most sectors. Australia’s unemployment rate runs at 4.3% or 473,800 people.

China Jobs News

It looks like it is no longer a “job for life” in China. A recent report indicated that 20% of Chinese workers intended to change jobs this year. Booming economy so I guess there are plenty of opportunities.

Scottish Jobs News

It looks like Ireland is not the only slowing economy. A recent survey indicated a slowing in demand for workers and easing of pay pressure.

UK Jobs News

If you want flexibility in working arrangement it seems working in the UK is the answer. A recent report indicated that 95% of UK firms offered flexible working arrangements. I would say we are way behind that in Ireland and stuck in the 9-5 era. Interestingly the number of firms offering childcare support has doubled in the last 4 years. This is a great way to get the new employees of the future used to the surroundings.

Today has seen mixed irish jobs news for Longford. One announcement saw the creation of 140 new jobs for the area BUT another announcement saw the loss of 66 jobs in the area. This means 74 net additional jobs for Longford.

The positive jobs news saw Cameron Ireland announce the creation of 140 new jobs. Cameron Ireland develops technology for oil and gas flow regulation. Cameron’s products include sub-sea chokes and actuators which are designed and manufactured in Longford. Cameron is well established in the region and has been based in Longford since 1978. It employs 220 staff so the news will see the workforce almost double.

The negative jobs news in Longford came from Kimball Electronics that said it would be closing its plant with the loss of 66 jobs. Kimball Electronics provides a variety of services including design, manufacturing and packaging. The company had been making losses in recent months and had tried to sell the facility but failed. Manufacturing will be transferred from Ireland to Poland.

Hopefully many of the employees at Kimball will be able to gain new employment at Cameron but this will depend on the jobs skills match.

Xilinx employ 400 staff at its European HQ in Ireland and 3,800 staff worldwide. These numbers will increase slightly with news of the creation of 20 new jobs in a new Global Customer Engineering Division.

This new division will enable faster delivery of products to market, cost-effectively, and with improved performance. Xilinx’s design function works with many of the top players in the electronics sector to produce programmable devices for a wide range of advanced systems.

This news ends the week on a high. Enjoy the weekend and bring on more positive announcements next week like this one with Xilinx in Ireland.

Politics is related to jobs if you like it or not. We can argue that this is a jobs and careers article. There has been a new job created in Ireland and there is one Bertie Ahern who is in need of some expert career advice!!

Bertie Ahern creates new job in Government.

I must say I like Bertie Ahern and think he did a great job for Irish politics. He has certainly left big shoes to fill. I was listening to the news updates this morning and most FF politicians are siding with the Brian Cowen corner to fill the new vacancy. I must say it was a bit of a shock the news but that is life. Anyway who would blame him for getting out? Negative media and attacks on his personal life. Sure the poor man couldn’t even enjoy a pint of Bass in peace.

What next for Bertie Ahern?

My guess is that he will not be stuck for offers or that he will ever have financial trouble to worry about or personal loans to secure. Look at Clinton and soon to be Blair. These guys are making a killing. Worst case scenario is that he can always to into competition with his daughter and become a writer – we have the title already – “ps – i owe you”. Judging from the emails, texts and pictures you can see that the jokers have been working overtime on the Bertie Ahern jokes.

From Bertie Ahern to Brian Cowen

This is a jobs and careers site so what advice can we give Brian Cowen assuming that the bookies favourite gets the newly created post. I would be interested to hear what you have to say – funny or serious comments.

CV Format

There are many important elements to writing a good CV. I believe that focused content is the key to CV success BUT CV format must also be considered. This post will look at the area of CV format and how it can improve your chances of securing interviews in Ireland.
CV Format – Chronological or Functional CV’s

Chronological CV is the most popular CV format in the Irish market. This style of CV will list experience from most recent working backwards. Recruiters like these CV’s as they are used to reading them and they make it quite easy for the recruiter to find the information they need.

Functional CV’s normally section your experience into functions such as IT skills or Sales experience. Or related to this CV is the competency based CV which focuses on competencies. Then there are the Hybrid versions which capture elements of both.

CV Format – which format is best?

This will depend on your experience and circumstances. If you have a continuous work history with little job hopping. If your most recent work experience is relevant to the position you are applying then the Chronological CV format would be a more appropriate choice. If you have gaps in your CV or you have jumped from job to job. Or if your most recent work experience is not relevant to the position you are applying then a functional CV format may suit as it disguises these points.

Personally I have rarely written a CV for a client that is pure Chronological or pure Functional. Normally a CV will take in elements of both formats. Every employer is different; every job is different BUT most important every jobseeker is different. With this in mind CV’s should be viewed as a fluid document and jobseekers should not stick to rigid CV formats.

If you need professional CV help read other related posts or contact www.measurability.ie.

Great news for Waterford with the announcement of 270 new jobs between two Biotechnology firms in the region. Genzyme will invest eur130 million at its plant in Waterford creating 170 jobs and Lancaster Laboratories will increase by 100 employees at its Dungarvan plant.

Genzyme has been situated in Ireland since 2001 and currently employs 400 staff in Waterford. It is a major player in the Biotech Sector ranking 3rd in the world. Ireland is one of forty countries it operates in.

Lancaster Laboratories acquired Microchem Laboratories in 2007. The company employs 100 staff in Ireland so these new jobs will see the workforce double. Lancaster Laboratories Europe offers chemical, micro and environmental analysis services to medical and pharmaceutical companies in Europe and Asia.

These announcements are further confirmation of Irelands standing in the Global Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical sectors. In times when most industries are shaky in Ireland the Biotech/Pharmaceutical seems to remain buoyant.

Careers and Jobs keep you posted on all the latest jobs news in Ireland. We also have free advice on career, CV and interviews. We tell you about the jobs and help you get one.

Read about another recent job announcement in Waterford.

Are you looking for Languages jobs or Multi-Lingual jobs in Ireland?

The Language Recruitment Fair – You cannot miss this opportunity!!

This is largest language and multi-lingual exhibition of its kind ever to be held in Ireland. 2007 saw a wide variety of employers and 3000 multi-lingual professionals attend the event.

The Language Recruitment Fair will be held at the Gresham Hotel on 4th & 5th of April BUT if you cannot attend this one there will be an additional Language Recruitment Fair on 11th & 12th September.

This fair will provide the opportunity to meet many different companies under one roof. The event will focus on positions across IT, Sales, Finance, Translation, Marketing, Administration, Customer Service and much more.

There are a wide variety of companies attending including:

Accenture
Alienware
Canada Life
Cook
Cpl
EMC
Gem
IBM
Manpower
Sportingbet
VMware

If you need professional help with your CV or a professional interview coach to ensure you maximise these opportunities visit the highlighted links.

Are you a graduate, Out of work, stuck in a rut or just want to do something different – read on. There is an opportnity for travel, great work experience and get paid. Is ther a catch -NO!!

A friend of mine is recruiting for some crazy and exciting jobs.

Work for the biggest company in the world (Microsoft), travel to exotic destinations and get paid – DREAM JOB!!

Overview

As a training specialist you will live and work on a Holland America Cruise ship. You will responsible for delivering learning sessions as well as providing hands-on instruction to individuals. You will teach participants how to use Microsoft Vista tools and how to create memory-related items such as videos & edited photos.

The contact is for 6 months and it pays $250 dollars per day (plus free accommodation and living)

Applications for this position are not beeing accepted any more!

Following on from the post yesterday I have done a bit more research on how to find retail jobs in Ireland.

There are a few key agencies who recruit for retail jobs – Eden Recruitment, RightFit 4 Retail, Excel Recruitment, Star Retail. You can also get access to loads of jobs on the jobboards including EmployIreland and retailjobs365.

Remember my advice on the previous post. Visit shopping center websites as many of them see to advertise all open vacancies on their sites. I think this is a great idea BUT also a great resource if you seeking work in Retail in Ireland.

I pointed out Dundrum & Blanchardstown Shopping centres BUT there are many similar centres around Ireland. The Jervis Centre in D1 does not list jobs but it does list all the shops and contact details – missed opportunity I guess as these shops are probably paying elsewhere to find staff.

This post is for the benefit of employers thinking of introducing psychometric assessment into recruitment processes. Having said this jobseekers can see why clients use assessments.

What are the benefits of psychometric testing or objective assessment?

Psychometric Testing enables more informed hiring decisions by providing additional information about an applicant
- Testing has been proven to work better than just an interview. Stand alone interviews put too much emphasis on the ability of the interviewer (they may not be an interview specialist or even trained).
- Testing provides you with objective information enabling objective and defensible decisions

Psychometric Testing will improve the efficiency of a recruitment process
- Help you identify unsuitable applicants early on in the recruitment process which means that you spend less time and money and resources on them
- Help you identify and measure the key competencies required for the job. This will help you get a closer fit and enable the hiring manager to be more productive and effective

Psychometric Testing allows you to investigate beyond just the hard skills
- Testing enables you to assess an individual’s potential rather than just hard skills.
- Testing provides information about the way someone goes about daily duties which is just as important as their hard skills
Psychometric Testing prepares you for beyond recruitment and selection
- Testing provides information about the candidate in terms of likely strengths and weaknesses. This means you can manage and develop new hires effectively.

Psychometric Testing portrays a good company image
- If you uses testing you will be viewed as a fair organisation and progressive if you use online testing.

If you are an employer and you want more information about psychometric testing – contact Measurability. Measurability provide assessment services to organisations nationwide (Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Sligo & Galway) in a variety of industry sectors.