Confidence has returned to the Irish jobs market. No one could say that the current level of unemployment is satisfactory. Nor can we feel complacent about the brain drain that Ireland has suffered over the past five years in particular through emigration. But unemployment is currently at a five year low and in general, the economic signs are positive. We are, it is firmly to be hoped, on an upward arc that will see a huge improvement in the prospects of the majority of Irish people – and especially young people.

In October alone, well over a thousand jobs were announced across the country. Tesco’s new Cork store in Ballincollig has created over 100 jobs; Optel Vision is expanding its Irish operation and will need 140 new staff in Limerick; and Waterford will have over 70 new jobs as Three Ireland and Tech Mahindra have partnered to open a customer service centre. The Dublin tech sector is particularly vibrant. LinkedIn announced it was doubling its workforce to 1200; Groupon is to create 200 new jobs; and Microsoft began recruiting 100 graduates.
The government is keen to position Ireland at the forefront of the research and development of new technologies. Five new research centres were recently announced by Science Foundation Ireland, with funds amounting to €245 million from the Department of Jobs (€155 million) and industry partners (€90 million). The money is to support cutting-edge research in critical and emerging sectors of the economy and should create 700 researcher positions over the next few years.
The Economic and Social Research Institute (ERSI) is optimistic as well, predicting that 49,000 extra people will find jobs and that unemployment will drop below ten percent next year. The last time unemployment rates were under ten percent was January 2009. After far too long in the doldrums, the prognosis at last is a relatively healthy one...

FUTURE OF THE LABOUR MARKET
The global environment remains a challenging one. Over the coming years, innovative and creative new companies may be the key to job creation. However, the capital city has the talent and potential to be an internationally renowned start-up centre. So says Niamh Bushnell, Dublin’s first commissioner for start-ups.
“Dublin is a great start-up city," Niamh adds. "There’s lots of companies with great global potential here in lots of different areas. It amazes me the quality of the companies, and what vision they have. The start-up scene that I grew up in was New York, and I see a lot of companies here that are on a par with that. We punch above our weight – but we don’t talk about it and we’re not known internationally, which we should be because we have all of the elements here.
“Right now, we have strong companies in all areas of start-ups. We’re strong in clean tech, in social entrepreneurship, in enterprise software, in med tech and biotech and life sciences, and we’ve got a lot of great consumer tech companies coming out of Dublin.”
Innovation will be the key to job creation, says Niamh.
“The government has prioritised start-ups. The vast majority of Irish companies are SMEs [small and medium sized enterprises] but the growing sector is the start-up sector, with companies that have the potential to be global despite their modest beginnings. The start-up area has the opportunity to bring innovation, bring jobs and bring new strengths to the economy.”
If you are a student or are considering a career change, certain industries have higher levels of potential than others. It makes sense to identify the ones with the best long-term job prpspects.
“The education and health technologies are traditional sectors that are at the early stages of being innovative," Niamh reflects. "For a long time there wasn’t much innovation, but at the moment they are getting a lot of investment and focus. Food tech is another hot area – and we’re strong traditionally in food, so there’s lots of potential there. If I was in college now, one of the things I’d be looking at is becoming a data scientist. Data is everything across industries. Data is the power, the capital, the intelligence. Data is a great foundation, whatever industry you are in.”
Start-ups have driven Ireland’s tech sector, and Irish software companies are particularly strong in business-to-business solutions, many of whom are global players in finance, telecoms, electronic health, information security, identity management and big data. There are also plenty of jobs in this sector and a constant need for new talent.
It’s Happening Here was set up, with support from Enterprise Ireland, to promote career opportunities in Irish-owned software companies. In software development alone, over six hundred companies are looking for software and IT professionals. Although their products are aimed at international markets, most Irish software companies are small and often have open or democratic organisational structures, meaning you’re not just a cog in the machine. A smaller company also means a chance to work at a wide range of tasks, developing new skills in the process and getting to the top fast.
While we tend not to brag about it, many Irish software companies are dynamic, creative and innovative.
Innovation in areas not generally thought of as cutting edge is another growth area. Farming is an example. The DCU Ryan Academy Farm Entrepreneurship and Leadership Programme looks at how the most traditional of all occupations — growing food — can be made more effective through innovative thinking and new business approaches.
While technology is here to stay, the entrepreneurship expert Ron Immink – CEO of Bookbuzz, and co-founder of Small Business Can – believes that we’ll see a return to traditional skills as well.
“For a while, there was a lot of emphasis on software and app development," he explains, "But we seem to be moving into small engineering, and making stuff now, instead of just programming things. It’s all part of the ‘internet of things’. For the internet of things, you still need a ‘thing’ before you connect it through embedded chips. I think there’s going to be a shift to working with your hands. I think that’s going to be an incredibly interesting area in the next few years — growing food, artisan food makers, engineers that use wood or metal, 3D printing and design.”
If you are stuck in a dead-end job, changing careers even later in life is something we should all consider.
“Fifty is the new thirty,” says Ron, who argues that advances in technology may change the face of the labour market entirely. “We did some work on the future of the labour market, and if you are now thirty you will probably live 150 years. There is so much work being done with nanotechnology and medical devices that will mean we’ll be living for a long, long time. Moore’s Law [that processor speeds, or overall processing power for computers doubles every two years] no longer just applies to ICT but to material science, genetics, nanotechnology — they are all starting to make changes quicker and faster.
“If you’re living for 150 years, the idea of a 'career' takes on a completely different perspective. You’ll probably have three or four different careers. There’s been a lot of studies about what this will mean for the labour market – but one thing they all agree on is that to be successful in the future you should consider self-employment as an option. In effect, everybody will be becoming an entrepreneur, on the labour market.
“We’re now competing in a global labour market and the only thing that will make you competitive is to follow your passion and your heart. You can only be good at things that you love to do. If there’s one piece of advice I would give everybody, including my own children, it’s to do what you love.”

GETTING BACK TO WORK AND UPSKILLING
As the job market changes, many people find that their skills are no longer in demand, or that their industry is changing. This may require us to to upskill, or change direction. That is often easier if you are already working – but if you’re unemployed, supports have been put in place to help you retrain and to acquire the skills you need.
The truth is that being unemployed takes its toll, not just financially but emotionally. Part-time work may give you the opportunity to gain experience and make contacts in a new industry – but it can also mean losing out on social welfare payments. If this is an issue for you, it makes sense to get in touch with Intreo at the Department of Social Protection (DSP) as you may be eligible for their Part-Time Job Incentive. If you qualify, you will be able to accept a part-time position while still receiving income support.
Intreo provides a number of different employment and support services, the aim of which is to help people return to work. Two other important programmes are the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance and the Short-Term Enterprise Allowance, which help people move into self-employment.
As Ron Immink notes, self-employment may be the model of the future. As well as looking into existing schemes from Intreo, if you are considering self-employment you should keep an eye on the news for changes to the government’s Seed Capital Scheme. The seed capital scheme is a valuable tax rebate, given to people involved in starting a new business. Many self-employed people are denied access to it under the current rules. However, these are to be re-evaluated over the coming months.
Given the cost, returning to third-level education to retrain for a new career is not an option for many of us – but there are still many upskilling options available. If you are unemployed, and looking to retrain, for example, you may be eligible for Momentum, a new government initiative to help unemployed people gain new skills in areas of the job market that are growing (see panel for details).
Distance and online learning are interesting options, whether for employed people who need to study in their time off or for those who want to change direction but can’t attend a full-time third level institution. There are huge numbers of courses available. For example, DCU’s Open Education Unit has a range of online programmes with minimal or no need to attend classes on campus. Other options include the Open College, IT Sligo Online, and Hibernia College. You could also consider a MOOC university course. MOOC — Massive Open Online Learning Courses — were pioneered by some of the USA’s best universities, including MIT and Stanford. There are hundreds of free MOOC courses from institutions all around the world, so you’ll need to do a bit of research to find the right one for you.

PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD
If you are looking to get straight back into work, or to change jobs, the first thing you’ll need is a great CV. Employers receive many, many applications when jobs are advertised, so it is important to make sure that your application stands out from the crowd.
The most important part of your CV is your profile. Industry wisdom is that this should be no more than ten lines and should highlight the key skills you can bring to a role and your potential value to the employer. Spend time getting this right, and remember that you may need to tweak it slightly for different jobs. If a potential employer is unimpressed by your profile, the likelihood is that he or she will not bother with the rest of your CV.
When discussing your previous employment, include reference to your responsibilities and duties. It is a good idea generally to use the active voice and direct language: for example, “I managed the staff roster” rather than “my responsibilities included managing the staff roster.” Remember to include any professional achievements that are relevant or impressive.
List your university, and any third level qualifications or other professional training you have received. If you have third level qualifications, you don’t need to include your Leaving Cert results. You’ll also need a separate section to highlight your core skills, as well as any IT or language skills. If you are a member of any professional organisations, include these too in a separate paragraph.
A short paragraph outlining your interests should be included at the end. Remember, a long list of trivialities can put people off. However, any of these that show leadership skills or emphasise your core competencies are useful. Once you’re done, and you’ve double-checked for spelling mistakes and errors, upload it to an employment site like Jobs.ie. Operating for 16 years, this is one of Ireland’s most popular recruitment websites and it’s free to all jobseekers. Over 2,700 companies use Jobs.ie each year to advertise their vacancies and they host an average of 2,500 to 3,000 live jobs in 45 industries every day, only a quarter of which are from recruitment agencies. This is important, as it allows you to make contact with a potential employer directly.
By uploading your CV, you’ll make it easy for potential employers to find you, but it is important to check the listings regularly and make contact yourself. Keep an eye out for jobs fairs happening around the country, like jobjunction. A new initiative from Jobs.ie, each Jobs Junction will focus on a key sector and bring candidates and employers together. The first one took place this October and two more are planned for next year. Other jobs fairs include Dubstarts, the tech jobs fair which takes place on 25 November; Working Abroad, which is scheduled for next March; Jobs Expo, which takes place every few months; Career Zoo, which returns next spring; and GradIreland, the graduate careers fair.

GRADUATE PROGRAMMES REALLY WORK
If you’ve finished university and are looking for a job, you should consider applying for a graduate programme with one of the many international companies that offer these, including Pepsi, Microsoft, IBM, Vodafone and Jameson. Places are limited, and competition is fierce – but that’s because a spot on a graduate programme really can be a fast-track to career success.
Jameson, which is part of Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, runs two graduate programmes: the Brand Ambassador Programme and the Graduate Distiller Programme. Jameson’s Graduate Programme has won several awards. These include the Graduate Employer of the Year for 2014; Best Training and Development Programme; Best Graduate Recruitment Website and the Number 1 FMCG Graduate Employer of Choice in Ireland.
The Graduate Distiller Programme was established in 2012 and is a two-year programme. Here, each year, Jameson hires two graduates from a food science, environmental science or process and chemical engineering background. The Brand Ambassador Programme is a three-year programme with an initial thirteen month placement and it has been running since 1991. Jameson are seeking to recruit between ten and fifteen graduates for the next round of the programme, and each of the successful candidates will work in one of Jameson’s international operations.
“We have graduates based in 41 international markets all around the world,” explains Sinéad D’Arcy of Jameson. They're anywhere from Korea to Kyrgyzstan, from Manchester to Mumbai. At the minute, we have 75 Brand Ambassadors in those 41 markets.”
The recruitment is done through their Vital Ingredient website and most of the Brand Ambassadors are business, marketing or language graduates. But, Sinead explains, anyone who thinks they have the “vital ingredient” is eligible to apply. “We’ve had people from a law or arts background apply and be accepted as well,” she says.
“We ask people to apply with a two minute video, explaining why they are the ‘vital ingredient’ for Jameson. We’re looking for them to be quite creative. They can show us why they are innovative, their communication skills, their relationship-building skills, or if they speak an international language.”

HERE'S SOME INTERVIEW TIPS
While more and more employers are using new technologies such as video applications or Skype interviews to whittle down potential candidates, most companies will still want to meet you face to face. Interviews can be unnerving, but if you’ve done your homework, you should feel a whole lot more relaxed.
Preparing for an interview is crucial. The employer has seen your CV, they know what your skills are, and now they want to see what kind of person you are and if you will slot into their existing team.
Many interviewers, no matter what the job or industry, will ask a series of standard questions. These include questions about you, your strengths and weaknesses, how you handle pressure, and why you want to work for their company. It makes sense to prepare answers beforehand. If you know what you’re going to say, it is a whole lot easier to sound smart, competent and confident. Remember to speak slowly and clearly. It should go without saying, but don’t exaggerate or lie. A lot of people claim the credit for work others did on LinkedIn. If you have to get a reference, the truth about that is likely to come out...
Dress professionally, shake the interviewer’s hand firmly, sit up straight, remember to make eye contact and smile, don’t chew gum, and – whatever you do – arrive on time! Give yourself at least fifteen minutes more than you need to get there. Being late for an interview makes a terrible impression.
Do some research on the company or the brand beforehand and prepare a few intelligent questions. You should also understand the job description of the role you are applying for. This is not the time to ask about the salary package. If you get a second interview, or if the employer offers you the job, the compensation will naturally be part of the discussion.
Never bad-mouth your previous employer or your current role. Remain positive. “I am looking for a new challenge” sounds much better than “I’m bored with my job.” At the end of the interview, remember to thank the interviewer for their time and for meeting with you.

HOW TO BUILD YOUR PERSONAL BRAND THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA
A few years ago nobody had to worry about their online presence but that’s very different these days. Employers will check your social media footprint, which means you can use this to your advantage.
Sinead D’Arcy of Jameson does skill sessions with colleges, teaching students how to build their personal brand. Here she gives her top tips for making social media work for you.
“Look at the company you want to work with and their presence on social media. Are they on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest? Then look at your social media presence on those platforms — what do they say about you? If you identify the companies you want to work for, you can channel your content to your chosen profession. You should also join groups, follow individuals, engage in conversation and build relationships with people working in your field.
“The second thing would be to look at your privacy settings across all of your social media sites. Make sure there is nothing contentious that employers might see. You are painting a picture of yourself and building a brand through social media. If you are worried about your social media presence log into Reppler or 360Social.me for free and upload all of your platforms and it will tell you what your social media presence looks like. It’s a really good tool to see what your social media presence says about you.
“Klout also measures your social media impact. If you are going to work for a company where social media is important, you want your Klout score and your brand on social media to be strong.”