Market Trends & Remote Interviewing Tips [Recording & Transcript]
In August, Berkley held a two-part webinar series in conjunction with IT@Cork. Entitled “Helping You Map Your Career”, this series was designed to help jobseekers successfully navigate the jobs market in post-lockdown Ireland. This episode was hosted by an expert panel made up of Berkley consultants – Louise O’Neill and Vanessa Pawleta – as well as Eric Clarke from Labskin. The webinar included an insightful overview of the tech jobs market in Cork and a guide on remote interviewing. Scroll down to view a recording of the webinar as well as transcripts and other related content.
Understanding Ireland’s Current Jobs Landscape
Transcript
My name is Louise O’Neill and I am the Manager at the Business & Technologypermanent desk in Berkley Group. I have almost four years of experience as a Technical Recruiter and have worked very closely with the Cork market on the IT Support, Infrastructure and Security space. I am going to start today’s session by providing some current market information and highlighting some of the positive news that we have been hearing on the jobs front in Cork and Ireland.
An Overview of Ireland’s Jobs Market in 2020
2020 was set to be the best year yet for Ireland, setting itself up as a great place to work and live. Unemployment rates had dipped to under 5% for the first time since the financial crisis in 2008. Brexit was a clear question mark throughout 2019, causing a lot of uncertainty in the Irish market, but things were certainly starting to move in the right direction with a number of multinationals looking to Ireland as a safe haven for 2020.
“With the unemployment rate dipping to under 5% for the first time since the Irish financial crisis in 2008, Ireland’s labour market is now essentially at full employment – simply speaking, there is a job available for anybody that is seeking one.”
While COVID-19 has caused a number of issues Globally, and we may be facing a “short” recession, Leeside is keeping positive with some of our key employers in the Pharma, Fintech, IT and R&D sectors continuing to advance and hire.
What’s more, Ireland has been ranked as 28th in the world for digital quality of life out of 85 countries, meaning our broadband and mobile speeds did well with the shift of working from home. The growth of remote working across the country has resulted in increased usage of digital hubs in rural areas (e.g. The Ludgate in Skibbereen, the RDI Hub in Killorglin) which has proven to be a boost for local economies.
12 Positive Job Announcements for Summer 2020
✔️ Amazon Announces 1,000 Jobs in Ireland, New Dublin Campus – Bloomberg
✔️ TikTok to open $500m data centre in Ireland – BBC
✔️ Gilead Sciences to create 140 jobs at Irish operations – RTE
✔️ Global Shares on recruitment drive despite Covid-19 crisis – Southern Star
✔️ ServiceNow confirms new data centre for Dublin in wake of Brexit – Silicon Republic
✔️ Money transfer firm Remitly to take office space in Cork’s Penrose Dock – Irish Examiner
✔️ Cadence have started hiring in Cork and will be rapidly expanding
✔️ Cork-based Workvivo nabs €14.7 million for its employee communications tools – EU-Startups
✔️ SMS acquisition of Solo Energy will bring 20 new jobs to Cork – Silicon Republic
Other Cork-based companies that are still hiring include: Apple, Client Solutions, Logitech, Malwarebytes, MSD, OneLook Systems, Stryker, J&J, PGi, Red Hat, Tyndall and Varonis. We do work with some of these companies, so if you’re interested in hearing any more, please do reach out as all of our details will be included at the end of the presentation or check out our website.
How Are Companies Adjusting to COVID?
A number of companies are embracing work from home and are driving forward regardless. For example, Siemens is rolling out a mobile working programme worldwide which will enable employees to work remotely for 2-3 days a week post-COVID. Both Google and Uber will be encouraging their employees to work remotely until Summer 2021. Like most countries, Ireland has seen a significant rise in remote working throughout the pandemic.
“Where are the Jobs?”: Key Areas for Tech Hiring
IT Security has become a real emerging space and jobs in this area are set to double over the next ten years. This is great news for Cork as we have a great IT Security hub here. What’s more, there are several excellent university courses in the area of cybersecurity in Cork:
? Cyber Risk for Business MSc – UCC
Software Engineering remains a very busy and key area in today’s technical space. Ireland is the second-largest exporter of software products in the world. In fact, 16 of the top 20 global software companies have operations in Ireland. There are a number of companies in Ireland that are expanding their offerings via applications. Ireland’s gaming industry has also expanded hugely in recent years and is poised for further growth.
Big data and AI are still massive areas that continue to advance and grow. Skills Ireland estimated that there will be 49,000-62,000 vacancies in Big Data/Analytics by 2020. As such many graduates have chosen to further their education and boost their career prospects by pursuing further education in these areas:
? Data Science and Analytics MSc – UCC
? Data Science & Analytics MSc – CIT
? Artificial Intelligence MSc – CIT
What are the Key Motivators for Jobseekers Active on the Market?
Candidates active on the market are now ensuring their next move is the “right one” for them. They are really assessing companies, whether they are established and what they are offering as an overall package. Today’s employees are less attracted to fancy and novel workplace perks, they show more interest in company culture and strong organisational values. Young professionals tend to value future earning potential and opportunities, whereas senior professionals want to realise their full earning potential and leadership aspirations now. So we can see a defined, and interesting difference in candidates across the different levels. Work-life balance – flexibility and remote work – are now more than ever. With COVID proving it’s possible to maintain productivity with a remote workforce, any company that was against it in the past, may need to review their policies surrounding remote work.
Candidates are increasingly looking at the full package now, not just the base salary. Benefits packages now tend to outweigh salary. If the proposed salary is low, most jobseekers are happy to get good benefits that offer financial support. No benefits tend to be a big turn off for many candidates on the market, especially if they’re moving from one company to another.
Specifically, candidates in the tech space want to know what technologies a company is working with, or planning to bring into the business in the near future. It’s all about being at the forefront with technology for candidates as they want exposure to the latest and greatest. Adding to this, professional development is a big focus for young professionals.
How to Ace Remote Interviews
Transcript
Hi guys, my name is Vanessa and I am a Team Lead recruitment consultant at Berkley’s Business and Technology permanent team. Today, I will be sharing some tips and tricks to help you with your next remote interview. While there are a few things that you will have to do no matter what format the interview will take – there are a few extra steps you will have to take for remote video job interviews so you can make the best impression possible.
Step One: Preparing your Set-Up
The first thing you will need to do is to make sure that you are set up properly. So what do you need to remember:
☑️ Your Lighting: If you are preparing for a webcam interview, you should consider your lighting. Avoid any harsh lighting behind you, as this will turn you into a shadowy silhouette. Try to find a spot that will have some natural light in front of you but do not sit right in front of your window either! You want the interviewers to be able to clearly see your face.
☑️ Your Background: Do not forget about your background. Try to keep it plain and simple so the interviewer will not be distracted. If you can’t find an appropriate location, remember that many video-conferencing applications allow you to set a blank background.
☑️ Minimising Disruptions: Ensure that you won’t be interrupted by a family member, housemates, pets or by any external noise. I would recommend switching off alerts and chats during the interview and making everyone aware that you are not available during that one hour.
Step Two: Conducting a Test Run
Once your set-up is ready, you should conduct a technical trial run of your video conferencing platform. Aim to do this about two days in advance so you have plenty of time to resolve any issues. During your test run, check your computer camera, microphone, and internet connection. If you are using a laptop or tablet, check that your Wi-Fi connection is stable and that your equipment is fully charged! You also need to make sure that you can access and use the video call software on your device.
Believe it or not, poor internet connection can affect not only your interview itself but also the company’s final decision regarding your application, especially if the job you are interviewing for can be done remotely. I’ve had a situation when a hiring manager decided against a strong candidate because their video interview indicated that they didn’t have a suitable working environment.
Also, have the interviewer’s email and phone number ready in case any technical difficulties arise. If a recruiter representing you, make sure that he or she will be available during your interview time, although they should know it themselves.
Growth of Popular Video Conferencing Systems During COVID 19, 2020
Step Three: Dress for Success
Even though you will not be meeting the interviewer in person, you will still need to dress professionally. I’ve seen plenty of uncomfortable videos that went viral from times when people forgot to dress up appropriately, so please do not just dress the top half of yourself because you never know you may need to get up at some point.
Step Four: Do Your Homework
Do your research on the company as well as their products, service, plans and culture. It’s important to understand ahead of time if the company culture is one where people are receptive to new ideas. Ask yourself if the company is known for inclusion and open-mindedness, or do they have a slow-moving legacy mindset? Does the leadership team encourage open communication and innovation, or not really? Knowing the answers to these questions can hugely help you in your interview or even your final decision if you would have an offer.
If a recruiter is representing you – don’t be afraid to ask them about the company. Recruiters can provide you with extra information that individuals who applied directly to a company wouldn’t typically have! This is because the recruiter will have already established a good relationship with the company and as such, they will be familiar with their culture and interviewing methods.
Online Resources for Pre-Interview Research
☑️ Glassdoor
☑️ LinkedIn
☑️ Twitter
☑️ Reddit
☑️ The company’s website
☑️ The company’s social media profiles
☑️ Google news
Step Five: Elevate Yourself!
In an interview, try to structure your answers in a way that highlights how you can add value to the company. Make sure you answer all questions clearly and in detail, giving specific examples and explaining what you have learnt from previous experiences. For example, if you are asked about your strengths: tell them what your strength is and back it up with proof of it. For example, you can say: “I am a hard worker, I’ve exceeded my KPIs every quarter and I was promoted twice in the past three years.”
When asked about your weaknesses, don’t choose a weakness at random. Instead, select one that is not job-critical and that you are actively trying to improve upon. This shows a high level of self-awareness and a proactive mindset. Let’s say that your weakness is a lack of confidence, what you could say to your interviewer is: “I’m naturally shy. From school and into my early professional interactions, it prevented me from speaking up, so I decided to act on it by joining an improv acting class. It has really helped me with my confidence.”
Another important point is not being afraid to say: I don’t know. No-one has all the answers and so instead of panicking, stop for a second, think and say: I don’t know how I would solve it but here is how I would approach the problem. This shows that you are self-aware enough to know that you don’t know and have the courage and the honesty to admit it.
“Those three words are so powerful because what they say to people around you is that you are self-aware to know that you don’t know, which is a big, big deal, and that you have the courage to admit it. And that you will go off and get an answer.”
– Robert Hohman, Glassdoor Co-founder & CEO
Step Six: Ask Questions
Remember that interviews are meant to be a two-way conversation, so don’t be afraid to ask questions. Before the interview, print out a list of questions of the interviewer. After finishing an answer, you can also put the question back on the interviewer by asking for their opinion. If you feel like your interview went well, you can also ask: “Based on our conversation, what concerns do you have about me in relation to this position?”, at the end of an interview. That will give you a chance to rule out some of the potential concerns they could have about your application.
Step Seven: Post-Interview Follow-Up
Once the interview is finished, send an email simply thanking the interviewer for the interview. Sending a short thank you note will help to distinguish you from other candidates as not only does it show good manners but it will also give the interviewer another reason to remember you. According to data from Cultivated Culture, 76% of job seekers overlook this simple step.