IT Recruitment in Ireland Jobs Market Review - Q2 2014 - Archer: IT Jobs Market Quarterly Review

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IT Recruitment in Ireland
    Jobs Market Review
                 Q2 2014

     Archer: IT Jobs Market Quarterly Review
Content Guide

Introduction                            3

.NET developers                         4

Java developers                         6

Testing & Quality Assurance             8

Business Intelligence                   9

Business Analysts & Project Managers   11

Senior IT Management                   13

Summary                                16

                                            IT Jobs Market Ireland Q2 Review | 2
Introduction                                    Irish workforces and new tech and finance

                                                firms opened offices here.
About Archer
Archer Recruitment is focused 100% on IT.       Ireland's 700+ indigenous software and
We are a team of specialist consultants,        digital IT companies continue to enjoy

each working within a unique IT jobs            increases in international business and

category. Our mission: to unite the top IT      make good on their intentions to create
employers in Ireland with the best IT talent.   new IT positions (as stated in the ISA

                                                Digital Technology Index, 2013).
Archer has facilitated successful hires for

leading tech, financial, telecom and            Q2 demand for IT talent eclipsed that of an

software firms. In an automated sector our      already busy Q1, with fresh injections of

personal approach is what sets us apart. We     expertise sought across all IT disciplines.

can connect companies with a worldwide          The difficulty is, Ireland is not overflowing

bank of top candidates that no jobs board       with the kind of candidates that highly

can reach.                                      selective employers want on their teams.

                                                Many of the best people have already
Archer people live and breathe IT, meaning
                                                secured recent moves, more are being
we have deeper insights into how the IT
                                                zealously guarded by existing employers
jobs market is performing and how
                                                and there is a slowdown in the arrival of
emerging trends are impacting hiring
                                                overseas candidates to fill the gaps.
activity. Every quarter, we publish this free

Jobs Market Analysis to give you a snapshot     Ireland’s IT sector wouldn’t be the

of developments in six key job sectors.         international sensation it is today if it didn’t

                                                have an abundance of great talent. It’s just
The IT Economy in Q2, 2014                      that a very small proportion of its best
The ICT sector is a powerhouse of Ireland’s     practitioners ever actively engage in job
economy that continues to go from               searches. Timing is everything, hence
strength to strength thanks to government       Archer’s policy of keeping lines of
stimuli, unabating FDI, growing business        communications open with our candidates.
confidence and an explosion in global           In a market where the success of standard
demand for mobile applications.                 job advertising techniques is waning our

                                                personal approach ensures great roles get
As has become customary, Q2 saw further
                                                the attention they deserve.
new IT job announcements as established

global players planned expansions to their

                                                     IT Jobs Market Ireland Q2 Review | 3
.Net Developers                                  Attracting great candidates from here on in

                                                 is going to require serious convincing – or
Key Q1 Trends                                    more interviews by video-conference.
Calm is returning to the market after a

surge of .NET developer hiring in the first      Bombarding the best candidates with emails

half of 2014. Having expanded their              and Linkedin requests is one option. At

developer capabilities and bolstered their       Archer we have always believed in a more

project teams employers are turning their        personal approach. At times like these when

focus to applying their new talent.              top talent is in short supply we do what we

Equilibrium has been restored: A market          always have done. We pick up the phone. We

that started the year with “more roles for       talk to otherwise inaccesible people. Sell the

fewer candidates” is now one of “fewer           promise of your roles. Shape your Job Specs

roles for fewer candidates”.                     into compelling adverts. It may sound

                                                 counter-intuitive and it certainly involves
Candidates that are strong in ASP.NET MVC        more effort but the human touch pays off in
and JavaScript have the edge – right now,        a world of bullet points and automated
employers are most interested in specialists     communication.
in client side ASP.NET development,

particularly those with frontend web skills.     The more extravagent the Wish List, the

Demand is strongest for senior developers        more exotic and unattainable the candidate.

at the 55-65K salary level.                      A market high on specialised talent and short

                                                 on availability calls for a laser-guided focus
Employer Insights                                on recruiting essential skills. In Q2 the
After two quarters of churn the .NET             smoothest, most successful hires were made
market is settling down. Moves made, those       by ‘precision employers’, recruiters that had
local candidates that were looking for a new     identified an exact set of core competences
challenge in 2014 are getting down to            needed to do a job well, stipped “nice to
business. Those that were already settled in     have” qualities from their Job Specs and
their roles, likewise. Whatever active pool of   trained their sights on clearer targets.
homegrown talent there was at the start of

2014 has now dissipated into a trickle.

Typically, Irish-based overseas talent would

have jumped in to fill the void but this pool,

too, has become depleted.

                                                      IT Jobs Market Ireland Q2 Review | 4
Candidate Insights                                Your ability to bring your achievements and

What set apart the candidates that secured        CV to life is of crucial importance. Be

the best new developer roles in Q2? The           prepared to elaborate on any detail – if you

simple truth: On paper, very little. On           have to spoof then it shouldn’t be on there.

“showing you want it”, everything. Success
                                                  Show Interest. “They won because they were
invariably hinged on three attributes:
                                                  hungrier” is a common refrain in sport. It
Appropriate skills, better interview
                                                  applies to interviews, too. Hungry candidates
preparation, greater enthusiasm. Being
                                                  do their homework, make an effort to be
technically brilliant – even proving it in test
                                                  liked, ask insightful questions and know when
conditions - means you are still only one-
                                                  to listen. If you really want the job, then go
third of the way there.
                                                  for it with a passion.

We hate seeing our candidates falter. We

coach you, we support you every step of

the way but, ultimately, the keys to your

success are within you. Our advice remains

the same:

Know Your Limits. Think twice about

applying for a role if you only meet the

demands of its Job Spec at a stretch.

Employers will not thank you for only

revealing skills shortfalls at interview stage.

Thinking you have the ability to do

something will not be enough to compete

with a candidate who has practical

commercial experience of doing this thing.

Prepare Forensically. Know the stories: Your

employer’s and your own. Companies don’t

want mercenaries (even for contractor

positions). Roles go to people whose

research has led to a connection with the

company and identification with their values

and purpose.

                                                       IT Jobs Market Ireland Q2 Review | 5
Java Developers                                  Employer Insights
                                                 Home-grown Java developer talent has
Key Q2 Trends
                                                 always been scarce. Add ‘mobile
The demand for Java contractors has
                                                 development/UI skills’ to your Job Spec and
declined in line with a growing trend for
                                                 your homegrown candidate base shrinks
employers to seek longer term
                                                 even further. On-the-ground foreign talent to
commitments from their developers.
                                                 fill the void is also in short supply. So where
Investment in developer talent is seen as an
                                                 can you turn to? Archer’s response: We’ve
investment in the future of the business. A
                                                 gone back to renew ties with all the best
company’s ability to harness new
                                                 Java specialists that have ever registered
technology in unique ways and delight
                                                 with us.
customers with it is a key driver of

competitive advantage. Winning attention         Click the Java Developer tab on our

and buy-in from mobile audiences is of           candidate database and you get access to

paramount importance. It is small wonder         1966 top specialists from Ireland and

that employers want to retain top                overseas. Naturally, the more ambitious of

developers and prevent them from going           these have upgraded their skillsets since we

elsewhere.                                       last checked in on them. In Q2 we renewed

                                                 numerous acquaintances, discovering buried
The rise of mobile is changing the rules of
                                                 treasure right under our noses (including rare
business, disrupting the models of old,
                                                 proficiencies in frameworks like Angular.js
transforming customer behaviour. Adapting
                                                 and Node.js). Day by day we are unearthing
to this new playing field has forced
                                                 potential fits for new roles that we could not
companies to rediscover the adventurous
                                                 have anticipated and bringing the most
spirit of their start-up days. For them, it is
                                                 ambitious and innovative of our connections
important that their new hires share this
                                                 back into play.
zeal to take the business to a new level and

are in it for the long haul.                     As predicted in Q1, the practice of screening

                                                 via technical assessments/ assignments at
Java developers with mobile, front-end and
                                                 all levels gathered pace in Q2. When
web UI skills are in particular demand, as are
                                                 recruiting UI-focused developers, a growing
developers with full stack development
                                                 number of employers request to see
experience and a good mix of server side
                                                 portfolios of previous work or collaborations
languages, web frameworks and web
                                                 on GitHub.
technologies (notably JavaScript, Node.js,

Angular.js and similar frameworks).

                                                      IT Jobs Market Ireland Q2 Review | 6
The key to successful hires in Q2? Timing.       changing at breakneck speed and getting

The difference between snapping up a great       isolated from advances in tech, cloud-based

candidate and losing one can rest on             solutions and agile development methods

something as mundane as a delay in getting       can seriously limit your career alternatives.

a second opinion from a manager external
                                                 Many companies are playing catch-up – they
to the process. Java developers know they
                                                 need developers that technology has not left
are in demand, often court multiple suitors
                                                 behind. The top senior Java roles right now
simultaneously and are ready to commit
                                                 are going to specialists that have shown an
immediately to the best opportunity that
                                                 appetite for continuous reinvention, people
presents. The moment you identify a
                                                 who have gone solo on their own initiative to
candidate that you wouldn’t want to lose to
                                                 become certified scrum masters, iOS/
a competitor is the moment to act and
                                                 Android developers. New qualifiications are
accelerate to the closing phase.
                                                 the way forward If you cannot get practical

Candidate Insights                               new tech experience in your current role.

Mobile development/UI skills are clearly

becoming passports to some of the most

exciting - and best rewarded – new roles.

The younger, new generation candidates

that we meet at our daily screening

interviews are starting to have mobile

web/handset application know-how as a

given, to the extent that many bring

portfolios of their work to talk through. Mid-

and-senior-level developers are taking note

and taking action, upgrading their expertise

to stay relevant. If you cannot gain prowess

in cutting edge skills via your day job, now

is a good time to consider starting a

professionally certified course and work on

some personal projects in your own time.

More than ever, developers who have been

in settled roles for years run the risk of

institutionalisation. The outside world is

                                                      IT Jobs Market Ireland Q2 Review | 7
Testing & QA                                     At Archer we continue to invest in our

                                                 personal touch to set us apart. The
Key Q2 Trends
                                                 professionals on our register keep evolving;
The market continued to favour testers
                                                 their skillsets, circumstances, value to
with automation and, to a slightly lesser
                                                 employers and connections within the tester
degree, mobile technology expertise in Q2.
                                                 community constantly change. Only a
Demand is strongest for test automation
                                                 recruiter that makes the effort to maintain
specialists adept at using Selenium with
                                                 open and direct contact with past candidates
scripting/development experience. The
                                                 can know where true potential exists off the
majority of recruiting activity is occuring at
                                                 beaten track and what will inspire otherwise
mid to senior level; few managerial role
                                                 unavailable talent to consider a move.
openings emerged. There is good news for

manual testers – and employers looking for       Top candidates always have self-

manual testers. A sudden surge in demand         actualisation and career advancement at

from financial services companies means          heart. Attracting a better calibre of tester

opportunities have really picked up,             right now means presenting a business that

compelling specialists to vacate settled         sees testing as a critical success activity and

roles.                                           and offers opportunities to push the

                                                 boundaries of contemporary testing
The trend for local testers to upskill and
                                                 technology. Roles in software and app
gain certifications (especially ISTQB)
                                                 development houses have particularly strong
continues. Even so, businesses expect their
                                                 appeal.
new talent to conform to very high

standards, meaning their plans are often         Testers are in demand, so your Role
impeded by local skills shortages. The           Proposition needs to stand up against the

threat of delaying progress is causing           best of your competition. In a candidate-

employers to widen searches and add              driven market, success favours companies
diversity to their teams with top quality        that approach recruiting as a sprint, not a

international candidates.                        marathon. Those employers that are

                                                 quickest to provide interview feedback and
Employer Insights
                                                 push the process along at pace are securing
The short roster of local tester talent that
                                                 the cream candidates.
existed at the start of 2014 has got

shorter. So where do you find the new

expertise you need to accelerate and

enhance your testing process?

                                                      IT Jobs Market Ireland Q2 Review | 8
Candidate Insights                               Business Intelligence
New opportunities continue to materialise

for candidates with stong test automation        Key Q2 Trends

skills / hybrid testing + development            As the year has progressed, the BI market

expertise. Demand for manual testing roles,      has become more candidate-driven. BI

though good now, has been flat for some          specialists with skills in popular technologies

time and new openings are more sporadic.         (Microsoft, Business Objects and, in

The message: Either you leave your career        particular, Oracle) know that they are in

prospects at the mercy of market forces          demand and can afford to be selective. New

outside your control or you upskill.             requirements are also emerging for

                                                 candidates proficient in tools such as
The majority of contenders for top roles         Microstrategy and Qlikview.
appear to have embarked on the upskilling

route. Without a certification in ISTQB, ISEB,   Businesses are putting more faith in data-

Sun Java, Selenium, QTP you can face an          driven decisions. The profile of companies

uphill battle to get yourself into contention    that are in the market for BI analysts is

- Time to consider a course? Test                changing, leading to constant openings. As

specialists that started life as developers      technology writer John Naughton notes,

are in a great position to secure                “Non technology companies are beginning to

contemporary roles where testing and             realise that failure to analyse the data

scripting go hand-in-hand.                       flowing from their interactions with

                                                 customers may put them at a competitive
The critical thing is not to get complacent.     disadvantage”.
Don’t rely on your qualifications and

technical skills to speak for themselves.        Businesses want these new data insights and

They might impress on paper, but how             they want to get them faster into the hands

exactly do you see them being of value           of people who can implement them. Which

within a different company?                      means making them mobile. BI analysts with

                                                 a head for data presentation via small-screen
Interviewers expect you to be technically        interfaces are in a very strong position.
capable – your perceived level of

preparedness and commitment is what will         Contractors had the pick of the BI roles in

set you apart. The most successful               Q2. Employers were offering daily rates of as

candidates are not necessarily the most          much as 550-600 for the best (strong

gifted candidates but the candidates that        consultants with deep knowledge of a

show they want it more. Research pays.           particular niche), rising from a strong

                                                      IT Jobs Market Ireland Q2 Review | 9
average rate of 350–400. BI is a valued,       of how business works and a forensic

high-status function right now. Skills are     interest in exploring all aspects of operations

prized and counter-offers are inevitable.      (everywhere there is an opportunity to save

Any employer that wants a top-performing       costs or more efficiently delight customers).

BI analyst on their team must be prepared      Most technical BI skills are transferable. New

to match the best rates on the market or       technologies are learnable. A track record of

experience upward pressure on the initial      positive bottom-line impacts, cultural fit,

salary offer.                                  design thinking, magnetism – these are

                                               qualities that separate the best from the
Local candidates have a slight edge but this
                                               rest.
is diminishing. The shortage of available

expertise and resistance from companies        So what are the key catalysts that

keen to hold on to their candidates is         encourage top BI specialists to move? In

prompting employers to hire internationally    general, they gravitate to companies that

where talent is more plentiful and plan-       have put their faith in data. If you can offer

stalling bidding wars are avoided.             more interesting projects using the latest

                                               technologies, show greater commitment to
Employer Insights                              actioning BI insights, or provide opportunities
Once a company has invested in BI software
                                               to collaborate with like-minded professionals
the challenge is finding the right people to
                                               then you will be a strong rival for their
harness it. There is a natural temptation to
                                               attention. But you need to act fast; time is
give disproportionate weight to the
                                               of the essence. Keen today can be gone
technical skills of BI candidates when what
                                               tomorrow.
is equally important is their ability to

pinpoint overlooked business opportunities,    Candidate Insights
sell change at boardroom level and create      Q2 saw a host of BI professionals make
engaging visual interfaces for data            the transition from consultancy to
reporting. The big push right now is to find   industry. Conditions are ideal right now
specialists that can go beyond using data
                                               for candidates that want to shift career
for post-mortem analysis of past actions
                                               track. BI Consultants have something
and use it to predict the future.
                                               that clients want but that not all

The best BI specialist for your business       Industry BI specialists possess: business
need not necessarily hail from within your     skills. Employers need BI specialists that
industry, or even have an IT background.       can convince upper-level managers to
What is key is that they have understanding

                                                   IT Jobs Market Ireland Q2 Review | 10
embrace data, champion operational           Business Analysts & Project
changes and drive company-wide               Managers
adoption of new methodologies and            Key Q2 Trends
reporting tools. Technical skills alone      There is an emerging twin-track trend in the
will only take you so far in the current     market for business analysts. One group of

market.                                      BAs is showing an appetite to trade-off

                                             security for spending power, leaving
But technical skills remain critically       permanent roles to avail of higher
important, and top employers are             contracting rates. The other group is taking

looking for them in abundance.               the alternative route, capitalising on a drive

Generally, they are looking for evidence     by important employers to make certain

of deep proficiency in multiple tools in a   contracting roles permanent. Demand for

                                             BAs of either persuasion is healthy right now.
particular BI stack (preferably their

chosen one), if not more than one            BAs that are ready for a good permanent
stack. They want people with more than       career move are being offered a choice of
a working knowledge of various BI            top roles by the Irish-based international

products, people with the architectural,     financial services institutions. Regulatory and

development and design know-how to           compliance projects in the insurance and

graft end-to-end solutions.                  banking sectors continue to demand

                                             inpourings of resources – and BA skills. Many

The best roles are going to those BI         downsized financial services firms, though

analysts that employers perceive as          trading well again, are persevering with small

having what it takes to positively           permanent teams and shoring up expertise

                                             as necessary with BA contractors. Only the
impact results. They are impressed by
                                             fixed term contract market has shown any
people that can show tangible evidence
                                             sign of slowdown – there are simply too
of how they have saved a business
                                             many other good alternatives to choose
money, revealed overlooked market
                                             from.
opportunities, cut the time for a BI

project to deliver, won internal support     Project Managers don’t have quite the same

or championed change adoption.               level of career choices, though prospects are

                                             good. Some of the best opportunities are for

                                             Project Managers that have experience with

                                                 IT Jobs Market Ireland Q2 Review | 11
the top-tier consultancies and strong              Candidate Insights
project-based backgrounds. Competition for         Q1 was open season for BAs and PMs that

these openings is intense. There was               were on the hunt for daily-rate contractor
positive news for PM contractors in Q1 as          roles. Q2 was different. The hiatus in

the average daily contract rate increased          permanent hiring that lasted several

slightly.                                          successive quarters appears to have ended.

                                                   Employers are focused on growing their
Employer Insights
                                                   businesses again and are looking for
Business analysts are confident about the
                                                   professionals to commit full-time to
jobs market and are demonstrating a
                                                   executing future plans.
marked eagerness to explore new roles and

even alternative forms of employment.              For many specialists made redundant during

Candidates are also returning from the UK,         the crisis contracting has provided a new

Canada and Australia, eager to get back to         lease of life. Rates have been good and

work quickly and put new skills and fresh          rising, projects diverse and upskilling,

perspectives into practice. The supply of          working arrangements flexible. Forced to

actively available local talent rarely gets this   become contractors out of obligation, many

good.                                              have revelled in it and transformed their

                                                   market value. Now that permanent
That isn’t to say that these specialists will
                                                   alternatives are becoming available again the
jump at any role that comes their way.
                                                   question is, do you continue contracting
Many have been through chastening, life-
                                                   indefinitely or do you capitalise on your
altering redundancy experiences and have
                                                   present worth and seize the opportunity to
found the contractor life to be an eye-
                                                   secure your future?
opener; liberating and skills-enhancing. The

current crop of BAs are very self-aware,           Employers continue to show a distinct

conscious of keeping themselves challenged         favouritism towards BAs and PMs that have

and staying on top of the latest                   shown a propensity to deliver results in the

technologies in order to build their personal      same sector. A truly exceptional candidate

brand equity. Permanent roles, in particular,      from outside the industry might earn the

need to offer a clear career development           luxury of being showing the ropes but this is

trajectory and flexible conditions in order to     rare. Most businesses are looking for proof

interest top perfomers.                            of achievements that will engender

                                                   immediate trust from stakeholders and rally

                                                   everyone to support new courses of action.

                                                       IT Jobs Market Ireland Q2 Review | 12
Transferable experience is vital, then. But     Senior IT Management
even a CV brimming with the right
                                                Key Q2 Trends
experience might still leave you short of
                                                Senior appointments picked up in Q2.
securing the best roles. More than ever,
                                                Sustained economic recovery is firing up
qualifications count. Post-degree, industry
                                                businesses to drive forward again after years
certifications are seen as a gauge of your
                                                spent on the defensive. Firms are bouncing
commitment to leading the way in your
                                                back, fitter and bolder than ever, having
specialist field. A Business Analysis/Project
                                                lowered costs and adopted more efficient
Management certification is on the way to
                                                practices. Now they need fresh, expansion-
becoming a prerequisite.
                                                minded managerial talent to build on these

The opportunities for a BA/PM specialist to     steadier foundations and go on the counter-

make a strong, positive career move are         attack.

better than they have been for quite some
                                                New senior roles are emerging across all IT
time. The key to you going places: Your CV.
                                                industry sectors. Companies are growing
Don’t think that changing the dates on an
                                                again through expansion, acquisition and
old one will work. Every different role
                                                outsourcing. They are racing to stay in the
demands a unique CV. Your CV for a
                                                game by using new technologies in
contracting role should read differently to
                                                pioneering ways. They are amassing
one for a permanent position. You should
                                                staggering data of unprecedented scale and
always revisit your experience and choose
                                                richness. They need new leaders and
accomplishments that uniquely qualify you
                                                visionaries to keep business on an even keel
to excel in the new role. And don’t sell
                                                and sailing forward.
yourself short - Take into account that the

average BA/PM CV now runs to 3-4 pages.
                                                For now, the greater opportunities are
Help this specific employer visualise a
                                                arising at manager and senior manager level,
better future with you on their team and it
                                                though there have been several top CXO
will pay dividends.
                                                vacancies, too. Life & Pension/Insurance

                                                firms are exhibiting strong demand for IT

                                                specialists at every level and need senior

                                                talent to ensure new people gel and

                                                generate synergies. Banks are actively

                                                looking for senior people for contract and

                                                interim roles. Telecoms companies have

                                                consistent requirements for specialists to

                                                    IT Jobs Market Ireland Q2 Review | 13
step in and spearhead short-to-medium            Our connections might be happy with their

term projects. The manufacturing industry        lot but it is often the case that they have

has also been driving efficiencies and need      connections that fit the profile you are after.

new senior heads to ensure they capitalise.      Our old school, verbal communication

                                                 approach is continuously unlocking rich new
In all industries, employers are showing a
                                                 seams of referral talent that grow by the
marked tendency to favour candidates from
                                                 day. These are people that have been doing
within that sector with experience in a like-
                                                 great things beyond the radar and are
for-like role.
                                                 primed to move to further fulfil their

                                                 promise.
Employer Insights
Opportunities for senior managers to take
                                                 The important thing is to seize opportunities.
on new challenges have been limited in
                                                 See the potential in close-fits rather than
recent years. Faced with a sterile jobs
                                                 hold out for exact-fits that might never
market, most simply banished visions of
                                                 materialise. In a market that isn’t flooded
exciting career moves from their minds and
                                                 with great available candidates you must be
got on with making the best of what they
                                                 prepared to act when you unearth one. Being
had. The fact that so many managers
                                                 flexible about the package and working
withdrew active attention from the market
                                                 conditions helps. As does expediting the
means there are fewer available candidates
                                                 hiring process. Ambitious senior managers
than you might expect now that demand
                                                 scent growth and are after a share of it –
has sparked to life again.
                                                 There is no time to lose if you want to

                                                 benefit.
Recruiting a senior manager today tends to

involve convincing people in settled roles to
                                                 Candidate Insights
reconsider their options. It is certainly no
                                                 The market for senior managers really
longer a case of “announce a role and they
                                                 opened up in Q2. Employers across all IT
will come”. Few will find you (Advertising via
                                                 sectors started to have some exciting
job boards or Linkedin has limited reach and
                                                 permanent and contract roles to offer. Even
impact). You, or rather Archer, need to find
                                                 software houses that tend to nurture
them. We know where to look, given that
                                                 management talent from within were
we know hundreds of the best specialists on
                                                 opening roles to the wider business
the market. But attachment to a team you
                                                 community. The inward-looking strategies
have steered through recession can be
                                                 essential to surviving recession appear to be
strong and you need a special proposition
                                                 giving way to more open, expansive
to entice these people to jump ship.

                                                     IT Jobs Market Ireland Q2 Review | 14
approaches. Businesses need to change

course and they need new thought leaders

to make it happen.

The gung-ho growth practices of yesteryear

are out. The fast-talking, instinct-reliant,

self-centred manager of caricature is not

what companies are looking for. Businesses

want next generation managers that are

reflective, data-driven team players.

Candidates, take note. Succeeding in your

next interview will depend as much upon

how you listen as what you say.

We continue to despair at seeing strong

candidates miss out simply because they

haven’t prepared to listen. An interview is

intended to be a dialogue, not a monologue.

The more you reciprocate your interviewer’s

interest and identify specific ways in which

your experience can be of value to them,

the better the connection you will make.

Spend the entire interview talking up your

achievements and you are unlikely to

suggest an aptitude for the kind of modern

leadership that businesses seek.

Demand for senior managers is gathering

momentum and hiring activity shows no

sign of a summer pause. Employers are

bullish about bolstering their teams to hit

the ground running in September and shift

business up a gear ahead of 2015. While

other candidates are packing their flipflops

Q3 could be your perfect opportunity to

get your feet under a new desk.

                                               IT Jobs Market Ireland Q2 Review | 15
Summary                                          Top candidates, likewise, are looking for

                                                 commitments that align with their ambitions
The quantity and quality of career
                                                 and aspirations. A new role must ofer the
opportunities for IT professionals on the
                                                 promise of taking their career to another
ground in Ireland increased for the second
                                                 level if it is to convince them to leave a
quarter running in 2014. Workforce
                                                 secure, well-paid job. In Q2 the best
expansion, rather than vacancy filling, is the
                                                 candidates signed for companies that
key catalyst for much hiring activity and
                                                 offered collaboration with like-minded
new technological advances are inspiring
                                                 talents, better technology, Agile working
whole new Job Specs.
                                                 practices and greater autonomy/ decision-

                                                 making power.
Employers are looking to augment their IT

expertise across all specialisms and pay
                                                 After a busy Q2 we anticipated the usual
grades, from junior developer right through
                                                 annual lull in holiday season hiring. But
to senior manager. If anything, there is a
                                                 switching off talent/job search for the
greater demand for mid-to-senior-level
                                                 summer can mean leaving the coast clear for
know-how. After an extensive period in
                                                 a canny rival to gain a scarce edge and in
recession-proofing survival mode firms are
                                                 2014 that is not going to happen. Here’s to
seeking fresh leadership impetus to drive
                                                 a non-quiet Q3 as Archer continue to pull
renewed growth.
                                                 out all the stops and keep making perfect

Though contracting remains popular there is      matches.

a growing inclination for employers to seek

permanent commitments to their new post-
                                                 Call Josh Linton/Sam Perrin
crisis visions. Technology can be replicated;
                                                 Visit www.archer.ie
talent less so. When employers find verablly

and visually articulate, idea-rich,

technologically creative people they want to

retain them, extend their transformational

impact.

Regardless of role duration, interviewers are

probing for signs of identification with their

business values and personal investment in

their goals. It is imperative that candidates

research thoroughly and show real interest.

                                                     IT Jobs Market Ireland Q2 Review | 16
Archer Specialist Recruitment
              2 Westland Square
         Pearse Street | Dublin 2
     01 649 8500 | www.archer.ie
IT Jobs Market Ireland Q2 Review | 17
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