Anyone found work in 2010? What's your experience been so far this year?

Sleepy

Has anyone found a new job yet in 2010? I'm hunting for something starting in March as my current contract ends at the end of February but I haven't even gotten a PFO since before Christmas!

I've applied for countless jobs on irishjobs.ie and have been trying to contact as many of my former clients as a consultant with regards to positions within their companies as possible (it would seem logical to me that if they were prepared to pay big money to a company for a few days of my skills, they might be interested in having me on board full time on a normal salary) but nothing's coming up for me...

I'm being asked about more short-term contracts by recruiters here in the UK but I really, really don't want to extend this period of only seeing my family for 36 hours a week.

Anyone had any luck yet? Would have thought that as we neared the end of January more companies would have their budgets done and have started recruiting for the coming year.

mrpink6789

I work in Recruitment and things definitely seem to have picked up in Software Development for one this month. However there are quite a lot of candidates out there so it is still an employers market and will be for some time. I just read in the Sunday Business Post that when NTMA.ie announced they were going to be looking for staff they got 2,500 CV's in the first week of the announcement......some figure.

Surveyor11

I'm a chartered surveyor, don't see anything picking up this year, maybe into 2011 before there's any glimmers. I'm looking at NI and mainland UK at the moment. BTW, I went for an interview at the NTMA, couldn't even secure an assistant project manager's position. It certainly is an employers market out there for the foreseeable future....:(

Sleepy

mrpink6789 wrote: »

I work in Recruitment and things definitely seem to have picked up in Software Development for one this month. However there are quite a lot of candidates out there so it is still an employers market and will be for some time. I just read in the Sunday Business Post that when NTMA.ie announced they were going to be looking for staff they got 2,500 CV's in the first week of the announcement......some figure.

Damnit, I missed that. Used to consult with them so would have been in with a good shot too!

Last time I was there they'd been told they couldn't recruit staff they needed. Hadn't heard that the embargo had been lifted!

tja

My 2 cent.

I'm in software development and I've been looking to move on for the last few weeks to see if I can undo some of last years pay cut damage. Anything I've applied for myself (direct to companies, no agency crap) through Irish Jobs and others, I've generally heard nothing back. In any response I have gotten, the salary question is dealt with immediately. If you don't give a number or they don't like the number, that's the last you'll hear. The coy "right job", "right package", "industrial average for the role" etc answers don't seem to fly at the moment.

That said I've received two unsolicited interview offers directly from reputable companies this week. Its not something I've experienced before, and I'm not sure what conclusions to draw from it generally. But we'll see what comes of it.

I spoke to one recruiter last week (in a social capacity) he said there was an upturn in IT demand. He also said they had a number of employers offering ridiculously low salaries for very highly skilled positions. Now I'm not going vouch for the accuracy of any of that, its just what he told me. What I can say is in my current company we have had a position open for 6 months that we can't fill. Its a highly skilled role but the salary is appalling (60% below equivalent jobs elsewhere) so I'm not surprised we can't fill it and I have no doubt its happening elsewhere.

It might be an employers market but you can't buy a brand new Porsche for the price of a second hand Polo, just because there's a recession on.

miami365

na nothing in financial services so gonna try my hand at teaching english on the continent till things pick up.

Catmologen

Seems to be plenty of funds jobs around for people with experience, the funds industry has rebounded well and is starting to pick up.

miami365

yeah seen that alright, it's mad a few years ago they were taking on anyone now they're picky on the experience.

Sleepy

tja wrote: »

My 2 cent.

I'm in software development and I've been looking to move on for the last few weeks to see if I can undo some of last years pay cut damage. Anything I've applied for myself (direct to companies, no agency crap) through Irish Jobs and others, I've generally heard nothing back. In any response I have gotten, the salary question is dealt with immediately. If you don't give a number or they don't like the number, that's the last you'll hear. The coy "right job", "right package", "industrial average for the role" etc answers don't seem to fly at the moment.

That said I've received two unsolicited interview offers directly from reputable companies this week. Its not something I've experienced before, and I'm not sure what conclusions to draw from it generally. But we'll see what comes of it.

I spoke to one recruiter last week (in a social capacity) he said there was an upturn in IT demand. He also said they had a number of employers offering ridiculously low salaries for very highly skilled positions. Now I'm not going vouch for the accuracy of any of that, its just what he told me. What I can say is in my current company we have had a position open for 6 months that we can't fill. Its a highly skilled role but the salary is appalling (60% below equivalent jobs elsewhere) so I'm not surprised we can't fill it and I have no doubt its happening elsewhere.

It might be an employers market but you can't buy a brand new Porsche for the price of a second hand Polo, just because there's a recession on.

Looking at the FÁS site, there's clearly many trying to! €25k a year for developers with 4/5 years experience?! 19k for a fluent Mandarin speaker with IT certification?! :O

miami365

i've seen positions on fás looking for qualified accountants at €25k when a couple years back they'd command €60k+.

Raekwon

Lads there are jobs on the Fás site that are offering NO salaries: here :eek:

That's my Hons BSc Computer Science Degree, 6 years experince and a sh*t load of Microsoft and Cisco certs down the toliet!

Sleepy

I think most of those are grad-level only positions tbh Raekwon, can't see anyone applying who's got any sort of recent experience at all.

It does mean that jobs which may have gone to those with lower experience levels are going to dry up though!

Raekwon

Yeah you're right Sleepy, most are for graduates or entry level folk, but still working a 40 hour week for no wages or permanent contract incentive must be absolutely soul destroying, even for an eager young graduate.

On topic: have you tried to send hard copies of your CV to companies that you are interested in working for? Another idea would be to call in to them personally and try and get 5 minutes to sell yourself. The later sounds abit pushy and you would need a big pair of kahunas to pull it off, but it could make a very positive impression and put you head and shoulders above the competition. Just an thought

mikemac

miami365 wrote: »

i've seen positions on fás looking for qualified accountants at €25k when a couple years back they'd command €60k+.

As with most things the answer is somewhere in the middle. I'd disagree that a few years ago, new qualified accountants were getting 60k, maybe it was 40k-45k.
And I don't think it's as low as 25k

It's somewhere in the middle

And financial services is definitely picking up. It was one of the fastest industries to contract it's one of the fastest to expand again

miami365

mikemac wrote: »

As with most things the answer is somewhere in the middle. I'd disagree that a few years ago, new qualified accountants were getting 60k, maybe it was 40k-45k.
And I don't think it's as low as 25k

It's somewhere in the middle

And financial services is definitely picking up. It was one of the fastest industries to contract it's one of the fastest to expand again

ah sure three years ago newly qualified accountants were employed in corporate lending with no experience of the area at 60k, i was part-qualified and on 40k and am now looking around the low to mid twenties.

financial services, one of the fastest to expand? try telling that to the 200 RBS workers being laid off.

Sephiroth_dude

Catmologen wrote: »

Seems to be plenty of funds jobs around for people with experience, the funds industry has rebounded well and is starting to pick up.

Whats a fund job?

suitseir

If any of you guys have no great 'ties' in this country, by the sounds of it, Dubai seems to be doing OK , despite the media coverage on its financials at the moment. I have heard of good job offers, but seemingly, the trick is to go out there on spec, network with the various Irish communities, and its literally jobs on the ground. Good tax free salaries as well.

I know if I was in a situation to do this, I would be gone in a flash.:D