How difficult is it to get a job in Ireland?

Deus Ex Machina

I only recently saw the unemployment statistics for Ireland, and I was shocked to see that it has topped 14%. The steady rise in unemployment rates makes pretty depressing reading. I have been in college and then abroad for a lot of the recessionary period, and thus I haven't been involved in much job hunting in Ireland.

Therefore I am wondering just how difficult it is to get a job in Ireland. Having spoken to friends, I've received mixed reports. Some have found jobs right after graduating, some returned to education because there was nothing available and other emigrated.

So, in general, for people with and without college backgrounds or skills, how difficult is finding a job in Ireland these days? What are your experiences?

Dermo

Deus Ex Machina wrote: »

I only recently saw the unemployment statistics for Ireland, and I was shocked to see that it has topped 14%. The steady rise in unemployment rates makes pretty depressing reading. I have been in college and then abroad for a lot of the recessionary period, and thus I haven't been involved in much job hunting in Ireland.

Therefore I am wondering just how difficult it is to get a job in Ireland. Having spoken to friends, I've received mixed reports. Some have found jobs right after graduating, some returned to education because there was nothing available and other emigrated.

So, in general, for people with and without college backgrounds or skills, how difficult is finding a job in Ireland these days? What are your experiences?

The number one thing that matters when getting a job is the industry you are looking for a job.
I work in IT. I mainly do consulting and programming. There are loads of jobs out there at all levels in IT.

Sonics2k

It really depends on where you are, and what qualifications you have.

If you're an average working guy, like myself, you'll find it much harder to find steady work.
Unfortunately I didn't go to college in my younger years, but have been working since the age of 16.
Despite my 10+ years of actually working, it can be a pain for me to even get a sales job in the city.

Bipolar Joe

It can be a pain. I've been out of work for a while now, going back to school now. Every interview I go to they ask "Why have you been out of work so long?" What am I gonna tell them? A lie, or do I say "Because none of you **** will fucking hire me."

Corruptedmorals

I'm finding it really hard to get a bog-standard retail job, and I have 3 years relevant retail experience- rejections without interview, rejections with interview, it's depressing.

jimmurt

For people without college backgrounds or skills, it's very difficult I would imagine.

The IT sector seems to be picking up, I got a job offer today . The position requires experience though.

Balloon Of a fish in C.

Ive heard of people getting some great jobs in the last few months ,but most labour intensive jobs are scarce.

RATM

Balloon Of a fish in C. wrote: »

Ive heard of people getting some great jobs in the last few months ,but most labour intensive jobs are scarce.

True, jobs in the service industries (hospitality, retail, etc) are difficult to come by as it construction. Otherwise the IT industry (and all its spin-offs- online sales and marketing, etc) are in a boom right now and companies are hiring left right and center. If you're a Java Developer with 5+ years experience I could have you a job in less than a week, programmers are in HUGE demand, so much so that we are now having to go down to Spain/Eastern Europe to get them up here to work.

The Internet Explorer

What is this peculiar word job you talk of ?

accensi0n

There's lots of IT jobs out there at the moment. Plenty where I work. PM me for details.

Deus Ex Machina

Balloon Of a fish in C. wrote: »

Ive heard of people getting some great jobs in the last few months ,but most labour intensive jobs are scarce.

Labour intensive?

Nolanger

If you're into IT and are a self starter it's easy to find a job. If you're a brainwashed drone who memorised the Leaving Cert and expects everything in life then it's difficult to find work.

phasers

Nolanger wrote: »

If you're into IT and are a self starter it's easy to find a job. If you're a brainwashed drone who memorised the Leaving Cert and expects everything in life then it's difficult to find work.

So they're the only two options? If you don't like IT then you're fcuked basically?

Bollox to that, I'm emigrating.

ILikeBananas

What's the story with grad jobs in the IT sector? It seems that most jobs require experience.

pljudge321

Seems to be lots going if you have a good degree in electronic or electrical engineering.

Lady von Purple

Got 2 rejection emails today. I'm applying for jobs I'm qualified for, that I have experience in, that I'm interested in spending a few years in. I'm also applying for shops, bars, hotels, anything. If only I was in IT, sounds like I'd be sorted then. ;(

kjmbreslin

Jobs in ireland are hard got by. I have yet to get a position related to my degree, but have worked as a sales rep and more recently in a local fish factory. Although I am very frustrated in not securing work in my chosen field I have bridged the gap between education and a full time job in my sector by doing voluntary work experience one day a week for over a year now.

I feel like we are on the crest of a wave in this little country, hard to know if things are going to get better or worse in the future which will affect the jobs prospects in the country, but I believe we all are genuinely trying our best to get by day by day and earn a few bob.

And by reading other posts on boards it is obvious that alot of people seem to think that its as simple as emigrating but some of us have genuine commitments here at home which makes the thought of moving away all the more harder. I feel that people who would rather stay at home than moving away should be allowed to do so. I would go as far as to say that I should not be forced out of my home, the country I love over the head of the carless bankers in this country who have cippled our country. Therefore I will say 'NO' to anybody who says you should move abroad. I am going to stay here and take any job and keep up my voluntary work until things mend be it 5, 10 or 15 years!!!

There are jobs out there as alot of people have said, mostly IT, or pharmaceutical mostly which is great for any people qualified in these sectors. There are still sales jobs and the like out there for the rest of us

the groutch

there are jobs out there, they might not be the highest paying ever, but it's better than sitting on your arse all day
unfortunately there are too many lazy cnuts who have made the dole their "lifestyle choice" and us hardworking indivuals will have to finance them for the foreseeable future

Tauriel

Well I wasn't able to get work experience at all. Even said on CVs I would do it for free. I've been told because I have no relevant work experience in the accounting/finance field I will not get a job when I finish my degree next year.

From my own experience I find it doesn't matter what you know but who you know

admiralofthefleet

there is plenty of work in the catering sector at the moment

mackg

Nolanger wrote: »

If you're into IT and are a self starter it's easy to find a job. If you're a brainwashed drone who memorised the Leaving Cert and expects everything in life then it's difficult to find work.

Brainwashed by who? What are you on about? The first sentence makes sense and the second half of the second second sentence has potential if it was attached to something else.

Jam

It's interesting to see how these trends go.

I remember in secondary circa 2000~ IT was where it was at, Ireland the e-hub of Europe and all that. Doing my LC in 2003 it was starting to drop off because of the oversaturation of IT grads in the market and now there's a shortfall.

Since everyone has been doing business, cos sure aren't we all going to be businessmen, selling, trading, living the high life? Now there's an overabundance of business grads (a useless crop of eejits at any stage), and they're crying out for IT grads again.

And at all stages the sciences were never popular and business have been begging for grads for decades, and only now is it picking up because of the good-jobbers (which is a poor motivation in itself.)

Eric Cartman

Jobs in IT - you want fat stacks, its the place to go

ethical

virtually nothing in construction,IT seems to be the way to go

strobe

One thing that annoys me is one of my good friends boyfriend, who is qualified as an accountant but has struggled to get work for a while, was always complaining about having no work and having to be on the dole so she asked me as a favour if I could get him any work. I rang around and managed to land him a guaranteed job order picking in a factory run by a friend of mine, decent money, not going to make you a millionaire but above minimum wage, all he had to do was ring the boss and it was his and he turned it down because he "didn't spend 4 years in college to drag boxes around".

That attitude really fucking pissed me off no end. I really hope this "I want to work but not in a job that's beneath me" shite isn't common...

everyone wants actuaries

Sonnenblumen

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

there is plenty of work in the catering sector at the moment

two sugars please:)

Dionysus

Without meaning to sound brash, what's keeping so many single people here? There are places in the world with really good standards of living where you could get a job worthy of your qualifications.

I can perfectly understand people with school-going kids or couples with commitments here not going, but single people have a whole world to go to.

PseudoFamous

Why is it that people complain about the difficulty of getting a job, when an unqualified teenager like me can get a job after only attending three interviews? I don't have anything that sets me apart from the crowd, but I still get a job? Try moar if you can't get one.

Dionysus

bluewolf wrote: »

everyone wants actuaries

One guy I know is on £190,000 per annum in Britain as an actuary. He even set up his own company to minimise his tax liability there, and he still hasn't got all his professional exams - I think he has three exams left but he has been doing them for about 10 years. Funny down-to-earth guy, too.

GLaDOS

PseudoFamous wrote: »

Why is it that people complain about the difficulty of getting a job, when an unqualified teenager like me can get a job after only attending three interviews? I don't have anything that sets me apart from the crowd, but I still get a job? Try moar if you can't get one.

If you are over qualified places might be reluctant to take you as they know you'll be off once something better comes up

Dionysus

PseudoFamous wrote: »

Why is it that people complain about the difficulty of getting a job, when an unqualified teenager like me can get a job after only attending three interviews? I don't have anything that sets me apart from the crowd, but I still get a job? Try moar if you can't get one.

How much are you being paid? If you're 25 or 35 you'll usually have financial commitments that wouldn't allow you to accept the €10 an hour or whatever that an 'unqualified teenager' living at home without bills would be paid.

phasers

strobe wrote: »

One thing that annoys me is one of my good friends boyfriend, who is qualified as an accountant but has struggled to get work for a while, was always complaining about having no work and having to be on the dole so she asked me as a favour if I could get him any work. I rang around and managed to land him a guaranteed job order picking in a factory run by a friend of mine, decent money, not going to make you a millionaire but above minimum wage, all he had to do was ring the boss and it was his and he turned it down because he "didn't spend 4 years in college to drag boxes around".

That attitude really fucking pissed me off no end. I really hope this "I want to work but not in a job that's beneath me" shite isn't common...

Report him to the dole, they'll cut off his payments and he'll soon be begging to drag boxes around

Dionysus

ScienceNerd wrote: »

If you are over qualified places might be reluctant to take you as they know you'll be off once something better comes up

This, too. Plenty of people just omit qualifications and experiences from their cvs which might render them "overqualified" for a position.

mfceiling

Offered a job for next week.
2 sets of house plans to price for work sent yesterday.
Plans for a nursing home to be emailed to me tomorrow.
Working 6 days a week to get caught up and my phone still keeps ringing with offers.

I'm in construction...

parker kent

the groutch wrote: »

unfortunately there are too many lazy cnuts who have made the dole their "lifestyle choice" and us hardworking indivuals will have to finance them for the foreseeable future

Lines like that píssed me off no end when I was unemployed. There are a vast number of people who are not unemployed for "lifestyle" reasons.

Micky Dolenz

Thankfully I have always had a job but if it went tomorrow I would scrape chewing gum off the streets to earn some cash.

GULLION

Out of work for three years, and finding unteen excuses , too experienced , Not enough experience, Didn't work for a multinational, Previous companies to big or small. salary expectations to high ( although never asked what they were), Would I be embarrased working for a low salary (they should have been embarrassed that they were paying a low salary) In short you are 53 so please F@@! off. However my son finished Uni in May and starts work next week, his first interview, didn't get the job he applied for but was offered another, ( Nine months contract but could extend, )

Micky Dolenz

GULLION wrote: »

Out of work for three years, and finding unteen excuses , too experienced , Not enough experience, Didn't work for a multinational, Previous companies to big or small. salary expectations to high ( although never asked what they were), Would I be embarrased working for a low salary (they should have been embarrassed that they were paying a low salary) In short you are 53 so please F@@! off. However my son finished Uni in May and starts work next week, his first interview, didn't get the job he applied for but was offered another, ( Nine months contract but could extend, )

That excuse would piss me off no end, but I can see why businesses use it. They know as soon as a better/more suitable job comes up, you'd be gone and they'd have to start the recruitment process again. which can be costly.

GULLION

Yes you would, but what experience have you with chewing gum, Have you ever opperated a scraper. Tried to get a job walking dogs, (I have dogs) AND DIDNT QUALIFY
I too would scrape gum or dog pooh but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting to get the interview. I'd love to know how the Polish Latvians etc manage to get the jobs, I not a racist, but how the hell do they do it.

flas

strobe wrote: »

One thing that annoys me is one of my good friends boyfriend, who is qualified as an accountant but has struggled to get work for a while, was always complaining about having no work and having to be on the dole so she asked me as a favour if I could get him any work. I rang around and managed to land him a guaranteed job order picking in a factory run by a friend of mine, decent money, not going to make you a millionaire but above minimum wage, all he had to do was ring the boss and it was his and he turned it down because he "didn't spend 4 years in college to drag boxes around".

That attitude really fucking pissed me off no end. I really hope this "I want to work but not in a job that's beneath me" shite isn't common...

if he doesnt want the job id fekin well do it! any wage is better than the dole..

jive

Someone rang me today to ask could they work weekends in September. That to me exhibits laziness and as a result I gave them a straight up no.

Also because we don't open on weekends.... trollface.jpg

Clareboy

If you are over 40, male and Irish, you can forget about getting a job in Ireland. That's the reality of life in the New Ireland.

starlit

It's fairly hard. A few years ago it was a lot easier to get interviews and go straight into a job after one or two interviews whether experienced or not now its a lot harder to get interviews but not just that its harder to get a job even after a number of interviews you have at least surpass way more than three interviews to at least get a job. A cv, work experience and qualifications alone isn't enough to get the interviews you have to be seen as the right candidate.

Basically up against the job criteria rather than other candidates even though they are your competition, if you meet all the job requirements and tick the boxes then you are a likely candidate but if you aren't the right candidate despite everything else whether you do a good or bad interview the chances are slim of getting the job since you aren't the right person for the role even if you meet all the requirements and everything else. You might think you are competing against other candidates which of course in theory you are but in reality you are competing against the criteria which you are measured up against not just the other candidates. It's likely they have a candidate picked out and let the rest measure up against them before employers make the decision to hire them.

You could have a great interview but not get a job more likely you will get one but all depends how everything else is weighed up.
You could have a bad interview and get a job but more likely you will not get the job.

You could meet the criteria, work experience and qualifications but not be the right candidate.
You could be the right candidate, have the work experience and qualifications and meet the criteria and get the job but you might not have all those elements if you are missing one you will not get the job despite everything else.

You could be the right candidate but something could put the spanner in the works because you don't have enough experience or not the right or most up to date qualifications or that you meet most of the criteria but miss one or two.

Keep applying for jobs and not give up, if you are getting interviews then its a good sign its a matter of selling yourself and pitching yourself as being the right candidate that they want to hire. Think positive! For every rejection you get closer and closer to getting your dream job or at least get to a stage where someone has to hire you regardless how long you have been employed or unemployed. Looking at all avenues like night courses, part-time courses once they are relevant to your career field they are worth doing if not if its a means of learning something new then why not! Whether its an educational course or not you should try doing something new at least like learn a new language/skill/hobby.

Voluntary work I don't mean the WPP's in this case but voluntary work with charity be worth considering otherwise look into the unpaid internships whether they are general ones or wpp's/job-bridge. Perhaps travel, move to somewhere new or emigrate for a short while! There isn't much else you can do except living your life and trying things out, you never know unless you don't try! Its worth the risk!

Its a little harder for say new graduates and those in the early, latter stages of their career that is the toughest for those in that category other than those who have a family its a lot harder for them. The thing is it's tough for everyone no matter what age they are no matter how well qualified or not or no matter how experienced they are or not we are all in the same boat as unemployment has its affected everyone in the majority of professions in some way or another despite some career fields not as badly affected they are still affected some way. Created a domino affect if you like.

Its a shame really, have been stunned by the high rise in unemployment here but we mustn't give up hope!

Best of luck to al of us in our quest for work!