Engineering networking in Ireland

PittIsIt

I've been trying for some time to secure a user for my chemical engineer's degree in Ireland.

Easy enough right?

The catch is that I'm not in Ireland, nor Europe at all. I'm finding that securing work in Europe as an American citizen, especially without 20+ years experience, is downright impossible.

My thought here is that I'm never really going to break into any job market the traditional way because the job agencies flat out have too many candidates they look at on a daily basis, and add an American I get pushed to the bottom. Fact of life, and I'm dealing with it.

So I wanted to get myself out there through direct networking. Most of the friends I've made in Ireland aren't engineers, and don't know any, and as far as I've seen LinkedIn isn't much help until you know where to look.

I think what I'm asking for is just that: where do I look? Does any have means / contacts / straight up advice on how to get my CV to a real hiring person, so that I won't be doomed to be weeded out in the placement agencies thanks to my citizenship.

It's a big ask so thank you to anyone who can lend a hand.

2011

As an American citizen can you get a visa that allows you to work in the EU?

PittIsIt

2011 wrote: »

As an American citizen can you get a visa that allows you to work in the EU?

I'm supposed to be able to get one thanks to chemical engineers being on the needed skills list, and I wouldn't need to go through the usual work permit / needs test, but I would need to be hired into a position before that takes effect. As it is, since the grand majority of these positions go through placement companies, they tend to not consider American applicants since it probably wouldn't be worth the additional time and effort. This is mostly just be putting together what I'm being told from a number of sources.

That's the main crux of why I want to get my credentials in front of someone directly who hires so I can really show I'm serious about this.

Shy Ted

Can you contact a recruiter relevant to your field or someone that's advertising a position?

I think speaking with them first makes your application more personable, and if you've got the qualifications & experience, they're more likely to consider you as a potential candidate.

PittIsIt

Shy Ted wrote: »

Can you contact a recruiter relevant to your field or someone that's advertising a position?

I think speaking with them first makes your application more personable, and if you've got the qualifications & experience, they're more likely to consider you as a potential candidate.

Again, that's well and good, but the recruiters I've talked to have said they are basically told to put foreign candidates at the bottom of the list regardless of qualifications, because being native Irish or European is the most important factor.

In this light I wanted to try getting my CV directly in front of hiring managers that can actually invoke the "needed skills" visa process, etc.

godtabh

PittIsIt wrote: »

Again, that's well and good, but the recruiters I've talked to have said they are basically told to put foreign candidates at the bottom of the list regardless of qualifications, because being native Irish or European is the most important factor.

In this light I wanted to try getting my CV directly in front of hiring managers that can actually invoke the "needed skills" visa process, etc.

If there is a high volume of jobs and a low volume of candidates I would assume any candidate would do?

Best bet would be to ring and tell them you will be spending a time here for recruitment purposes and arrange interviews/networking around that.

Turbulent Bill

Maybe try directly applying to the big pharma companies directly, even speculatively. This cuts out the employment agencies as the companies should do their own hiring. They're also likely to have US offices and be used to accepting foreign employees.

PittIsIt

Turbulent Bill wrote: »

Maybe try directly applying to the big pharma companies directly, even speculatively. This cuts out the employment agencies as the companies should do their own hiring. They're also likely to have US offices and be used to accepting foreign employees.

That is one route I'd been trying to go, it seems really hard to get into pharma currently without pharma experience, and I'm guessing the entry level type jobs are flooded with young chemical engineers.

Just the typical hardship, I have experience but not the right kind.