Confidence & Change

Changing Circumstances

In last week’s Blog we spoke about taking advantage of seasonal circumstances to apply for new positions. Recruitment leaders see the drop-off in applications as often being advantageous to job seekers. Before making a change, many applicants find that they face an unexpected barrier, particularly if they have been in the same job for a long time. This unforeseen obstacle is confidence. There will always be a sense of trepidation when deciding to change your circumstances and this is entirely natural.

Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post, has summed this up well in a recent quote where she writes, “Fearlessness is not the absence of fear. It’s the mastery of fear. It’s about getting up one more time than we fall down.”

Business Confidence

On November 28^th the Bank of Ireland released their Economic Pulse. This survey found that two in five Irish businesses expect to increase investment spending in 2017. Alongside this news were the results of a British business survey conducted by Lloyds Bank which found that 37% of UK firms expect business prospects to improve and 47% citing confidence in an upbeat economy.

At Elk Recruitment, we believe that this augers well for job seekers looking to approach recruitment agencies, and applicants looking to change their circumstances.

In the same survey, the construction sector, one of Elk Recruitment’s speciality areas, revised previous growth forecasts upwards a further 3%, from 25% last year, to 28% this year and this confidence allows job seekers in this sector to feel less apprehensive about changing position and to know that there is an assured stability for applicants.

Finally, in Germany, business confidence is stable at the highest level since 2014 according to recent figures released by the Munich-based IFO institute. The Bundesbank reaffirmed these finding by stating that growth is strengthening “considerably”.

Deciding on Change   

When deciding to change job, an applicant can feel more confident when business leaders and recruitment agencies themselves share that same mindset. Change is not always easy but in the words of Thomas Edison, “If we did everything we were capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.”

Job Resolutions

Elk Recruitment Job Resolutions

As we approach the end of another year, many people will be making resolutions regarding job changes, and here at Elk Recruitment, we have been examining what business leaders say about the best time of the year to look for a new job.

The results are surprising in many cases, but the one constant factor is that by staying attentive and ahead of the curve you can maximize your chances of finding the ideal position. The first piece of advice is to realize that instead of waiting until January to begin your job search, December is seen by many top recruitment firms as an often overlooked window when it comes to job seeking.

Less December Competition

Joe Weinlick, of Beyond Career Network, told Business Insider recently that there is often a drop-off in job seekers during the month of December so there is less competition for positions. This factor can make your CV stand out, and with fewer applicants, many firms are under pressure to fill positions more quickly. By moving your new job resolution forward from January to December, you are immediately giving yourself an advantage.

Echoing this advice, Kathleen Brady, author of ‘Get a Job!10 Steps to Career Success’, writes that many employers need to hire before January begins or risk losing budget funds for new employees.

According to a recent UK survey, changing job is the fourth most popular New Year resolution, so why wait until everybody else becomes the increased competition?

Over at CareerSidekick.com, they narrow down the December window even further by honing in on the last two weeks as being when you will have more attention placed on your application and will be ahead of the competition if new hiring takes place in January.   

It’s All about You

Ultimately, you are the best judge as to when you should start seeking a new job. Advice from experts, in this case, is best understood as a rough guide only. If you are currently thinking about a new job resolution, contact Elk Recruitment, where we are ready to assist with your search.  

Why Choose Facade & Fenestration

Passport to the Future

Writing for Business Insider recently, Richard Branson listed his ten favorite quotes relating to business and life. While all of these quotes are inspirational in their own way, when it comes to opportunities in the façade and fenestration sector, one particular quote stands out, “A year from now you will wish you had started today.”-Karen Lamb.

Here at Elk Recruitment, we see opportunities in façade and fenestration sector as potential passports to the future in their own right. For an ambitious candidate, the façade and fenestration industry offers exciting job openings worldwide to rival any other in the construction and building sector.

No Slowdown     

Earlier this year, Bruce Shaw’s Derek Scully warned that the shortage of skilled glazers had the potential to hurt the construction industry and since then the job opportunities have only increased. Internationally, the façade and fenestration sector continues to grow exponentially, and Elk Recruitment is one of the best places to stay up to date with career opportunities.

In the Middle East, façade work at the new Dubai wharf is still ongoing, and the new Mall of Oman development is scheduled to begin in early 2017. This will be part of a massive $1.3 billion investment which will also include the construction of City Centre, Sohar.

The coated flat glass market is expected to rise to $34.4 billion by 2021 according to Research and Markets. This will be driven by new smart glass regulations and advancements in façade and fenestration worldwide.

In Australia, the government recently listed façade and fenestration as one of the most future-proof occupations. The demand for glazing experts shows no sign of slowing down, and as glass itself becomes more technical, this will only increase the need for a more skilled workforce.

Stateside, the city of San Francisco, listed the upgrading of façade and fenestration as one potential enhancement to kerb greenhouse gases. Jobs will be created through installation, operation and maintenance of new and upgraded building systems.

Elk Opportunities Worldwide

For further information relating to the façade and fenestration sector, and the jobs available worldwide, why not contact Elk Recruitment today.

Ireland's MedTech Employment Progress

Prime Position

One of the most exciting and fast moving industry in the Irish economy is that of the MedTech sector. At Elk Recruitment, we pride ourselves on being one of the leading agencies when it comes to MedTech jobs. As Ireland happens to be at the forefront of new business and enterprise in this sector, this leaves Elk Recruitment in a prime position to offer job seekers the very latest opportunities and career moves in the MedTech sector.

Back in February of this year, the Irish Medical Devises Association (IMDA) announced a four-year plan to consolidate Ireland’s place as a new hub for the industry. As more MedTech and Pharmaceutical firms announce new plans and jobs on a weekly basis, we can see that this strategy is already working. At this moment in time, Ireland is the second largest MedTech employer in Europe, lying behind Switzerland on a per-capita basis. This may change if Ireland continues to experience high growth beyond the current rate of 5.5% per year.

Regional Focus

This week, Galway MedTech company, Neuravi, secured 15 million in funding from IPF Partners in Luxemburg. Neuravi will use this funding to commercialise its clot retrieval product, Embotrap. Also in Galway, MedTech firm, Signum Surgical, recently announced that it had raised 2.6 million Euro from investors. One of Signum’s recent developments is an implant to promote healing and prevent reinfection in colorectal conditions.

Moving to Dublin, UCD MedTech spin-out company, Kinesis, has announced that it has raised 590’000 Euro to expand its global sales reach.

Ireland currently has over 450 companies employing 30’000 people in the MedTech sector, including 17 of the world’MedTec 25 leading MedTech multinationals. One of the advantages Ireland holds is its regional focus: The Irish Medical Device Association estimates that currently, 80% of companies are start-ups with nationwide locations.

Vast Experience

When it comes to liaising and collaborating with firms in this sector, Elk Recruitment’s vast expertise in the MedTech sector gives us a distinct advantage. Elk Recruitment has the knowledge and competency to offer the right candidate the best possible avenue to employment in this area.      

Deconstructing the Brexit

Conflicting Reports

In the aftermath of the Brexit, one of the recurring questions we at Elk Recruitment continue to receive is how the construction sector will be affected. Conflicting reports regularly appear in the media, and for graduates, job seekers and those still studying construction-related subjects, the sector seems to be in a state of flux. Looking at recent job announcements and projections; however, Elk Recruitment has every reason to be optimistic about the construction sector going forward. This growth extends to every aspect of the building industry including, façade and fenestration alongside new, ambitious build announcements worldwide.

Apprentice Figures Fall

Applying this optimism to Ireland, a recent study by DKM economic consultants predicted that over 76’000 additional construction workers will be needed over the next four years. As we have written about in a previous Blog, the level of apprentices has reduced drastically over the last decade, so a new strategy will be needed to find new workers. In 2007 there were over 20’000 construction apprentices, whereas today that figure is below 5’000.   A venture by the UK’s National Construction College is finding a novel way to tackle this problem. They have taken 84 second year undergraduate students and challenged them to manage and build physical construction projects and complete company assignments within a designated time-frame. This practical approach allowed students to understand the challenges of working within both a planning and physical environment. Students were taught in everything from health and safety to working with power tools and even trucks, excavators and cranes. Utilising a similar approach may attract more Irish apprentices to the construction sector.

Continual Growth

On a daily basis, construction projects continue to be announced, such as Ireland’s fourth largest hotel adjacent to Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport. This project will employ 150 construction workers until the hotel’s opening date in 2019. Accompanying this news was the prediction by The Irish Tourist Industry Confederation that an extra 5000 hotel bedrooms would be needed in Dublin alone by the year 2020.   At Elk Recruitment, even after the Brexit, we can only foresee continual growth for the construction sector. 

Age & Opportunity

Staying in Jobs

As more and more workers are staying in jobs beyond the previous retirement age, this can offer firms a wealth of experience from the employer’s side, and also allow older employees opportunities in terms of new skills and, indeed, new careers.  According to William Fry’s 2016 Employment Report: Age In The Workplace, 48% of organisations, do not have a mandatory retirement age at all. Another stand-out statistic was that 63% of older employees do not wish to, nor expect to be in a financial position to retire at the current state pension age.

Security and Opportunity

This trend is reflected in worldwide statistics and is not just an Irish phenomenon. The U.S. Census Bureau is predicting a 5% rise in workers over the age of 65 by the year 2022. This makes this particular age group the fastest growing in the American economy. Another example of this trend is in Korea where new figures show that 37% of new employees are now over the age of 50.  A recent poll by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) showed that more than seven in 10 human resource professionals believe the loss of skilled older workers is “a potential problem” for their particular sectors. As the number of industries looking to keep or employ experienced employees increases, this offers older employees opportunities in terms of learning new skills, changing job or even changing career.  For employers, the benefits of hiring an older employee are easy to see. An employer can determine how loyal a candidate is. This is not the case with a graduate. An older employee also has the potential to be more flexible as their family circumstances may be more stable than a younger employee. Giving older employees opportunities also creates the ‘mentor factor’ where younger employees can gain the wisdom and insights of someone who has a depth of life experience.

Changing Perception

As a new perception of today’s workforce dynamic begins to emerge, both employers and employees alike can benefit. Opportunities for older employees can help transition a company through the current economic climate by contributing stability, wisdom and experience.    

Career Guidance

Setting Goals

The Italian artist and architect, Michelangelo, once said this about setting goals, “The greatest danger for most of us is not setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.” For many people, unfortunately, this observation remains all too real. Sometimes it is our unwillingness or inability to see our full potential that holds us back, and we stay in a rut, not realising that we are capable of so much more. At Elk Recruitment, career guidance is a process that we have been complimented on many times. Our expertise in the recruitment process means that we can offer forward-thinking advice to candidates and draw from our international experience when it comes to choosing a new job and a new career path.

Changing Direction

The façade and fenestration industry, which is one of Elk Recruitment’s niche area’s of expertise, is a perfect example of a potential career path which can incorporate new, exciting skills with a solid foundational platform. Elk Recruitment career guidance in this area is unique in that we are in constant communication with leading companies at the forefront of this sector. We are seeing and recruiting new skill combinations for an industry that is foreseeing whole new career trajectories opening up because of technological patterns and breakthroughs. The Smart Cities Mission urban renewal project in India is an excellent example. This ambitious development envisions a multitask approach to planning, building and conservation which will incorporate a skill-set involving façade and fenestration, power and water supply, IT connectivity and the latest MedTech and citizen safety attributes.

A New Path

Taking a chance on a new path can be a risk, but if you feel it is time for a change, then Elk Recruitment career guidance can offer practical advice based on years of multi-industry experience. Until we take that first step, we will not know what opportunities await us. 

Another quote from Michelangelo is a fitting final say and sums this up perfectly,

“The marble not yet carved can hold the form of every thought the greatest artist has.”

Elk Recruitment, Niche Recruitment

As the economic climate continues to improve worldwide, here at Elk Recruitment, we are continuing to set the pace in relation to the recruitment and placement of candidates. In particular, our niche recruitment and area’s of expertise consist of façade and fenestration, construction and MedTech are all sectors in which the global market expects to see strong growth in the second half of this decade. 

Job Rise Optimism

This week, American statistics relating to construction provided more good news. September construction alone added over 23’000 new jobs, according to the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Construction employment in The United States is now at its highest level since 2008. Another factor to consider is that pay increases are continuing to hold steady in this sector at almost 3% per year. This optimism is reflected in the Irish construction sector with CIF President, Michael Stone, expecting that 75’000 jobs can be created by the year 2020.  There was also positive news in relation to world façade and fenestration, another Elk Recruitment niche recruitment area. The Indian government’s target for over 20 ‘Smart Cities’ to be constructed will require a radical increase in the use of aluminium and other environmentally friendly construction factors. The trend for high-rise buildings will require thousands of jobs within the façade, glazing, roofing and cladding sectors. India Inc. this week identified five essential upgrades which will be required for ‘Smart Cities’. There are water, power, broadband, environment and housing.  Meanwhile, the MedTech industry continues to go from strength to strength. Brian Cole, Managing Partner and Medical Device Practice Leader at Kaye/Bassman International said that there are simply not enough qualified candidates to fill MedTech positions at this time.  Cole summed up the situation by saying, “Every company and region I am aware of is looking for talent and having a difficult time getting it.”

Career Solutions

Elk Recruitment’s niche recruitment areas of expertise are some of the fastest growing job sectors today. An examination of the latest statistics shows that this trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, which is great new for our clients and candidates.

Construction Sector Encouraging Female Applicants

AECOM Warning

There was some surprise this week when government figures were released showing that only 1% of apprentices are women. Out of 9’587 apprentices, only 52 were female.

One area where this gender imbalance is having a huge effect is the construction sector.

Last week, AECOM released a statement which included the following warning, “The construction sector in Ireland must improve gender diversity if it is to tackle the industry-wide skills shortage.” At the moment, men account for 90% of the construction sector’s employee’s.

Speaking Out

Speaking ahead of UK Construction Week, which runs from October 18^th at the NEC, Birmingham, Director, Nathan Garnett is encouraging more women to consider construction as a career. UK Construction Week is hoping to change the image of the sector and make it more attractive to female applicants. It is estimated that in Britain alone over 250’000 new construction jobs will be created over the next five years. This is a huge opportunity for apprentices and graduates. This is echoed by an Irish Director of AECOM, John O Reagan.

O Reagan believes that flexible hours, days worked and the option for working from home can attract women to various construction sectors. AECOM have set themselves a target of making 40% of their European staff women by 2020. Like the UK, the projection for Irish construction jobs is also high, and with over 80’000 new jobs expected to be created by 2020, O Reagan believes that it is only through diversity and overcoming previous biases that we will manage to fill these vacancies.

One innovative element of AECOM’s recruitment strategy is to raise the profile of its female employees in order to encourage others into the construction and property sector.

Career Profile

Casey Elsby, a crane operator with construction firm Laing O’ Rourke, believes that choosing a construction career path can be of huge benefit to women and will strengthen and diversify a person’s career profile. With women making up half of the overall career pool, the construction sector cannot afford to ignore such numbers based on the job vacancy projections currently being forecast.

Growth In Irish Med-Tech

Skill Combination

This week saw further announcements of Irish MedTech Growth and new jobs within the medical-technology industry. As a leading recruitment firm in this sector, Elk Recruitment continues to notice particular trends which are becoming more prevalent and which can benefit a candidate tremendously. One factor which offers a significant advantage is that of having a combination of skills. The candidate with a broad knowledge base is being sought more often by the medical-technology industry as it expands into utilising multi-skilled employees in this growing sector.

New Job Announcements

Three examples of Irish MedTech Growth were announced by the IDA this week which demonstrates this trend. Fazzi Healthcare, a US company from Northampton, Massachusetts, announced the creation of a new medical coding centre in Limerick. Fazzi currently provides healthcare and coding services to countries around the world, but it is the first time a medical coding company has set-up in Ireland. This combination of medical technology and computer coding will be overseen by The World Health Organisation, and the company intend to create over 300 jobs in Ireland over the next five years. A second example of Irish MedTech Growth was the announcement by Mallinckrodt, a specialist pharmaceutical company, of a state of the art medical device research facility in Blanchardstown. This facility will create 40 new jobs combining research and development with expert engineering. This trend towards multi-skills was summed up by Mallinckrodt’s Managing Director, Dr David Keenan, when he said, “We’ll have different area’s working on similar products, but with different functions.”  Finally, Australian listed company, Oneview Healthcare announced plans for 50 new jobs in its Dublin office and 50 more for international posts this year. One view creates software for the healthcare industry and has recently signed new contracts with a range of US hospital groups.

Emerging Niche Sectors

At Elk Recruitment, we pride ourselves on our experience and insight when it comes to trends in technology and business, and spotting spikes in the jobs market such as Irish MedTech Growth. We are at the forefront of the recruitment industry and ideally placed to take advantage of these exciting and emerging niche sectors.
As Albert Einstein said,

“A ship is always safe at the shore, but that is not what ships were built for.”