Life After The Leaving Cert

Pathways and Crossroads.

Now that the leaving cert results have been announced there will be many graduates facing different choices and pathways. Some of these decisions will be determined by expected outcomes whereas for others this moment will bring uncertainty. There may be the need to reassess where to go from here. Perhaps for some this will be the first time in their lives where thinking outside of previous expectation is required. For others, it will be one step further along a chosen path.

Follow Your Heart.

There are many famous instances where classroom ability fails to reflect the intelligence, ingenuity, and potential of a student. Albert Einstein’s poor schooling record, which included an expulsion, is the perfect example. A more recent entrepreneur who did not receive a degree was Steve Jobs who had this to say, “Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other opinions drown your inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Reflect, Act and Believe.

Today might be the day when you decide upon your dream and begin to pursue it. Or, maybe it will be the day you realise that the dream you thought you wanted is not for you. However, at moments like this, it is always beneficial to reflect upon where to go next. Perhaps you will look back upon your schooling and find yourself exactly where you want to be. Or maybe you will decide to move in an entirely new direction. The world is full of dream jobs waiting to be filled, and you may become the new Steve Jobs or Sheryl Sandberg or you may not. In the words of Anatole France, “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan but also believe.” Remember no matter what, tomorrow is the beginning of whatever you want it to be.

Construction Industry Using Apps & Games to Recruit Future Talent

Strong Construction Growth Expected

Figures released for July 2016 show that the construction industry continues to grow steadily. The statistics were released by the Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers Index and were compiled by senior economists at the bank. This is very encouraging news as many had predicted a decline following the first composition of data following the Brexit. Although economic predictors remain cautious there is a growing optimism that the construction sector will continue to experience strong growth going forward.  Simon Barry, Ulster Bank’s chief economist in the Republic of Ireland said that new orders have risen to their highest level since March.

New Construction Employees Needed

This predicted growth in the construction industry has led The Chartered Institute of Building to develop a novel new app based on the Minecraft video game in order to train and eventually recruit the next generation of architects and construction employees. In the UK alone, for example, over 400’000 construction workers will retire between 2018 and 2023, which will create an unprecedented vacuum in the industry unless planned for today. The app is called Craft Your Future and can be accessed at ciobmc.org. Minecraft is an open-world building game which allows participants to plan, design and construct everything from houses and skyscrapers to entire cities incorporating electricity grids and water systems.

Minecraft Designs Inspiring Architecture

According to the CIOB, construction sector employees of the future will need such diverse skills such as digital construction technologies, sustainability planning and logistics, just to name three. All of these areas are incorporated into the Minecraft app and already solid results are being observed. At a recent house design competition in the UK four of the finalists were designed using Minecraft.  Even more impressive is the feat of Guy MacDonnell, a quantity surveyor for Interserve Construction who won a major construction award for designing and building an update of the CCTV Tower in Beijing using Minecraft.  Going forward, Irish recruitment companies and the construction industry itself will be able to access, examine and recommend online portfolio’s of prospective jobseekers which are already being uploaded onto the CIOB website. 

Job Hopping Affecting Recruiters & Human Resources

1 in 3 Irish Jobseekers Are Job Hopping In The First Year 

Figures by The American Bureau of Labour Statistics have backed up what many Irish recruitment agencies and HR professionals have noticed recently, namely that job hopping, particularly in the cases of young women, is rising dramatically.

They found that the average time a person spends in a job is 4.4 years but in the cases of young employees, this time, length is halved. In Ireland, 1 in 3 job seekers will move job within the first year. Regarding reasoning, salary, change of location and fresh motivation are listed as the primary factors behind these statistics. But are these reasons actually beneficial to job seekers in the long term?

Red Lights Upon CV Appraisal

There is no doubt that the allure of new experiences can broaden horizons and add to a CV skill-set but along with restarting in a new job comes having to adapt to new rules and to fit into an already existing work environment. Valid questions are also being asked by recruitment agencies and Human Resource professionals when it comes to the appraisal of a CV that shows a clear pattern of switching jobs over the short term. How a recruiter’s recommendation might impact upon any future relationship between the agency and the company is one prominent concern, but a recruiter may also become suspicious about the reasons behind so many job changes. Many Human Resource professionals will look at this information as a potential sign of previous strife and an inability to adapt and stay motivated.      

Innovation Encourages Loyalty

Xerox’s Chief of Marketing Christa Carone has come up with some possible solutions to ensure that employees feel less need to change jobs which Irish recruiters and employers can integrate into work environments and when weighing up the suitability of prospective candidates. Carone cites clear communication, applying to both management, recruiter and employee, and the encouragement of new ideas. She also advises entrepreneurial side projects to create innovation and leadership. These tactics help in fostering motivation and loyalty in the work environment, reducing the need to job hop.    

Nursing and Midwife Opportunities in Demand.

This week saw the release of disappointing figures illustrating just how difficult it has been for the Irish Government to fill nursing and midwife positions in Irish hospitals. According to The Irish Nurse and Midwives Organisation (INMO), there are now around 630 vacancies for nurses and midwives in Irish public hospitals alone. This may not come as a surprise in some quarters, but it has resulted in the Irish government offering full-time employment to all graduating nurses from this autumn.

International opportunities a threat.

While this offer might seem to be the ideal solution to the demands currently placed on the Irish public healthcare sector, in fact, it may not be enough to solve the recruitment problems Irish hospitals now face. Last April, for example, saw health employers from the UK, Singapore and Australia compete to attract Irish nurses at a health care expo in Dublin’s RDS. This demonstrates the current level of competition in the sector and is perhaps most ably illustrated by the Irish government’s attempts to attract nurses back to the HSE from abroad last year. A target of 500 job posts was created but according to The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, only 90 vacancies were initially filled. That figure has now been reduced again to 45 as half of the nurses originally employed have since left Irish posts and returned to positions abroad.

Attractive packages will entice more applicants.

Outside of the public healthcare system nursing graduates will also have the enticement of attractive packages from the private sector. In many circumstances, the appeal will include location, flexible working hour’s as well subsidised accommodation. If we also consider more attractive tax conditions and lifestyle factors such as climate to a prospective employer’s package, then the competition for nursing graduates will become even harder for the public sector to compete with. It is estimated that roughly 800 Irish nurses will retire this year alone which will create even more opportunities not only for new graduates but for experienced nurses and midwives to move into positions currently held by long-term and specialised staff.
There will certainly be huge competition for nurses and midwives after graduation this autumn.