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.”

Tough Interview Questions

Managers More Sophisticated

In a previous Blog post, we spoke about various preparation techniques which can help a candidate with nerves and apprehension relating to tough job interview questions. Recently, a survey published by Business Insider UK revealed that leading hiring managers are becoming even more sophisticated regarding gleaning information from candidates without candidates truly understanding the effect their answers can have. The reason for this, according to Tina Nicolai, founder of Resume Writers Ink, is to break through traditional interview “noise and clutter”. In other words, managers are aware that with so many free online interview tutorials available to candidates, answers to traditionally tough job interview questions can be rehearsed beforehand. This makes hiring decisions more difficult to negotiate.

First Five Minutes Crucial

A recent Harris Poll Survey is a telling dissection of employer’s attitudes to interviews, with 50% saying that they have decided upon a candidate’s suitability within the first five minutes.

Is this down to a flaw within a candidate’s interview strategy or attitude? Tellingly, it may connect to the topic of tough job interview questions. Richard Branson, writing in The Virgin Way: Everything I know About Leadership, has concluded that a manager cannot always believe what is written on a CV and suggests beginning an interview with a question like, “What didn’t you get a chance to write on your resume?” 

If this sounds like a question that might catch a candidate off-guard, then spare a thought for those interviewed by Elon Musk, the South African-born business magnate. Musk has used this geography riddle as one of his tough job interview questions, “You’re standing on the surface of the earth. You walk one mile south, one mile west, and one mile north. You end up exactly where you started. Where are you?”

The answer, by the way, is either the North or the South Pole.

The Best Advantage

Here at Elk Recruitment, our knowledge of the fast-moving recruitment environment differentiates us from our competitors. We strive to give all of our candidates the best advantage relating to industry knowledge, career advice and the best preparation for all of those tough job interview questions.