How Graduates are Recruiting YOU....

In response, and to support students during the downturn, Graduate Careers Ireland (GCI) is soon to launch a student handbook entitled ‘Focus for success in challenging times- the career navigation guide for students’. The handbook draws on the knowledge of third level careers advisors, industry experts, and psychology /counseling professionals. The aim of the handbook is to give students the tools and strategies to empower them to take ownership of their careers in the coming years, and to navigate through the current economic climate.

From an Employer and HR perspective, you will be aware that the traditional methods used by graduates for job searching is now changing. In addition, third level Careers Advisors are continuing to encourage students to be more proactive in their job hunting strategies. Below is an article written by David Barrett on behalf of Graduate Careers Ireland, which will be featured in the handbook, and will be launched shortly by GCI.

So what are Graduates been told? This excerpt from an article by David Barret sheds some light…..

Graduates — Maximise your employability and attractiveness

As one graduate recently said to me ‘It’s like Kaiser Sosa in the movie The Usual Suspects — one minute he was there and now he is gone’. I think this aptly sums up the state of affairs in relation to graduates seeking good quality entry level career options with the The Usual Suspects in banking, consulting, professional services, FMCG, and manufacturing all rowing back on hiring this year. Competition for available graduate placements is now fierce. We are seeing a massive increase in the number of applicants to companies that run dedicated graduate recruitment programmes. For example, in 2007 we saw an average of 12 applicants per vacancy. In 2008/09 that figure has jumped to 90 applicants for each vacancy. So, what does this mean for you and how should you navigate these choppy waters over the next two to three years? My suggestions are not a panacea for the world’s ills but they just might enable you to get that vital start on your career ladder.

Focus on export sales driven organisations

These companies are always growth and entrepreneurially oriented even in times of recession. If you have good written or verbal skills in a foreign language, this is a key selling point. So is having a technical degree in sciences, IT or engineering. Ireland is a major hub for European Operations Centres (EOCs) where these skills are in demand. You will find a list of all of the European operations centres in Ireland on www.ida.ie. These EOCs are big multinational companies, so they will have formal application procedures in place.  Irish export oriented firms also value these skills, particularly as they focus on sales and marketing to international markets. For many employers in this area, a language will be much more important than your degree. Go online and find Irish and European firms that sell software, online services, ICT, life sciences, or environmental technologies. Target these firms directly and offer your expertise to marketing, sales, and pre-sale and customer support type roles. All of these industries have industry association websites, where you will find a full listing of the companies operating under each ndustry e.g. www.software.ie.   In addition, Enterprise Ireland runs trade missions with clients in many international markets. Simply type the name of a country and ‘Enterprise Ireland trade mission’ into a main search engine and you will get the details of a number of progressive companies. Ring them up and offer to help them with their export markets. They will be interested and you will be surprised at how many of them there are!

Offer to do a project that cuts costs — Focus on technology

You are part of Generation Y and the children of web 2.0. Bring its benefits to employers and companies that may be using more traditional and costly methods. For example, are you confident using technologies such as Skype and JahJah on telecoms, Sugarcrm on customer manager, or social networking sites and blogs such as Facebook and Bebo and even www.ning.com, which allows you to build your own social networking site? Do you understand the potential benefits that such technologies offer companies? If so, make a proposal to firms outlining how you could save them money by sharing
your knowledge of such technologies.

You also can offer to do more conventional cost cutting for companies by analysing supplier contracts, utility bills, travel, leases, routine product purchases, insurance etc. If you find cheaper alternates or solutions, you can create direct cost savings for the company — savings that will pay for your job! If you want you could ask them to hire you for a month and offer them a guarantee that you will save them more than you cost or they can let you go!

Know how to get grant aid or R&D support for the company

The government is very focused on research and knowledge driven companies that will form the core of Ireland’s future ‘Smart Economy’ and create export sales. Begin by researching sites such as IRCSET, ERCSET, Intertrade Ireland Fusion and Science Foundation Ireland. Try to identify a product or patent development opportunity for which you may be able to apply for research funding. If it links academic and business needs, it should allow you to propose undertaking this type of R&D work on behalf of a company. A research grant could help you to get a job on the strength of it covering part of
the costs of your employment allowing the employer to pay you a lesser amount with neither them nor you losing out.
If you are more commercially focused you could go to an employer and explain schemes such as the IBEC Export Orientation Programme Fusion and the Northern Ireland Premiere Programme. Again these initiatives can help in part funding an employer to up to 50% of the cost of having you with them. By explaining the grant and financial aid available to the employer, and what you could do for them, you could try and get them to put you forward as a candidate.

You need a ‘Business Proposal’ not just a ‘CV’

All graduates need a good CV but realistically, in the current environment, there are not that many jobs out there, so sending in speculative CV based applications is unlikely to work. A better approach when sending your targeted graduate level CV is to include with it a one page business proposal.

This proposal should include:
• Who you are.
• What qualifications, skills and experience you have.
• Why you want to work for the company.
• What you specifically can do and how you will deliver a good return on investment in the near term.
• Ask can you meet them for 10 minutes to state your case and to find out what might help them.

You need to reach the person in the company for whom you would be directly working. You can find these people very easily on online professional networks, search engines, professional directories or just simply by ringing up the reception of the company and asking for the details of the person in charge of the particular area you want to approach. You need to be enthusiastic and also polite as this type of proactive contact can reap positive rewards, but if done rudely or aggressively can lead to you being given short shrift.

Be an entrepreneur — Just sooner than you expected

A recent poll through the International Recruiters Network indicated that the most popular career choices amongst graduates in the USA were working as an entrepreneur and working as a ‘slash worker’. If you are thinking that you would like to be an entrepreneur you firstly need a good idea, and the basis of a business plan. You should then go and speak with a business incubation unit or your County Enterprise Board. These should be able to help you with advice, support and potentially physical workspace and financial funding. The ‘slash worker’ is a new phenomenon of people with versatile skills doing multiple jobs. If, for example, you are good at IT, music and coaching, there is nothing wrong with spending
part of your time building websites, another part promoting bands and venues and another offering music lessons to learners.

Overall, this changed world of work will belong to the versatile, proactive and imaginative who think about what useful skills they have and look to direct them in a way where they create value for others. The future is here and now. The tiger is nursing a severe hangover. It is time for a new generation of celtic chameleons.


David Barrett is an occupational psychologist and an owner of Cut-e Group. Cut-e is a world leader in the design and implementation of online psychometric and competency based assessment systems for use in recruitment, selection, development, education and career advisory contexts. They also provide consulting services in relation to large scale recruitment and selection strategies, external and internal talent management, organisation development and related diagnostic and support systems. www.cut-e.com

Marie Gonnelly, Careers Advisor with the Dublin Institute of Technology , and Member of Graduate Careers Ireland, the representative body for Careers Services in Higher Education in Ireland, north and south of Ireland. For more information please see www.graduatecareersireland.com