Dublin and Ireland in general are seen as thriving hubs for the global tech industry and that comes as no real surprise. There is a strong startup community in the country with a raft of exciting newcomers to the IT industry based here. Add to that the fact that Ireland is also home to the tech industry’s established big hitters and you can see why so many IT professionals from all over the world look to the Irish jobs market for a new challenge.
But therein lies the problem. While it’s certainly true that the global economy is currently suffering an increasing talent shortage, the very fact that Ireland has such a healthy IT sector means that competition for the best roles can be tough.
With this in mind, we’ve asked the team here at Software Placements to give us their inside tips on successfully navigating the IT jobs market. So if you’re a candidate who is already based in Ireland or looking to relocate here at some point in the future, you might want to pay close attention to this advice.
Keep your finger on the pulse
As you are no doubt well aware, the IT industry is constantly evolving, but this is particularly true in Ireland where there are scores of tech startups launching each and every year. And although the number dropped a little in recent years, 2022 still saw 21,637 startups registered throughout the year. And while we don’t have exact figures for the IT sector, that number of newly registered businesses shows just how vibrant the startup community is.
All of this means that any IT professional looking to land a role in the tech sector here in Ireland will be expected to have a handle on the latest trends, programming languages, and tools. Not only that, but they will be expected to understand the nature of the local IT economy and who the big local players are.
So do yourself a favour and do some homework or at the very least stay abreast of the latest developments in the local IT sector in Ireland.
Look beyond Dublin
Dublin is a great city and an exciting place to live with plenty of opportunities for an enthusiastic IT professional. But believe it or not, there are other cities in the country too where IT experts are in demand. Take Galway or Limerick for example. Both are considered strong manufacturing and R&D hubs for a variety of industries and yes, that includes roles in IT.
Cork, Athlone, and Waterford are just a few more examples of areas you can consider if looking to relocate to Ireland or move out of Dublin. Yes, it’s true that there may not be quite as many opportunities in any of these areas as you’ll find in Dublin, but the cost of living will certainly be more affordable while accommodation may also be easier to come by.
By all means, target Dublin in your search for IT roles, but broaden your search to include other cities and regions as you never know what you might find.
Tailor your applications
Now, this is a tip that we always recommend to every candidate regardless of the industry they want to work in. Tailoring your resume and its cover letter to suit each individual employer you are applying to may seem like a lot of effort especially if you’re sending out a whole raft of applications. But trust us, it’s worth it.
In fact, here at Software Placements we think a ‘less is more’ approach is more likely to bring success. What do we mean by that? Well, it’s better to apply for only a few roles at a time if possible. This way you can dedicate a lot more time to getting to know everything you can about the company and what the role you are applying for entails. Then you can tailor your application in such a way that it shows the employer that you have invested time and effort into your application. This is why working with a recruitment agency like Software Placements is always a good idea, but more on that later.
Prepare for interviews
And by prepare we don’t mean print off your resume and iron your interview outfit. What we’re actually getting at here is that you’ll want to build on all that basic research and tailoring you did in the application process and prepare yourself for anything that could and probably will be asked of you in the interview.
Chances are, the interviewer will throw a few curveballs at you and at least one of those will be something related to the company and your opinion. Regardless of your reply, if you can show that you can speak with authority on a few aspects of the company’s operations, this will go a long way to impress the interviewer.
It’s also time to polish up your technical skills and make sure that you are well prepped for any tests or on-the-fly quizzes. The absolute worst thing you can do is arrive at an interview technically unprepared. You’ll know you’re not ready and so too will the interviewer and that will just lead to 30 minutes of awkwardness that could have easily been avoided.
Don’t forget your soft skills
It’s all too easy to get caught up in the technical aspect of an IT role. Are your skills up to the task? Can you remember how a certain process works? But, what many candidates often forget is that an interview isn’t just about determining your skills for the job but also how well you may fit within the company’s work culture.
So try to remember that on some level, the interviewer will consider your personality to be just as important as your skillset. You’ll need to be happy to chat about work and yourself (within reason) and have a positive all-round approach. Of course, you may feel nervous and not quite yourself, but interviewers are skilled at making candidates feel at ease so they can open up to them. Be yourself and trust the interviewer to decide if you’d be a good fit for the company. If you land the role, you’re going to need to be yourself anyway so best to start off as you mean to go on.
Remember that if you want to successfully navigate the IT job market in Ireland or any job market for that matter you’ll need to stay positive throughout your search. It also helps if you have the right support behind you and that’s where Software Placements comes into the picture. If you’re a candidate struggling to land an IT role here in Ireland, then we’d like to hear from you. Get in touch today and let’s see what we can do to help you tailor those applications and ace your next IT job interview.