by admin | Mar 25, 2015 | Event, IT, Jobs in Ireland
Collins McNicholas was a very proud sponsor of the Innovating West Summit on Friday the 13th of March. This Friday the 13th was most certainly not an unlucky day as the event went off without a hitch with all in attendance being engaged in thought provoking conversations all day. The morning was kicked off by John Breslin and Dave Cunningham the co-founders of the summit; they introduced the main aims of the day, which were to highlight how world class teams can be built in the West of Ireland and how to create a series of innovating ecosystems in the West. The first panel discussion consisted of the people which are the corner stones to Connacht Rugby; Eric Elwood, Domestic Rugby Manager, Pat Lam, Head Coach, Willie Ruane, CEO and James Duffy, Elite Player Development Officer. Through the discussion it became obvious what has made Connacht Rugby progress to where they are today. It began with a vision and via the passion which the individuals involved poured in to the club and a lot of hard work they have gotten where they are today. The audience were no less then inspired by the enthusiasm which Pat Lam expressed, he shared the reason why he chose Connacht over the five other offers he had at the time, he saw that his passion and drive were in line with Connacht’s and then and there made a decision to join the team (while later figuring out where Connacht was located). For this panel they did not see the location of the West as a barrier to the progression of their organisation and alternatively they posed the question of why not The West? As people make an organisation they saw Galway as a prime location with its strong sense of community and passionate people. The topic of the following panel was what makes an innovative team; the panellists on this discussion consisted of Norah Patten, International Space University / University of Limerick, Oliver Daniels, CEO Insight Centre for Data Analytics and Fiona McCarthy, Executive Director HR, Dell. One point which arose from this discussion was having a diverse team coming from various backgrounds be it educational, of career wise to bring a variety of experiences to the company. Communication was another key factor of establishing an innovating team this allowed the facilitation of the flow of ideas and interaction. Of course to have an innovative team you must source innovative employees; with both a University and an IT Galway has over 20,000 students residing in the area providing an excellent talent pool. The next discussion was surrounding the creation of an innovation district and ecosystem in the West. Maurice O’Gorman, Galway Chamber / Former COO NCB Capital, David Silke, VP Juniper / Big Innovation Centre UK and Liam Hanrahan, Senior Executive Officer Galway City Council made up the panel. Being part of a successful decentralised team was the next area for discussion with the panellists Tom Forde, Digital and Activation Lead Bank of Ireland, John McGuire, CEO GAME GOLF, Paul Duggan, Global Account Manager Google and Paul Mockler, Business Tourism Manager, Fáilte Ireland all having enormous experience in this area. Again the panellists emphasised the importance of regular communication with reference to the form of communication; it was stressed that phone calls and facilities like Skype are much more effective forms than email and is key to the success of a decentralised team. Another aspect mentioned was trust and resisting the urge to micro manage your teams; from mutual trust and respect you get the most out of your team and they feel valued in their positions. Lastly they spoke about managing your time effectively, when working across different time zones this can be difficult and personal time must be put aside to keep an even work life balance. Overall this was a fascinating event with a lively pace and interesting speakers throughout the day. It was a real melting pot of business professionals from Galway and generated a great buzz for the future innovation centre. We look forward to following the success of this venture and will definitely attend next year. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all involved in the organisation with particular mention to John Breslin and Dave Cunningham. Donal O’Donoghue, Recruitment Consultant for IT/Software roles – 091 706706 Collins McNicholas Recruitment & HR Services Group, Galway Sign up for IT job alerts here...Read More
by Niall Murray | Dec 15, 2014 | General Interest, Jobs in Ireland, Recruitment
Christmas is nearly upon us. At this time of year our thoughts will naturally turn to reflect on the people in our lives, the friends and family that matter most to us, and to the year that has passed. Emigrants, separated from their families, often find Christmas a particularly tough time to be away from home. The previous few years have seen large numbers of young Irish people leave the country in search of work and a chance at a better life. Some will inevitably settle permanently in their adopted country, while others are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to return home to their families and make a life for themselves once again in Ireland. For these emigrants, the past 12 months has given cause for optimism. With the economy growing at a faster rate, job creation increasing, and unemployment falling, the time may well have arrived for those Irish people scattered across Canada, Australia, the UK, and elsewhere, to start planning their return home. Employment prospects have improved considerably in 2014. We have experienced our 29th consecutive month of falling unemployment. The latest CSO figures have unemployment at 10.7%. This remains above the EU average but it is declining at a faster rate. It has fallen by 1.5% in the last 12 months and is down from a high of 15.1% in February 2012. Ireland is also the fastest growing country in the OECD. The European Commission forecasts Ireland’s economic growth at 4.6% for 2014. This compares to an EU growth rate of 1.2% for 2014. This is largely due to the strength of our trade with America and...Read More
by Niall Murray | Jun 16, 2014 | Economy, Jobs in Ireland
The Unemployment Rate The unemployment rate in Ireland currently stands at 12%, according to CSO figures for the first quarter of this year. This is a drop of 1.6% from the same period last year, and 3.1% down from the peak of 15.1% reached in February 2012. The unemployment rate has dropped steadily over the last two years thanks to an ambitious jobs growth strategy from the government and a slow, but consistent, improvement in the global economy. The recovery has been export led, with domestic demand still an issue that needs to be resolved. The recovery in job growth has also been concentrated in certain sectors, which have seen considerable job creation, while other sectors of the economy continue to languish behind. This lopsided recovery could partly explain the recent flattening out in the unemployment figures, as job creation has lost some momentum in recent months. The CSO released its revised figures for Q1 of 2014 which showed that employment growth was a meagre 0.1%, with 1,700 new jobs created. This compares with 16,300 jobs created in Q4 of 2013. Unemployment did fall from 12.2% to 12% in Q1, but this was less than the estimated 11.8% that was expected. It is crucial that the economy regains the momentum it showed throughout 2013 if we are to continue on our path to recovery. Job Creation The Government’s ‘Action Plan for Jobs’ has been the cornerstone of their job creation strategy. It crosses multiple state institutions and government departments, as well as educational institutions and industry groups. Efforts have rightly focused on the ‘smart’ economy, which has seen the...Read More
by Niall Murray | May 19, 2014 | IT, Jobs in Ireland
I was delighted to attend the Information Technology Association Galway (ITAG) Breakfast event in the G Hotel, Galway on Friday morning 16th May 2014. Guest speaker at the event was Bill Kearney, Director of IBM Software Labs Ireland. There was a fantastic turn out for the event, the highlight being guest speaker Bill Kearney. A pioneer in the technology space, Bill discussed his strategies and successes along with some interesting curve balls he had to deal with along the way. IBM is a leader in the Irish ICT space helping to attract foreign investment to Ireland and leading the way in nurturing exceptional technology talent through their graduate scheme. It was interesting to learn of their technology campus in Dublin which is over 35 acres in size and employees 11,000 people. IBM will be looking to double their ICT headcount from 1,000 to 2,000 employees over the next 10 years. This is great news for SMEs and Start-Ups in the ICT industry in Ireland as generally the large multinationals set the trend in the hiring space. It will be interesting to see how quickly their rapid expansion plans materialise in both Galway and Dublin. Frankie Fields Senior IT Recruitment Consultant with Collins McNicholas Email: frankie.fields@collinsmcnicholas.ie Phone: 091 706 706 CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL OUR CURRENT ICT ROLES...Read More
by Niall Murray | Apr 24, 2014 | General Interest, Jobs in Ireland, Salary Survey
Collins McNicholas is pleased to announce the publication of its ‘Salary Survey 2014’, of management, professional and administrative salaries in Ireland. These salaries are based on the actual salary information provided by our clients for vacancies we have worked on and/or filled in the first three months of this year. The information is largely based on salaries in the multinational sector which has accounted for the vast majority of the positions we have worked on/or filled this year to date. The information is corroborated by the salary data supplied to us by job seekers who register with us and are in employment at the time of registration. In the period between January and March 2014 we registered over 3,500 candidates. This is an increase of 6% from last year. For the purposes of this salary survey we have recorded salary levels for professionals with between 3-5 years’ experience. These professionals tend to be the most sought after group and that is why we have used this sample. It is also worth pointing out that the information is based on a significantly increased number of job vacancies and placements year to date which reflects market commentary relating to the significant pick up in the export sector in the last four years. In the period between January and March 2014 we registered over 440 new job vacancies. This shows an increase of 10% from last year. This is indicative of the overall improvement in the economy with the unemployment rate dropping 1.9% to 11.8% in the 12 months to March 2014. The increased number of vacancies, as well as being a...Read More
by Niall Murray | Apr 17, 2014 | Career and Interview Advice, Jobs in Ireland, Recruitment, Science, Medical and Pharma
General Manager, Niall Murray writes about the NIBRT Careers in Biopharma Event held in UCD on 16th April 2014. Yesterday, along with my colleagues Sean Gannon and Christopher O’ Toole, I attended the NIBRT Careers in Biopharma event in the really impressive NIBRT facility in UCD, Dublin. The event was a huge success with over 400 jobseekers attending. The event attracted some of the leading companies in the Biopharma space including: Allergan, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, Regeneron, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, MSD, Biomarin, Lancaster Laboratories and APC. There were a few very interesting trends that I noted and here are a few of the key points I took from the day: Ireland is winning a lot of Inward Investment in the Biopharmaceutical sector In the last 12 months we have seen large scale investments by Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Regeneron, Alexion, Ethicon, Eli Lilly. Since January 2014 over 900 jobs have been announced in the Biopharma space. Great credit is due to the IDA for their role in winning these investments for Ireland. NIBRT is a critical part of our Biopharma infrastructure The NIBRT facility is a critical piece of infrastructure for the biopharma sector and the contribution they make to the sector cannot be under estimated. From speaking to senior management of the companies at the event yesterday they were all highlighting the contribution NIBRT makes to the business whether...Read More
