by Caroline Ward | Jun 18, 2015 | Psychometric Assessments, Recruitment
“But what if people lie…..” is a question that we are frequently asked when outlining personality inventories as part of a recruitment process. This is always a concern when undertaking a recruitment campaign, but particularly when using new or more complex tools. “If a candidate knows that a Management role requires Leadership skill, what’s to stop them from embellishing their strength and preferences in this area?” 1. Indirect Questions Questions asked in a personality inventory are not so straight forward as “Do you like working as part of a team?” Often preference selection will force the candidate to select between several favourable behaviours or rank behaviours in order of likelihood or preference. This means that the candidate must rely on their judgement and preferences, making it much more difficult to manipulate the eventual scoring. 2. Lie Scales / Social Desirability Measures Checks and scales built into personality inventories act to ensure that those candidates who lie or exaggerate the truth are detected and highlighted to the Assessor as part of the Assessment Report. Valid and Reliable Personality Inventories based on scientific evidence will include measures of candidates’ patterns and consistency of responding, including any attempt to skew the report in a particular direction. 3. People lie at interview too Unfortunately human nature is such that in some circumstances some people will lie. This is also true of interviews. Over time and repeated testing it has been concluded that psychometric testing, including personality inventories, are better predictors of job success than interviews. While there are many factors at play here (level of structure used at interview, interviewer skill, or potential bias) the honesty or “truthfulness” of the candidate is vital to the effectiveness of the interview and can often be very difficult to evaluate. While there is never a guarantee of absolute honesty (even the traditional Lie Detector Test has been called into question), psychometrics and personality inventories can improve the quality of the process considerably. In order to gain the most benefits from psychometrics and personality inventories you should: Choose an appropriately qualified and reputable Assessor Ensure a reliable and valid test or measure is used – avoid well packaged and often free online assessments which are without scientific merit If possible, ask the candidate to complete the assessment onsite Follow-up the assessment with a face-to-face interview, probing any areas of concern or particular strength in detail and asking for relevant examples Caroline Ward HR Services Consultant Collins McNicholas Recruitment & HR Services Group...Read More
by Rory Walsh | Feb 12, 2015 | Employment Law, Event
Collins McNicholas Recruitment & HR Services Cork recently hosted an Employment Law Breakfast Seminar with Purdy FitzGerald Solicitors in the Maryborough House Hotel. An expert in Employment Law and key speaker at the event, Einde O’Donnell provided an overview of Case Law and other developments in Employment Law over the last year, with a particular emphasis on the Workplace Relations Bill. Einde highlighted changes to, the RBA scheme, data protection, employment permits and collective bargaining among others. He also provided a review of cases of note in the past year and the implications for future cases, including injunctions, unfair dismissals and personal injuries. Einde guided attendees on how to apply these developments in a practical manner in the workplace. The seminar was well attended by local HR representatives and business owners from the Cork area. Seamus Tobin, Regional Manager with Collins McNicholas, believes such information is extremely valuable: “It is vital for employers to be fully aware of changes in employment law and Einde O’Donnell gave an informative and topical presentation which was very well received by the audience.” Celebrating 25 years in business this year Collins McNicholas has an extensive nationwide presence with offices based in Cork, Dublin, Galway, Athlone and Sligo – Collins McNicholas are experts in providing recruitment assistance in a range of sectors including executive recruitment, technical engineering, supply chain, information technology, human resources and all commercial recruitment such as accountancy & finance, customer service/multilingual & sales and marketing. Collins McNicholas was delighted to be awarded one of the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards 2014 and the company was also awarded a special commendation under...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 | Nov 13, 2014 | Economy, Event, IT, Recruitment
Last week’s Dublin Web Summit, or ‘The Summit’ as it is now called, was a tremendous success. In just its fourth year, the three day event has grown to encompass 22,000 attendees. This includes 100 tech CEOs, 1,000 investors, 2,000 start-ups and 500 guest speakers, not to mention celebrities such as Eva Longoria, Bono, and Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley, to name a few. The event was reported on by as many as 800 tech journalists who covered all of the action at the RDS and its 200+ satellite events. With such an influx of people from across the tech world it was a great networking opportunity. I couldn’t believe the buzz around the lobby of the Herbert Hotel on the second day as I sat there having my morning coffee. It was like an epic version of speed dating with business cards. In a way the rapid growth and success of the Web Summit mirrors the remarkable expansion of the tech sector in Ireland. There has been over 17,500 jobs created in the last three years and there are now over 105,000 ICT professionals working in Ireland. Demand is expected to grow at 5% per year through to 2018, and a further 44,500 job openings will be created in the sector in the next four years. This represents an incredible opportunity for Irish people to create an exciting, challenging, and financially rewarding career in this dynamic industry. There are a range of skills in demand in the ICT sector and Ireland benefits from its involvement in many different types of activity. Everything from software engineers, to systems administrators,...Read More
by Niall Murray | Nov 5, 2014 | Career and Interview Advice, Event, Recruitment
Are you looking for the latest & most effective way to find a job ? Do you want to stand out in a competitive job market? Then this event is for YOU! Collins McNicholas Recruitment & HR Services Group is delighted to present a series of free workshops in association with Social Media Skillnet on: ‘Job Searching in Today’s Jobs Market’. All jobseekers are welcome to attend. This event is free and open to anyone who wishes to attend, but people are encouraged to book in advance. It is suitable for all individuals from those starting their first job to those looking to re-enter the workforce or seeking to change employment. Learn about: Job searching in today’s jobs market… what employers want; Online job searching; Using social media to help your job search. The events will be hosted in Galway, Athlone and Sligo – Galway Date: Wednesday 12th November 2014 Location: The Harbour Hotel, Galway City Time: 10am – 1pm For more information or to book your place, please phone 091 706 706 Athlone Date: Thursday 13th November 2014 Location: Sheraton Athlone Hotel Time: 10am – 1pm For more information or to book your place, please phone 09064 78104 Sligo Date: Wednesday 10th December 2014 Location: The Glasshouse Hotel, Sligo Time: 10am – 1pm For more information or to book your place, please phone 071...Read More
by Niall Murray | Oct 9, 2014 | Career and Interview Advice, Event, Graduate, Recruitment
On Monday last, the 6th of October, Collins McNicholas attended the GMIT 2014 Graduate Careers Fair. The event ran from 12am – 3pm at GMIT, Galway with a great turnout. Local, national and international organisations were in attendance who were seeking current and future graduates. Employers were on site to provide insight, advice and prospects to possible candidates. Companies in attendance included HP, Kirby Group Engineering, Boston Scientific, Engineers Ireland and Avaya. The Collins McNicholas team were also at hand on the day to provide advice and guidance at their CV Clinic which proved to be extremely popular for the duration of the event. The event was a brilliant opportunity to meet current and future graduates – all talented individuals either starting out in their career or developing greater career prospects by returning to education. It was also helpful for existing GMIT students to explore their career options. Thanks to everyone who came and spoke to us on the day. Thanks also to Christopher O’ Toole, Technical Recruitment Consultant and Donal O’ Donoghue, IT Recruitment Consultant for helping out on the day and for giving CV and cover letter advice on the day. We are already looking forward to next year’s event and wish all future graduates fruitful career prospects for the future. Kirby Brennan, Recruitment Consultant Collins McNicholas Recruitment & HR Services Group...Read More
