by David Fitzgibbon | Jul 9, 2018 | Career, Career and Interview Advice, General Interest, Work Life
Q: I am a long-term general manager at a relatively small food-production company that recently appointed a new CEO. I have been tasked with familiarising her with certain company strategies. While I am happy to do this, I am worried that I won’t get the recognition I deserve. I would love for this to contribute to a chance for promotion. However, as I have been passed over a couple of times for promotion, I fear it won’t. Should I bring this up now before applying for the promotion? A: The quick answer is: Yes. This is the ideal time to bring it up, as generally, a new CEO can mean a fresh start and new opportunities. Don’t assume just because you have previously shown interest in promotions, that the business is aware you are still interested. It is up to you to make your employers aware of your aspirations. Key questions to ask yourself From your question, it appears you have quite an in-depth knowledge of the business, and this is very likely the reason why you have been given the responsibility to bring the new CEO up to speed. You need to ask yourself why you have not been successful in getting promoted. Have you received feedback on past interviews? If so, have you understood the reasoning behind this? Have you discussed professional career training and a development plan? Who has tasked you with the role of familiarisation of the CEO – is it the business owner? Do they make, and will they continue to make, the decision about your career opportunities over and above the CEO? Planning Take some time to analyse your own strengths and areas of development. You need to be very critical of your capabilities, as self-awareness is a key skill for any business leader. If possible, complete a 360 review. This is confidential feedback from direct-line reports which will also highlight key strengths and areas for development. Start the planning – begin with the end in mind: where do you want to be in the short to medium term? It is important to make this career-specific, not business-specific. A tip for planning is to make ‘Smart’ goals. Specific: Ensure that your goals are clear, concise and focused on what you wish to achieve; Measurable: Ensure you can track your progress throughout the plan; Achievable: Your goals should be realistic and attainable; Relevant: Align your own personal goals with the goals of the business; Time: The key here is to set target dates and stick to those. Meet and present The first thing to do is to ensure the right people and key decision makers are at the meeting – ideally, this should include the new CEO. Be conscious that the CEO may only just be in the door and, while it is an opportunity to align your aspirations with that of the CEO, they may not be able to make commitments or put plans in place at this stage. If this is the case, you need to ensure you confirm a time to follow up and stick to it. When you do meet, discuss your career goals and how you plan to achieve these in line with benefiting the business overall. It is important that when you present your goals, you align these with the goals of the business and ensure your employers are aware of how developing and promoting you as a key employee will benefit the organisation overall. Set out a plan that is agreeable to both yourself and the CEO, and as noted, make sure the goals are ‘Smart’. The key is to ensure that you set timelines and stick to these. Finally, you appear to be driven in progressing your career. However, if you come to believe that the opportunity that you are looking for in the development of your career is not with your employer, you may need to start assessing external opportunities. It is important that you make an educated decision on this move, and investigate all opportunities within your organisation before looking for opportunities elsewhere. David Fitzgibbon Mid-West Regional Manager Collins McNicholas Recruitment and HR Services Group This article was originally published in the business section of The Sunday Independent on Sunday, July 9th, 2018, and can be viewed...Read More
by admin | Jul 6, 2018 | Career and Interview Advice, General Interest, Jobs in Ireland, South East Relocation Blog Series, Uncategorized, Work Life
Emilio relocated from Spain and is now Senior OQ Co-Ordinator at GSK, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford When I first moved to Waterford, I knew nothing about the area and didn’t know anyone here. Now, the people I work with have become my family and I love it here. I grew up in a small village in the Castilla-La Mancha region of Spain and studied in Madrid before moving to Brussels for work. I moved to Ireland three years ago, first to work with a company in Lismore and then to my current job at GSK. I knew nothing about Waterford before I moved here. It was scary. I thought that I would move home after a week, but I quickly grew to love it. Irish people are very nice, and my colleagues are helpful and always make sure to include me in any plans they have outside of work. The weather may be a little wet, but I am happy. One of the best things about living in Waterford is hurling. I play corner back for Melleray/Glen Rovers GAA club. My friends back in Spain are very intrigued by this, and when they come to visit me, they often buy hurleys as souvenirs! I also coach spin classes and I found a studio nearby to pursue my love of painting. Professionally, I am very happy. I like working for a big company as I encounter new problems to solve every day. It’s never boring. I only live three minutes from work, and last January I was able to buy my own car and who knows, maybe I’ll buy my own house...Read More
by admin | Jul 5, 2018 | General Interest, Guest Blog, Jobs in Ireland, South East Relocation Blog Series, Work Life
Paul McGrath was living in Dublin for four years when he packed his bags for the sunny south east and moved back home to be closer to family and friends. The best thing about relocating to Waterford is being closer to my family and friends; it’s great that I now get to see them more often than when I lived in Dublin. I’m originally from Cappoquin so when the opportunity came up to take a job so close to home, I went for it. I was living in Dublin for four years before moving back. Before, I would have seen my family at least once a month, but now I get to see them whenever I want. The great thing about living in Waterford is that it’s not too far from anywhere. It is only an hour and a half to Dublin so it’s not too far to travel when I want to go back and visit friends, or my brother who’s living there. I started working in EirGen in February 2018 and the culture is really nice. Everyone is very friendly and they all work well with each other. My commute —from Cappoquin to Waterford Industrial Estate on Old Kilmeaden Road— now takes me about 40 minutes each way but traffic is less congested compared to Dublin, so the journey is much smoother, and I still get home pretty early. It’s great having more free time. Now I can hit the gym, head to the cinema or play six-aside football on AstroTurf whenever I feel like it. See why other people are moving to the South East...Read More
by admin | Jul 5, 2018 | General Interest, Jobs in Ireland, Recruitment, South East Relocation Blog Series, Work Life
Kriti Bhargava moved to Waterford from India after securing a scholarship for a PhD at TSSG, a research group at Waterford IT. When I was a student in Mandi in Northern India, I lived directly on campus, so my entire life took place there. But here, I have found more independence because I live in my own apartment just a five-minute walk from Waterford town centre. I only need to take a short bus journey to travel to work. I moved to Waterford from India in October 2014 after securing a scholarship for a PhD in Science at TSSG, a research group with Waterford Institute of Technology. There are more opportunities here. The work environment is very motivating and there is an immense support system to help us learn and push our limits. We are also encouraged to publish our work in top-tier journals and conferences to give it an international audience. Through my research I’ve been able to travel to many different places including Boston, France, Dubai and California. There’s a good balance between work and recreation here in Waterford. I have taken more of an interest in my fitness and joined the gym, and the monthly Tech Meetups are a good place to meet people from the industry and see how our work applies there. Everything is approachable, especially the people. There’s a good student community and there are some great places to go out and meet friends —whether it’s to the pubs, down to the beach, or to the People’s Park, which is great for running. I’ve visited other parts of Ireland too since moving here...Read More
by admin | Jul 5, 2018 | General Interest, Guest Blog, Jobs in Ireland, Jobseeking, South East Relocation Blog Series, Work Life
Ludovic Gavillet, together with his wife and new born son, made the move from Switzerland to Kilkenny to work with Lighthouse Studios – and he hasn’t looked back since! I’m originally from Switzerland but moved to Kilkenny in mid-November of last year with my wife and new born son. Before the move, I was working in Paris where I became very interested in a project by Kilkenny animation company, Cartoon Saloon. It’s a feature film that I’ll actually be working on later this year but right now I am very excited to be involved in Lighthouse Studios’ first ever TV series. The move involved a lot of planning and took a year to come to fruition. My wife and I visited in April to check the city out and meet people from the Lighthouse Studios. Then my son was born in the summer, which definitely made the move a lot more tricky! It was the perfect decision for our family. Kilkenny is a lot smaller than Paris and more family-friendly. Like any move, it took a little while to settle in, but we love it here already. We love walking around the city and visiting the castle, as well as exploring more of what Ireland has to offer. One of the great things about living in Kilkenny is that we’re not that far from our families in France and Switzerland. It’s only a few hours on an airplane, which means they can come visit us or we can go see them. I was offered other jobs in Canada and the US, but Kilkenny was much more appealing to my...Read More
by Rory Walsh | Jul 5, 2018 | General Interest, Jobs in Ireland, Jobseeking, Recruitment, South East Relocation Blog Series, Uncategorized, Work Life
Quality of life, short commutes and more disposable income reasons top talent are being drawn to the sunny South East Over three quarters of professionals who relocated have more disposal income – new survey shows 95% of respondents say their work/life balance has improved since moving to the South East 64% commute to work in less than 20 minutes and 75% find rental prices more reasonable now A new survey has found that highly-skilled professionals from all over the world are moving to the South East for a better work/life balance, career opportunities, shorter commutes to work, lower living costs and more disposable income. The South East Relocation Survey, released today (Wednesday, July 4) was carried out by National Recruitment & HR Services Group Collins McNicholas in conjunction with IDA Ireland. The report included responses from workers who have relocated from 20 different countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Spain, the US, the UK and beyond. A massive 95% of respondents say they now have a better balance between their working and home lives. Since relocating to the South East — 86% have a work commute that is less than 40 minutes and 64% now have a commute less than 20 minutes. Interestingly, while 41.07% of those who moved back were originally from the South East, some 33% relocated from outside of Ireland. When asked about the factors that influenced their move to the South East, 86.36% cited a better quality of life while some 51% referenced being closer to family and friends. The other main reasons given were: career opportunities, lower property prices, a reduced cost...Read More
