Here is an interesting initative that I came across today - the launch of Hireland.ie.

They have established a website and are encouraging small and medium enterprises in Ireland to pledge to create new opportunities.

On their website they published some research that had been undertaken with 150 SME's in Ireland (average number of employees was 36) to ask them about their recruitment plans for 2012 in Ireland. The survey took place between 9-12 January 2012.

I have certainly noticed a lot of new opportunities in the technology sector being announced of late.

Employment opportunties in SME's in Ireland forecast to increase in 2012

The results of the Amarach research are interesting read and not what I expected to find based on the conversations I have had with businesses this year:

• 52% of SMEs plan to hire one or more new employees this year
• Of those planning to hire they expect to recruit 4 new staffSMEs expect to employ an average of 4 new staff.

I personally have not met owners of SME's who have told me that they are planning to increase the number of positions in their organisations, but if research is born ot in new vacancies being created that is going to be great news for employment opportunties in Ireland.

The research also reported that the benefit they were looking forward to was the 'potential for better customer service'. Don't get me started on customer service (or lack of it in many cases). Great customer service is not dependent on number of staff - it's about education, culture and a employing talent in your organisaiton who have a mind set and desire to deliver great service.

But back to Hireland.ie - this is an initiative you can get involved in and pledge your support to increasing employment opportunties - check them out at http://www.hireland.ie.

Speculative job applications can lead the way to unadvertised opportunties

One quick tip for those who are finding it difficult to find an opportunity - don't give up on the speculative enquiries. I recently met with a young graduate who has spent their last 2 years in paid internships.

They wrote a speculative job application to an SME last Summer who were impressed with their experience, held onto their CV and called them for an interview when an opportunity arose in their company.

So yes there are opportunities to be found and more often than not the vacancies are not advertised.

As an ex-boss of mine used to say 'Keep the faith' - in this case with your job search!

Heading towards the holidays, your office party has taken place, perhaps you are now reviewing how your career progressed in 2011 and what your hopes and aspirations are for 2012?

You might think this is not a good time to search for career opportunities, but it is a great time to get your CV or resume tidied up in time for the January uplift in the job market.

I was sent details recently of an iPhone app for FindAJob.ie where you can event browse jobs on the move - or of course nore discretely than looking up new opportunities on your computer!

(Findajob.ie is the new name for LoadzaJobs.ie and is a part of Ireland’s leading print and online media group, Independent News and Media (INM).).

As an employer you can also post a position - you will see their advertising packages here: http://advertise.loadzajobs.ie.

In summary it is worth checking out though I do think that FindAJob.ie need to do some work behind the scenes to improve the useability of the app - see for example when I did a search for the organisation 'Microsoft', rather than it shortlisting vacancies for the Microsoft organisation it picked up positions which included the word 'Microsoft' in their posting:

When looking at some of the vacancies, they were difficult to read due to lack of formatting:

If you come across a vacancy that you are interested in you can request details to be emailed to you:

And if you think the vacancy would be a great fit for your friends and social networkg contacts you can share it on Facebook, Twitter and by email - a notable missing for me is the ability to share on LinkedIn:

So if you are looking for a new role in 2012, check out the iPhone app for FindAJob.ie for the opportunity to check out vacancies in your 'down time' - but of course don't forget that your network online and offline is also a great way to unearth opportunities that may never be posted at all!

 

 

 

And an alternative graphic

Source: Careerenlightenment

Here's a great role if you are interested in expanding your career in social media with a global company - the summary of the role is as follows:

• Monitoring Social Media channels and responding to Customer Support queries and problems
• Handle escalations and customer support issues from Social Media channels
• Moderating on Social Media channels if necessary
• Monitoring company perception across multiple Social media platforms
• Report back to the business and Customer Support leadership on company perception and escalation handling within Social Media
• Be a customer advocate and resolve for customers
• Work with internal teams where necessary to resolve issues for the customer
• Highlight process improvements, policy adjustments and training opportunities to the appropriate teams
• Acquire comprehensive Social Media industry knowledge.

You can apply for the role on LinkedIn.

 

Looking to change careers? Then check out the National College of Ireland forthcoming information evening about cloud computing - infact you will also be able to find out how to access free places available on cloud computing courses if you are currently unemployed.

The event takes place on Wednesday 29 June from 5-7pm in the IFSC. Dublin and will feature industry speakers and experts.

National College of Ireland is offering free places on certain part-time courses for the unemployed under the Springboard initiative. Advisors will be on hand to discuss which course is right for you and how you can avail of one of the places - find out more about the available courses here.

 

Here is a good news story -  you might have seen this referenced online as a recent success story of using social media to attract a new job.

26-year-old  Féilim Mac An Iomaire from Galway invested €2,000 in an integrated ‘Jobless Paddy’ campaign using a billboard, Facebook and Twitter, has landed a 6 month contract as a communications executive with bookmaker Paddy Power.

He wanted to work in social media and marketing, launched the campaign at the end of May, with a billboard on Merrion Road in Dublin which was in place until 12 June 2011.

The billboard depicted Mac An Iomaire looking out to a skyline that is a mix of Toronto, London, Manhattan and Sydney.

“Having tried and failed for months and exhausted all traditional job-hunting avenues, I have decided to have one last throw of the dice to remain in Ireland before I am forced to look elsewhere for work and to develop myself professionally," he said on Facebook.

 

Check out his Facebook page here and his Twitter account here.

Have a vacancy to share or seeking a position then check out the Twitter hash tag #jobfairy.

Here is a great role for someone passionate about social meida marketing with Wildfire Interactive who are expanding in Europe.

Wildfire Interacice is a platform I recommedn to help you create Facebook marketing campaigns and I've been delighted to get to know their Director of Business Development Ben Harknett since he moved into the role, based in London in 2010.

Their product is used by companies as far ranging as Pepsi, Disney, Nestle, American Express, Unilever and Toyota. The success of our product has been recognized not only by our growing fan base but also by a collection of established institutions. Wildfire is a 2x winner of the Facebook Fund, a TechCrunch Crunchies Award nominee, and was recently chosen for the 2010 AlwaysOn Global 250, as one of the best 250 private companies in the world.

They are now poised to expand in Europe and are looking to appoint Senior Sales Executives to work directly with marketers, brand managers, and agencies helping them to understand the benefits of using social media advertising strategies to build and engage user communities.

If you have a successful track record in sales with senior level decision makers and are passionate about social media marketing this could just be the role for you.

Check out the details of the role here.

Social Recruiting @ Deloitte

OmniPro, Ireland's largest independent solution provider for accountants are recruiting a Practice Review Executive for their organisation - based in their Carlow and Dublin offices and with travel required across Ireland

They are looking for an energetic, highly technically competent Accountant to grow their Practice Consulting Division. (I have had the opportunity to work with the company and know the co-founders and have certainly found them to be ambitious, progressive and good people to work with.)

NOTE:  Omnipro are offering a €2,500 Recruitment Referral Bonus to anyone who refers us a successful Candidate - just forward the CV to them (of course with the candidates permission). Details of how the referral bonus works is detailed on the page with the job specification. CVs should be forwarded to careers@omnipro.ie.

A full description is detailed online here - however here is a summary of the key areas of responsibility:

    * Providing technical support services to accountancy practices in the areas of auditing & financial reporting
    * Performing annual compliance reviews
    * Conducting hot & cold file reviews
    * Providing in house training for accountancy practices in auditing & financial reporting
    * Providing support services to OmniPro Practice Consulting Department
    * Providing client support services for OmniPro Practice Support
    * Liaising with clients to identify & define their requirements
    * Creating new tools to support accountants practically & technically
    * Development of technical templates, tools & resources
    * Writing technical articles for AccountingNet.ie.

So go on - do you have someone in your network who would be a great fit - there is a great opportunity that you help them find a terrific role and you get rewarded too!