IT-Recruitment-Ireland-Trends-Predictions-2015-Archer-Report

An Archer Report

IT Recruitment in Ireland

2015 Trends & Predictions

IT Jobs Market Ireland, 2015 Preview | 2

Introduction About Archer

Archer Recruitment is focused 100% on IT.

We are a team of specialist consultants,

each working within a unique IT jobs

category. Our mission: to unite the top IT

employers in Ireland with the best IT talent.

Archer has facilitated successful hires for

leading tech, financial, telecom and

software firms. In an automated sector our

personal approach is what sets us apart. We

can connect companies with a worldwide

bank of top candidates that no jobs board

can reach.

Archer people live and breathe IT, meaning

we have deeper insights into how the IT

jobs market is performing and how

emerging trends are impacting hiring

activity. Every quarter, we publish this free

Jobs Market Analysis to give you a snapshot

of developments in key IT job categories. IT Jobs in 2015: Our Preview

Sustained strong performance by our ICT

sector has been a vital foundation for

Ireland’s economic recovery and will remain

so in 2015. More FDI inflows will bring new

business models, working practices,

technologies and possibly some disruption,

driving further evolution of the industry and

the roles within it.

Many of our adopted global giants are

poised to reinforce their Irish roots, making

clear votes of confidence by expanding

their workforces and moving more critical

functions here.

Mobile will permeate a growing number of

business functions, compelling companies

to double down on UX, UI and testing

specialists. The days of the stereotypical

“Jack of All Trades” IT Guy / monosyllabic

developer are numbered. In the main, 2015

employers will be looking for talent with

that extra something: highly niche

expertise or advanced communication skills.

Finding these ideal candidates will be

increasingly challenging as they tire of

unsolicited overtures and their existing

employers launch pre-emptive strikes. The

strength of recruiters’ relationships with

their candidates will be critical as referrals

become a dominant source of hires.

One thing is for sure, Archer plan to

continue bringing great IT talents and great

employers together in 2015. Whatever side

of the interview table you are on, we

believe the following 10 Trends will shape

the year ahead and are worth reading up

on. Enjoy our report.


IT Recruitment in Ireland: Top10 Trends and Predictions for 2015

1. 2. 1. Candidates with stronger “soft skills” will 3. have the edge.

4. 2. Balance of experience, not length of 5. service, will be critical.

6. 3. Though the CV remains king, an accurate 7. Linkedin profile will be vital.

8. 4. More companies will use pre-interview 9. assignments, test simulations and 10. technical interviews to validate candidate 11. skill levels.

12. 5. Interviews will be less one-sided than 13. ever – there will be an increasing onus on

employers to sell their role.

14. 6. The top talent will gravitate to firms with 15. clear vision, structure and career-building 16. potential. 17. 18. 7. Flexible working conditions will be the 19. year’s must-have incentive.

20. 8. More managerial positions will emerge as 21. early decade start-ups mature and 22. international businesses deepen their 23. Irish ties.

9. Mobile, automation and Big Data will be the major drivers of IT job opportunities. 10. Inadequate interview preparation will remain the Achilles Heel that costs candidates top roles.

36. 1. Candidates with stronger “soft

skills” will have the edge. 37.

The days of working in obscurity are over for

the IT specialist. IT has evolved from support

to lead activity and its practitioners are

expected to have followed suit. Business

success now goes hand-in-hand with

technological efficiency and innovation,

meaning key stakeholders need articulate

people to explain the value of their work and

champion progress.

‘Lone wolf’ IT roles are increasingly rare. In a

world where collaboration is key, few

candidates get selected solely on technical

proficiency alone. Unless you have rare

prowess in a highly specific area your

practical skillset will only get you so far.

Reach interview stage in 2015 and your

success will hinge on your speed of thought,

charisma, articulacy and ability to listen.

38. 2. Balance of experience, not length 39. of service, will be critical. 40.

In recent years employers of IT talent have

tended to favour candidates with like-for-like

experience within the industry sector. As

growth returns to the economy, companies

are showing a willingness to be more

adventurous. Candidates with a wider mix of

experience gained in a number of firms will

have the edge over specialists with long

service records in a single IT environment.


As firms shift from defensive strategies to

more exploratory mindsets, they are

attracted to candidates that have made

bold career moves in order to work with

newer technologies and broaden their

skillsets. Exposure to a range of different

working methods and a greater diversity of

challenges is viewed positively.

One-company-loyal candidates will need to

work that bit harder to prove that they

have not been “institutionalised”. At the

other extreme, specialists that have flitted

from job to job will need to provide

convincing proof of their commitment to a

new role. The 2015 hiring manager wants

motivated people with a minimum 3-Year

Plan that share the corporate value system

and are prepared to grow and advance with

them.

24. 3. Though the CV remains king, an 25. accurate Linkedin profile will be 26. vital. 27.

In a jobs sector where so much effort goes

into upskilling and staying ahead of

technological change it is not uncommon

for candidates to de-prioritise their CV, at

most adding patches here and there to an

antiquated and sprawling original version.

This is a major error. In 2015 your CV will

be the No. 1 item used to gauge your

credentials – and communication skills.

The attention you invest in your CV is clearly

apparent and a sure indicator of your level of

commitment to a new role. Too short, and

you signal a negligent attitude. Too long, and

an employer will question your ability to

articulate ideas and prioritise. This year the

trend will be for employers to prefer concise,

results-focused CVs of 2-4 pages (depending

on seniority).

Before applying for any role in 2015 we

recommend you adapt your CV accordingly

and know it inside out - failure to answer

basic questions (or worse, recall what you

have written) is unforgiveable at interview

stage.

Your Linkedin profile will be an essential

complement to your CV 2015. Update it.

Make sure that your headshot looks

professional, that your Summary sizzles and

that you build your descriptions around

keywords for which employers will be

searching. Beware of exaggerating your

achievements. By all means, the wording in

your Linkedin profile can be slightly more

personal and less formal way but do not be

liberal with the truth. Employers will compare

CVs and profiles – obvious inconsistencies

will damage your integrity.


28. 4. More companies will use pre- 29. interview assignments, simulations

and technical interviews to validate candidate skill levels.

30. Demand for highly specialised experience,

niche skills and mastery of new technologies

will increase in 2015. General understanding

will not suffice; employers need candidates

that are as proficient as they say they are.

More and more businesses are turning to

technical tests to validate specialists’ true

capabilities.

Can you cleanly code an App? Switch

seamlessly between front-end and back-end

development? Run automated or manual

tests as circumstances dictate? Do you

truly dominate Hadoop? Tests will be used

to gauge all manner of skills across every IT

job category. GitHub, too, will grow in

importance as a go-to platform for

assessing candidate competences.

Candidate testing is a relatively new area

and standards vary greatly. Tests held on

the employer’s premises tend to have the

least consistent results. Talented people

can underperform when faced with

completing artificial tasks in an unnaturally

short timeframe using unfamiliar equipment.

Home tests with realistic deadlines that

allow personal expression have the

propensity to yield more accurate insights.

41. 5. Interviews will be less one-sided

than ever – there will be an increasing onus on employers to sell their role.

42. Every employer wants to hire market-leading

candidates, but these are scarce, self-aware

and highly selective people: it takes a certain

type of company or a very convincing

proposition to attract them. Competition for

rare and specialist talent is set to intensify in

2015, meaning employers need to pay extra

special attention to how they pitch their

company and sell their role.

Your reputation will precede you. Top

candidates are resourceful researchers and

will track down information to make their

own minds up about companies. People-

centered businesses that dedicate marketing

and PR budgets to promoting their workplace

and attracting talent will have a head start.

Businesses whose communications portray

innovation, structure and vision will be best

placed to entice top candidates seeking

engagement, meaning and advancement in

their work. Most importantly, you need to

show that yours is a company that values its

IT people and accelerates career growth.

Your recruitment agency will be a vital ally to

sell your roles and convince talented people

that joining your company is the right move.

Archer’s personal approach and close

contact with our candidates mean we are

particularly qualified to represent your firm

and broker agreements.


31. 6. The top talent will gravitate to

firms with clear vision, structure and career-building potential.

32. Financial incentives alone will rarely

convince top talent to make a career move,

particularly now that average salaries have

become so competitive. To offer a truly

distinctive career proposition goes way

beyond adding some padding to a salary

figure. It goes right to the heart of what

your company stands for, your support for

professional development and your

commitment to setting the standard.

The sophistication of projects your firm is

working on, the technologies it employs,

the modernity of its working cultures and

practices, the presence of IT specialists in

senior positions - these are selling points

that will give employers an edge in 2015.

Top candidates are looking to stretch

themselves. They value decision-making

autonomy and freedom to introduce new

process efficiencies learned from prior

experience. Opportunities for upskilling,

progression and promotion must be

transparent and real.

Growth-focused, boundary-pushing

companies with clear systems, documented

growth strategies and an evident people-

focus will be clear frontrunners in contests

for the best talent this year.

43. 7. Flexible working conditions will be

the year’s must-have incentive. 44.

The welcome returns of economic growth

and positive consumer sentiment in 2015

will have one significant downside. Longer

commutes that impact people’s wellbeing

and productivity will create an impetus for IT

specialists to move. Progressive employers

that offer flexible working arrangements will

give their roles an added layer of

attractiveness.

The UK government granted all employees

the right to request flexible working in 2014

as a means of boosting productivity. The FT

reports that “employers increasingly

recognise the strong business case for

flexible working, including enhanced

employee engagement and the attraction

and retention of a more diverse workforce.”

Specialists with family responsibilities and

study commitments particularly value flexible

arrangements.

Employers that offer flexible working in 2015

will send out a clear and compelling signal of

trust to new candidates. With some simple

measures – e.g. the use of “virtual profiles

that allow external network access, online

collaboration and video conferencing tools

and the provision of tablet devices” (The

Irish Times, 28/10/14) – you could attract

talent of a whole new calibre.


33. 8. More managerial positions will

emerge as early decade start-ups mature and international businesses deepen their Irish ties.

34. The recession had little impact on Dublin’s

ability to spawn exciting start-ups and

attract the best type of FDI investment, the

kind that needs enterprising and highly-

skilled employees for critical development

and technical departments here. Fresh economic growth will bolster this job-

creating activity in 2015. US software,

cloud and e-commerce firms are expanding

their Irish footprint and fledgling local

businesses are maturing, opening up new

positions for leaders of the future. Openings

for candidates to invigorate their careers

will be particularly strong in software and

FinTech sectors buzzing with exciting

products and unique projects.

A word of caution: There is an increasing

trend for VC-backed companies to use very

attractive salaries to sell average

management roles. The short-term pay-off

can be tempting but is likely to be

detrimental to your future career prospects.

Think medium-term when planning a senior

career move in 2015: Will the role improve

your skill set and depth of knowledge and

position you favourably for ascension to a

higher post in 2018/20? If not, then a brief

improvement in your financial situation will

be scant compensation.

9. Mobile, automation and Big Data will be the major drivers of IT job opportunities.

45. Mobile has eclipsed the PC as the dominant

digital platform and “app use is the primary

fuel driving its relentless growth”, according

to comScore’s US Mobile App Report 2014.

Apps alone accounted for 52% of total

digital engagement in the US last year.

Demand for specialist mobile expertise is

surging as apps become the key interfaces

between businesses and their customers –

and staff. Employers and candidates alike are

pushing to advance their mobile proficiency.

In 2015, candidates with strong mobile skills

will have an edge in every IT job category.

Even Big Data, itself a thriving engine of IT

job creation, will move to the small screen.

Business Intelligence is going mobile,

enhancing collaboration and decision-making

through access to concise insights “on the

move”. BI and Business Analyst candidates

need to show they are comfortable with this

new world and show mastery of the driving

software and technologies.

Intensive activity in mobile and web-based

development will, in turn, boost demand for

automated/mobile Testing & QA specialists

with backgrounds in Java coding. Strong new

candidates will emerge as more manual

testers transition to automation, meaning

good news for employers that currently face

a local talent shortage.


10. Inadequate interview preparation will remain the Achilles Heel that costs candidates top roles.

35. Too many candidates fall into the trap of

setting a call to interview as their end goal,

believing that their CV is incontestable and

will do all the talking for them. The reality is

that, once you have passed screening,

employers have scant interest in how you

look on paper. They want insights into the

real you, into how well you connect, how

clearly you express yourself, how you

handle pressure and, above all, how much

you really want the role.

Basic preparation is a must if you intend to

earn a top IT position in 2015. The simple

things count: be ready to clear time for an

interview at short-notice; plan your route to

arrive 5 minutes early; dress sharp; practice

handshakes, eye contact and seat posture.

Research. Drill down to get thorough detail

on the company, follow them on social

networks to stay on top of breaking

developments, get a sense of their future

plans and identify concrete ways in which

your expertise can help them succeed.

The rest is practice. Write up and rehearse

your answers until they flow naturally. Brace

yourself to discuss career and project

glitches and show how they strengthened

you. And train yourself to listen. Remember,

help is just a phone call away: Archer offers

free interview coaching that you can avail of

at any time.

Summary

46. 2015 looks set to be a year of exceptional

promise for Ireland’s IT employers and

candidates. IT roles are evolving in exciting

new directions, making them ever more

central to business success. Great career

development opportunities will be there for

those who display the attitude and

commitment needed to seize them.

Though local talent scarcities will continue to

pose hiring challenges (and place inflationary

pressure on salaries) more specialists will be

tempted onto the market in 2015 than at

any time this decade. There is a potent

appetite for change as we launch into a year

sensing real potential, unburdened by

recessionary talk and defensive sentiment.

Archer intends to be at the forefront of IT

recruitment activity, networking with our

talented bank of candidates and matching

them – and the hidden talents they regularly

refer – with innovative IT employers. Trends

come and go, but what we can say with

certainty is that our personal approach will

continue to pay dividends. Here’s to playing

a part in your success over the coming year.

Call Josh Linton/Sam Perrin

Visit www.archer.ie


Archer Specialist Recruitment

2 Westland Square Pearse Street | Dublin 2

01 649 8500 | www.archer.ie

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IT-Recruitment-Ireland-Trends-Predictions-2015-Archer-Report