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Deciding on a new job this December? Here’s what you need to know

4 Dec 2020

Catch up on the jobs news and hiring advice we covered this week, from Covid-related roles to how to write a great recruitment ad.

November brought plenty of positive jobs news, including announcements from 16 different companies across the island of Ireland. So, will December keep that momentum going? Here’s what we covered throughout the first week.

Medtech companies are unsurprisingly going from strength to strength as the efforts against Covid-19 continue. LetsGetChecked, for example, has had a hugely successful 2020 and its recent jobs news reflects that. Earlier this week it announced more than 200 new vacancies across its Irish and US locations – 160 in Dublin and 50 across New York, California and Florida.

The Dublin jobs will span development, engineering, lab work, nursing, customer solutions, data science, marketing, sales and recruitment. New lab recruits will help analyse the company’s recently announced at-home coronavirus tests.

Another business hiring in health analytics is Iqvia. Recruitment for the company’s 170 new roles in medical information and pharmacovigilance has already begun and new hires will carry out their jobs remotely.

Iqvia’s global aim is to support the clinical efforts of life sciences firms but its Irish team also facilitates R&D and commercialisation. Its growth will help it support the commercial launch of Covid-19 vaccines.

Diagnostics firm Randox announced its plans to set up a new Covid-19 testing lab in Donegal. The lab will be added to its existing site in Dungloe, opening up 50 new roles. It will carry out up to 30,000 tests every day and will contribute to biohazard protection and supply chain resilience, its founder said.

In Belfast, brand and digital agency Mammoth will create 20 new positions after winning three new contracts totalling €10.6m.

The company is looking for a senior designer, senior animator, digital project manager and people in finance and client services who will help the agency cater to such clients as Ed Sheeran and Rory McIlroy.

If you’re on the lookout for jobs news in tech, it’s worth trying the recently launched Girls in Tech jobs board. It’s free to use, the organisation’s founder and CEO told us, and posts new roles on a daily basis.

Hiring at the moment?

If you’re on the opposite side and will be looking for new staff in the near future, a great first step is creating the perfect job ad. According to Hays Canada’s Travis O’Rourke, there are seven common mistakes hiring teams make when it comes to this step. These include a lack of clarity, leaning on too many buzzwords, vague requirements and generic duty descriptions.

O’Rourke also points out that many jobseekers will be eager to hear about flexible working options from prospective employers. While many have pivoted to remote or hybrid working models, some are still passionate about bringing the four-day week to life. Unilever in New Zealand, for example, is kicking off a year-long trial in which staff will work for four days but receive the same salary.

And one of the most important things to remember when rolling out recruitment plans is embracing honesty and authenticity. As Superhuman’s Kristen Hayward explains in this piece, candidates and new employees need to be fully informed of your company’s values and how you act on them as early as possible.

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Lisa Ardill
By Lisa Ardill

Lisa Ardill joined Silicon Republic as senior careers reporter in July 2019. She has a BA in neuroscience and a master’s degree in science communication. She is also a semi-published poet and a big fan of doggos. Lisa briefly served as Careers Editor at Silicon Republic before leaving the company in June 2021.

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