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Could a job-share be on the cards for you?

17 Jan 2020

We got some great insights into different ways of working this week, from a successful job-share to prioritising a sense of meaning.

Have you ever heard the term ‘job-share’ and wondered whether one could really work? This week, we heard from two women who can certainly vouch for it.

Based at MSD Brinny where they share the director of finance role, Majella Cronin and Jean O’Brien told us about their job-sharing system, which has been in place for the past 17 years. It has led to them benefitting from “the best of both worlds”, they said, helping them to carve out a “great work-life balance”.

Elsewhere, Mastercard’s Amy Neale spoke to us about her 15 years working in technology commercialisation. Now leading Matercard Start Path – the company’s start-up engagement programme – we caught up with her to pick her brain about emerging tech.

Manufacturing biotech associate at Takeda, Ailish Gillespie, talked to us about the “daunting” transition from education into a graduate role, and what she has learned working for the company so far.

We also featured an article by Elodie Chevallier of Université de Sherbrooke, exploring the concept of career purpose and how it can be encouraged in a company.

News

Kickstarting the new year, there were plenty of new jobs announced this week.

Irish provider of compliant IT solutions Odyssey VC will create at least 100 positions across the company’s technical, product development, service delivery, compliance, and sales and marketing departments in Sallins, Co Kildare.

And Coleraine will see 24 new jobs with respiratory product manufacturer Armstrong Medical. The company announced a planned investment of £8m to expand its operations, including new machinery and a 26,000 sq ft warehouse to accommodate increased production.

Words of wisdom

Planning to give your CV a rethink as we sail into a new decade? Director of Hays Australia, Jane McNeill, has some advice to bear in mind. She outlined the crucial distinction between skills and competencies, and how to go about integrating them into your résumé and interview preparation.

If you’re a college graduate, you might be wondering why you and your peers could be having difficulty finding a job. Our infographic of the week highlights some of the reasons behind that in the UK.

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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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