IT Recruitment in Ireland Jobs Market Review Q2 2015
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.NET Developers
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Testing and QA
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 six key job sectors.
The IT Economy in 2015
Ireland is now the European headquarters base for the majority of the world-leading tech, software and finance firms, its ICT sector yielding 40% of national exports. Restoration of the country’s status as Europe’s fastest growing economy is driving record influxes of FDI. Far from setting up here for tax purposes, global businesses are investing significantly in building R&D, development and strategic teams to orchestrate global operations from here.
It isn’t only the multinationals that are driving Ireland’s recovery. According to the Irish Software Association, the number of indigenous software and digital IT firms now exceeds 800, employing more than 10,000 people. Sustained global demand for mobile, web and cloud applications is creating whole new businesses and roles, and is altering traditional Job Specs beyond recognition in many IT categories.
The recruitment of quality IT talent ranks highly in business priorities for 2015, within and beyond the ICT and fintech sectors. Though this is exacerbating the shortfall in available local talent, new options are emerging as specialists from other business sectors upskill and companies become comfortable hiring overseas candidates via video conferencing and remote tests.
Globally renowned tech companies would not be flocking to Ireland if its workforce didn’t have the requisite IT and people skills. The biggest challenge this year is to convince busy specialists to engage with demanding hiring processes just as their current roles have improved.
Archer’s policy of maintaining constant touch with our candidates means they trust us when come to them with what we believe is a better opportunity. Compelling evidence of personal growth potential is key in 2015.
.NET Developers
Emerging Trends
Year-to-date demand for .NET developers is considerably higher than it was in 2014. Growth strategy mindsets and favourable IT budgets mean companies are investing more to strengthen developer teams at all levels. Local talent scarcity is becoming increasingly irrelevant as firms look beyond Ireland to expand their skills base.
ASP.NET MVC and web-based application specialists are the most sought-after developers. Senior level expertise is particularly coveted, evidenced by a sharp upward adjustment in salaries for experienced candidates.
Employer Insights
Speed, flexibility and decisiveness are the traits that have delivered more successful hires in 2015. In a marketplace where opportunities are plentiful, companies that accelerate the interview and testing process are securing the top candidates before they have time to be tempted elsewhere.
Firms with HR structures that permit rapid closure are winning out. These organisations favour quick skills tests over lengthy online assessments, same/next day feedback on interview performance and prompt agreement of terms. Candidates that cope well with faster processes are also likelier to hit the ground running.
Recognising that they are recruiting from a niche and ever-shrinking talent pool, the most successful hiring companies show a marked willingness to adjust expectations and requirements when exact-fit candidates are slow to materialise. When immediate needs are given precedence over ideal wish lists, matching candidates are faster to emerge.
The scarcity of local talent has been an issue for so long now that employers have become accustomed to recruiting from overseas. There has been a pronounced tendency this year for firms to encourage non-Irish developers to relocate here. A rising trend is for employers to gauge candidate fit solely through Skype and online testing, meeting for the first time when they are already colleagues. This is speeding up the recruitment process considerably and is making Dublin a magnet for foreign developer talent.
Archer’s history of maintaining close contact with our Europe-wide roster of candidates has created key competitive advantages for clients this year. So many hires have hinged on the ability to convert off-market specialists into active candidates and pinpoint close-fit talent in unknown locations. Years of meticulous relationship-building continues to open constructive dialogues in a way that no Job Board or networking site can emulate.
Candidate Insights
The market is displaying stong demand for .NET developers right now, with an emphasis on web-based expertise. There are great roles for the right people – the key is to ensure you fit in that category. Selective candidates who focus on roles which match their skills are having much greater success than those adopting a scattergun approach.
Despite a scarcity of candidates for .NET roles it is not a foregone conclusion that you will land a great position by virtue of your availability. European developers are streaming into the market and competition for the top roles is fierce, particularly at senior level where salaries are dramatically up on 2014 rates. The likelihood is that you will also need to navigate technical tests and prove that your communication skills are on a par with your coding prowess.
The key is not to expect technical skills alone to carry you through. Showing your warmest, most likeable side takes practice and is really worth the effort of rehearsing. If you are going to be interviewed by video, take the time to perform some test runs so you appear composed and professional.
Java Developers
Emerging Trends
Big Data now ranks alongside mobile and front-end development as the key drivers of Java developer demand in 2015. Firms industry-wide are looking to mine their stores of data to extract business value and competitive advantage. Hence the growing need for specialists with multithreading, high-performance computing skills to work on creating unique software applications.
Java developers are the rising stars of the business world. Companies are insulating themselves against headhunting with more enticing projects and conditions, meaning available talent is in increasingly short supply. The huge diversity of technologies in the Java stack intensifies the challenge of finding the exact candidate for the job. But “A List” talent continues to gravitate to progressive roles in firms with clear structure and vision.
Employer Insights
It takes an innovative approach to attract the higher calibre Java developer to your team. The best people are well looked after and given ample rein to hone their skills on new technologies and exciting projects. Because it is rare to find these people in active job-hunt mode, the support of a trusted intermediary like Archer can be vital to establish a line of communication and encourage serious consideration of a move.
Employers that invest time in clearly defining their roles and highlighting the distinctive attributes are enjoying the greatest success. It is imperative that you are seen to offer something unique in terms of mindset, working practices or career progress. Cool interior designs and amenity perks are nice-to-haves; top candidates are looking for more substantial evidence of an innovation culture.
In a sector where developers have such a diversity of niche specialisms it is important to keep an open mind about the exact skillset required for your role. Companies that give weighting to the attitude and clarity of thought displayed by candidates are uncovering rich seams of talent that they would otherwise have overlooked.
As in all ICT sectors, the ability to expedite your hiring process upon finding a promising candidate is critical. Success at hiring your first-choice candidate will rest or fail on the speed at which you can make an offer. Your embrace of agile methods needs to extend to your HR structures if you are to pre-empt competing offers and secure a prized talent.
Candidate Insights
Employers take it as a given that our Java candidtes will have strong technical skills (GitHub portfolios help), though most will still set you a technical test for validation. They are not expecting candidates to fall at this hurdle, which means that the test takes on a different signifiicance: as a barometer of your attitude and commitment to excel.
Diligence in completing tests is taken as a clear statement of your level of interest. Candidates that spread their energies thin by applying for multiple roles simultaneously are at an obvious disadvantage to those that dedicate their complete attention to one process. If you lack sufficient motivation to give your all then the role is unlikely to be for you.
Beyond the essential ‘doing’ skills and Agile mindset, employers are looking for evidence of strength of character, positivity and open mindedness, appetite to evolve and, perhaps most importantly, the ability to articulate ideas and inspire others.
Testing & QA
Emerging Trends
Career prospects are very favourable for automation test specialists in 2015. All the more so for those with backgrounds as developers. Manual testing has not wholly been replaced and is, in fact, enjoying a comeback with solid demand from firms working on web, mobile and proprietary software applications. Strong roles in the finance sector continue to proliferate, particularly in the fixed contract category.
Though local candidates continue to upskill and enhance their CVs with ISTQB and mobile/web expertise the rate of progress is not keeping step with the pace of team expansions. Clients have been quick to accept the need to import tester talent this year, even offering relocation packages in certain instances.
Employer Insights
Competition for tester talent can be intense, with top practitioners being hired within days of signalling a mood for change. Employers are reacting by canning original checklists, cutting to the close faster and stretching salary limits. This does work, though more and more often, candidates are being swayed by a client’s enthusiasm, a compelling corporate vision or the promise of exciting challenges in a cutting edge environment. Selling the role is key.
Archer’s genuine interest in the careers of our candidates and our policy for maintaining regular contact over the years at meetups and events is giving us a fundamental edge in this era of automated correspondence. Our tester candidates feel they know us, and trust us to know when an opportunity is right for them. This is invaluable when it comes to pitching a role in a way that resonates and encourages the candidate to start visualising life within your team.
Candidate Insights
The most successful candidates have moved beyond relying on their skills (Selenium, QTP, Java), certifications (ISTQB) and experience (web/mobile) to gain an edge. Upskilling has levelled the playing field to such a degree that the key to winning a role can depend on your level of drive and perceived cultural fit.
The best way to exhibit these? Know the company, know what it takes to dominate the role and show genuine passion for taking the firm and your career to the next level. Displaying strong industry knowledge is especially important if you are looking to land a prime role in the finance industry.
The leading companies are not looking for automatons that keep their heads down and grind away. They want improvement-focused leaders who will animate meetings with good ideas. Show tangible evidence of a proactive nature and your status will change from candidate to contender.
Business Intelligence
Emerging Trends
Business Intelligence has become an integral part of business planning and an essential decision-making and predictive discipline. Boardrooms nationwide have become theatres for advanced data presentations in 2015. Compelling visualisation tools like Tableau and Qlikview have really taken off, proving particularly popular with companies that are new to BI. Specialists that can assimilate and interpret Big Data from multiple sources are in demand, as are those proficient in Open Source software like Talend, Pentaho and MySQL.
Organisations are exploring new ways of harnessing their data leading them to comb the market for talents with diverse BI skills. Statistical modelling and Big Data analysis experience is particularly valued.
Employer Insights
With competitive advantage at stake, companies are being highly selective in their choice of BI specialists. When the pool of available talent is already small to begin with, this can result in some protracted processes. Fortunately, Archer’s deep knowledge of our candidates’ capabilities and unique skill search algorithms mean we are strongly positioned from the offset to identify the niche professionals that may fit the ideal profile.
Naturally, every employer wants to command the interest of all the top BI specialists in the marketplace. However, these candidates tend to enjoy influential status and well-paid roles within progressive companies and are rarely countenancing a move. The new trend of starting the hiring process with a technical test is not providing an irresistible impulse to leave a fulfilling position.
Even when a top candidate is inclined to move they are unlikely to respond well to an obligation to submit a test in advance of a first interview. The policy is ruling many employers out of the running. ‘A List’ BI specialists are not short on roles from which to choose. Unless your Job Spec is seen as particularly outstanding they will tend to choose paths of lower resistance, only taking tests after face-to-face meetings where they have been convinced that an opportunity is worth wholehearted pursuit.
In the BI sector, navigating candidates through this early phase of the selection is often key to a successful hire. Support from a trusted advisor like Archer can be critical to securing full candidate engagement and keeping the process on track.
Candidate Insights
Demand for candidates with mastery of traditional BI tools like Oracle, Microsoft and SAP is maturing. Clients are displaying a trend towards valuing skillsets that are more diverse, niche and open source in nature.
Big Data engineers (Hadoop, Spark, NoSQL) and data scientists are enjoying a buoyant market, great roles emerging monthly for candidates with 1-2 years solid commercial experience. So attractive is this sector that people from other walks of business life are upskilling to pursue the many interesting and well-paid opportunities. For now, pure BI specialists have the edge on newcomers to BI that have retooled, but evidence of having impacted revenues can elevate any candidate into contention.
In a sector in which visualisations are key to selling the business case for decisive courses of action, you need to prepare a compelling case for employing you. Beyond the wide-ranging skillset, employers expect to you to come equipped with insightful opinions about their company and ideas for stimulating improvements. Your previous success in raising business performance will come under special scrutiny so dedicate time to considering how your previous accomplishments can be leveraged to convince a panel of your future worth.
Above all, make sure you want the role with a passion. BI’s integral influence on business success means firms want people that are ready to commit long term. Permanent BI positions have take over from contract jobs as the dominant form of employment so it is vital that you identify with the company and display an affinity with their values.
Business Analysts & Project Managers
Emerging Trends
The driving factors behind top BA and PM appointments have changed considerably since 2014. A renewed appetite for innovation and focus on business future-proofing took over from regulatory and compliance projects as the key catalysts for hires.
The insurance, banking and fintech sectors remain significant employers in this category, though there have been new motives behind their recruitment drives this year. Regulatory concerns have been superseded by a need to keep pace with advancing technologies by investing in software and systems upgrades. High calibre new personnel are required for a different type of project in 2015, ones that are more strategic in character and have a direct bearing on organisational direction.
Enduring confidence in the economy means that employers are exhibiting an increasing inclination to make long-term hires. The fact that companies are embarking on bigger, more complex and creative projects mean that daily rate contractor roles are still available in healthy numbers. The market for fixed term contract roles shows no sign of making a comeback, however.
Employer Insights
The return to prosperity means BA and PM skills are back in demand, resulting in considerable transfer market activity. Top performers have been quick to capitalise, moving to the more progressive firms or accepting increases in status and conditions to recommit to existing roles. A significant pool of experienced talent remains primed for the right move, however, and strong candidates are flocking back from spells spent honing their craft in positions of influence overseas.
Permanent salaries are growing again and employers are having to show flexibility in order to onboard their preferred candidates. The majority of specialists in this sector have invested considerably in upskilling during a lean period and are conscious of extracting value from this personal asset.
Self-financed study means these people have cutting-edge insights into new technologies and are looking to work with contemporary tools in like-minded firms. The most successful employers are responding positively to this, building a strong career development component into their new roles (and the corresponding ads) to attract the star players with the greatest appetite for progress.
On the flipside, the trend for pre-interview testing of candidates is lowering the calibre of applicants for many roles. A List players are busy people with irons in many fires – it would take a dream move for the majority of them to countenance spending time on a test that did not guarantee face time with the company. Interview first, test later is the hiring sequence that is yielding best results.
Candidate Insights
The market for senior level IT roles is posting its healthiest levels of demand in years, creating openings at all managerial levels. Strong BA and PM talents are first in line to take advantage. Change is occurring, too, in the nature of employment in this sector with faster growing permanent salaries enticing recession-era contractors back into full-time roles. Employers are reinforcing their teams with a promising future in mind and are looking for strategists and champions to commit to making an enduring difference.
In a dynamic and revitalised economy there will always be openings for contractors. The fixed rate market may have evaporated, but rates are stong and inching up for daily rate projects. With permanent conditions at their most alluring for some time, now is an opportune time to consider a change in work practices.
Market forces are aligning for BA/PM specialists to make a life-changing career move right now. The key is to be prepared: Your main rivals will enter the interview room armed with a detailed understanding of the employer’s business. You need your research to be on a par. Updated qualifications will be a given. It is your accomplishments, how you arrived at them and what this reveals about your character that will come under the microscope. Investing time in analysing your track record and turning it into a succinct and compelling story will pay dividends.
Senior IT Management
Emerging Trends
We anticipated that a prolonged period of business confidence would yield a commensurate growth in demand for senior managers. However, hiring activity at this level remains relatively static. What modest uplift there has been has tended to revolve around project-focused roles.
Employer expectations have shifted dramatically in recent years, resulting in a new profile of senior manager. The own-door office occupiers of old have gone, replaced by a new breed of practitioners of what Tom Peters refers to as MBWA, Management By Walking Around. Companies are gravitating towards managers that enrich their industry experience with a progressive mindset and practical programming skills.
Top senior management candidates have responded by reinventing themselves through online research and after-hours education. Mounting frustration with the status quo is causing many to make sideways moves, eschewing possible salary rises (which may or may not materialise) for the chance to kickstart their career in bright- futured younger firms. This mix of youthful drive and revitalised wisdom is resulting in some truly rewarding partnerships.
Employer Insights
Employers have a strong pool of senior management talent to choose from, whether they look locally or extend their search across Europe. The difficult years have had silver linings for many domestic candidates as they have transformed their value to businesses, evolving into more versatile and responsive versions of their former selves.
There is a clear trend for the brightest talents to covet a move to the more exciting, up-and-coming firms. Fantastic, if your company is one of these. Otherwise, you have a considerable marketing task on your hands to convince your audience that your role has more to offer.
Long-term career progression, flexible conditions, a progressive ethos and clear structure, a place at the centre of decision-making; all wield considerable appeal. Equally important, you can have Archer at your side, a trusted confidant with opinions valued by candidates and a proven ability to navigate complex processes to successful conclusions.
Candidate Insights
Senior managers are working harder than ever to force themselves into the reckoning for the top ICT roles. Prevalent upskilling and talent immigration (from overseas and other market sectors) means competition has intensified. Employer expectations are higher than ever; they want their managers of the future to be all-rounders that are equally comfortable reviewing code or presenting to high-level stakeholders. If this doesn’t sound like you then you will need to display some singular skills of a different nature to make an impact.
“Agile” is the keyword on every employer’s Wish List and experience in coordinating Scrum teams will gain you a foothold. The issue for candidates from more traditional firms is that theoretical knowledge is no substitute for having worked in a truly Agile environment. The need to overcome this disadvantage explains the lateral direction of many of this year’s senior hires. It is getting to the point where, if you don’t have actual Agile exposure, it makes sense to endure a slight salary drop in order to boost your employment prospects for the next five years.
The key is to think a step ahead and seize current opportunities that will take you closer to your ultimate goal. See the potential in close-fit roles rather than hold out for dream moves that might never arise. Adopting this non-linear mindset has been rekindling the careers of many candidates. The divine right to a better-paid role by virtue of seniority has all but disappeared. Once you realise that you will have to compete for a better position on merit it should work to make you more grounded and amplify your focus on preparation. You may not reach the pinnacle quite as quickly as you had hoped for but you will be prepared to thrive there for longer once you arrive.
Summary
Business confidence in Ireland is running high and the best ICT professionals are in a commanding position to capitalise. Big Data and eCommerce have definitively conquered the business world, as have mobile devices and creative graphic interfaces. Screen-based user experiences are key to modern commercial success and firms are hastening to recruit the IT resources that will assure their future competitiveness.
Hiring activity is considerable across all IT specialisms, though the anticipated unlocking of static demand for senior level has yet to fully materialise. The growing adoption of Agile working methods is resulting in a leveling of hierarchies, and the modern preference for hands-on senior skills is seeing more promotions from Scrums to boardroom table for technicians that display management credentials.
The short-term survivalism of recent years has truly been superseded by a focus on building future foundations, and employers are showing a new and marked preference for permanent hires. In the next half of the decade, the quality and ambition of a firm’s IT talent will only increase in importance. The most successful hiring companies are rebooting their roles to give them a strong career development component in return for securing the commitment of evolution-focused top performers.
Top candidates, too, are thinking forward and looking to realign their skillsets to the changing needs of employers today. Gone are the days of resting on laurels or getting by with top-ups of third-level knowledge. The advent of mobile technology and Agile practices have been wake-up calls that the majority of IT practitioners have responded to with relish. Redundancies, too, have reshaped mindsets, making for a vastly more versatile and commercially savvy talent pool.
There is a clear meeting of minds, employers and candidates exhibiting a shared interest in two key areas: Exciting Technologies and Progress. In Q2 the best candidates signed for companies that offered collaboration with like-minded talents, better technology, Agile working practices and greater autonomy/ decision-making power.
2015 is the year in which the IT jobs market lit up again. Positive sentiment and an all-round hunger to make up for lost time abounds. The second half promises even more action as the shrinking talent pool compels firms to do more headhunting and make more foreign market forays. Archer intend to be there in the front line, attuned to new possibilities, helping clients shape their roles of the future and supporting our best candidates to step up to the plate and secure great new opportunities.
Call: Josh Linton/Sam Perrin
