Innovative tech workers reap the rewards in a changing market

As businesses adapt and innovate faster than ever before, tech workers are finding they need to move out of their comfort zone, says Eolas Recruitment.

Covid-19 has forced many businesses to innovate rapidly this year. Much has changed and many companies have work to do to better integrate these changes into their systems.

For tech workers, this is generating demand for skills in areas like development, e-commerce and online trading as well as data analysis, artificial intelligence, project and change management. But it’s not just technical skills that companies are looking for, soft skills such influencing and presentation skills, collaboration, creativity, flexibility and emotional intelligence are also vital for many current roles.

Moving out of your comfort zone

Asked what job seekers can do to improve their chances of finding a suitable role, Eolas Recruitment Managing Director Vincent Flynn says it’s important to be willing to move out of your comfort zone.

“Candidates need to think about how the pandemic is impacting the businesses they would like to work for. Focus on what skills those businesses will need to enable them to keep trading, take advantage of emerging opportunities, develop new products or services, or find ways to identify and cope with new competitors.

“Candidates also need to research the company they’re applying to and the relevant industry trends. Analyse your current experience and skills. Maybe you need to expand your knowledge. If so, there are lots of online and distance learning technical and management courses available that will add value to your tech CV.”

Job hunting

When it comes to finding opportunities, obviously the first place to look is the current listings on the Eolas Recruitment website. It’s also a good idea to arrange a chat with our recruiters. As a specialist in IT recruitment, our team often knows about upcoming opportunities including some that may not be openly advertised.

You can find lots of relevant information on our website to help with your job search like these recent articles on job hunting during the Covid-19 lockdown , preparing for online interviews and how to avoid sabotaging your job interview.

What if your skills are out of date or if you don’t have any experience?

“Obviously, it’s important to keep up to date so you may need to upskill or be willing to take a junior role to get current experience but older skills are sometimes relevant if companies are looking for programmers to help integrate new applications with legacy systems.

“If you don’t have any relevant or formal experience because you’re just starting out on your tech career, it’s a good idea to put a portfolio of work together including examples of relevant projects you have worked on at college or in your spare time. It’s also great if you can show that you have collaborated with other people and that you are willing to accept and learn from feedback.

“Regardless of the role you are applying for, flexibility is often very important. There are great opportunities out there for candidates who are not afraid to move out of their comfort zone. Companies aren’t just adapting and reacting, they’re also trying to understand how the pandemic will impact their business in the longer term. They want to identify scope to create efficiencies and enhance performance, to understand how to accelerate their digitalisation and scale. So technical skills are important but candidates that understand how to communicate well, collaborate, work across functions, and keep pace in a fast-changing environment are really sought after. You can see this in many of the roles we have on our website at the moment — there are excellent opportunities for analysts, developers, project managers and systems architects to name just a few,” says Vincent.

IT Contracting

The pandemic is also creating new opportunities for IT contractors as companies are finding that being able to blend permanent and contract workers gives them more flexibility to cope with change. Examples of areas where contractors are in demand at present include software developers and IT engineers for AWS cloud projects, configuring Dynamics CRM, implementing test scenarios and developing, supporting and optimising IT security solutions. If you are interested in finding out more about contracting, you can find some tips in our recent blog on how to set yourself up as an IT contractor in Ireland.

Keep in touch

This article touches on just some of the ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic is impacting job opportunities for tech workers. For up to date details of the latest permanent and contract roles, see our home page. You can also find more information about how we support candidates in our informational videos and online reviews. Finally, when you are ready to make your next move, contact us for a chat in confidence about how we can help you advance your tech career.

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