These days the workplace in Ireland is quite different to what it was five years ago. It’s odds on that that your colleague is Polish or English or Australian or an Irish person who has returned from the States. So consider the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Ireland today and wonder about the Financial Recruitment Consultant.
They are in the front line of this change. They have to be in tune with cultural differences, be aware of acclimatisation problems and try to assess skills that may be less than obvious. These are not only people serving in your local shop or restaurant. No, they are the young professional coming to Ireland for international experience and opportunity in much the same way - and for the same reasons - as the young Irish professional used to go to the States or the UK.
They work in audit, internal audit, compliance, accounting services, IT, architecture, engineering and their presence is beginning to enrich the workplace in Ireland. A lot come from the “New Europe” where unemployment is high and salaries are low. Many bring with them a work ethic, which, arguably, we are losing – no question of a work/life balance for them! But will they stay, some employers ask. Yes, if they’re given fair opportunity and after all, with cheap flights to so many new destinations home is no longer that far away. But of course, many will return with skills they have acquired in Ireland to enrich their own workplaces in years to come. Much in the same way as the now less than young Irish Professional is returning home. Eagerly sought after, those with skills in short supply such as Regulatory or Compliance can expect a very warm welcome indeed!
Consider the Financial Recruitment Consultant who can no longer expect the comfort of placing an advertisement in a newspaper and wait for replies. They have to travel to find their candidates, work the job boards intelligently and most difficult of all, network and search internationally. Gone are the days when a Personnel Manger of a well-known bank asked a consultant to “Lash us out a few CV’s.” Nowadays they must work within the parameters of being a preferred supplier, if they’re lucky. And building relationships is still the key to a Recruitment Consultant’s success; the time honoured way, even in this day of the Internet. Maintaining close contact with candidates in New York or Warsaw, being able to brief them intelligently about opportunities here, discussing some element of compromise in returning home, enticing them to come here for experience is now part of the job. Having a good appreciation of their technical and professional abilities is essential, which is why companies and candidates prefer to use specialist agencies.
So, having briefly considered this aspect of a Financial Recruitment Consultant’s work, what sort of challenges does it pose for them? A language would be a help, and some technical or professional qualification or experience in a specialist field is desirable, but most of all it requires patience to work with long lead times, insight to deal with candidates who have no local reference on their CV’s, an appreciation of what companies are most suited to the young professional arriving here for the first time, and managing people’s expectations when they return after years spent overseas. The Recruitment Consultant is often the first to feel the winds of change, which in the past were economic but now they appear to be cultural, and whether these are balmy breezes or whirlwinds remains to be seen.
David Wilkes is a Director of CFW, Financial Recruitment Specialists who fill Accounting and Finance jobs, both permanent and temporary, in Industry, Practice, Banking, Shared Services and Financial Services throughout Ireland. www.cfw.ie