With the number of job losses (particularly in the tech sector) in Ireland recently it is worth pointing out to those people who are in underrepresented groups in the workplace where the best places to find a job are. September can also be a popular time for recruitment, particularly from those who may have taken time off from the workplace. We all know about the likes of LinkedIn, Indeed, Irishjobs, Jobs.ie and several of the other large organisations where you can go to find companies who are recruiting, however, here are the links to some of the smaller organisations in Ireland that assist underrepresented groups applying to the workforce:
What began as an email bulletin has grown into one of the most successful job searching websites for those interested in working in the community, or Not For Profit area. Giancarlo Ramaioli created the business in 1999 and even though Giancarlo sadly passed away in 2009 the website is Ireland’s primary website for Not For Profits to advertise for positions and their community to apply to jobs. The website also offers a Community Exchange forum for Not For Profits to share with each other
Ahead runs the The Willing and Able Mentoring (WAM) Programme, which is designed to give access to the labour market for graduates with at least a level 8 degree and have a disability. Ahead then work with a range of businesses (some of whom you can see in this image) to provide paid work placements for a minimum of six months for these graduates. Graduates are only allowed 2 placements through the WAM programme. All successful graduates are given a mentor upon starting in the organisation that hires them, to ease their transition into the company and answer any questions the new employee may have.
According to their website “the WAM Programme has provided over 550 placements for graduates with disabilities”
Back To Work Connect- Reconnecting Returners and career changers to education & employment
At Back to Work Connect, we are passionate about providing the tools, resources and support for Returners looking to re-enter the workforce following a career break.
Unfortunately, there is often a disconnect between women looking to resume employment following a career break and the actual opportunities available to them. A fundamental reason for this can be linked to the many myths and misconceptions associated with the term “Returner”.
These misconceptions lead to the undermining of an experienced, talented and hard-working pool of well-deserving candidates who are eager to return to the workplace following a career gap.
Because of this career gap, Returners can also face additional challenges such as gender pay gaps, unfair recruitment bias, assumptions, judgement and missed opportunities.
We created a career hub with a Returner Friendly jobs board, courses directory and community events specifically designed for midlife workers.
Our Returner Friendly badge is designed for forward-thinking organisations invested in creating a diverse and inclusive workplace open to all. For employers, the Returner Friendly badge unlocks dynamic recruitment opportunities while making it easier for Returners to identify Returner-friendly companies who understand the value they can bring to your organisation.
For many that can go to college, their college alumni job pages are often a great source of potential positions. Alumni (former students) from the course go back to the careers service or former lecturers. This is because the employers often approach the college, knowing the standards of the course or the college in general and they want those in college or recently graduated to apply to their organisations. It can also work well if the potential applicant has a reference from one of the lecturers in the college.
I previously did a case study on Connect4work which you can view here. CEO – Mary Finn established the organisation to assist people returning to work following an absence due to illness, injury or other reasons such as medical issues in the past.
It was during her time working in a pilot programme and targeting this group of people, that Mary saw the need for greater compassion and better understanding amongst employers in how to assist their employees, while at the same time, boosting employee confidence, self-belief and retention at work.
Connect4Work now runs programmes to support employers and employees on how to plan for a safe, timely
Nearly 90k Family Carers in Ireland receive carers Allowance from the government and with it, a stipulation that they cannot work more than 18.5 hours per week. Family Carers are accountants, teachers, marketing executives, etc who have had to give up full-time employment to care for a sick or ageing loved one at home. They have so many skills and qualifications to use and offer employers but on an 18.5 hour per basis. With even an example of half of 90k Family Carers available for part time work, if employers were open to offering 18.5 hour per week contracts, Family Carers can help towards Ireland’s current recruitment crisis.
According to their website “We bridge the gaps between refugees and Irish companies and connect refugees’ talent with Irish companies” The website then created a job coaching service for refugees to Ireland (who are legal to work here) and anonymously put their credentials on their site. They then work with employers and put the positions that they are offering on their site, matching their potential candidates to the positions on offer. A social enterprise, Employ Refugees is free to use for their users and the employers they work with. They’re job coaches also offer training, identify suitable roles, give interview advice and work with both the user and the employer to ensure a smooth transition to the workplace.
Formally Employamum.ie founder Karen O’Reilly created the business in 2016 to help parents (predominantly mothers) to ease them back into the workforce, by offering flexible work schedules by employers who understand work/life balance and the pressures of being a parent. However, after 3 years they found that 30% of their placements were male and 50% weren’t parents at all, so they decided to rebrand the company and its mission.
Now EmployFlex works with candidates who wish to have flexibility in their work such as part-time, remote, job sharing or flexible hours to help support their work/life balance. The company has a 93% success rate and now has over 5,000 candidates on its books and has worked with the likes of Bank of Ireland, Ballymaloe Foods and The Republic of Work to name a few.
Employability is supported by the Department of Social Protection. It provides job coaching on topics such as CV and Cover Letter building, job searching, and interview practice for people who have a disability and are unemployed. Through the The Department of Social Protection Wage Subsidy Scheme they can also provide a grant to employers of up to €10,748 to anyone who employs someone from the service for a contract for more than six months and a minimum of 21 hours per week.
With offices and job coaches throughout the country, anyone who is interested can find out more by contacting their local Intreo office
The premier website in Ireland for any company or employee interested in working remotely. Started in 2019, the company advocates for remote working, by offering training packages to companies interested in onboarding or changing their current work practises to increase the amount of time that employees can work from home. Grow Remote also advocates for employees by offering a community of remote workers to reduce some of the isolation felt by working remotely.
They also offer courses on getting started with remote work, a jobs board of organisations who embrace remote working, and a career planning and resources section for the job seeker.
Another company born out of the Covid-19 pandemic, Indielist was created soon after the pandemic began as many freelancers in the advertising, PR and marketing industries struggled to get employment as there was a recruitment freeze on. Una Herlihy and Peter McPartlin came together to create Indielist. According to adworld.ie “There are nearly 3,000 people offering freelance services in Ireland” and this website allows those freelancers to meet with the indielist.ie team, upload their portfolio, and describe their specialist areas.
Employers can upload their available projects for freelancers and then they match the correct candidate to the specific position.
According to their website “Search Talent was born from the need in the recruitment industry for a boutique high-end service offering. Search Talent will take the time to understand your recruiting needs and treat every requisition as if it’s an Executive Search. This means high levels of service and attention to detail, no matter what your requirements.” With their team of over 30 highly qualified employees, they are one of the top performing recruitment agencies in Ireland.
Created in 2020, The Open Doors Initiative is an initiative of over 100 of the biggest companies based in Ireland and NGOs, who work with the government to create pathways to employment for marginalised people, nationwide. As part of this The Open Doors Initiative created a jobs page of their website where some of the organisations that they work with post their positions so that they can get more of a diverse range of people applying.
When Ellie and Lorraine developed their original concept for TalentHub, culture was at the heart of their vision. Their decades of recruitment and industry experience gave them a unique insight into the key ingredients for successful hires, leading them to develop a bespoke approach that identifies cultural fit and competencies to find the perfect match. Inspired by their vision, Morgan joined TalentHub in 2017 following an award-winning, international career in advertising to lead the Executive Search and Coaching division.
Recently Ellie had a health scare, and this has recharged her energy towards advocating for people in the workplace with neurodiversity, as she puts it “if I didn’t run my own company I wouldn’t have a job!”
According to their website, “Women ReBOOT is an award-winning programme that supports women with tech sector skills and experience to return to work after a career break.
Have you taken time out of the workplace due to caring responsibilities or other commitments? Are you looking to reignite your career in the IT sector? Our free women returner ReBOOT programme provides an on ramp for women to come back into the workplace.
We have trained over 310 women to date who now work with many blue chip companies such as DELL, Optum Technologies, Version 1AIB, Fineos, Guidewire and Workhuman.
If you previously worked in a tech role such as software developer, tester, QA, project manager, business analysis and/or hold a relevant IT qualification or have an interest in IT, we would love to hear from you.”
Having spent one too many hours on the M50, CEO Ciara Garvan decided she needed a more flexible approach to work. Long before the Covid-19 pandemic began, Ciara and her growing team of recruiters specialised in “newer” ways to work, i.e. remote working or flexible working in terms of part-time, 3 day weeks and to start and/or finish work at different times of the day. Having received support from the likes of Enterprise Ireland and having clients such as
Dell Technologies amongst their client base. According to their website “At the moment WorkJuggle is focused on IT, Finance, HR, Management, Marketing, Project/Programme Management and Sales roles. We hope you find what you are looking for, whether it is a contract position or something more permanent. We are just at the start of our journey. We hope you will join us.”