Great Place to Work 2010 results

List of Best Workplaces – 2010 Best Workplaces in Ireland

Large (Over 250 Employees)
1 Microsoft
2 Telefonica O2 Ireland
3 PepsiCo Ireland
4 EMC Ireland
5 McDonald’s Restaurants of Ireland
6 Unicarepharmacy
7 Diageo Ireland
8 Quintiles Ireland Limited
9 Topaz Energy Ltd
10 Medtronic
11 Deloitte
12 Boots Retail (Ireland) Ltd.
13 PM Group
14 EirGrid plc
15 Boston Scientific Cork
16 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
17 3
18 EBS Building Society
19 Abbott Diagnostics Division Longford
20 BNY Mellon

SME (50 to 250 Employees)
1 Euro Car Parks
2 Abbott Ireland, Commercial
3 Mars Ireland
4 Jones Lang LaSalle ltd.
5 Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Mairead Griffin, Career Coach & Outplacement Specialist http://www.careermentors.ie

Read More…………

6 Merck Sharp & Dohme (Human Health) Ireland Ltd
7 CB Richard Ellis Ireland
8 Investec Ireland
9 FCm Travel Solutions
10 Nationwide Controlled Parking Systems ltd.
11 FedEx Express
12 Abbott Ireland Pharmaceutical Operations
13 Musgrave Group Head Office
14 Cisco Systems
15 Intel Shannon ltd.
16 sanofi-aventis
17 Cadbury Ireland Commerical
18 Abbott Ireland Diabetes Care
19 3M Ireland Limited
20 BMC Software

• It is better to put “referees available on request” on your CV. This will allow you the time to give your referees  advance notice to expect a call. It will work in your favour if your referee is prepared .
•  If you have had a good relationship with your referee, you should give them an overview of the role you are applying for – they may tailor their responses if they know what the organisation is looking for
•  When selecting your referees always ensure you select someone who is forthcoming and communicative. Alot of referees give one word answers which will not always reflect well on you
• Nowadays alot of organisations will not provide formal references. If at all possible, try see if you can get an “off the record” reference if this is the case

Read More………..

Below are samples of the typical questions an organisation will ask your referees:

Standard reference check questions include:

What was (candidate’s) period of employment?

Please outline (candidate’s) position and responsibilities?

Reviewing (candidate’s) resume, does this job title and job description match the position that the candidate held?

What was (candidate’s) reporting structure?

If (candidate) did not report to you, what was your working relationship?

How long have your worked with /known (candidate)?

What was (candidate’s) reason for leaving your company?

Can you tell me (candidate’s) salary at the time of leaving?

How would you describe (candidate’s) punctuality?

Could you rate (candidate’s) reliability?

How would you describe (candidate’s) honesty and integrity?

How did (candidate) get along with co-workers and management?

If (candidate) supervised/managed any employees, how would you describe her/his supervisory/management skills?

Describe (candidate’s) ability to handle pressure? Can you give me an example?

Ability to organize, prioritize and manage time?

Ability to handle conflict?

Ability to work as a team member?

How would you rate (candidate’s) communication skills?

Please describe (candidate’s) work ethic?

Please describe the quality of (candidate’s) work?

What do you consider (candidate’s) key strengths?

What would you consider to be (candidate’s) areas for improvement?

What would you say was (candidate’s) biggest accomplishment while working at your company?

How would you rate (candidate’s) overall job performance?

Was (candidate) ever promoted while working at your company?

(Candidate) is being considered for the following position, do you think he/she is a good fit?.

Theoretically, would you re-employ him/her?

Is there anything else you would like to add about (candidate)?

Mairead Griffin, Career Coach & Outplacement Specialist, Career Mentors http://www.careermentors.ie

What exactly is a competency?
It’s a skill, knowledge or behaviour eg Teamwork, Detail Orientation, Analytical

Why use a competency based interview?
It is a fair, consistent and objective way of assessing candidates. Everyone is asked the same questions, and rated in the same way. It removes room for human error

What type of organisations use competency based interviews?
Generally large blue-chip multinationals, graduate recruitment days, semi states & public sector. Small to Medium sizedenterprises are using competency based interviews more and more. Iin the UK this type of interview is standard. Irrespective of whether or not an interview is competency based or not, the preparation required will really help you think on your feet at a CV led interview

What approach should be used for these interviews?
Always use the 1st person and the STAR interview Technique. We will discuss this in more detail under “STAR Interview Techniques”

Read On…………………..

How should I prepare for competency based questions?
It is all about preparation. You need to do some investigating if you are not clear about the competencies involved, or you do not have a job spec, or your recruitment consultant cannot give you this information (they should be able to help if they are a good consultant ). Do a search on the jobs board for similar roles and check out what employers look for in the requirements section. Once you have established at least 5 -8 competencies, stop and think through examples of when you have delivered on them in the past. Your examples don’t always have to be work related, but it you are stuck, there is no harm throwing in a personal or hobbies related example. It is worth practicing with a professional interviewer in advance. EG A recruitment consultant or a career advisor

The link below is an excellent site that provides you sample questions, how to structure your answers, how to approach your interview and sample questions & answers

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/compet/skillquest.htm

Examples of competencies include the following

Adaptable
Administration
Ambitious
Attention to Detail
Analytical
Building Relationship
Communication
Competitive
Conflict Resolution
Creativity Customer Oriented
Decision Making
Delegation
Detail Oriented
Energy
Financially Motivated
Flexibility
Initiative
Influencing
Interpersonal Skills
Innovation
Leadership
Listening
Motivating Others
Negotiation
Organised
Persuasive
Planning
Presentation
Project Management
Problem Solving
Results Orientated
Supportive
Sales
Time Management
Goal Setting
Strategic Planning
Managing Stress
Teamwork
Resilience
Value Oriented
Writing
People Management
Self Management

Further probing questions!!

What exactly did you do? What was your specific role in this? What challenges did you come across? Why precisely did you do that? Why exactly did you make that decision?How did you approach it?How did you feel? Whose decision was it? What exactly was the outcome? What feedback did you receive? What would you do differently next time

Mairead Griffin, Career Coach, 01-2160880, mairead@careermentors.ie

What is……

- Your ideal job specification.
- What type of people would you like to work with?
- What hours and what location would you like to work?
- How do you want to be managed?
- How much responsibility do you want to have?
- What type of career prospects do you need to have?
- Is it possible to get there? Are there financial or dependent restrictions?
- What is realistic? What is achievable? What is essential and what is a “nice to have”?
- How could I overcome any obstacles?
- How important is job security?
- Do I need an important sounding title?
- Would I prefer to work in a large or small business?
- How much am I worth? What is the absolute lowest base salary will I consider?
- Would I relocate for the right role? If not, what is a feasible commute?
- Am I looking for a job with a social life as well?
- What do I not enjoy doing?
- Is further education worth it?
- Will I consider contract?

Mairead Griffin, Career Coach & Outplacement Specialist, http://www.careermentors.ie 01-2160880

Read more……..

- When can I start?
- What is my notice period and will it impact on me getting a job?
- What benefits are really important to me? What can I go without? Holidays, Pension, Health Insurance, Flexibility etc

If the above aren’t coming to you – then think of yourself in the 3rd person and describe yourself that way

11. Who are their key clients
13. Difference between your role and others at peer level in the department
14. People turnover within the department
15. Upcoming Project work. % of your role that will be project work
16. Career opportunity and career path
17. Team Culture
18. Level of Autonomy
19. Basic salary range & based on your depth of experience what should you expect if successful
20. Benefits – Annual leave, Pension, VHI, Holidays, Flexitime

21. Commute
22. Level of flexibility
23. Who will be doing the interviews? What are their job titles and relevance to the role
24. What are their backgrounds i.e how long are they with the business etc
25. What type of interview will it be?
26. What are the key competencies of the role?
27. What is the style of the interviewers?
28. What should I expect?
29. How long with the interview be?
30. When are they looking for someone to start
31. How long have they been looking for this person?
32. How many have they interviewed?
33. How many more are they interviewing?
34. When will they be making a decision?

What is needed?

What are the benefits?
You are your own boss and you have control over your own decisions
You will gain a broad understanding of business which will stand to you forever
Flexibility

What are the cons?
You need to be working to be earning
Getting time off can be difficult
You will have total responsibility for success or failure

Mairead Griffin, Career Coach, Career Mentors, http://www.careermentors.ie

Why do new businesses fail?
Lack of planning
Cash flow problems
Lack of Skills
Lack of product or service demand
Not enough tenacity

Are you suited to life as an entrepreneur?

Do you have….
Drive
Personality
Networks
Personal Circumstances
Time
Commitment
Finances

Questions to ask yourself
Do others have the same product or service?
Is my product an improvement on what’s there?
What evidence is there that customers will buy my product?

Mairead Griffin, Career Coach & Outplacement Specialist – http://www.careermentors.ie

Read More………………

What is the nature of my business?
What is my target market – location, size, trends
Who are your customers – what and when do they buy
What price will they buy at?
Who are your competitors? How will you be different ( better quality, lower price?)
Is there a gap in the service / products they provide
What is their pricing strategy?
What is the volume and value of your sales
How much will it cost to develop your product / service
How much will it cost you to make and deliver
How much money do I need to get up and running?
What will this money be spent on and where are you going to get it

If you feel you have what it takes and are motivated for the right reasons,Id strongly suggest completing a “start your own business” course. The courses run by the Enterprise Boards are generally over a 6-10 week period one evening a week. They are heavily subsidised and the quality of the trainers is excellent.

Check out http://www.dlceb.ie for more information

Hope this helps anyone considering going out on their own or even undertaking some ad consulting work whilst searching for a permanent role

Thanks
Mairead
Career Coach & Outplacement Specialist
http://www.careermentors.ie
0876312900

Why do voluntary work?

- It’s an opportunity to help a cause that is close to your heart. Most charities welcome volunteers with open arms. There are over 600 charities in Ireland ( check out http://www.thewheel.ie ) most of whom would welcome the contribution of experienced, motivated individuals.

- Volunteering can develop your transferable skills as the work can be very varied ranging from care work to meals on wheels to fundraising to retail work

- Keeps you active and out there interacting with people. When you are between jobs, it’s important that you develop a routine and interests outside of job searching!!

More……………..

Mairead Griffin, Career Coach, Career Mentors http://www.careermentors.ie

- Even a few hours a week will help any charity!

- Charity work can be a stepping stone to paid employment. A friend of mine has worked as a HR manager for nearly 10 years, she lost her job about 8 months ago and started volunteering . 4 months later she has secured a permanent job and is project managing a large, high profile overseas project. She has changed her career direction and has never been happier!

- If you looking for paid work in the voluntary sector, experience of volunteering is really important.

- Volunteering is fun and rewarding. It will give you a lift between jobs and give you a sense of fulfillment!

Useful Links

http://www.volunteer.ie
http://www.southdublinvolunteer.ie
http://www.getvolunteerjobs.com
http://www.vso.ie

Is a redundancy lump sum payment taxable?

What is the situation regarding workers on what is called “fixed-purpose” contracts?
The Redundancy Payments Act 2003 safeguards the right to redundancy of a worker employed under a “fixed-purpose” contract i.e. where the exact duration of the contract was incapable of being determined at the beginning. If the contract is not renewed following the fulfilling of the purpose, with the fixed-purpose contract therefore ceasing, a redundancy situation can arise. There is already provision under Section 9(1)(b) of the Redundancy Payments Act, 1967 regarding fixed-term contracts under which a redundancy situation exists where a fixed-term of employment expires without being renewed under the same or a similar contract.

What is the position regarding the redundancy rights of Part-Time Workers?
The Redundancy Payments Act 2003 has secured the rights of part-time workers to a statutory redundancy payment through amending insurability requirements for redundancy to bring them into line with the Social Welfare Acts and the Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001. This is in line with the provision of the 2001 Act that part-time employees cannot be treated in a less favourable manner than comparable full-time employees in relation to conditions of employment. In particular, there is recognition for the rights of workers to statutory redundancy in the following cases – (a) casual employment, (b) subsidiary employment (where a person depends on another employment for his/her livelihood) and (c) employment of inconsiderable extent i.e. very low wage.

Mairead Griffin, Career Coach & Outplacement Specialist, Career Mentors -

Phone 01-2160880 Email mairead@careermentors.ie

Read More……………………..

Can an employee be made redundant while on Maternity Leave or on Additional Maternity Leave?
No. Notice of Redundancy (included in RP50) cannot issue when a person is on Maternity Leave or indeed on Additional Maternity Leave. The Equality Authority are the experts on this and can be contacted at (01) 4173333. (Lo Call – 1890 24 55 45).

Are Maternity Leave, Additional Maternity and Parental Leave reckonable for redundancy calculation purposes?
From the 1st March 2007 the first 26 weeks of maternity leave are fully reckonable for redundancy calculation purposes (up from 22 weeks since the 1st of March 2006). Furthermore, in respect of all redundancies notified/declared on or after 10th April, 2005, additional maternity leave is also reckonable. The same applies to protective leave or natal care absence within the meaning of the Maternity Protection Act 1994. Again, all this applies only to the 3 year period ending on the date of termination of employment. Absences from employment before that period (in respect of all redundancies notified/declared on or after 10th April, 2005) are always fully reckonable.

The full 14 weeks of parental leave are fully reckonable for redundancy purposes (under the Parental Leave Act, 1998). So also is force majeure leave within the meaning of the Parental Leave Act 1998. Again, the 3 year rule referred to above applies here also.

Is Adoptive Leave reckonable for redundancy purposes?
Yes. Since 1st of March 2007, the first 24 weeks of Adoptive Leave have been reckonable (20 weeks prior to that) under the Adoptive Leave Act, 1995. The additional 16 weeks Adoptive Leave (unpaid) are also reckonable. The 3 year rule applies.

Is Carers Leave reckonable for redundancy purposes?
Yes. Carers Leave, up to a maximum period of 104 weeks in respect of any one care-recipient, is reckonable. Again, the 3 year rule applies – non-reckonable service applies only to the last 3 years of service. Everything before that is fully reckonable.

What happens when different working conditions are offered?
As a general rule, where the terms and conditions offered are different from those of the existing job, the offer must be of “suitable employment” for that employee. Otherwise it would seem that a redundancy situation is involved i.e. where there is a material deterioration in the terms and conditions of employment.

If a person goes from company to company over the years, when does their reckonable service start?
From the start of their employment at the last company, unless that company is a subsidiary of the previous company, in which case it would be the start of employment in the previous company.

If an employee is on sick leave for 8 months, with 6 months therefore being reckonable, and 2 months being non-reckonable, returns to work for, say two weeks and goes sick again, does the 6 months of reckonable service start again?
Yes. An employee can go out sick, return to work, go out sick again, and return again, and in each case gets the full benefit of 6 months sick leave being reckonable. Again, this question of non-reckonable service applies only to the last 3 years of employment.

Where an employee was receiving Unemployment Benefit due to being temporarily laid of or being put on short-time, is there any effect on calculating how much redundancy payment he/she are due?
Yes. If it is a lay-off, all the period of lay-off is non-reckonable for redundancy purposes, i.e. must be excluded in deciding how many years were served and therefore in calculating how much redundancy is due. Periods of short-time, in contrast, are in fact fully reckonable. All of this applies only to a 3 year period ending on the date of termination (for all redundancies notified on or after 10th April, 2005). There is therefore no non-reckonable service prior to this 3 year period.

What is the redundancy position for employees who commence working abroad?
Under the Redundancy Payments Act 2003 employees who start work in a company abroad, work there for some time and are then transferred to the company or an associated company in the Republic of Ireland and work here for at least two years before being made redundant, will have all of their service counted in calculating their statutory redundancy entitlements.

If a person is given insufficient notice of redundancy, being told on Tuesday 1st that they will be made redundant on Thursday 3rd, and given money to compensate them for the remainder of their two weeks notice, (payment in lieu of notice), what date of termination is inserted on the RP50?

The date used is the date that would have been applicable if they had got their full notice i.e. Monday 14th.

Courtesy of Dept of Enterprise & Employment

IDA Investment Highlights

- A total of 125 foreign direct investments won
- New companies investing in Ireland for the first time up 11% on 2008
- Investments in Research, Development & Innovation (RD&I) in excess of €500m
- 49% of investments were RD&I
- 69% of investments from existing companies
- Over 4,500 new jobs were created in 2009
- Exports from IDA client companies increased to €110bn

Companies who have announced jobs include……..
Trend Micro
Gala Inc
Alps Electric
Gerson Lehrman Group
Computershare (CGS)
Intel Ireland Ltd.
Hewlett Packard Ireland Ltd.
PayPal Europe Services Limited Helsinn Holding S.A.,
Big Fish Games, Inc
CIRS
Cerner Corporation

www.careermentors.ie , Mairead Griffin, Career Coach & Outplacement Specialist, Phone 01-2160880

Read on for more companies investing in Ireland

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Sophis Group
Wetzel

Isotron
Boston Scientific
IBM
Rottapharm

Abbott Mature Products Management Ltd

Pfizer Inc
Gilead Sciences
Boston Scientific Corporation
AMPAC- ISP
SuccessFactors
Kenexa
Lumension
Harris Corporation
BSB
Everest
McAfee
Microsoft
SITA
Butterfield Fulcrum
Citi
Equinoxe AIS
Colgate-Palmolive
PayPal
IBM
Citrix Systems
Vattenfall/Tonn Energy
Sajan
Facebook
BNY Mellon
HP Galway
Buy.com
Bentley Systems, Incorporated,
Wexport
Merit Medical
Sanmina-SCI
Baxter Healthcare
Maxim Integrated Products

Averages
Average User Figures Average user has 130 friends on the site
Average user sends 8 friend requests per month
Average user spends more than 55 minutes per day on Facebook
Average user clicks the Like button on 9 pieces of content each month
Average user writes 25 comments on Facebook content each month
Average user becomes a fan of 2 Pages each month
Average user is invited to 3 events per month
Average user is a member of 12 groups

http://www.careermentors.ie  Mairead Griffin, Career Coach & Outplacement Specialist

Read on for more stats…..

International Growth
More than 70 translations available on the site
About 70% of Facebook users are outside the United States
Over 300,000 users helped translate the site through the translations application

Platform
More than one million developers and entrepreneurs from more than 180 countries
Every month, more than 70% of Facebook users engage with Platform applications
More than 350,000 active applications currently on Facebook Platform
More than 250 applications have more than one million monthly active users
More than 80,000 websites have implemented Facebook Connect since its general availability in December 2008
More than 60 million Facebook users engage with Facebook Connect on external websites every month
Two-thirds of comScore’s U.S. Top 100 websites and half of comScore’s Global Top 100 websites have implemented Facebook Connect

Mobile
There are more than 65 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices.
People that use Facebook on their mobile devices are almost 50% more active on Facebook than non-mobile users.
There are more than 180 mobile operators in 60 countries working to deploy and promote Facebook mobile products