With some of the biggest sci-tech and biopharma companies in the country at Career Zoo, we asked them what makes a candidate stand out.
Thousands of jobseekers flocked to Career Zoo on Saturday (11 March) to talk to some of the top companies in tech, cybersecurity and pharmaceuticals.
The first Career Zoo of 2017 took place at the Convention Centre Dublin, with a major focus on big data, the internet of things (IoT) and biotech in the form of panel discussions, workshops and speakers from some of the biggest employers in Ireland.
With a big skills gap in many areas – such as cybersecurity and data – many companies were hoping to find talent with the right skills and cultural fit for their organisation.
New to the event this year were exclusive tech workshops, which introduced tech-savvy jobseekers to cybersecurity, programming and IoT.
PwC hosted a ‘Game of Threats’ workshop simulating a cyber breach, with two teams making decisions on what the other team does.
The panels at Career Zoo this year focused on deep data, e-commerce, and the future of tech, with discussions from Intel’s Cliodhna Ni Scanaill, David Ryan of Jet.com and Dr Chris Watson of PTC.
The event also celebrated the importance of diversity, with a new partnership with InterTech Ireland, a group that promotes LGBTQ diversity and inclusion in the Irish technology sector.
We spoke to some of the top companies hiring in Ireland right now and asked them what would make a candidate stand out for them.
Along with panel discussions, demonstrations and workshops, many employers attending the event were hiring, including PTC, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), Qualtrics, Amgen, Version 1 and PwC.
Several companies said they were looking for passionate, driven candidates who were willing to continuously learn and progress. Others were looking for self-starters and people who had done their research on the company they wanted to work for.
“We’re looking for enthusiastic people,” said Pádraig Keane, supply chain director for BMS. “So, if you come across a candidate that is energetic and motivated, that has researched the role […] that’s always a great sign to start off with.”
Updated, 9.46am, 13 March 2017: The video in this article was update to correct a name and title error.
