We spoke to Fidelity Ireland’s head of HR, Conor McDonnell, about the 100 new roles it’s hiring for and which skills will stand out to his team in remote interviews.
Recruitment trends in Ireland amid the Covid-19 pandemic have been difficult to predict, but Fidelity Investments is expanding its Irish workforce, announcing 100 new tech jobs for its Dublin and Galway teams.
To learn more about the global financial services company’s recruitment plans, we spoke to the head of HR at Fidelity Ireland, Conor McDonnell. He said that the majority of new positions will be in technology and will “cover the full spectrum”, including cyber, DevOps and front-end and full-stack engineering.
So, which skills is Fidelity on the lookout for? As with any job, specific skills will be required for different domain areas, McDonnell said, advising those interested to visit the company’s careers portal to find out more.
But across all candidates, he added, there are a number of “common things” that will make people stand out in interviews. “These are the types of skills or traits that we know will be a good fit with our culture and our ethos,” he said.
“So, the types of things we would be looking for there would be a growth mindset, excellent communication skills, problem-solving and analytical capabilities, an interest in working across global teams and, finally, a strong desire to make things happen and to shape change.”
And what will those interviews look like in the current climate? Many organisations are embracing virtual hiring processes at the moment, and Fidelity is no different. Employee and candidate safety, McDonnell said, is Fidelity’s main concern as it transitions to remote hiring and onboarding.
“This [virtual hiring] process will provide new hires with what is required to onboard effectively to a new organisation, but in a manner that is appropriate for these unique times,” he said.
“The other thing I would say about this is that through our workplace culture, we promote flexibility by default and, indeed, flexible working was a key element of our offering pre-Covid.
“As we adapt to a post-Covid world, we remain committed to providing flexible and dynamic ways of working that will meet the future needs of our staff.”
Fidelity’s advice for job applicants
If Fidelity sounds like a company you’d like to work for, McDonnell had a simple message: “I would say just go for it. Fidelity has got a lot to offer you, including those of you beginning your careers and, indeed, those of you looking for new opportunities.”
New joiners at the company, he said, can expect “to pursue interesting work and innovative approaches by learning from exceptional technology leaders”.
“If you come to work with us, you’ll be one of dozens of software engineers starting with us this year. As an organisation, we’re looking to personalise every experience for our customers with the right technology, service and products, and we absolutely value the people who are intrinsic in helping us to achieve that.”
