The countdown is now well and truly on to Career Zoo 10, which takes place this coming Saturday, 12 September, from 10am to 5pm at the Convention Centre in Dublin.
With 10,000 people expected to attend the Career Zoo event, it makes sense to plan ahead. Decide exactly what you want to see and who you want to meet before you go along.
Here are Career Zoo’s 10 top tips for making the most of your visit to Ireland’s leading tech recruitment and networking event.
1. Register in advance
To gain faster entry on the day, make sure you register in advance. Registration will be open until 9pm on Thursday.
2. Download the event app
Career Zoo 10 is a paperless event. The cutting-edge employers you’ll meet there don’t want hundreds of hard-copy CVs. By using the event app, you can upload your CV in advance and then share it – digitally – with employers you meet at the event. You choose who you share your information with.
To download the app, search for ‘Career Zoo’ in the App Store or on Google Play, or, from tomorrow (9 September), find the app through the Career Zoo website.
While you’re at the event, make sure to keep an eye on the app’s live newsfeed throughout the day to get updates on what’s going on. And, after the event, you can access the documents folder in the app to check out all the amazing information you collected from employers.
3. Do your research
There are approximately 100 employers participating in Career Zoo 10, ranging from social media giant Twitter to Zalando, Europe’s leading online platform for fashion.
In the fintech and finance area, companies such as Bank of Ireland, Pramerica, Mediolanum, Accenture and Fidelity will be vying for talent, while the BioCluster Zone will be home to Amgen, ICON plc, Bristol Myers Squibb, Genzyme and BioMarin.
Deciding in advance on the employers you want to meet – and doing some homework about the jobs they have on offer – is key to ensuring a successful Career Zoo visit.
4. Dress the part
Hundreds of people get hired at every Career Zoo. Last time around – in February 2015 – Bank of Ireland alone made 23 hires from the event.
So when you’re attending, remember to dress the part. While not quite as formal as a job interview, at Career Zoo 10 you’ll come face-to-face with recruiters, HR staff and company leaders, so it’s important to make a good first impression.
5. Check out the super Speaker Series
Career Zoo isn’t just about connecting leading employers with Ireland’s top talent. It’s also a chance for you to hear industry leaders speak about the most exciting and topical issues in tech.
The main stage at Career Zoo 10 will feature panel discussions on the hour every hour, with topics ranging from The Fintech Revolution and Breakthroughs in Research to Diversity: An Opportunity for Irish Employers.
6. Enter the Tech Box
For the hardcore techies among you, the Tech Box talks will have even more appeal.
Running at half-hour intervals throughout the day, topics covered will include radical agility, modelling and high-transaction platforms, development philosophy, life as a consultant, and building digital platforms for specific industries.
7. Find out about job opportunities in a mystery company
Would you take a job in a company if you didn’t know its name?
One of the employers hiring at Career Zoo 10 is so new – and operating in such a competitive environment – that its identity will not be revealed.
If you’re the sort of person who likes a bit of suspense, head along to the BioCluster zone and look for the pink stand with the question mark.
8. Learn how to code
One of the most popular elements of the last Career Zoo event was the free coding workshops on offer in Tech Town.
This time around, the Python Coder Hack Space will host demos and lightning talks throughout the day. All are welcome to come along and find out about the Python language and how you can get involved in Ireland’s Python community.
9. Attend a MinT session
One of the new features at this Career Zoo event is a focus on diversity and women in tech.
The MinT (Mentoring in Technology) initiative is a social mentoring initiative for women in the IT industry, and will run mentoring workshops throughout the day at Career Zoo 10.
If you’re a woman in tech, head along to find out more about how you can benefit from mentoring.
And if you’re an experienced tech professional with advice and guidance to share, pop along and sign up to become a mentor.
10. Leave enough time to have a little fun
Sure, you may be attending Career Zoo 10 intent on furthering your career and scoring your dream job. But, apart from sharing your CV with employers and networking with the companies that are there, there’s also lots of fun content on offer.
From trying out Oculus Rift technology to posing for photographs in a bright yellow tuk-tuk, make sure to leave some time to soak up the atmosphere at Career Zoo 10.
There are still two days left to register for Career Zoo 10.
Looking for tech jobs in Ireland? Check out our Featured Employers section for information on companies hiring right now.
