Hundreds of PhD and post-doctoral candidates are expected to attend Career Zoo in Dublin on 22 September, where they will be able to walk away with new contacts, tools to market themselves and their research, and maybe even a new job.
The Irish Research Council will also be holding its first annual symposium at Career Zoo, Ireland’s premier career event for researchers, graduates and professionals who are seeking career opportunities in Ireland. It will all take place at The Convention Centre.
What’s more, major multinational and Irish companies, educators, recruiters and enterprise organisations will be there, with top employers looking to fill thousands of vacancies in Ireland, many of which will require post-graduate and post-doctoral researchers.
“The addition of highly skilled researchers at our event will be a major bonus for employers looking to hire these sought-after candidates,” said Career Zoo director Brian Ó hOisín.
“The schedule for the day will include workshops and seminars geared specifically towards researchers, networking with leading employers, the announcement of the winner of an exciting competition offering a three-week internship with Siliconrepublic.com, and a networking reception on Saturday evening.”
Researchers can benefit from Career Zoo
Dr Eucharia Meehan, director of The Irish Research Council, said Career Zoo is a great opportunity for “our talented pool of highly skilled researchers from across all disciplines to interact with employers and vice versa”.
Career Zoo’s sponsors include Hays Recruitment and Microsoft, and HR director at Microsoft Ireland Joe Ffrench said we all have a responsibility to do what we can to support the objective of getting people back to work in order to get the economy back to a period of economic growth.
“At Microsoft, we are focused on helping people to acquire the skills that are currently in demand in the economy and are supporting initiatives where graduates and people with many years’ experience can upskill and cross skill so that they have a better chance of securing a job and a career,” Ffrench said.
“Career Zoo has been very successful at providing a platform for showcasing available employment and for allowing prospective employees to meet with employers and training providers who can help them to make choices about their future.”
September’s event marks the fourth Career Zoo, with the previous event at the Mansion House in Dublin and attracting more than 10,000 visitors and resulting in many jobs being filled across all sectors.
Also at last year’s Career Zoo, The Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology, which is now part of the new Irish Research Council, held its symposium.
What’s on at Career Zoo
This year, Ó hOisín said they anticipate between 3,500 and 4,000 jobs will be on offer, with even more employers who are hiring.
Information on upskilling and conversion programmes will also be on hand, and industry leaders will take the helm at career workshops and seminars.
Some industries will showcase innovative research, products and services in a new ‘interactive zone’, which will also include some fun stuff.
There will even be a start-up zone for current and would-be entrepreneurs.
The event is supported by the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland, IBEC, the Euroscience Open Forum, Engineers Ireland, the National Recruitment Federation, the Ireland France Chamber of Commerce and Dublin City Council.
Admission to the Career Zoo will be free of charge and further details will follow throughout the summer.
Irish Research Council Symposium @ Career Zoo – schedule:
Workshops, networking and a social event for Irish Research Council PhDs and post-doctoral candidates.
11am-12pm: Registration
Researchers register and collect delegate badges.
Location: Main foyer
12-2.30pm: Career workshops
Helping researchers to learn valuable tools to market themselves for jobs and promote themselves and their research.
Location: Liffey Hall 2, Level 1
2.30-3pm: Break
Tea/coffee and other refreshments.
Location: Liffey foyer, level 1
3-4pm: Free time
Researchers meet employers at their stands at Career Zoo.
Location: Forum, ground floor
4-5.30pm: Networking and announcements
Announcement of the winner of the Siliconrepublic.com internship.
Location: Liffey Hall 2, Level 1
6-8pm: Networking
Informal networking between researchers and employers, and food and drinks reception with music.
Location: Third-floor foyer
