We spoke to Karen Conway and Eimear Coffey about the in-demand skills for tech professionals and the type of people they are looking to hire.
The range of skills needed to thrive in the technology sector seems to change year to year and what was once a must-have skill for professionals may now be an outdated ability consigned to the past. That is to say, now more than ever, graduates, early-career starters and established experts need to prioritise staying skilled and ready in an ever-changing world.
For those interested in working for multinational financial services firm Fidelity Investments, there are a number of skills and characteristics they should consider adding to their portfolio, as explained by vice-presidents of technology management at Fidelity, Karen Conway and Eimear Coffey.
New opportunity on the horizon?
According to Conway, the most in-demand technology roles at the moment include front-end and full-stack engineers for critical business units such as workplace investing, digital assets and asset management technology. She explained the recent expansion of the customer contact centre will necessitate the recruitment of an entire team of expertly skilled individuals.
The centre, which is based in Galway, intends to employ up to 40 professionals, in areas such as system and data engineering, site reliability DevOps and delivery and people management. It is this level of cross-functionality and opportunity that first drew Coffey to a career at Fidelity Investments.
“I started my career in Boston, working for Fidelity as a graduate software engineer,” she said. “So, I spent a number of years in Fidelity working in various engineering roles. Since I’ve joined Fidelity Ireland, I’ve had, again, multiple roles. Now, I’m moving into a new role in Fidelity, so I’m joining the enterprise customer contact centre.
“And I think that’s probably why I have enjoyed working in technology and having a career here, is that it’s constantly changing, it’s constantly evolving. There are new challenges that you have to face every day around the corner, so it’s just a really exciting career to be in.”
In-demand skills
As Conway explains, the key skills for professionals looking to join the industry are in tech proficiency, that is candidates must be able to show an understanding of their craft and best practices in engineering standards and design. She notes that during her college years the first programming language she used was Fortran 77, which is a key example of how important it is to always stay up to date with new technologies.
“The advice I would give people to stay experienced is to look at the technology that’s coming in the future, whether it’s through industry publications or following blogs. Here at Fidelity Ireland, we actually have learning time, so we actually go and learn off our learning platforms. There’s a lot of access for us to do that, but at the end of the day, people need to own their own journey.
“We look for critical thinking and complex problem-solving,” she said. “At the end of the day, we don’t always have the answers, so we’re looking for people that will help us get those answers.
“And then the soft skills are really important to us, like communication, leadership, teamwork and especially a can-do attitude. That attitude brings people along with you, showcases resiliency and perseverance and from our perspective, that means that we will actually get to see the programmes through to the end.”
Similar to Conway, Coffey is also of the opinion that the ability to showcase your technical skills is a crucial step, as employers will often need proof of the skills you mentioned as part of the application or interview process.
“Everybody has a strength, So whether that’s technical proficiency, whether it’s one of the softer skills, like building relationships, be aware of what that is and be able to show and demonstrate how that is going to help you in your new role.”
Equally as important is the ability to show that you have a positive mindset. She encourages applicants and career-starters to stay curious and strive to learn new things. And don’t forget your CV. “Be sure you spend the time to tailor your CV to the job you’re applying for and put the skills that they’re looking for and how you have those skills or how you can demonstrate that front and centre.”
Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.
