GUEST COMMENT: Why I quit finance for stand-up comedy (and the stigma of being a banker in Ireland)

Working for Bear Stearns in Tokyo as a derivatives specialist wasn’t without its benefits. My expat status afforded a generous salary, a $50k a year apartment and supported a holiday home with a swimming pool in Florida. But, by early 2007, cracks were already beginning to show at Bear. I remember the head of equity [...]

By Aidan Killian, 23 September 2010 • 1 comment

GUEST COMMENT: Why newly qualified accountants have no reason to leave Ireland

It’s safe to say that newly-qualified accountants have had a rough ride in Ireland over the last 12 months. With redundancies rife and job opportunities thin on the ground, increasing numbers have taken the decision to hop over the Irish Sea and look for a new position in the UK. However, there have been reasons [...]

By Sonya Dick, 24 August 2010 • 0 comments

GUEST COMMENT: The regulator is right to demand better training

Among the many damning assertions put forward by the Central Bank and Financial Regulator during its recent deconstruction of Ireland’s banking crisis was the need to better train financial services employees. Sales staff and financial advisers, in particular, have been singled out for criticism. Pressurised short-term targets created mis-selling of financial products, and the correct [...]

By Greg O'Hanlon, 3 August 2010 • 0 comments

GUEST COMMENT: It’s time to strip the fear out of Irish financial services professionals

As the financial crisis really took hold in Ireland towards the end of 2008, financial services professionals understandably hunkered down and attempted to weather the storm. The situation in 2010 is still far from rosy, but jobs are being created again. Why, then, are candidates still in such short supply? A culture of fear is [...]

By Ken Harbourne, 25 May 2010 • 3 comments

GUEST COMMENT: How to make the most of recruiters

Considering the tough job market conditions for financial services professionals in Ireland, I’m a big advocate of proactive search strategies, of taking steps to discover the hidden, or unadvertised job market. Having said this, you would be crazy to completely ignore the ‘low hanging fruit’ or advertised jobs, and recruitment agencies are a key source [...]

By Paul Mullan, 29 April 2010 • 0 comments

GUEST COMMENT: Know your rights in the wake of redundancy

In Ireland, there’s a general ignorance among employees about what their rights are in the wake of redundancy. Although industrial relations laws are comprehensive, they are widely misunderstood and ignored, sometimes deliberately so, by financial services employers. Around 70% of companies in Ireland had to reduce their pay bill in 2009 and this trend is [...]

By Greg O'Hanlon, 17 March 2010 • 0 comments

GUEST COMMENT: Irish bankers are optimistic, but not naive

In the current market conditions, optimism within Ireland’s banking sector is hard to come by. But, while the situation does not look like drastically improving in 2010, the majority of financial services professionals we surveyed in January believe the worst is behind us. Nearly half (48%) of respondents to our survey said they were confident [...]

By Fintan Lawler, 2 March 2010 • 0 comments

GUEST COMMENT: Three questions to ask during an interview

We’ve all seen variations on the list of common questions interviewers ask, but how much have you thought about what questions you should ask a potential employer? The best interviews are really conversations, as well they should be. You want to know if the position is the right fit – just as much as the [...]

By Chad Broadus, 18 December 2009 • 9 comments

GUEST COMMENT: Bright spots within a bleak job market

When a large number of financial services firms in Ireland enacted recruitment freezes towards the end of 2008, many thought this was likely to be a short-lived phenomenon. But, in spite of some improved sentiment around hiring activity in Q3 2009, few firms are showing any real signs of expansion. There are, however, some sectors [...]

By James Hayes, 24 November 2009 • 1 comment

GUEST COMMENT: Why leaving Ireland might not be a great idea

With job opportunities for financial services professionals in Ireland currently hard to come by, it’s no surprise to see increasing numbers looking to live and work elsewhere. But, while the grass is always greener, there’s a chance such a move could be both brave and slightly foolhardy. The situation might look decidedly better on the [...]

By Paul Cotter, 10 November 2009 • 0 comments