The current number of jobs on the IrishJobs site is about 16,000.  This is down from 45,000 in the midst of the Celtic Tiger years.

Sectors that are showing signs of recovery are:

• Accountancy
• Banking
• IT
• Finance
• Marketing
• Medical
• Sales

None of these sectors are at anything like the strength they were once at, but the fact that the free fall in job vacancy numbers has halted is good news.  Reports from agencies also indicates a return towards some economic growth in 2010.

Email addresses you should not use for job hunting

It is astounding how many people send in CV’s from email addresses that do them no favours what so ever.  I have no problem with anybody calling themselves hotgirl69@gmail.com, stud09@hotmail.com or mushroom.trev@ucd.ie, but I do not want to see it on a job application.  Yes It amuses me, it makes me laugh and it may even make me remember you.  The trouble is you really don’t want to be remembered for your decidedly dodgy email address.

How is a recruiter supposed to put you forward as a professional in your field when they know that you are willing to use an email address like the above to promote yourself.  Ireland is not quite the repressive Catholic Ireland it used to be, but alluding to sexual prowess, recreational drug taking or criminality is not clever.

It could perhaps be excused if it were not so simple to get a new email address that is more professional. trevor.sorbie@gmail.com is a lot better than mushroom.trev.

Now that that is off my chest, do I really have to go into making your profile private on facebook and cleaning up your Linkedin profile?  Good.  Oh, just one thing on facebook.  If, like me you are linked to Saddam Hussain, Salman Rushdie, Osama Bin Laden and George Bush, just because you though it was funny… be aware that you cannot make your friends private.  If you are looking for a job then ditch your less admirable, politically incorrect, or controversial friends.  You do not want somebody else getting your job just because you inadvertently offended your would be boss by linking to somebody they despise.

Will the army get the Garda Bikes if they have to take over from a striking police force?

It looks like it might be a job for the army!  The GRA (Garda Representatives Association) have announced that they will be balloting members about possible industrial action.  This comes despite the fact that Gardai are prevented from striking by law.

Some may fear anarchy, but we can rest assured that the army will be called in.  My only question… Will the Garda bikes be used by the army?

Seriously though, are we really going to end up with Soldiers taking to the street, giving tourists directions and issuing parking tickets?  I can see the countries criminal classes feelings being divided into two camps; those that would look forward to the crime spree, and those who would rather the law enforcement not have rpg’s and m16’s.