A lot of us, interestingly, have turned to Twitter when searching for a new job.
#jobfairy is consistently one of the most used hashtags in Ireland and according to research, 70% of 18-24 year-olds feel that CVs don’t allow them to show employers who they really are.
Because of this, we decided to speak to Dublin woman Anne Kiely, EMEA Lead HR at Twitter, to find out what exactly she, and her company, look for when hiring potential new employees.
"We at Twitter are interested in public conversation. We're also interested in seeing how young people are looking for jobs," she says.
"I've worked in HR now for 20 years and in that time I've seen the default CV morph into many different things, yet still, people feel that the average CV doesn't portray them the way they wish to.
"When interviewing people for a job, I personally look for a broad range of skills and experiences. Even for those just out of school, if your CV tells me that you were captain of the hockey team or head of debating, I know that you are willing to try new things, work hard and lead a team."
Particularly at a time like right now, when most of us are home, Anne says she is always impressed by people who are constantly evolving and acquiring skills to help them move forward.
"While technical ability has always and will continue to be important," she says, "soft skills emerge time and again as a key priority for prospective employers. Showcase these on your CV by highlighting relevant experience and examples of times you’ve demonstrated excellent communication, emotional intelligence and willingness to learn will show how indispensable your adaptability makes you.
"In the tech world especially, we are always looking for people who are resilient, agile and experienced. Show off how you can embrace new change as well as tailor your needs to whatever adaptation may happen. If you’ve ever had to adapt your own working practices quickly in response to challenging circumstances now is the time to highlight this on your CV."
As for women who are looking to get started in the tech world, Anne says not to be intimidated.
"We're so aware of how the world of work – especially in the tech world – is changing so fast. Our MD Sinéad McSweeney was just saying how her job didn't even exist a couple of years ago! For those interested in exploring a career in tech, go for it.
"We need people of all capabilities such as languages and management. It's not a gender-based thing at all, we need people to fill all sorts of roles."
Main image by @hommegirls
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