EMPLOYMENT SURVEY: CPL EMPLOYMENT MARKET MONITOR Q3

96% of employers: Attitude trumps skills in candidate hunt

60% of employers: we won’t fire you for CV lies but you better be good

60% of interviewers: like to throw curved balls

Half of companies: now banning social media in the workplace

Practical Experience vital for students

Dublin and Belfast based company Cpl, the largest recruitment agency on the island of Ireland, has today released its Employment Market Monitor report for the third quarter 2015. The survey highlights that with a shortage of some skills, particularly in the tech sector, nearly all employers today are choosing attitude over experience.  96% of nearly 500 employers who responded to the Cpl Employment Market Monitor believe that staff with a great attitude can be taught the skills they need.The survey also found that 60% of employers will turn a blind eye to CV embellishment or lies, so long as the candidate performs well. A further 60% of employers throw curved balls in interviews – asking impossible questions to assess the candidate’s reaction to the challenge.Nearly all employers (95%) need students with practical experience during their education.  Theoretical know-how no longer cuts it: they want students who have practical experience of their chosen field before landing their first job.50% of employers are now banning social media in the workplace.  Previous Cpl Employment Market Monitors showed employers estimating productivity lost to social media at approximately 10 hours per week per employee.  However, it is yet to be seen how easy such a ban will be to police since staff can use their own devices at work.“This Quarter’s Employment Market Monitor shows that with continued jobs growth in the FDI sectors, companies are finding it more challenging to locate all the skill sets they would like in candidates.  As a result they’re opting for will over skill,” commented Áine Brolly, Chief Executive, Cpl Northern Ireland.“We’re also seeing that when a job candidate tells a little white lie about experience, they can get away with it so long as they are good.  However, high performance is required for an employer to let the lie go,” she added.ENDSFor further media information please contact:Vincent Lundy or Shane Finnegan at 90663000 or email vincent@aikenpr.com / shane@aikenpr.comAbout the Cpl Employment Market Monitor:The information presented in the Cpl Employment Market Monitor is based on two main sources:• Cpl’s Employment Index – the number of new roles by category registered with Cpl Resources plc month-on-month• Cpl’s Sentiment Survey – feedback from jobseekers registered with Cpl Resources plc and employers nationwide.The Q3 2015 report was based on information taken from Cpl’s database and augmented with responses from nearly 500 employers.  This is the 19th Quarter measured since the Index began and Cpl Resources plc, along with Ronan Lyons, Assistant Professor in Economics at Trinity College Dublin, wrote the report.