Saturday, August 27, 2011

I arrived

Here I am... Not much too say. Arrived today, and since it's Summer, it was raining and a "hot" 16ยบ :\ And you guessed, as soon as I got to the bus stop it stopped to rain... The weather in Ireland is not that good but I hope it's the only bad side :) Tomorrow I'll start my quest for a room.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Job in Ireland


The first question everyone asks is "IRELAND??!!!!! Aren't they in a bad situation?". And I always have to explain that IT is a different league.
Ireland seems a good choice for me. For starters, they speak English :) This is the only language besides Portuguese I know, so I just have to improve it (a lot) instead of having to learn a new language. Second, it's a safe country with a good education system. And the cherry on the top :) The cities have small buildings. In Dublin's center, it's very rare a building with more than 4 floors. Not very far from the center, people live in houses with a front garden and a backyard. There are also lots of parks as Dublin is one of the greenest cities in Europe.

So, how to get a job? Monster is a good place to search for jobs in IT. Create an account and upload your CV there. I also advise to create a LinkedIn account, connect to former colleagues and employers and ask them to recommend your work. Answer as many job opportunities you see as most of them won't reply to you, don't give up.
Then, someone will call, make a small phone interview. Second stage, another phone interview and some online quizzes. And finally, the best/worst part, the in-person interview. Companies don't pay a cent for someone from another country going for a interview, so you must have some money aside.
The cheapest flight from Lisbon is with Aer Lingus. From Porto, Ryanair is cheaper. There are lot's of places to stay in Ireland, I've stayed at a B&B (Bed And Breakfast). It's a house where a family lives and rent some rooms. A hostel can be a cheaper alternative if you don't mind sharing a room with 8 to 16 other...
There's usually two in-person interviews. The first one, a more technical interview where you should prove your value. The second one, if they liked you, where you meet "The Big Boss". Unless something goes terrible wrong, if you get to meet the people in charge you're probably hired.

And that's how I got hired by eSpatial :)  

I'm moving to Dublin

This is my first post... Just wanted to say to the world that I'm moving to Dublin :)