Marie Devane, of Devane Careers in Galway, has been working hard in coaching and preparing young engineers in their quest to return to Ireland and secure their preferred role in leading organisations in this country. These engineers have been actively seeking to return to Ireland after around two-and-a-half years’ experience abroad in various sectors in Europe and Australia. It all started in March 2013 when Devane got a call from one of these engineers working in Europe and was asked for her expertise in coaching, via Skype, to help him return and work in the country in which he was born and educated. While this was not Devane’s preferred method of coaching, she quickly adapted in order to meet the needs of this eager and talented engineer. By May of this year, he was back in Ireland and working as a project engineer in a leading medical device company. As a result, this satisfied customer referred his friends, who were also working abroad, to Devane’s services. To date, six out of seven of this cohort of young engineers who originally studied together in Ireland are now in their preferred jobs in their country of choice. Additionally, in their transition back to Ireland, some of them also transferred sectors from the semi-conductor industry to medical device and pharmaceutical facilities. “It has been so rewarding seeing these engineers achieve what was a very important goal to them,” said Devane. “Although I worked with them in getting their CVs ready and preparing them for interview, their success is due to a combination of their education, the experience they gained abroad, their talent as engineers, their eagerness to work in Ireland and their ability to engage in the preparation work for both telephone and face-to-face interviews.” She added that she was very impressed with their skills and knowledge gained after such a short period of time and particularly their experience gained with customers. “From a coaching perspective, the key elements of engagement, motivation, regular follow-ups and flexibility for meetings were paramount in coaching this group of individuals,” Devane concluded. “I’m truly delighted for them and I feel confident that they’ll do well in their careers.” Engineers Ireland’s one-to-one career consultancy service is aimed at those who are seeking employment, planning to make a career change, seeking to improve their job satisfaction or looking to further develop particular competencies and skills. Sessions can be tailored to meet the needs of the individual. Once the individual's requirements are defined, the format, content and objectives of each session are set by the career consultant and the Individual. A typical career-consultancy session is a mix of career coaching and practical advice. Consultants are based in Dublin, Galway and Limerick/Clare. To book a session, contact Paul Sheridan, employment services manager, on (01) 665 1344 or psheridan@engineersireland.ie. For price details and further information on career coaching and practical advice, click here. Complimentary career sessions for final-year students can also be arranged – contact Julie Goggins, third-level executive, on (01) 665 1377 or email jgoggins@engineersireland.ie. Marie Devane, Dip Career Coaching, MSc HRL, BA HRM brings a wealth of experience in hiring, developing and coaching engineers from her former human resources and talent acquisition roles at a world-leading medical device multinational in the west of Ireland. She also holds a master’s degree in HR leadership, career-coaching qualifications and competency in psychometrics from the British Psychological Society. See www.devanecareers.ie for more.