Survey: 86% of firms would take jobseekers with no experience

A survey has revealed that 86% of HR professionals would consider a job applicant without direct relevant experience if they can prove that they have the right skills for the role.

The survey, commissioned by Gumtree.ie, also reports that 71% of jobseekers are prepared to step down and take on more junior roles in order to land a job and more than half of all jobseekers (57%) are willing to take a substantial pay cut.

The survey results also show that more than half of HR professionals have seen applicants trying to change careers in the last 12 months by cross skilling or repackaging of skills.

The findings are the result of a survey commissioned by local online noticeboard and leading jobs site Gumtree.ie.

Gumtree.com was created in London in March 2000 and now covers 60 cities across Europe, North America, South America, Australia, New Zealand and Asia with a total of 101 websites.

Gumtree launched its Irish site, Gumtree.ie in 2007 and users can specify between two cities - Dublin and Cork.