Career Success by Ashraf Chaudhry, Pakistan’s Number 1 Sales Trainer and Author of “The Craft of Selling Yourself”
In order to blossom into a productive body of the society, one needs to treat his career like a baby- with careful handling, nurturing, ownership, grooming, acquiring& application of skills and a freedom to make experiments and meaningful socialization. Career Management consists of: Taking initiatives, staying valuable to the company, cultivating relationships and continuously learning.
- Taking Initiatives: Every great achievement is the result of taking initiatives. A Chinese proverb says that a journey of thousand miles starts with taking the first step. People who marshal courage and take steps and dare to fall and bear the consequences and jeopardize their finances and risk becoming laughing stocks go into history as winners, victors, saviors and celebrities. World will always remember Neil Armstrong as the first person to have landed on moon because he took the initiative to come out of Apollo, although Colonel Edwin was also traveling in the same shuttle. Since Colonel did not take the initiative, he will always be remembered as No 2.To move on to the next level in organizations, one needs to take initiatives, start new tasks, take risks, plan new activities and go beyond the usual call of duty.
- Staying valuable to the company: When you are working for an organization, treat yourself like an entrepreneur. Your time, talent and skill-set are your products and your organization is the client. If the product does not add value to the life of the buyer, repeat purchases will not occur. In order to be considered as an asset for upcoming organizational moves, you have to ensure that you invest all the time and effort you can to create value for your employer. Read more
Everything and Then Some
That’s what can potentially be bought and sold on the new state-of-the-art Classifieds site Bayt.com just launched. Be specific? Let your imagination run riot and that’s how specific we can be. Fancy vintage cars from the 1920s, fur coats, limited edition books, collectors items, and even really useful stuff like hot properties with seaside views, new and used furniture, electronic items, toys for you and the kids and compact gardening equipment for those moments when you are not in your job wishing you were elsewhere, or busy trying to find a new job. Without waxing lyrical here let me even announce, a little smugly if I may, that I even found my trilingual child a French tutor here – and so far the tutor has pretended not to notice me sitting outside the open living room window in a large shrub eavesdropping vociferously and taking notes – yes I hasten to add, my French has improved!
So why a Classifieds site? Simple! The tightknit Bayt.com community of over 4 million registered professionals and 30,000 registered employers has requested for their most essential online endeavour – namely, recruitment – to be supplemented with other essential endeavours that are equally compelling and also add to the quality and robustness of their lives. With a vast segment of the Bayt.com community comprised of highly mobile expats who are looking to first procure and then maybe pass on essential items – like homes, cars, furniture, electronic appliances etc. – we have been pressed for some time now by our users to offer this platform. Moreover as the largest recruitment services platform in the Middle East we have also been pressed to augment this with a platform for freelance talent and other contractual services. Hence the answer to all the Middle East’s Classifieds needs, Bayt.com Classifieds.
So far it has been contagious, and with no official launch has attracted visitors with the stealth my garden mint (planted with gardening equipment I bought online) has infiltrated its neighbouring begonia and rosemary bush. Why? Bayt.com continues to be by far the highest trafficked jobsite in the Middle East with a highly loyal customer base; and the technology, interface and platform are what you have grown to expect from Bayt.com’s team of online experts.
Which brings me to my next purchase. Some highly original artistic pots to pot this vagabond mint I just planted so I can gift it in lieu of apple pie to anyone I visit or who visits. If you have any to sell, I look forward to meeting you online on Bayt Classifieds! And no – my college vespa is not for sale – Yet!
Where does internet usage stand in the Middle East today?
While the world average internet penetration rate stands at 25.6% today( according to the World Internet Statistics Website- September 2009), the Middle East scores a bit higher- at 28.3 % following elevated rates in Latin America, Europe, Oceana/ Australia with North American topping the list (74.2% penetration). The past decade in the Middle East has witnessed an upward slope in the usage of internet- it no longer is a commodity but a necessity in the lives of professionals, students and youngsters alike.
Bayt.com & Yougov Siraj have dug deeper into internet usage in the Middle East today, the habits and attitudes of online users in the region and how it is affecting their family/ social/ professional lives. A total of 13,847 Middle East professionals participated in this survey and below are some key highlights that we, at Bayt.com would like to share with you:
E-MBA at 45?
Question from Job Seeker: I have been a full-timer accountant with my company (in Egypt) for over 10 years now and I would very much like to pursue a MBA. My question to you Bayt Guru is: do you think pursuing a MBA at my age (45) is feasible and are professionals resorting to e-MBAs yet? It seems like a much easier way for me, given the fact that I am overloaded with work and cannot honestly afford to leave early and attend physical classes during the week.
Answer from Bayt HR Guru: Knowledge has no borders or limits. The urge that you have to pursue a MBA (even at 45) is very common between Middle Eastern professionals today, according to Bayt’s recent “Career Reinvention poll” – which shows that 87% of surveyed professionals in the Middle East would like to go back to school. Out of these however, 38% state that although they would like to go back to school, they can’t currently afford to, while 15% state they would go back only if the given course is short. Thus, our advice to you is if you have the finances and can afford the time to do it, do not linger at all. The option of a e-MBA is advisable and as a matter of fact very popular amongst Middle Eastern professionals today. A total of 65% of Middle Eastern professionals surveyed in Bayt’s “Internet Usage in the Middle East Survey” do express their inclination for online education- professionals in Egypt seem particularly interested in resorting to that education path with an overwhelming 76% reiterating that fact. Go for it and we wish you the best of luck!
Career UnCovered: Tony Azzi, General Manager of Logicom, KSA
Biography Tony grew up in Beirut, Lebanon and graduated from Université Saint Joseph with a BS in Business Computer followed by a MBA. Prior to his position as General Manager, Toni held the role of Business Development Manager with Logicom Beirut for 4 years before moving to KSA- Toni has an extensive experience in developing business plans, conducting strategic business planning, sales and marketing.
Best career advice I ever got Failing to plan is planning to fail
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The “Most Attractive Country/ Industry” Award goes to?
Part of “the Middle East Job Index Survey“ consists of identifying which countries and industries are most attractive to professionals, from an employer’s point of view. Below are key findings from Bayt.com worth mulling over:
Most Attractive Countries of Residence?
- 43% of total respondents believe their country of residence is either slightly or much more attractive than its neighboring countries in the Middle East, whereas 16% think it’s equally attractive and 30% agree it’s either slightly less or much less attractive.
- The UAE reigns in terms of attractiveness of country of residence with almost half of participating respondents (residing in the UAE) – at 49%- stating it is “much more” attractive than its neighboring countrie.
- KSA and Qatar follow UAE’s lead, with 41% and 38% of participants respectively confirming the above.
- At the lower end of the spectrum, participants from Syria, Algeria and Egypt are the least enthusiastic about the attractiveness of their countries of residence with 26%, 25% and 22% respectively stating they are much less attractive that other Middle Eastern countries.
Most Attractive Industries?
- All participants agree the most attractive countries around the region right now are: banking & finance ( at 32%), Telecom (at 31%) and Construction (at 28%), however, taking a closer look at every individual country, opinions differ.
- In the UAE, the construction industry still gets, surprisingly, the highest shares of votes- in spite of the doom and gloom it has endured throughout the past year (with 36% of votes). Banking&Finance ranks 2nd with 33% of votes and is followed by the oil, gas & petrochemicals industry at 28% of votes.
- In KSA, the Telecom industry stands out as the most attractive industry with 34% of votes. This is followed by Banking & Finance with 32% of votes and Construction at 31%. Read more
Telecommuting good for both employees and employers say 72% of region’s professionals
Almost three quarters of the region’s professionals, 72%, believe that telecommuting is a good idea for both the employer and employee, according to the Middle East’s number one job site Bayt.com in its latest poll series. According to the results, a total of 87% of job seekers said that telecommuting was beneficial, with just 12% stating it was not a good idea. However, of those that cited it as beneficial, some were split as to who actually benefits: 8% said it was beneficial for the employee but not for the employer, while the remaining 7% said the reverse was true; that telecommuting was beneficial for the employer but not the employee.
When asked how telecommuting would benefit the region’s employees, 44% of respondents agreed that it was a mixture of providing a good work-life balance, promoting more productivity, and encouraging staff loyalty. Almost a third, 32% said that its advantage was solely due to the fact that it allowed employees to secure a good work-life balance, and 12% said that it was because it inspired greater productivity. Just 5% agreed that the main advantage of telecommuting was the fact that it promoted company loyalty.
The ‘Telecommuting in the Middle East Workplace’ October/November online poll series conducted by Bayt.com sought to understand from employees whether they believe telecommuting is beneficial in the Middle East, what the perceived advantages of telecommuting are, and how widespread its use is in the region.
Interestingly, respondents were divided over who they think would be able to telecommute. For the most part, 40% of respondents agreed that self disciplined employees with excellent performance records would be able to telecommute, while another 18% agreed that employees who do not have to interact face-to-face with customers or colleagues would suit telecommuting. A further 11% said that telecommuting would suit working mothers, while another 24% of respondents said that telecommuting would be ideal for all three of these groups. Read more
Job Hunting Hints from the Middle East’s Job Index
In an attempt to shed more light on potential current and expected job opportunities in the Middle Eastern market, Bayt.com & YouGov Siraj have once again joined their efforts to introduce the first ever Job Index Survey in the Middle East. “The Middle East Job Index Survey” will be issued quarterly – October 09 being the base period- and aims to gauge perceptions of job availability and hiring, to identify jobs and to provide an understanding of the key skill sets and qualifications that employers are looking for in talents across the Middle East today.
“The Middle East Job Index” is calculated using 2 key indices, the JI (Job Index), and the HEI (Hiring Expectancy Index) – relying basically on 2 questions (from which the figures are derived):
- Will you be hiring in the next 3 months wither for your organization/ clients- if you are in the recruitment / HR consultancy field?
- Do you think you will be hiring in a year’s time from now either for your organization or for your clients- if you are in the recruitment / HR consultancy field?
October 2009 Highlights:
1. Hiring Expectancy- Overall:
- Current: In the next 3 months, 26% of participating employers stated they are definitely hiring, 26% are probably be hiring, 8% are probably not hiring, 6% are definitely not hiring and 33% cannot yet tell if they are to hire or not.
- Expected: In the next 6 months, 36% of participants stated they will definitely be hiring, 30% will probably be hiring, 5% will probably not be hiring, 3% will definitely not be hiring, and 26% cannot yet tell if they will be hiring or not.
2. Hiring Expectancy by Country:
- Current: In the next 3 months, countries that are “definitely hiring” are Oman (34%), KSA (31%) and Lebanon (30%). Countries that are “probably hiring” are Algeria (34%), Tunisia (33%), Qatar (32%). Read more
“Business Management”: in demand or not in the Middle Eastern workplace?
Question From Job Seeker: I recently graduated in Business Management and I am eying the Middle for potential job opportunities. My friends are convincing me otherwise, saying “business management “is not really in demand right now in the Middle East. You are the experts, any recommendations?
Answer From Bayt HR Guru: Your inquiry could not have possibly fallen at a better time. Bayt.com has just launched its “Middle East Job Index Survey” in conjunction with research partners YouGov Siraj- aimed at gauging employers’ perceptions concerning the current/ future job market at one end and qualifications, skills and positions employers require at the other end. We have a piece of wonderful news for you: You have, undoubtedly, chosen the field of study that is most in demand by employers in the Middle East. Our Middle East Job Index Survey shows that 21% of participating employers are looking for talent with an educational background in business management – the highest percentage amongst other educational backgrounds in demand. Furthermore, an in-depth look at the preference of individual Middle Eastern countries in terms of Job seeker academic and education background shows that employers Read more
Career UnCovered: Mounir Ajam, CEO of SUKAD, Dubai, UAE
Biography Mr. Ajam is a senior professional with 25 years of professional experience in engineering, construction, and project management. His experience covers the globe; including the United States, United Kingdom, South East Asia and the Middle East. Mr. Ajam is the senior partner and co-founder of SUKAD FZ-LLC (SUKAD), a leading professional consultancy and training service provider that is based in Dubai, UAE but operating across the Middle East. Mr. Ajam is currently serving as SUKAD Chief Executive Officer and lead consultant. Mr. Ajam is also a co-founder and the chairman of the Board for the Global Project and Process Management Association (GPPMA), which is based in Dubai, U.A.E.
Best career advice I ever got
I can recall two:
- Be consistent in your performance and in writing: This sounds like a very simple advice that my Project Director (Mr. John Moore – USA) shared with me when I worked with him from 1998 to 2000. However, since that time, not a single week passes by without me remembering his statement. I also use his message now with my own team. Consistency is not easy and it is an essential element of quality work.
- Water in the river goes around a rock and not through it: Mr. Hesham Al-Musaid, my manager at Saudi Aramco shared this with me a few years back. His advice was basically about implementing change in an organization and it has been quite useful when working on a project where there is resistance for change or adversity in a relationship.
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