CV is a Marketing Communication Tool: Ashraf Chaudhry, Pakistan’s Number 1 Sales Trainer and Author of “The Craft of Selling Yourself”
The words Curriculum Vitae (CV) take its origin from Latin and literally mean “the course of one’s life.”A CV or résumé is a marketing communication tool. Imagine the CV as being a brochure that will list the benefits of a particular service. The service being your time, talent and skills! When writing a CV, look at it from your employers’ point of view. Would you stand out against the competition (the other candidates)? In what way, can you meet your employers’ needs? What value addition can you bring to the organization? You’ve to ask these questions when writing your CV or curriculum vitae.
I read somewhere that CV is just like “toothpaste commercial” that means that an average employment manager devotes about the same amount of time to scanning a CV that most television viewers spend watching a commercial designed to sell toothpaste about 30 seconds. But rather than advertising the features and benefits of toothpaste, a CV is designed to advertise the accomplishments and track record of its author- that’s, you.
Think for a moment about the concept of marketing. Marketing means taking a careful look at the needs of a certain segment of consumers and finding a way to satisfy those needs. A CV is, fundamentally, a marketing tool. The consumer is the employment manager or the person in the company who makes the hiring decisions. The needs of that consumer are the requirements of the position he or she’s trying to fill. You’re the product, and your qualifications for that job are the way in which you’ll meet that employer’s needs. CV is your first form of advertising. Another way to understand what a CV should be is to look at what it shouldn’t be. Obviously, if it’s a marketing tool, it’s not a chronicling of everything you’ve ever done or experienced with no regard for how that list meets an employer’s needs. Read more
Career UnCovered of Dr. Dale Murphy, Director of Entrepreneurship at Dubai School of Government, UAE
Bio Prof. Dale D. Murphy is Director of Entrepreneurship at the Dubai School of Government, a position he formerly held at Georgetown University where he taught for 10 years. Dr. Murphy received his Ph.D. in International Relations from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His research and teaching spans the study of entrepreneurship, leadership, creativity, CSR, ethics, international political economy and international relations. He is the author of The Structure of Regulatory Competition: Corporations and Public Policies in a Global Economy (Oxford University Press 2007) and many articles. He was an Assistant Vice President of Citicorp and has been involved in a number of start-up ventures, most recently an online news service.
What are your thoughts vis-a- vis living / working in the UAE in specific and ME in general? The Middle East in general and the UAE in specific may be undergoing more dynamic change and growth than any other part of the world. It is an exciting time to be here, to work with talented Emiratis and others in the region to shape the future commercial and entrepreneurial climate. There is a richness in the multicultural environment here that is unsurpassed.
What are your views on the progress of academia in the Middle East in general/ UAE specifically? The last six years have seen a global boom in higher education, with established universities creating or expanding their satellite campuses, and new universities being created from scratch. Universities in the Arab world have become increasingly confident of their intellectual heritage and centuries-old tradition of learning from the best practices that other cultures have to offer. A new generation of educational leaders has emerged here, with direct experience in other educational systems around the world, and they are combining those lessons with local strengths to create synergies in academic institutions. The strongest universities in the region already compete for faculty and students with any university worldwide.
Many challenges remain for others, in creating robust institutions, an understanding and appreciation of academic culture and procedures, autonomy, endowments, research facilities, maintaining the highest academic standards, retaining faculty and staff, and so on. But the prospects are very bright. I am less familiar with primary and secondary education, but I gather from colleagues that there is a great deal of progress going on there as well.
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Interview with Samir Mirza, HR& Organization Director, at M1 Group, Lebanon
Bio Samir graduated with a Masters Degree from INSA School of Engineering in France. Following his graduation, Samir worked as a project manager for several internationally renowned companies such as Air France, France Telecom and Bouygues. He later on returned back to Lebanon and worked for FTML as OD Director – where he developed and implemented the company’s TQM Model- before moving to INVESTOM (currently known as M1 Group) as director of HR & Organization. His prime responsibilities today include setting the organizational strategy of the group and developing the human talent methodology.
How do you like living and working in Lebanon? Lebanon is a multicultural country lodging a pool of talented and energetic professionals, and despite Lebanon’s continuous political instability, its citizens maintain a solid belief system in their country and this is the exact reason why I have returned to Lebanon in 1997. My aim was- and remains- to participate in the development of our nation by enhancing and promoting organizational awareness in national companies .
What is your average day at work like? M1 maintains a family spirit that distinguishes it from other practices, thus allowing a balanced working life for all its staff. We believe in our people’s capabilities, and thus, in return, job commitment and employee loyalty are always achieved. My day at work is like any other dedicated director, challenging, demanding and most definitely exciting!
What is your biggest professional challenge? Globally, HR went through many transformations, from personnel administration to service provider to strategic business partner, managing and developing Human Capital. My challenge is to reinforce the positioning of HR as a strategic partner to any business.
Is Now The Time for a Career Change?
Question From Job Seeker: I am a 30 year old graduate with a BS in accounting and have been working as an accountant for the same company for 7 years now. The perks are fair, the people are nice, but I always have this voice in the back of my mind, urging me to get out of here. You see, I always had a thing for advertising- am more of an ad addict really, always have been- and if I were to go back in time now, I would undoubtedly choose my college education differently. Would it be totally insane to make a move now? Is it too late?
Answer from Bayt HR Guru: Allow us to first praise your boldness to mull over an absolute career shift, despite the current global economic uncertainty, in the pursuit of your long time passion and ideal career path. It is definitely not insane- as a matter of fact, 94% of Middle Eastern professionals have recently stated in Bayt’s “Career Reinvention” poll they would like to change their careers completely- 32% of which confirmed the main reason was to pursue a dream or passion. At 30 years old, it is not too late to set your foot in the advertising business and grow exponentially, should you prove yourself determined and capable! We would recommend however you do not rush into it right away, as the effects of the economic downturn have not yet fully waned and you need to acclimatize yourself to the needs and nature of a very different industry. Taking baby steps towards that transition instead is highly advisable at this stage: get active and keep yourself updated with the industry’s latest trends, check what are the industry positions mostly in demand by employers online right now (P.S: Bayt’s job search by sector can prove to be very helpful), and if you need to develop any specific skills in order for you to build on your advertising knowledge. Read more
Majority of region’s recruiters believe references important for identifying best talent
The majority of the region’s employers, 78%, believe that references are important for ensuring they recruit the right talent for their company, according to the latest online poll series conducted by Bayt.com with the region’s employers. Of these, 22% said references were extremely important and that they were the sole criteria for choosing an employee, while 56% of employers said that references were quite important and that they take into account a range of other factors like past work experience and education in addition.
Interestingly, another 22% of the employers polled said that references were not important: of these, 11% said they sometimes take references into consideration but look at other criteria, while the other 11% said that a candidate can be a good fit regardless of whether s/he has a strong reference.
The ‘References in Middle Eastern Job Applications’ September poll series conducted by Bayt.com sought to understand from employers what importance they attach to the references and statements of potential new recruits, and what other tools employers use to assess a candidate’s suitability for a particular role. Read more
“B Mobile”: Yet Another Bayt Love Touch
In an attempt to make the process of accessing and applying to vacancies even simpler for Job Seekers on the move, Bayt has recently launched its BMobile Version, the first of its kind initiative in the Middle East, and one that reiterates its position as a regional innovative leader in the HR & Recruitment industry and once again restates its pledge to commit to the Job Seeker and Employer Community as a whole and the Middle East’s Job Seeker and Employer Community in specific.
Things worth knowing about B Mobile:
- Professionals can now access Bayt .com mobile via any Mobile device with internet access simply by visiting http://m.bayt.com- they then get instant access to all jobs currently available on our website.
- Professionals can also view job descriptions of posted vacancies in a friendly user mobile version then apply to posted jobs via their Mobile devices, by simply using their stored CVs.
- Should they wish to also include a Cover Letter, professionals now have the option to do so on Bayt Mobile.
- Right now, the search for jobs on M Mobile is done by location, soon enough Bayt will enable professionals to job search by sector and industry, just like the actual Bayt.com site. Read more
Consumer Confidence Index shows improvement, once again, across the Middle East
Bayt’s quarterly released CCI Survey showed exponential indice improvement across most of the surveyed countries in the Middle East. Bayt has compiled the report below to enable you to track changes compared to the last wave, which was conducted in June 2009. Enjoy the read!
A) Difference in Index By Country: compared to June 2009
- The UAE is still showing strong signs of a recovery (positive increase in all indices) – Kuwait, Qatar and have the strongest recovery indices since the last wave.
- Lebanon is showing a slight dip in its CCI and its ECI while Algeria is showing a dip in its PCI and ECI. All other surveyed countries are showing improvements- to varying extents.
B) Appraisal of Present Situation & Regional Highlights
- Vis a Vis Financial Situation & Country’s Economy:
- UAE and Jordan are still the most pessimistic Vis-a-Vis financial position (with 40% and 39% of professionals respectively stating they are doing worse than last year).
- Qatar, Egypt and Algeria are the most optimistic Vis-a-Vis financial position (with 35% , 32% and another 32% of professionals stating they are doing better than last year). Read more
Interview with Hatem al Houshy, HR Advisor at SNC Lavalin, KSA
Biography Hatem is a HR Professional with over 8 years of regional and international experience in HR / Business Consultancy. He is currently employed as a HR Advisor for SNC-LAVALIN in their regional corporate office in KSA.
How do you like living and working in KSA? What I like most about KSA is the great potential of the market and the various opportunities for career development and professional growth that are offered to working professionals.
What is your average day at work like? As my role basically is to enhance HR strategies & plans and to link them to the company vision & business goals, i spend most of my working day immersed in strategic planning activities like meetings with division heads , reviewing reports & analysis , presenting HR plans, etc…
What is your biggest professional challenge? For a long period of time, the HR function in the Middle East region was looked at mostly as only personnel and administration- mainly only with payroll, records keeping and government relations. My biggest professional challenge continues to be the challenge of positioning the HR function as a strategic business partner within the organization.
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Belts of Middle Eastern Consumers Still Tightened
While the world awaits a much wished for closure to what’s been hailed as one of its “greatest” recessions, the attitude of Professionals towards all kinds of investments remains intact in all Middle Eastern countries, according to Bayt.com’s CCI Survey- September 2009.
Vis-a -Vis investment in Vehicle: An in-depth look at the figures shows that 56% of total respondents are not planning to invest in a vehicle within the next 12 months, against 26% who are considering it(in the last wave- June 2009- 58% had stated they were not planning to purchase a vehicle, against 24% who were thinking about it). The Survey shows respondents in Jordan are the most interested in buying a vehicle within the next 12 months- at 33%- followed by Qatar – at 32%, while at the other end, respondents in Syria are the least interested – at 15%.
Slightly more than half (52%) of those considering the purchase of a vehicle in the current CCI wave stated they are aiming at a brand new one. Read more
Career UnCovered of Faysal El Jurdi, CEO of Vision Group Hospitality Recruitment, Beirut, Lebanon
Bio: Faysal graduated from “Cesar-Ritz”, a renowned hotel management school in Switzerland and has over 13 years of experience in the hospitality industry .Before Vision Group, Faysal held major positions in rooms division and operations management with leading hotel groups like Hotel Angletaire Geneva, Royal Abjar Hotels Dubai, Rotana and Habtoor Hotels Lebanon.
Best career advice I ever got Never sell yourself/ your business cheap, and stick to your pricing strategy especially if you are confident that you are offering your clients quality and value for their money.
Favorite Job task I ever had to do Interviewing a fresh graduate who thinks he owes the world and who would only consider a managerial position to start with! I like it because it reminds me of myself, right after graduating from my Hotel school in Switzerland- I had the same attitude at the time. You later see things clearer: as soon as I started my first job as a reservations officer I knew that I had a lot to learn before I reach my goals.
