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
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
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
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
Are there really any job availabilities in the UAE
Question from Job Seeker I have been working for the same hotel in France for the past 4 years- as an IT Manager – and I’m risking a potential layoff soon due to restructuring. I am very keen on relocating to the Middle East region, the UAE more precisely, as the only 2 family members I have in the Middle East live and work there. My question is: are there really any job availabilities in the UAE? Need I invest my time and efforts in looking for a job in IT?
Answer from Bayt HR Guru The fact that you are contemplating moving to a new country that embraces a different culture and lifestyle than yours is quite impressive! Allow me to applaud your courage and assure you it will be an experience of a lifetime! You have got it right! IT is one of the hottest industries in the UAE today – 31% of job seekers in the UAE are looking for jobs in this field according to Bayt.com’s Top Industries in the Middle East Study. Read more
Personal Attitudes of Middle East Professionals Towards Work Fluctuate
Bayt.com’s recently released “Employee Motivation Study 2009” has shown that 45% of all participating respondents across all countries of the Middle East and North Africa are motivated at work- to varying extents- and has identified the triggers employees deem fundamental for this motivation: opportunities for long term career growth at 36%, company’s brand and reputation at 33%, relationship with line manager at 32%, training & development opportunities at 32% and relationship with colleagues at 31%. All these factors play a vital role in shaping a working professional’s attitude towards his organization in general and his job role in particular.
Highlights:
- 94% of total respondents feel the work they do is significant and quite important to their company: All countries surveyed showed positive signs: most positive were professionals in KSA & Bahrain at 95%, followed by Jordan, Egypt, Algeria at 94% each, compared to 91% of votes in Lebanon and the UAE.
- 90% of Total Respondents feel their job activities are personally meaningful to them: Most positive were professionals in Egypt & Tunisia at 92%, followed by Syria& Algeria at 91%, compared to 86% in the UAE.
- 87% of Total respondents state their job gives them a sense of personal and professional achievement: Most positive were professionals in Tunisia at 94%, followed by Syria & Algeria at 91%, compared to 83% in Bahrain and 82% in the UAE. Read more
What is the condition of working women in the Gulf.
Question from the Job Seeker I was laid off from my former job as an advertising senior account executive in Canada 6 months back, and I have just received a quite tempting offer from one of Qatar’s Advertising giants. The only thing am concerned about is the condition of working women in the Gulf. Any thoughts?
Answer From Bayt.com HR Guru Sally, first off, Congratulations! Professional working women in the Middle East have been making remarkable progress in competing with men for equal job opportunities. According to Bayt.com’s annual ”Women in the Middle Eastern Workplace” Research Report, 60% of professional women respondents working in the region (by far the largest group of respondents) have stated in 2008 that they are treated fairly as compared to their male counterparts. That figure jumped up to 73% amongst Western working women (the highest percentage amongst all other respondents). Furthermore, almost half of the Western women respondents (at 44%) stated they feel they have equal promotion opportunities as their male counterparts as opposed to 33% who feel their regional male counterparts have a larger chance of being promoted. Read more
Middle East Professionals Cut Costs
All work and no play makes professionals in the Middle East a sad constituency but according to Bayt.com’ s latest HR Survey completed in conjunction with research specialists YouGov, entertainment expenditures have been sharply curtailed in the Middle East as professionals have retrenched and sought to cut costs during the recession. Shopping must be one of the region’s favorite activities with the sprawling world-class malls that include every amenity, however according to Bayt.com’s latest HR research, this pastime has been going through an awkward phase lately: with all the doom and gloom that the global economic downturn has brought, it seems both men and women are finding themselves compelled to think twice before spending money on luxury rather than necessity.
Bayt.com’s most recent “Surviving the Recession” Research Report has shed some very interesting light on the struggle of Middle Eastern Consumers during the recession, the feelings it has evoked in them, the effects it has had on their health, their families’ health, their financials, and the measures they have resorted to in order to guarantee survival through these turbulent times. Cutting down on spending has been without a doubt the option most Middle East consumers have resorted to, with an overwhelming 43% of participating respondents stating they have cut down on their spending in general, 7% shifting to smaller houses to save cost and another 7% shifting to cheaper areas.
Interview with Zuheir Khalil, General Manager at 360 Degrees Management Consultancies
How do you like living and working in KSA?
In my opinion, I think the living and working conditions in Saudi Arabia are very good. Although there are many things that can be much improved, I can safely say that life here for both the personal and professional sides is pleasant. To benchmark Saudi Arabia with other GCCs, I say that the Kingdom scores quite strongly in these factors: Religion, Economy (in terms of inflation rate, employment, real estate and infrastructure value, commodity prices), Security and Safety.
What is your average day at work like?
As a general manager of a management consultancy firm, an average day for me does not have a typical standard pattern. There are no constants since the business environment is pretty much very dynamic. The only thing that I consider regular in my job is the existence of a new challenge every day.
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