The link to the conference info site is here.

To follow the live blogging of the event on November 19 and 20 Click Here

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Building on the tremendous success Bayt.com has enjoyed in its virtual job fairs in markets across the region, the Bayt.com DIAC VEF 2009 will provide a unique, fully-interactive online platform for academic and training institutions – the very first of its kind in the region.

The education fair’s virtual format offers significant advantages for both students and educational and training institutions compared to traditional academic fairs. As an online event, it will be ‘open’ 24/7 and can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection, providing participants with complete confidentiality and the convenience of participating from the comfort of their home or computer lab.

The Bayt.com’ VEF 2009 presented in conjunction with education partner, Dubai International Academic City, enjoys strong support from Platinum sponsor, the University of Liverpool, and Silver sponsors Robert Kennedy College, Access MBA, the University of Manchester and the British University in Dubai (BUiD)
DIAC is the world’s only Free Zone dedicated to higher education and serves as a regional base for a number of premier international educational institutions.

Commenting on VEF 2009 as a crucial regional milestone in the education and training arena, Akram Assaf – Bayt.com Co Founder and Chief Technical Officer, noted: “The Virtual Education Fair creates a dynamic virtual space where students and educational and training providers can achieve their respective goals and optimise their time and effort. We are very pleased to partner with DIAC on this pioneering initiative that we are confident will change the face of academic recruitment in the Middle East and bring unprecedented opportunity to seekers of learning across the MENA region.”

Confirmed institutional participants to date include, in Platinum booths, Stafford Associates, Potential, Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University, Institute of Management Technology, Dubai, SUKAD and K¹². Gold Booth participants to date include Morgan International and American University of Kuwait. Silver booth participants to date include The University of Wollongong in Dubai, University of Phoenix, American University of Ras Al Khaimah, SHEilds and Emirates College for Advanced Education.

“With preparations for the Middle East’s first Virtual Education Fair well underway, we are extremely excited by the quality of registrations we are receiving both from prospective students as well as academic and training institutions. As we move closer to the date, we expect more leading academic and training institutions to sign up for participation,” said Dr. Ayoub Kazim, Executive Director of Dubai International Academic City, the region’s leading destination for higher education and a member of TECOM Investments.

“The Virtual Education Fair offers an unprecedented opportunity for institutions to take their brand to a new level and recruit top students. The event will also serve as an ideal platform for students to interact with experts and acquire information on avenues of higher education.”

At the VEF 2009, students will be able to quickly and conveniently provide their personal details and academic credentials to a variety of top academic and training institutions, fill out paperless application forms, and gather the latest academic information from a virtual ‘resource centre.’ In addition, they will have the opportunity to engage in confidential e-chats with admissions staff, career consultants and other experts who can assist them with career decisions.

Participating educational and training institutions will also enjoy a number of important benefits: a virtual fair provides excellent return-on-investment. No work-time is lost by physically attending or staffing the event, and travel/logistical costs are largely eliminated.

In addition, virtual forums are sophisticated vehicles for brand promotion: The Bayt.com and DIAC VEF 2009 will assist in positioning institutions as forward-thinking academic and training leaders with a commitment to innovation. Through the VEF, educational and training providers will also enjoy access to a large pool of motivated candidates, helping them meet registration targets and allowing them to evaluate the success of enrolment strategies.

Through the VEF, Bayt.com and DIAC are demonstrating their commitment to furthering economic growth and talent development in the Middle East.

“By empowering students with academic information and career assistance, we are helping tomorrow’s leaders access training and higher-learning opportunities that will serve as a springboard to future success,”

commented Assaf.

“In addition, by assisting educational providers to increase admissions and share their unique programs with a broad audience, Bayt.com is nurturing robust academic activity in the region, which in turn can lead to job-creation, scholarships, research and development, and a range of other benefits.”

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1. Middle East Learning Opportunities with Bayt.com
2. Bayt.com to launch first pan-regional Virtual Job Fair in Middle East recruitment drive
3. Tips on how to participate in Bayt.com Virtual Job Fair

Our birthday would be no reason to celebrate without you.  Please enjoy our gift to you on this occasion: Free Job Postings for Employers which should translate to a unique and unprecedented opportunity set for professionals across the region.  To access or for more information about our Birthday offering please visit our Employer pages or contact your trusted Bayt.com Relationship Manager today.

Our dream and vision at Bayt.com has remained undiluted over the years: Jobs for All!  Regardless of career level, from senior executive management to entry level graduates; regardless of industry, role, nationality and qualifications, we hope to provide a state-of-the-art industry-leading recruitment platform that levels the playing field in the recruitment arena and truly enables and facilitates Jobs for All!

Have we succeeded?  At 3.75 Million registered professionals plus well over 30,000 of the region’s top employers who have registered a consistently a 98% satisfaction rate year-to-date, the answer is a resounding Yes.  No jobsite in the region provides its employers with more choice of top caliber professionals and its professionals with more top caliber job opportunities.

What did last year look like for us? More relevant jobs and jobseekers than any other medium, more awards and award nominations, more phenomenally successfully Virtual Job Fairs launched across the region, continued success of our University Roadshow and other CSR activities, and more investment in our industry-leading tools, content and technologies.

What does the year ahead hold?  Exactly what you have come to expect of Bayt.com – continued investments in providing you with the fastest, easiest and most effective method to match top employers with top jobs in the region.  And continued investment in maintaining Bayt.com as your online destination of choice.

Simply register today at no cost on www.vefme.com and from the 15th till the 21st November you can click onto the 100% online Virtual Education Fair from the convenience of your own homes or offices and access the region’s top learning opportunities online.  You can also interact with the region’s top universities and learning providers online and apply directly to any courses you are interested in.
Who is the Virtual Education Fair Middle East for?  Professionals from anywhere at every career level from entry level to senior executive, interested in pursuing learning opportunities with leading academic and training institutions in the Middle East.

Why attend the Middle East’s Virtual Education Fair ?  It is the simplest method to learn about the regions’ top learning and training opportunities and to interact on a live, real-time basis with leading academic institutions.  You can pose questions to the relevant professionals at these institutions, determine where the best fit for you is and compare programs and courses across the region.  And it’s all entirely FREE for students/potential students.

If you are an educational/ training institution that has not yet signed up for the Fair, a few online booths are still available. There is no better platform to position yourself as a pioneering, forward-thinking education provider of choice to the Middle East’s top talent.  Contact us today to learn more and book one of the few booths that remain.

Learning has never been more enjoyable!  Tell your friends!  See you at the Fair!!!

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1. Virtual Education Fair gates are open now – Visit www.vefme.com to Register for Free
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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.

A CV, then, isn’t your entire life story, because your entire life couldn’t possibly be relevant to the requirements of a single job. If you want anyone to read it, it’s obviously not a cluttered, wordy, unreadable mess. And most important, it’s never a work of fiction, full of exaggerations, inaccuracies, or just pure fabrications.
The fact of the matter is: An average candidate with a stronger CV gets better results than a superior candidate with a mediocre CV.

CV scripting is a serious business. It shouldn’t be taken casually or unceremoniously. Instead, one must have the passion and obsession to write and maintain a stunning and striking CV. You must derive the pleasure when you’re scripting it. Pleasure because it’s all about you; it’s more like venturing out your own self and exploring every inch of your personality, a rediscovery indeed. This piece of paper is a description of who you are, where you’ve been, where you have contributed, where you have acquired you education, what your belief systems are, what stands possible and what appears impossible for you, what’s difficult and what’s challenging for you, what holds you back, what puts you off and what inspires you, what your motivators and your inhibitors are, what your skills-set is, what your mind-set is, what your strengths are and what your hiccups are, your ambitions and aspirations, your dreams and your career goals. Since it all relates to you, it’s only YOU who can and should write your brochure. The designing and embellishment part of the CV can be left to others but as far as the content is concerned, as far as the real stuff is concerned, it’s your basic and fundamental job.

My observation is that graduates take low interest in writing their own CVs. For them, it’s often not more than a monotonous, tedious and boring task. Writing a compelling, convincing and captivating CV shouldn’t be taken as something like filling an income tax return pro forma. This activity rather must be loved, enjoyed, cherished and treasured.

Selling yourself depends on getting noticed, standing apart and being different from everybody else. If at the outset you’re represented only by your CV and your CV looks like everybody else’s CV, then you look like everybody else.
(Ashraf Chaudhry can be reached at ashraf@ashrafchaudhry.com)

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3. Career Tip: Ashraf Chaudhry, Pakistan’s Number 1 Sales Trainer and Author of “The Craft of Selling Yourself”

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.

From where you stand, do you see more professionals having opted to pursue post-graduate education with slowing employment markets last year? And is now the right time? Many professionals returned to (or stayed in) graduate school in 2008 and 2009. There’s a good argument that with the economic slow-down, if one has the financial resources then now is a good time to re-tool oneself, either to get brought up to speed on the latest developments in one’s chosen field or to chose a new line of work. Some people find that — after a decade of work in the same field — their learning-curve, motivation, and productivity-growth begins to taper off. A fresh start can be rejuvenating, and allow one to create new approaches drawing on one’s previous work. However, starting afresh may first require one to step down a notch or two, before climbing ahead in the new field. 2010 may also see high enrollments, although early indicators are that the recession has hit its bottom.

Where are the gaps in the Middle Eastern academic infrastructure in your opinion? One gap that can be relatively-easily addressed over the next 5-10 years is to create regional fora for academics in the same field to gather together, through conferences, workshops, symposia, Festschrifts by former students, research collaborations, and the like. With world-class conference facilities and umpteen new universities in the region, this is a natural vacuum waiting to be filled. There is also a lack of shared data and research. This may take longer to sort out and develop, but will be a natural outgrowth of research productivity over time. Creating a respect for basic academic research, critical thinking (and writing), encouraging a climate of open, vigorous and rational debate, scholarly standards uninfluenced by any other consideration, and enhancing an academic atmosphere of mutual trust and freedom of thought are among the broader goals. More down-to-earth, there is currently a lack of research and teaching assistants ready to help with data collection and analysis. In many graduate schools this role is filled by graduate students, sometimes in a mandatory quid pro quo for scholarship tuition money, which trains the students in how to research and teach as well as assisting the faculty. Broadband connectivity in many institutions still needs improvement, in reliability, widespread and uninhibited access to academic content, but in many ways this is simpler to address than other challenges.

As a successful entrepreneur yourself, what would you say are the top 3 essential ingredients for a thriving entrepreneurship culture to develop and be sustainable? Come to our conference on “Best Practices in Entrepreneurship Policy” (BPEP), sponsored by the Legatum Institute,  and help leading entrepreneurship supporters find out!    There are many factors, but since you ask for three, I’d highlight these:
a) The regulatory environment: laws should encourage, not discourage, starting new ventures. This means: (i) a minimum of bureaucratic red-tape (licensing, permits, fees, etc.), low minimum-capital costs, perhaps assistance in the form of effective “one-stop shops” if they dramatically speed up the time required (instead of slowing it down). But (ii) regulations should also take account of the harsh reality of entrepreneurship: something like 75% of new startups don’t survive beyond three years. This means that “exit” (including insolvency restructuring) should also be relatively painless for legitimate firms. A number of countries in the region need to reform their insolvency laws, in keeping with best-practices worldwide (and Islamic banking norms), to decriminalize insolvency and allow for a rational, orderly and transparent prioritizing and pro-rating of creditors’ claims. Youth should not be punished for starting a company that doesn’t make it. For wealthy families these debts can be managed, but for poor or middle-class youth the fear of jail can be a rational and serious deterrent to starting a company. This is a complex issue that will require training for judges, lawyers, accountants, banks, other creditors, and entrepreneurs themselves. The Hawkamah Institute for Corporate Governance issued a declaration on insolvency in May that is worth examining. Finally, (iii) regulations should not be done away with carelessly or entirely, they exist to address market failures and to protect the broader public interest (maslahah al-aam). Insufficient regulations can breed distrust and undermine markets. The lack of effective and autonomous regulatory oversight in US financial markets is part of the reason for the financial collapse. But regulations should encourage new entrepreneurs.
b) Widespread access to early-stage seed-capital: a crucial link in creating a culture of entrepreneurship is institutionalizing mechanisms for capital to flow to where it will have the highest marginal impact. A 100,000 AED investment means nothing to a wealthy scion, but could be the big break that a budding middle-class entrepreneur needs. To a poor youth in the Maghreb or Levant, even a 5,000 AED investment could mean the start of financial independence and job-creation. Fostering legal mechanisms that help institutionalize this early-stage “angel investing” is one of the highest priorities for the region. It requires the ability to accurately assess entrepreneurs’ credit history, efficiently perform due diligence, ensure the impartial enforcement of contracts, be protected against non-market forces, retrieve collateral if need be, etc.
c) Mentorship and education for youth: nothing better inspires future young people to start their own company than getting to know successful entrepreneurs and having an education that rewards creativity, innovation, responsible risk-taking, and leadership.

Would you say entrepreneurship is innate or is a skill that can be personally developed? There is a common myth among people who have never taught or studied entrepreneurship that “it can’t be taught.” That’s nonsense, as proven by decades of evidence and research (by the Kauffman Foundation and others). Sure, there are some ‘natural-born entrepreneurs’ who will succeed in any situation, without any education or skills-development, which is great. And some people have no desire for the hard work, risk and responsibility that starting a profitable company requires, so won’t ever try. But for many people in the middle, the right combination of encouragement, skills-development, active (and responsible) investments, and mentorship can make all the difference between starting their own successful company or simply being an employee of someone else. Some basic business skills are required (financial literacy, financial responsibility), but the more important skills are psychological: developing the right attitude, taking responsibility for one’s financial destiny, looking inward and unlocking one’s true passion or calling in life, unleashing one’s creativity and innovation while being hard-nosed about market-realities, finding one’s leadership style and building a competent team who respects this, etc. When I was Director of Entrepreneurship for Georgetown University, one of our key goals was to reach out beyond the business-school to inspire students in the liberal arts or sciences to start their own ventures. (Most MBA’s don’t start their own company, and most companies aren’t started by MBA’s. Accounting skills are fairly transferable and relatively easy to hire, but it’s hard if not impossible to hire the leadership, determination and creativity that it requires to start a successful company.)

Would you say the UAE is the right spot for entrepreneurs at this particular moment in time? Any other regional countries/markets you find promising for entrepreneurship today? The UAE offers some of the brightest prospects on earth for entrepreneurs. There is a stupendous business infrastructure in Dubai, burgeoning demand in Abu Dhabi, untapped markets in the other Emirates, strong support for business from the country’s rulers, free zones, and a talented and young professional class. It’s a regional and global business hub, and investors are eager for sound business models to invest in. There are still ways that the UAE can learn from other countries’ experiences, of course, but it is deservedly recognized as a leader. For entrepreneurs just starting out, the UAE has some of the best entrepreneurship initiatives and programs in the world, including those led by the Mohammed bin Rashid Foundation al Maktoum Foundation, Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders, Young Arab Leaders and Khalifa Fund, and many private sector initiatives. As I’ve said elsewhere, the economic crisis in many ways has created new opportunities for entrepreneurs.
The dynamism and growth in the region creates niches that entrepreneurs can fill much more quickly than can large existing firms. Other countries show vibrant prospects as well. Saudi Arabia was ranked #1 for the region by the World Bank’s Doing Business unit, and is fueled by a new generation of educated youth and government investments in education and technology. Qatar is transforming its economy in a single generation, and is growing fast. Lebanon is undergoing a business-Renaissance that received assurance by the acceptance of all parties to the June 2009 election (assuming they can form a government). Pro-entrepreneurship reforms, initiatives, and educational programs are underway from Syria to Yemen, Morocco to Oman. I’ve compiled an online list of more than 150 such initiatives, which so far barely scratches the surface.

Who are the icons and mentors who have influenced you career progress the most? I was lucky to have a great public and higher education, so I give thanks to my many teachers, and to parents who gave me the freedom to pursue my interests. When I was 19 I took off a ‘gap-year’ from college and, working as I went, traveled around the world on a shoestring. That opened my eyes and gave me an appreciation of the similarities and differences in regional challenges, and responses to them. I’ve benefited from too many people’s advice and role-modeling to name just a few. Years ago I was an assistant vice president at Citibank, working for the chairman’s chief-of-staff, which gave me insights into the inner sanctum of Wall Street. But in the realm of entrepreneurship, I’ve learned a great deal by observing up-close for two decades a good friend who is a hyper-successful serial entrepreneur. He’s still not afraid to fail, which I’ve seen on occasion (and even shared in), but when he triumphs he does it big. He’s one of the hardest-working and most-effective people I know, expects the same from his team, delegates responsibility but also leads, and “aims for the stars” every time.

Anything else you would like to share with Bayt.com’s community of employers and job seekers? I hope your employers will recognize that the greatest productivity comes from finding a ‘good fit’ for employees, enabling them to fulfill their own visions, rather than trying to shoe-horn people into pre-conceived roles. Give talented employees the autonomy to find ways that their passions align with the company’s objectives. (If they’re not a good fit, help them move on to a better fit elsewhere so that they provide a networking resource in the future.) Likewise, job-seekers should expend the effort to figure out what they really want to do in life, and then position themselves to achieve it, even in small steps.

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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.

What is the most important thing you look for in new hires? Behavior is key. Technical skills and talent constitute a large fraction in the decision making process, however integrity and a “can do” spirit closes the deal.

What is the biggest challenge you face in hiring talent? The nature of our business is somewhat complex. Finding the incumbent with the appropriate expertise, and cultural know-how takes quite some time.

What is your favorite part of your role? Organization Strategy. Participating in the company’s strategy analysis and definition is an essential and constant learning tool for any director, not only is it an exciting challenge but a gratifying development to one’s function and career.

What has been the highlight of your career in HR? When I worked in 1997 on Total Quality Management based on EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) model, I recognized that the management of human capital has a profound impact on any business. This intangible asset is the foundation for any company wishing to achieve an Economic Added Value.

What do you read to keep abreast of industry developments? As many articles as possible, and certainly books. The last 2 were “Beyond HR”- John Boudreau, Peter Ramstad and “Brillant NLP”- David Molden

What is your advice to someone looking to enter the field of HR? I would stress on the following attributes: Flexible, rigorous and methodical , culture conscious, tolerant,  Compassionate, and exemplifies company’s values.

How is the Middle East evolving as a place to practice HR? There has been a drastic improvement in the Middle East, however some executives and entrepreneurs still regard Human Resources as a service provider rather than a Strategic Business Partner and are focused on profit margins rather than Human Capital. The corner stone of any sustainable organization remains talent management, and it is our responsibility to continue demonstrating to our business partners that investing in HR yields substantial returns.

If you could wave your magic stick and make a significant development in one specific area of HR practices worldwide, where would that fall? HR should be an integral force of any institution, from analyzing to defining and implementing strategies.

Anything else you’d like to share with the community of Bayt.com Employers? I wish to thank Bayt for its initiatives and for actively evolving the literacy on HR in the region.

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1. Career UnCovered: Ahmed El Zeftawy, HR Director of Al Jaber Group, UAE
2. Career UnCovered of Faysal El Jurdi, CEO of Vision Group Hospitality Recruitment, Beirut, Lebanon
3. Interview with Dina Mehanna, HR Director at Genius Computer Technology, UAE

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. Talk to people in the industry and learn from their experiences, understand what the true nature of the advertising jobs are and which particular area in advertising you would best fit into as the industry is broad and multi-faceted.  Only once you are truly in the know of what the demands are and certain that you could, and would, want to master the art of advertising completely, should you start seriously targeting your companies of choice in search for that dream job of yours!  Best of luck from the Bayt team!

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.

Despite employers believing that references are important, when posting a job vacancy, only 50% of recruiters said that they always ask for a reference, while another 23% said that they don’t really ask. Just under a fifth – 18% of employers, said they often ask for references, while 9% said it depends on the seniority of the position being advertised.

Moreover, the poll showed that the region’s recruiters are largely split over whether they go on to check a candidate’s references having asked for them: 39% said they always contact the references mentioned on a job seekers’ application, while 14% said that they sometimes do. Another 14% of employers said that they never check references, while 14% said they will make the decision to check references according to the importance of the position.

What we are seeing from the results of this latest bayt.com poll series is that while employers on the whole hold references to be very important, there is a large split as to whether or not they go on to check them.  This seems to back up the widely held notion in the region that final employment decisions don’t rely on a good reference like in more mature markets, instead, new recruits can often get by without actually needing to have one.

Employers were asked to what extent they rely on the statements candidates make on their application, in assessing their suitability for a job. For the most part, employers said they don’t tend to check on an employee’s statements until they are ready to make an employment offer (53%). Interestingly, 27% of employers said that they have to trust what their interviewees say, and therefore rarely go on to check other evidence like their references. The poll also showed that a relatively small percentage, 13%, will actually go on and check certificates and references in certain cases, while only 7% said that they won’t only rely on an interviewee’s statements, they would rather play it safe and ask for references.

Employers are largely divided as to what role the statements made on application forms actually play. That a relatively high proportion say they rarely cross check what a candidate has written shows that many candidates are selected on the strength of their interview, rather than having to go through various layers of recruitment procedure.

On receiving an application for a position, employers were largely split over how much time they actually spend reviewing the application: 48% of employers agreed that they spend ‘some’ time reviewing the application to make sure that the information matches what they are looking for in a candidate, before scheduling an interview. A significant proportion of recruiters, 33%, said they spend quite a lot of time with the application, taking their time to go through every detail to avoid short listing the wrong candidate.

The poll found that another 7.5% of employers admitted that they don’t spend any time at all with an application, and unless they have a specific job vacancy advertised then the application will go in the bin, compared to 4% who said that they will skim through the application and then ask most candidates to come for an interview. This was not the case for the other 7.5% of employers who said that how much time they spend with an application depends on certain factors, such as how much time they have, or how senior a position the vacancy is.

The results of the poll demonstrate how important the original application is: for the most part, employers spend a significant amount of time assessing the details a candidate puts on his/her application, and make their decision based on that. It sends a clear message to job seekers how important it is to make a strong impression with employers when they apply.

The poll asked the region’s employers what other factors they use in the recruitment process:  30% said they conduct ability tests, 20% rely on references and 5% undertake personality tests, while an additional 35% said they conduct all of these.

Recruitment can often be a complete mystery to job seekers, and many have a limited understanding of how important things like a good application, or a good reference actually are. In conducting polls such as these, Bayt.com provides a very interesting insight into how employers think when it comes to selecting their candidates and job seekers could use this data as a general indicator, and then assess how strong different elements like their references, experience and applications are. This could ultimately help job seekers to stand out from the rest, and find their ideal job more easily.

Data for the ‘References in Middle Eastern Job Applications’ employer poll series was collected online between 17 August and 29 September 2009, with a total of 147 employers across the Middle East. This and other Middle East human resources research is available online at www.bayt.com.

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- 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.

- More  Mobile Options will soon be available to professionals as well such as refreshing their CVs, saving a search (then applying to it at a later stage), e-mailing a found Job to their actual Bayt.com account or to their personal E-mail and accessing their CV Stats ( how many times their CV has been viewed and more…)

- All the above of course, does empower Job Seekers in the Middle East, what about Middle Eastern Employers? The fact is all employer job postings are now automatically making an appearance on Bayt Mobile- without any further charges- and thereby expanding registered employer access to reach further  talents who are usually on the move and  hard to be located!

Yet another Bayt love touch, absolutely free of charge offered to Middle Eastern Job Seekers – and Middle Eastern Employers – do try it for yourself and take it a step further and spread the happy news amongst friends, relatives and family members on the move… Join us in contributing to the wellbeing of our society and the enhancement of the Middle Eastern Job Market! We’ll keep you posted with further developments as they occur. Meanwhile, feel free to take a peek or a maybe plan a longer stay at: http://m.bayt.com

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1. Lebanon: Destination for Bayt.com’s Virtual Job Fair this September
2. Bayt Jobs on Twitter
3. Happy Birthday Bayt