Employees also leave for other more ‘controllable’ factors, such as higher salaries, shorter commutes, and better benefits. Most likely than not, your best performers are the ones most likely to leave. And when a top performer leaves, the impact can be disproportionate – and costly.

Low salaries: Main reason MENA professionals quit

The retention of talent has become a challenge for organizations. With the better opportunities and economic benefits offered by other employers, qualified people are constantly moving.

When looking at the reasons that push employees in the MENA region to quit their jobs, our research has always pointed in one direction: unsatisfactory compensation.

While compensation isn’t the only reason professionals stay in a job, unfair and uncompetitive compensation is often cited as the ‘top’ reason job seekers are in the market for a new role.  Compensation issues aren’t only the salary but also the composition of the compensation and the types and scale of benefits offered.

According to “The Bayt.com Work Satisfaction in the MENA” poll (November 2012), 60.8% of professionals do not feel well compensated in their current job, while 31.6% of professionals say that what they would most like to change about their current job is the salary.

On the other hand, 69% of MENA professionals indicate medium to low level of satisfaction towards their current pay, as revealed by “The Bayt.com Middle East Salary Survey 2012” (April 2012). According to the same survey, 63% of MENA professionals feel that their salary is lower than the industry standards in their region, while one in 10 respondents say that they have not received a pay raise in the last 12 months.

Another survey by Bayt.com, “The Bayt.com Middle East Consumer Confidence Index Survey” (March 2013), has also revealed that 46% are dissatisfied with their compensation and allowances.

Recognizing the ‘Human’ in Human Capital

Human capital is the most significant resource of any given business.

Studies have shown, time and time again, that employees who feel valued, recognized and appreciated are the most loyal. As a top employer, you must make sure formal mechanisms for evaluating and rewarding employees are in place, are competitive and are in-sync with industry norms. Do recognize outstanding performance and reward it on a periodic basis. Do set regular special initiatives that identify, celebrate, motivate and incentivize your star employees and promote their loyalty and retention.

Exploring Performance-related Pay

Although compensation is generally fixed for most roles, incorporating some aspect of a ‘bonus’ tied to performance for all roles (i.e. not just ‘sales’ roles) may incentivize employees. Although this strategy may appeal to a segment of your workforce, its implementation needs to be carefully assessed given the associated risks with the measure (lower morale stemming from employees not achieving targets).

Most of the reasons employees leave are because employers don’t think proactively about the steps necessary to make them choose to stay. In the workplace, you have to provide what employees need to do their jobs well – every time, and all the time. You also have to provide that important emotional connection – connecting the heart of the employee to the work, workplace, manager, and team.  If pay is one way of achieving it, then why not?

If you pay attention to employee behavior and overall happiness, you will reduce turnover and retain your most wanted employees. If not, you’ll be holding regular exit interviews and goodbye lunches. It’s expensive to recruit a new employee. Why not expend the effort necessary to retain the employees that you have already painfully recruited and hired?

Photo credit: evoo73 on Flickr

1. A cover letter shows your confidence in fulfilling the job requirements.

2. A cover letter gives you a chance to get shortlisted by projecting yourself in the best way possible.

3. Employers determine your level of seriousness towards getting the job; a lousily written cover letter shows a lack of interest in getting the job.

4. A professional, detailed and targeted cover letter gives you a competitive edge over other candidates.

While 65.3% of professionals in MENA vowed to get a better job in 2013, one of the prerequisites of a good job is a good CV and a good cover letter. Below are four tips that will help you write a great cover letter:

1. Be mindful of the language used

Cover letters are formal ways of portraying yourself to a prospective employer. You must be careful of the language you use in writing one.

Bad example:

I have heard that you are looking for people in the Human Resource Department. Therefore, I am writing this letter in response to your requirements.

Good example:

I am a human resource professional with more than six years of experience in this field. I am seeking a management level position to offer proficiencies in personnel management, payroll, administration, and HR training that can greatly contribute to a more productive workforce.

2. Research and customize

Applying for jobs you really like requires more effort. Do not send the same cover letter to every job you apply for. You can craft four to five different cover letters to match the different types of jobs that you are targeting.

Before you start writing a cover letter, read through and understand the job requirements. One of the most important things to look at is the key area of emphasis. Every employer wants a particular skill or experience in almost every job announced. You need to identify that area and customize your cover letter accordingly.

3. Remember: A cover letter is not a CV

Do not just rewrite your CV in your cover letter. Instead, focus on the target job role and your key achievements in that field. You need to select and elaborate on relevant responsibilities. Select those responsibilities which reflect your strengths and also convince the potential employer of your capability to successfully accomplish the tasks mentioned in the job description.

4. Always include a “call-to-action”

Your cover letter should end the way it started – in a focused and impactful manner. The closing of the cover letter summarizes your key skills and related job experience.

Finally, stress action by politely requesting an interview at the employer’s convenience. Indicate what supplementary material is being sent, and offer to provide additional information (a portfolio, a writing sample, a sample publication, a dossier, an audition tape, etc.).

Thank the reader for their consideration and indicate that you are looking forward to hearing from them.

Writing a catchy cover letter is an art in itself. In Bayt.com’s “Hiring Management in the MENA” poll (August 2012), employers in the MENA region said that what they look most in senior was leadership and management skills (34%), technical excellence and industry knowledge (13%), and track record of creativity and innovation (4.8%), and what a better way to display all these qualities than in a professional and well-written cover letter?

I hope this blog post helped unveil the secrets of a perfect cover letter. Remember, our career consultants are also here to help you with customized CV and cover letter writing services that will make your CV and cover letter truly stand out.

1. Have a clear vision

To have a happy and motivated team of followers, leaders must be able to paint a vivid and uniquely attractive picture of the ultimate destination and remain focused on it at all times. Effective leaders have a clearly articulated vision of where they are headed and the ability to paint a vivid picture and tell exciting stories about the end goal and its ramifications, why it’s so important and how they will strive to get there. The more colorful, interesting and exciting the picture and vision, the more animated, unified and aligned the troops are likely to be.

2. Demonstrate passion

All the facts and supporting figures in the world are likely to fall on deaf ears if a leader does not demonstrate real and genuine passion for the mission, vision and values they are espousing.  Positivity is highly contagious and none more so than the genuine enthusiasm and drive of a truly passionate leader.

3. Walk the talk

Leaders need not be always marching in the battlefield alongside the troops but they must have great team skills and the proven expertise, tools and mastery of their domain to be able to participate in the action whenever needed as well as a genuine willingness and propensity to collaborate, cooperate and guide on the field. Delegation skills are essential but great leaders are able to masterfully tow the line between too much and too little and can delegate optimally without micromanaging to the point of alienating the teams, or alternately over-delegating to the point of abdicating. In the MENA region, while the majority of professionals say they are supervised just right, 31% feel over-supervised, whereas 15% of professionals say they are not supervised at all, at work. Great leaders don’t just strategize and supervise; they execute.

4. Communicate often and honestly

36% of professionals in the Middle East as polled by Bayt.com agree that they have open communication channels at their workplace, but they are not as open as they would like them to be. The best leaders do not assume they know it all, to the contrary they listen intently and listen often. They listen to their teams, their customers, their competitors, their stakeholders and the marketplace and are always asking themselves and others how they can do things more uniquely and do things better. They are great mentors and coaches and highly effective and influential communicators.

5. Recognize and reward

Leaders are leaders because they have willing followers who admire and respect them and they are able to retain their followings and consistently raise the bar in their organizations by ensuring good performance is recognized and rewarded both privately and publicly and as often as possible. Great leaders give credit where it is due and consistently allow others on their team to shine.

6. Maintain high levels of integrity and credibility

Great leaders aren’t always extremely likeable even if their brands and companies are. But a significant part of the reason the latter is true and they can retain undisputed leadership status is they maintain exemplary standards of integrity and transparency and deliver consistently on the promises they make. Some leaders are genuinely more intrinsically likeable than others but even the relatively less loveable ones are still able to inspire, motivate and excite their teams to pioneering innovations and general excellence by the sheer force of their unimpeachable character and credibility and their proven commitment to delivering consistently on the promises they make.  They inspire trust and thereby instill high levels of loyalty in their team.

7. Show great flexibility

Great leaders are malleable and ductile and will anticipate and adjust to changing market dynamics, needs and preferences in the most optimal manner because they recognize the need for responsiveness, speed and innovation. Their products brands and companies thrive because they can embrace, anticipate and pre-empt change rather than deny its inevitability. Even their management style will pivot flexibly and expertly depending on circumstances and need, between telling, delegating, participating and selling.

8. Encourage a culture of innovation

Innovation is not possible without unorthodox, out of the box thinking and experimentation and great leaders create a culture that encourages that. Part of creating an innovation culture is tolerating failures if not outright celebrating them along the way. Great leaders realize that learning is impossible without some degree of trial and error and can transform their failures into short-lived performance hiccups that are learning experiences on the long road to success.

9. Treat others with respect

The best leaders are humble, honest, pleasant, respectful, engaging, humorous and recognize that they need to treat others as they themselves would like to be treated or risk losing them along the way. They believe in and see the best in others and are consequently able to bring out the best in them and inspire them to ever higher aspirations.

10. Display confidence, loyalty and commitment

When it comes to loyalty, an overwhelming 90% of professionals in the MENA region as polled by Bayt.com consider themselves loyal to their employer. To motivate others to stay the course and keep up morale, the best leaders are unwavering in their commitment to their mission, vision and values and their confidence in their cause. Whether than means pulling up their sleeves and getting into the micro essentials in the trenches or retrenching and gracefully reconsolidating the troops after a failure or fall, they are in it for the long haul and their loyalty and steadfastness is unfaltering and undisputed.

Bayt.com actually conducted a poll to ask MENA professionals who they thought was responsible for creating jobs. 47.1% of those polled, hold the government accountable for unemployment in their countries, while 7.3% blame the private sector, 5.2% the education sector and 6.3% say it’s the responsibility of individuals themselves. Respondents were also asked to what extent they thought the government held responsibility for job creation. The vast majority (71%) felt the government was “largely” or even “exclusively” responsible.

So what is a government expected to do when it is seen by many as the employer of first and last resort and the key arbiter of change? The same Bayt.com poll asked jobseekers how the government could best improve employment in their countries; 10% said create more jobs in the public sector, 8.1% said improve the education sector, 5.6% said foster a better environment for business, 4.7% said improve labor laws, 17.1% said stop corruption and 3.7% said develop better transparency and legal guidelines. Nearly half (48.1%) said all of the above. With a vast majority of poll respondents (86.5%) indicating they believed it was possible to dramatically improve employment prospects through better public policies, there seems to be no substitute for a close public-private partnership in nurturing job growth and addressing employment bottlenecks if not outright job creation, in the long run. The great news is that the poll showed the overall sentiment across the region to be resoundingly positive, with 65.1% of respondents to the same Bayt.com poll indicating they are optimistic about their career prospects and 64.7% saying they are optimistic about their country’s economy.

Below is a smorgasbord of varied ideas from various Bayt.com polls and research on this topic and on the topic of MENA employment in general.

Training and Education

The MENA region is hungry for learning. Over 69% of polled professionals cited that they think reading is essential for their career growth with 78% citing they read career literature regularly. Moreover when asked would they go back to school by pursuing an online program for further education 39% said they would choose a post-graduate program and 23% said they would choose an undergraduate program given the chance. Still opportunities for training for many can be few and far between and there remains a divide between employers’ needs and demands and the skills readily available in the marketplace in many instances across the region. It’s not just the most needed up-to-date technical skills that are sometimes lacking. It’s also those crucial soft skills and that all-important readiness for the workplace commensurate with the right attitude and expectations and focus and commitment.

When asked about what they looked for most when hiring regional employers repeatedly rank ambition, drive, motivation, team skills, and communication skills very highly, sometimes even above technical skills and career track record as shown in Bayt.com’s Hiring Practices in the MENA 2011 poll which also showed that most employers would consider hiring a candidate with relevant skills but no direct experience in the field.  Top communication skills and language skills are essential and not just in Arabic but also as repeat Bayt.com surveys show, also in English and/or French, the region’s prime business languages. Training curricula should also include basic preparation for the business world from an early stage and should impart a clear idea of how the business world works, what different careers actually look like and what skills are best aligned to individual career interests.

A hunger for lifelong learning should be instilled at a very early stage of the education process and an educational infrastructure put in place or encouraged, to support that. Several training initiatives in the MENA already successfully marry classroom training with on-the-job training and the success rate of placing graduates of these programs in permanent positions in the private sector is relatively high.

Recruitment Facilitation

If government is not to take an active role and credit for creating jobs it can still facilitate the mobility of labor by easing the structural impediments to labor flow; and also facilitate information flows on recruitment availabilities. Employers in many MENA countries suffer from restrictive hiring and firing regulations compared to those in developed and other developing countries and this chokes their propensity to hire opportunistically in a bull market. Moreover, efforts to provide adequate low-cost high-impact talent placement infrastructure have been generally halfhearted.

Government placement offices that are friendly, civilized, orderly and sanitary may be one place to conduct aptitude tests and assessment centers and try to match talent with opportunity. This can also be done entirely online as some GCC countries have started doing with state-of-the-art online career portals designed to facilitate and expedite and streamline the recruitment process and impart localized wisdom and advice related to the job search process.

Governments can then focus on providing a vehicle to expedite matchmaking and maximizing the flow of information about job opportunity rather than trying to actually create jobs. Incentives can even be given to employers who hire through these governmental platforms be it as simple as free access and job postings, free assessment testing and screening, and/or the promise that talent can be replaced should the match prove less than optimal.

Encouraging Private Sector Investments

How about creating an infrastructure that is business friendly and encourages rather than smothers entrepreneurship and innovation; one that actually helps SMEs overcome their teething problems? Governments can directly encourage labor-intensive SMEs in a variety of means including fiscal incentives and credit facilitation.

There is a very significant case to be made for creating sustainable economic growth by encouraging a spirit of entrepreneurship. The Entrepreneurship in the Social Sector and Arab Springs Survey conducted by Bayt.com in conjunction with the Program on Arab Reform and Democracy at Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law, showed that the Arab Spring had a positive effect in driving higher interest in both economic and social development. In every country surveyed, a large proportion of respondents indicated that if given the choice they would prefer to be self-employed or own a business. While many cited the greater independence it would offer, other business owners started their initiatives out of economic necessity not opportunity. However while interest in entrepreneurship is high, respondents indicated very high rates of failure of new businesses and NGOs. Lack of finance remains the largest challenge to starting a business, while bureaucratic hurdles such as legal registration and interference from authorities were cited by those operating in the NGO sector.

Special Projects

What are other seeds that can be planted to ensure the next generations are making a hearty living? How about promoting the spirit of lifelong learning and investing in our intellectual capital through a program to encourage a culture of reading, a national Read-A-Book-A-Day campaign and drive for instance?  What better way to sow the seeds for a thriving knowledge economy than by facilitating and popularizing knowledge? How about creating a nationwide business mentorship program even if it’s just at the public sector level to begin with? After all, one of the biggest impediments to finding employment after inappropriate skills and competencies is lack of contacts and networks and know-how to navigate the business world. How about encouraging flexibility by promoting pride and awareness in all manner of jobs so there is no stigma attached to being underemployed or employed in jobs some may consider menial? How about regular large-scale national business plan competitions followed by incubator privileges that are hosted by a union of both public and private sector enterprise to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship and competitiveness, and nurture promising new ideas with significant growth potential? How about making the country’s educational system a central cluster of excellence and source of great national pride? How about more micro-financing infrastructure?

In conclusion, clearly the issue of youth unemployment should be prioritized at the top of policy-makers agendas and a flexible approach to addressing it adopted which looks into avenues such as structural reform, promoting private sector investments, and cascading better and more relevant training and education across all sectors of the workforce.

نشأ هذا السؤال عن فكرة تتعلق بالتغيير في مكان العمل. فالتغيير قد يؤدي الى الإرباك ولكن لا مفر منه كما أن تأثيره إيجابي في معظم الأحيان.

لقد اعتبرت هذا السؤال فرصة جديدة للإبتعاد قليلاً عن روتين العمل. فالتفاعل مع الأشخاص هو الأهم بالنسبة الي كوني متخصصة في مجال الموارد البشرية وقد نظرت الى هذه التجربة وكأنها فرصة لمعرفة المزيد حول بيت.كوم من وجهة نظر أصحاب العمل.

فوافقت على الفور.

وبدأت هذه المغامرة حين توجهت وزميلي في العمل عبدول الى مكتب شركة دايكن ماك كاي صباح يوم الأحد.

الدخول الى مكاتب دايكن ماك كاي…

عند دخولنا قامت موظفة الإستقبال بالإشارة الى ضرورة إمضاء سجل الزائرين والجلوس في قاعة الإنتظار وذلك فيما كانت تتواصل مع موظف البريد ومع زائر آخر. فعبرت عن إعجابي بالخدمة الفعالة لزميلي.

وفي غضون بضعة دقائق، رحبت مديرة التوظيف مي مصطفى بنا ورافقتنا الى غرفة الإجتماعات.

بدت مي في كامل نشاطها على الرغم من انه لم يمض بضع ساعات على وصولها من السفر. اخبرتنا بشكل مختصر عن رحلتها الى عمان واعتذرت مسبقاً عن اية مقاطعة قد تحدث لاحقاً.

أنا متأكدة من أن كل من يعرف مي يوافق على الانطباع الأولي الممتاز الذي تتركه. فهي تتمتع بالثقة بالنفس وبسلولك راق ومهني الى حد كبير.

بدأت مي بالحديث قائلةً: “حين انضممت الى شركة دايكن ماك كاي منذ 11 شهراً، كنا نتعامل مع وكالات توظيف مختلفة. ومن ثم تم توكيلي بتحسين أنظمة عمليات التوظيف السائدة في الشركة. وقد ارتأيت ضرورة التغيير لذا بدأت البحث عن شريك توظيف موثوق به. في الواقع، أنا شخص يميل الى الكمال وأفضل تبسيط كافة الأمور والعمليات ولا أتخذ أي قرار إلا إذا كنت متأكدة من انه مبني على أسباب صحيحة ومنطقية. وكنت حينها أسمع الكثير عن بيت.كوم ولكني لم اكن استخدم الموقع على الإطلاق. وكوني ناشطة على كل من تويتر ولينكد إن، أنا أتواصل مع الكثير من المهنيين لذا تحدثت مع الكثير من مدراء التوظيف ومدراء الموارد البشرية في المنطقة وسألتهم عن أفضل بوابة توظيف في المنطقة، وكان الإجماع على بيت.كوم. من ثم قمت بنشر استطلاع للباحثين عن عمل لمعرفة ما هي المواقع التي يستخدمونها من أجل نشر سيرتهم الذاتية والبحث عن فرص عمل. ومرة جديدة، كان بيت.كوم هو الجواب”.

تتمتع خبيرة التوظيف مي مصطفى بتسع سنوات خبرة في مجال التوظيف. وعلى الرغم من التحديات التي واجهتها في مسيرتها، هي تحب عملها الى حد كبير ومن المستحيل أن تغيره؛ فهي لا تزال تشعر بالحماس والسعادة عندما يقوم موظف جديد بإمضاء عقد عمل مع الشركة.

المزيد حول مي…

مي حائزة على شهادة في الهندسة من جامعة القاهرة وشهادة في مجال إدارة الموارد البشرية من الجامعة الأميركية في القاهرة. وكونها ناشطة على موقع تويتر، تحاول مي قدر الإمكان مساعدة الباحثين عن عمل في مواجهة التحديات التي تعترضهم في عالم التوظيف.

بدأت مي مسيرتها المهنية في العمل كمتخصصة توظيف مع شركة ألكان للشبكات ومن ثم عملت في شركة Talent2.com في دبي حيث  تمكنت من صقل مهاراتها التوظيفية. ومن ثم عادت الى مصر وعملت كمديرة موارد بشرية في بنك باركليز حيث قامت بتدريب 250 مدير و30 مدير توظيف على تنفيذ عمليات التوظيف.

وأشارت بكل فخر : “كانت تجربة رائعة، من مقابلات العمل، الى مقابلات العمل الوهمية، والارشادات وغيرها من الأمور”.

وبعد النجاح الذي حققته مي مع  بنك باركليز في فروعة الـ54 لمدة سنتين في مصر، عادت الى الإمارات العربية المتحدة وتم تعيينها في شركة دايكن ماك كاي في الشرق الأوسط.

وكونها مديرة توظيف، تدير مي عمليات التوظيف بأكملها بدءً من الموافقة على المرشح ووصولاً الى انضمامه الى الشركة في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال افريقيا. كما انها مسؤولة عن إختيار شركاء التوظيف وتدريبهم في كل من الأردن، والمغرب، ومصر، والمملكة العربية السعودية والإمارات العربية المتحدة.

وتابعت مي بالقول: “لقد كانت الأشهر الـ11 الفائتة رائعة. كانت مليئة بالتحديات ولكن مثمرة الى حد كبير. فقد تعرفت على ثقافات مختلفة وتعلمت مختلف قوانين العمل وسافرت الى بلدان جديدة من أجل توظيف المواهب المتميزة. وقد ساهم بيت.كوم بتسهيل هذه العملية الى حد كبير.”

ومن ثم قامت مي وبكل لباقة باحتساب كلفة حزمة بيت.كوم المخفضة لمدة شهر على هاتفها النقال وعملت على مقارنتها مع تكاليف أساليب التوظيف التقليدية لاظهار لنا مدى نسبة التوفير واثبات نظريتها.  

وأضافت: “لقد قمت بمناقشة العائد على الإستثمار مع مديرتي مرلين وقررنا سويا الإستثمار في حزمة سنوية من بيت.كوم. لقد اخترت بيت.كوم لخدمة شركة دايكن ماك كاي. فأسعار بيت.كوم ليست برخيصة ولكن الخدمة التي يوفرها تستحق هذا المبلغ“.

استمعت الى ما قالته مي ورحت أدون الملاحظات ومن ثم طرحت عليها السؤال التالي.

كيف تمكن بيت.كوم من تحسين التوظيف في شركة دايكن ماك كاي

وسألتها عن المميزات التي تعجبها في بيت.كوم.

أجابت: “غربلة البحث، لأنني أتمكن من خلال هذه الخاصية من تحديد المتطلبات والحصول على عدد كبير من النتائج خلال دقائق معدودة وبكبسة زر. كما أنني أقدر المواهب المختلفة والمتنوعة التي يوفرها بيت.كوم. فقد قمنا مؤخراً بتوظيف أشخاص من أوغندا، ورومانيا، والجزائر، ولبنان عن طريق بيت.كوم”.

واتضح لي أن موظفة الإستقبال هي من الموظفين الجدد في شركة دايكن ماك كاي. ومن الواضح أن التوظيف تم بطريقة رائعة فقد قامت مي بعمل رائع حيث أنها تمكنت من جعل الموظفة الجديدة تتأقلم بسرعة كبيرة مع ثقافة الشركة.

فسألتها ما إذا كانت تنصح أصحاب العمل باستخدام بيت.كوم وما كان منها إلا أن أجابت بما يلي:

“بالطبع، وقد سبق لي أن قمت بذلك. فمنذ أن قمت بتوظيف أول مرشح وأنا أغرد على تويتر حول فوائد بيت.كوم. كما ان بيت.كوم هو الموقع الأول من حيث خدمة العملاء، لقد كان التواصل مع كل من عبدول وباتريك مذهلاً. وحتى عندما اتصل أو أتواصل مع طاقم بيت.كوم بعد ساعات العمل، هناك دائماً من يلبي كافة طلباتي”

لقد أفرحني الجواب ولكي لا تطول الزيارة قمت بطرح بعض الأسئلة السريعة على مي:

أسئلة سريعة:

ما أهم ما تبحثين عنه لدى الموظف المثالي؟

القدرة، والمهارات والطموح.

ما هي النصيحة التي تقدميها للمتخرجين الجدد والذين يبحثون عن عمل في شركتك؟

التمتع بآفاق واسعة وحب التعلم.

كيف تصفين ثقافة شركة دايكن ماك كاي بثلاث كلمات؟

الحماس، والتحدي والشغف.

ما هو المستند الذي يتعين على كل موظف موارد بشرية قراءته؟

قوانين العمل

عند انتهاء المقابلة شكرنا مي على شهادتها القيمة.

أهم ما يقال عن هذه المقابلة هو أن كل منا نحن ومي استفدنا من تغيير ما في مكان العمل. فقد تمكن بيت.كوم من اكتساب عميل يتمتع بولاء كبير وتمكنت مي من توظيف المرشحين المناسبين.

هل لديك قصة عميل مخصصة على بيت.كوم تود أن تشاركها معنا؟ قم بمراسلتنا على: reemb@bayt.net

This question stemmed from an idea regarding change in the workplace. Change may ruffle a few feathers; but ultimately change is inevitable and almost always, change is good.

I viewed the question as yet another opportunity to digress from my work routine. As an HR professional human interaction is what I cherish the most and I saw this as a chance to learn more about the Bayt.com experience from an employer’s perspective.

I readily accepted.

This acceptance took me and my colleague Abdul to the corporate office of Daikin McQuay one lovely Sunday morning.

Walking into the offices of Daikin McQuay…

While skillfully balancing a phone on one shoulder, a smiling receptionist tactfully signaled for us to sign the visitor register and take our seats in the waiting area. This was while simultaneously dealing with a courier provider and another visitor. Impressive service I thought and told Abdul out loud.

In less than two minutes Mai Mostafa, the Recruitment Manager greeted us warmly and showed us to a meeting room.

Despite having gotten off a plane just a few hours earlier, Mai looked impeccable and well rested. She briefed us about her trip to Amman and apologized in advance for any interruptions we might face during her interview.

For those of you who have met Mai, I am sure you will agree that she creates an indelible first impression. Confident, yet poised in all her mannerisms.

“When I joined Daikin McQuay eleven months ago, we were dealing with several recruitment agencies. I was given the freedom to refine the existing recruitment process. I decided we needed a change! And for that, I needed a trusted recruitment partner. I am a perfectionist and like processes to be streamlined. When I make a decision, I ensure I make the decision for the right reasons. I’d been hearing about Bayt.com for a long time but never really used the website”.

Mai continued, “Being socially active on Twitter and LinkedIn, I have a huge network of professionals that I interact with. I spoke to several Recruitment Managers and HR Managers within the region and asked them to refer an established recruitment portal in the region. All of them named Bayt.com. I went a step further and sent out a survey to jobseekers to understand the websites they used to post CVs and search for jobs. Once again, Bayt.com!”

A recruitment expert, Mai Mostafa has nine years of recruitment experience under her belt. In spite of all challenges in the vicious circle of recruitment, she would not trade her career for anything else in the world and still gets an adrenaline rush when a candidate signs an offer.

More about Mai, our host…

Mai holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the Cairo University and a certificate in Human Resource Management from the American University of Cairo. An avid tweeter, she makes it her personal mission to assist jobseekers in the multifaceted world of recruitment.

She started her career as a recruitment specialist with Alkan Networks following which she worked with Talent2.com in Dubai, where her core skills as a recruiter were refined. She then moved back to Egypt as HR Resourcing Manager with Barclays Bank. During her stint with Barclays, she trained 250 managers and 30 Hiring Managers on the recruitment process.

“It was great! Competency-based interviews, mock interviews, do’s and don’ts, and much more, “she reminisces proudly.

After two amazingly successful years of dealing with the 54 Barclays’ branches across Egypt, Mai returned to the UAE and was hired at Daikin McQuay ME.

As Recruitment Manager, Mai manages the entire recruitment process from approval to on-boarding for Daikin McQuay across Middle East and Africa. She is also responsible for selecting and training recruitment partners in Jordan, Morocco, Egypt, KSA, and the UAE.

“It’s been a great 11 months,” Mai continued. “Challenging, yet fulfilling. I’ve been exposed to different cultures, learnt different labor laws and traveled to several new countries recruiting great talent. Bayt.com has made the journey easier”.

With a flourish, she pulled out her mobile calculator and with an elegant savoir-faire punched in the equation that reinforced this perspective. She showed us how the investment in a one-month Bayt.com package reduced costs drastically compared to traditional recruitment methods.

“I discussed this ROI with my manager, Marleen.” And together they decided to invest in an annual package with Bayt.com.

“I chose Bayt.com to serve Daikin McQuay”, she said with an aura of wisdom. “Bayt.com is not inexpensive, but the service you provide is definitely value for money.”

I listened intently and jotted down notes. I say intently because it took me a few seconds to realize that Mai was waiting for my next question.

How Bayt.com revolutionized recruitment at Daikin McQuay

I promptly asked her about the features she liked best about Bayt.com.

“The search filter”, she said without batting an eyelid. “I can be very selective and still get a huge pool of talent within minutes and all at the click of a few buttons. Not only that, I really like the diverse yet qualified pool of talent that Bayt.com provides. We recently hired Ugandan, Romanian, Algerian, and Lebanese nationals through Bayt.com”.

It dawned on me that the receptionist was one of the recent hires at Daikin McQuay and I confirmed the same with Mai. Obviously a great hire, Mai had done magic with her onboarding to have the new receptionist adjusted to the office culture in such a short period.

I asked her whether she would recommend Bayt.com to other employers.

“Absolutely, I already have. Ever since I hired the first candidate I have been tweeting about the benefits of using Bayt.com.” Bayt.com is also number 1 when it comes to the customer service provided. My interaction with Abdul and Patrick has been nothing but the best. Even when I call and message after office hours I get the response I need.”

I was beaming from ear to ear. Never one to overstay a visit, I quickly fired the last few questions:

Rapid Fire Questions:

What do you look for in an ideal hire?

Potential, skills and ambition.

What is your advice to fresh grads looking to join your company?

Have an open mind with a huge willingness to learn.

In three words, what is the culture of Daikin McQuay?

Dynamic, challenging and passionate!

If there is one document an HR professional should read, what is it?

Labor laws!

Our time was up. We thanked Mai profusely for her invaluable testimony.

Both Bayt.com and Mai had benefited from a minor change in the workplace. Bayt.com secured a loyal client and Mai hired the right candidates.

Have you got a Bayt Recruitment Story to share with us? Contact us on reemb@bayt.net.

A CV is a lot more than just a representation of your professional experience. It talks with your potential recruiters and tells them what you have achieved so far. Your CV should clearly and concisely show employers why you’re uniquely positioned for the job. Let’s quickly review important parts of your CV that can be intelligently used to increase your chances of landing your dream job:

Step 1: Clear, Focused Career Objective

A vague objective statement poorly communicates your goals. Your career objective must convey in clear terms where you want to see yourself in an organization by what you have achieved in the past and what exactly it is that you are looking for.   Be assertive in what you have obtained in terms of results and proficiencies which can add value to your potential employer. For 14.8% of employers polled in Bayt.com’s “Hiring Practices in the MENA Region” survey (February 2012) a lack of focus was the most common mistake they encountered on a jobseeker’s CV.

Step 2: Evidence. Evidence. Evidence.

Think of your professional highlights as a proof of what you have achieved in the past. Some professional highlights may be exhibited in terms of numbers or percentages while others are subjective in nature. For example, if you are a Marketing Manager, you can create professional highlights exhibiting the increases you’ve achieved in the volume of sales in terms of currency-like millions of AED, or you can demonstrate sales achievements in terms of % percentage increase compared to past sales performances. Similarly, an IT Manager may create a professional highlight that would read “Implemented an ERP solution to streamline company’s processes”. Make sure you select the right kind of highlights for your CV, showcasing your past achievements relevant to your industry requirements. 19.7% of employers who took part in Bayt.com’s “Hiring Practices in the MENA Region” survey said that the most common mistake they encountered on a jobseeker’s CV was a CV not customized for the role, while 3.3% reported a lack of detail and factual evidence.

Step 3: Detailed Key Responsibilities

Your Key Responsibilities must convey what you did and how it translated into value addition for the company. Try to elaborate and be as detailed as much as possible. An example on a clear, detailed key responsibility for a job would be “Achieved sales targets on consistent basis by successfully implementing sales plans while mentoring junior sales team to contribute individual towards the overall business development goals”. Need more advice on how to optimize your CV? Check out Bayt.com’s tips on how to create a “Power CV”, and what top CV mistakes to avoid.

In its latest poll entitled “Nationalization in the GCC” (May 2013), Bayt.com researches the extent to which nationalization efforts are being carried out in the GCC, as well as the main challenges that these efforts are facing. The study also clarifies some myths that surround the employment of nationals. Finally, the study suggests a number of solutions to promote the employment of nationals across various career levels and industries.

How effective are localization policies in the GCC?

When asked whether they believe that the current workplace localization policies in their country are effective or not, half of polled professionals think that they are effective. On the other hand, 30% claimed that localization policies are not effective and more could be done to improve the hiring of local talent.

How well supported are nationals by their governments?

It has long been known that GCC nationals prefer working in the government or public sector. There are many reasons that professionals would choose to work for the public sector, depending on their needs and priorities, as shown in Bayt.com’s “Top Industries Survey” (December 2012). The government is perceived to offer higher salaries, shorter working hours and more flexibility in hours, but also better working conditions and non-monetary benefits.

In terms of support given to nationals by their governments, Bayt.com’s “Nationalization in the GCC” poll has revealed that sentiment suggests that GCC residents feel that nationals are given generous support by their governments. In fact, according to the poll, the general perception is that national citizens are given “very much support” by the government as far as job search is concerned as stated by 42% of respondents, with only a quarter (26%) claiming that nationals receive no support.

Who’s better paid and promoted: Expats or nationals?

When compared to expatriates, respondents believe that national citizens receive better pay (46%) and are promoted faster (11%). Only 11% believe that local talents are paid less than their expat counterparts.

However, we have seen companies reluctant in employing nationals for a variety of reasons. The biggest issues relating to hiring local talent are perceptions that they may want fewer hours or more pay (39%); perceptions they may be relatively less competitive when it comes to training and experience (14.5%); as well as perceptions that they may favor a select few limited industries for employment purposes (10%).

Solutions

When asked about possible solutions to alleviate the nationalization problems, respondents feel that hiring levels for national talents could be improved if nationals had access to better educational and vocational training facilities (24%); if there were better coordination between the government and the private sector (22%); or if there were better incentives for the private sector from the government (16%); and better coordination between educational institutes and companies (15%).

What are the best ways to source and hire local talent?

With regards to talent availability and ease of sourcing and hiring, almost half of the respondents (52%) feel it is easy for employers to source national talent.

Over a third of the poll’s respondents (36%) believe that the best way to find national talent is through dedicated regional jobsites like Bayt.com. Social media is also a popular method for finding national employees (24%), as are university career fairs (12.3%). On the other hand, newspaper ads (7%), alumni centers (6%) and local job fairs (7%), as well as some of the dedicated local government sites are seen to be relatively less effective for discovering local talent.

The Gulf countries have witnessed a rapid rise in the economic prosperity and improvement of the quality of life for their citizens. Due to initial shortages in labor, foreign workers were brought to help build the economies of the GCC countries. However, with the pressing need to employ a new generation of citizens who’s educated and ready to be employed in every industry, “nationalization” or “localization” programs were put in place to replace expatriates and create new employment opportunities for nationals.

Bayt.com’s online recruitment platform has facilitated the entire process of meeting nationalization objectives and targets pan-industrially by making it faster, easier and more efficient to source top national talent across career levels. Bayt.com liaises very closely with the GCC’s top universities and employers alike to ensure its recruitment platform readily accommodates local nationalization recruitment targets, from the internship and fresh graduate stage through to mid-management and senior managerial level roles and requirements. Bayt.com offers full-fledged solutions for Emiratization, Saudization and Kuwaitization.

For more stats, view the full Bayt.com “Nationalization in the GCC” poll.

(Photo credit: Stephan Geyer on Flickr)

لقد تم جمع بيانات استبيان “التوطين في دول مجلس التعاون الخليجي” الذي أجراه بيت.كوم عبر الإنترنت خلال الفترة ما بين 15 مارس و2 مايو، وشارك فيه 2,213 شخص من دول مجلس التعاون الخليجي الست.

ومن أهم النتائج التي جاءت في هذا الاستطلاع:

• 50% من سكان دول مجلس التعاون الخليجي يشعرون بأن قوانين توطين التوظيف فعالة. [غرد بهذه المعلومة]

• 45% يقولون بأن مواطني دول مجلس التعاون الخليجي يتلقون الدعم من حكوماتهم خلال بحثهم عن وظيفة. [غرد بهذه المعلومة]

• بالنسبة لنصف الشركات العاملة في دول مجلس التعاون الخليجي فإن المواهب الوطنية تشكل ما يزيد عن 25% من الموظفين فيها. [غرد بهذه المعلومة]

• يرى أكثر من 38,9% أن المواهب المحلية في دول مجلس التعاون الخليجي أكثر تكلفة من غيرها. [غرد بهذه المعلومة]

*يمكنك الضغط على الصورة لتكبيرها.

The below infographic provides insights into nationalization efforts in the GCC and was created from data obtained by Bayt.com’s “Nationalization in the GCC” poll (May 2013). The poll was conducted online from March 15 – May 2, with 2,213 respondents covering the six GCC countries.

Highlights:

• 50% of GCC residents feel localization policies are effective. [Tweet this]

• 45% say GCC nationals are well supported by the government in their search for employment. [Tweet this]

• For half of the companies in the GCC, local talent makes up to at least 25% of their workforce. [Tweet this]

• Local talent in the GCC is perceived by some (38.9%) as more expensive. [Tweet this]

[Click on image for larger size]