How do you like living and working in Kuwait?
Kuwait is an extremely hospitable and family oriented country with a great sense of history. The diverse and multi-cultural community makes Kuwait a rich and colourful environment to live and work in. The abundance of brand retail outlets and excellent restaurants also makes Kuwait a great place to relax after work.
What is your average day at work like?
At the Alghanim Industries Head Office, the day begins at 08:00am and ends at 5.30pm. Once you walk through reception, you could be in any major company anywhere in the world. With 32 businesses, and offices in more than 40 countries, we definitely have a diverse working community; but best practices, excellent internal communications and shared common goals, create very much a unified atmosphere.
We operate on policies of “straight talking” and “meritocracy” and our working days are often challenging but very rewarding. The development system here is supportive of career aspirations and you feel rewarded, beyond financial incentives, for your efforts. I think this is all summed up by the fact that we were recognized as a Hewitt Associates “Best Employer in the Middle East” for 2009.
What is the most important thing you look for in new hires?
Alghanim is an excellent place to work for career-minded professionals, from a wide range of disciplines. We look for people who are starting on their career path as well as the more seasoned professionals who can bring their experience to the table.
We very much look for people who want to contribute to our continued growth and successes – not only in Kuwait but in other Alghanim locations in UAE, Saudi Arabia, India and Vietnam. It is also important to us that new hires are aware of what Kuwait has to offer outside of the workplace and we focus a great deal of effort on the orientation process.
What do you think is the biggest mistake shortlisted candidates make during a job interview?
I believe that a common error committed by short-listed candidates is that they enter the interview process unprepared, without doing any research about the company. As previously mentioned, we are looking for people who want to contribute. We don’t see ourselves as simply a way of getting into the GCC.
Candidates who conduct solid research into Alghanim, our businesses, ethics and vision, will always make a positive impression during their interview. The Alghanim Careers website is constantly updated and is a great source of information on the company. In addition, candidates should feel free to speak with someone in HR before the interview, to get further information.
What is the biggest challenge you face in hiring talent?
We are very keen to maintain a rich cultural and professional mix of employees at Alghanim Industries. The challenge we face is trying to break down pre-conceived views of the region to potential candidates from other parts of the world.
I believe the positions in our company sell themselves well, in terms of career development and challenges; but we are often asking people to uproot themselves from their family base and social networks to join us, so it makes our jobs as recruiters a little more difficult. Again, this can be overcome by operating a transparent and candid recruitment process and by focusing a lot of time on the recreational opportunities available outside of the office.
What is your favorite part of your role?
Without a doubt, it is dealing with the people I meet in this role. From candidates to providers, I have the envious daily life of connecting with interesting people from across the globe. The sense that my team and I are providing a positive, and in some ways life-changing, service to people is deeply rewarding.
What has been the highlight of your career in HR?
Being part of the larger Alghanim HR community that contributed, through our programs and processes, to winning the Hewitt award, is a definite highlight. We are working diligently to link recruitment to talent management, and in this process I have been able to work with the Development Team, the business HR teams and Compensation and Benefit group. This team approach has been very rewarding and its culmination in a regional reward was an added benefit.
What do you read to keep abreast of industry developments?
I am a member of CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) and keep abreast of European best practice through the organization. I am also linked in to HR networking groups throughout the GCC to share thoughts and information.
What is your advice to someone looking for a job in HR in the Middle East?
Whilst the thought of potential tax-free salaries and benefits packages are very attractive, I would advise people to look very closely at what they want from a role in the GCC and identify how potential companies can support the candidate’s development and growth. You often need a very proactive and high-energy approach to securing roles, and you must look for far more than just financial benefits from the role to sustain a strong career in the GCC.
How is the Middle East evolving as a place to practice HR?
I believe the Hewitt Best Employer study is a key example of how best practice in HR is growing and improving throughout the region. This was the first year that Hewitt had conducted the study in the Middle East. They had witnessed incredible growth in the Middle East over the past ten years and decided to conduct the study so as to develop a benchmark for people practices in the region.
The study required participating companies to complete three types of surveys: an Employee Opinion survey distributed to a random sampling of employees; a People Practices Inventory that gathered information about different philosophies, practices and policies that influence management of people within organizations; and a CEO questionnaire, designed to record the CEO’s philosophy and approach to managing people.
Through their research they were able to identify the top 4 drivers of employee engagement in the region: · People/HR policies & practices - creating a positive work environment through policies & practices · Fulfilling employees’ career aspirations · Providing future career opportunities · Brand Alignment - delivery on the Employment Brand promise
If you could wave your magic stick and make a significant development in one specific area of HR practices worldwide, where would that fall?
In one word: “retention”. To me, this signifies that companies are committed to career development, training and putting the right people into the right roles. To get this right, all areas of HR need to work together and involve the businesses. Retention means that the employees feel valued and this would indicate that the company values are being lived at every level.
