Bio:
Azeem holds a post-graduation in Hospitality Management from S.H.M.S University in Switzerland. He has eight years of HR management experience in the industry, and has worked with some of the best hospitality industry brands including Shangri-La, Kempinski and Holiday Inn Express group. During his career, he contributed his talents to various different HR roles, ranging from recruitment, HR administration, employee relations, and talent retention, CSR, training and development. In his current role, he is responsible for hiring for all key-level positions in U.A.E and abroad.
Questions:
1. How do you like living and working in your country of employment?
I have been living and working in UAE for almost 8 years, so this place is like my second home. I love the UAE’s multi-cultural work environment which has helped me better understand and appreciate differences in work ethics, work cultures and employee expectations.
2. What is your average day at work like?
I always start off by writing down my ‘to-do’ list for the day. This list has my tasks ordered by priority. At the same time, I review my calendar for any updates on appointments or meetings and interview schedules. This is followed by a quick look at my emails and responding to urgent ones. After reviewing my Hiring Status board I start searching for potential candidates for our branches across the MENA region, and in addition to my phone interviews and face-to-face interviews, I am also required to attend to meetings with department hiring managers. By the end of the day, I manage to finish 80% of scheduled tasks.
3. What is your biggest professional challenge?
Meeting employee expectations and talent retention is my biggest professional challenge.
4. What is the most important thing you look for in new hires?
The most important thing I look for is the drive and passion for the job. My guiding principle is “hire the attitude and train the skills”.
5. What is the biggest challenge you face in hiring talent?
Sourcing great people who have the right competencies and level of experience, as well as the values that match our corporate culture.
6. What is your favorite part of your role?
I love interacting with employees and candidates. When you are hiring an asset for the company, finding the right candidate for the job and seeing them grow as the company grows gives me immense satisfaction, especially when I see them develop personally and professionally.
7. What has been the highlight of your career in HR?
The opportunity to hire candidates for Julphar’s different branches in the MENA region; as well as being witness to Julphar’s continuous growth as the team expands- these are the two main highlights in my HR career.
8. What do you read to keep abreast of industry developments?
Continuous learning and development has always been my passion, I make it a point to dedicate a few hours a week to checking out HR-related websites such as CIPD and HR Review Magazine to catch up on the latest news and developments. I am in fact currently pursuing my Master in Human Resources from Cornell University, NY, USA.
9. What is your advice to someone looking to enter the field of HR?
If you have the passion for HR and are looking for a challenging and fulfilling career, you also need to have the right aptitude to deal with others. The Middle East is the right place for HR professionals as this place has immense potential for growth in the region.
10. How do you see the Middle East evolve as a place to practice HR?
Since the Middle East is a fast growing market, organizations have come to value and understand the importance of effective HR practices. Thus, a lot of effort and hard work has been invested lately in improving HR practices in this region.
11. If you could wave your magic stick and make a significant development in one specific area of HR practices worldwide, where would that fall?
It’s crucial to infuse a sense of humility into the corporate world. I believe it is very important to keep in mind that as an HR professional your attitude towards others can make or break corporate cultures.
12. Anything else you''d like to share with the community of Bayt.com Employers?
I have had a pleasure working along with Bayt.com for recruitment. Over the years, Bayt.com has made a tremendous effort to offer value service to clients and job seekers alike. Bayt.com continues to make strides in the right direction by constantly evolving its portfolio of services and enhancing value propositions to employees, clients and jobseekers. Great job Bayt.com, congratulations!
