How would you describe the living & Working in Qatar Experience?
Qatar is one of the fastest growing economies in the Middle East. The country maybe small but its richness is unquestionable. With its continuous growth despite the weakening of world's financial condition, great cultural diversity is taking place. Topographically, the country has generally desert climate. Summer may turn to very sultry and humid place but the country is warm enough to make expatriates from different continents feel at home. Moreover, the country is peaceful and safe. It is an ideal place to raise children as this will not only expose them to a global environment but will also uphold their morals and virtues.
Generally, I can say that living in Qatar is a wonderful experience. Given that the economy of Qatar is stable, it is a good place to establish a career. The working time is quite different as the usual 8- hour working time is divided into 2 shifts with usually 4 hours in between shifts. This can be tough for family men and women raising family. Also, most of the private companies are family owned which makes the atmosphere more competitive though sometimes it becomes more subjective. Working with multicultural workforce enhances not only one’s competency but also his/her social and interpersonal skills. Generally, I can say that working in Qatar is rewarding and challenging.
How important is the CV to you?
The CV is the first impression I get of a candidate. The passion it has been written with speaks wonders to me, to the
extent that if I think a candidate may have been qualified to move to the job interview stage but did not because of his CV, I do give that feedback to the agencies we work with. At times, during the interview stage, I advise the candidates to re-work on their CV as well and provide tips on the same. A well written CV to me is one that talks to me! It gives me the impression that it’s been written by the candidate him/herself and I see it as a channel of getting to know them before they sit for the job interview. It gives an idea of who the person is both professionally and personally.
What do you feel is the most disturbing trend on the employment scene today?
As candidates search for new positions, I am very concerned that more job-seekers are overstating their skill sets and becoming increasingly creative in presenting their past accomplishments. As a resume is created, each candidate needs to be self-reflective and brutally honest with him/ herself about their skills and accomplishments. Most new jobs are incremental increases in responsibility, and mismatches may result in poor performance, hurting both job seekers' future employment opportunities and employers' organizations.
What do you think is the biggest myth about job-hunting?
It's NOT just who you know; interviews and past work performance are also important. Personal networking may lead you to an open position... or a future contact...or an interview, but it will not get you a job. Many job-seekers mistakenly assume that knowing someone in an organization gives them an inside track on being hired. Knowing someone may get you an interview; knowing your bit and showing it in a job interview is what gets you hired.
What are the top job seeker skills that employers are looking for these days? Teamwork is a critical skill for most work environments. The ability to work with others and manage relationships is useful to any company. Strong communication skills (both written and oral) are also very important. Candidates with problem-solving ability/analytic skills are valuable because they can think beyond their immediate responsibility and understand the bigger picture. Finally, the ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment is desirable as the speed of change in business increase.
What are your expectations when interviewing a potential candidate?
Overall, we look for technical competence in the specific area that the individual is interviewing for. We also look for candidates that have a work/ life balance and that are interested in growing within the organization. Our interview process is pretty straight forward. We review the candidate from an overall perspective not just if he/she can do the job. How the person fits into the group is just as important.
What's the biggest mistake that you consistently see candidates make when they interview with you? What advice do you have for job-seekers who make this mistake?
Many candidates do not adequately prepare themselves for interviews. This error may be manifested in different ways: not researching the company's products or industry, not preparing for the interview format, not having prepared questions, or misreading the corporate culture. Sources are available for research: company websites, annual reports, newspaper articles, current company employees, etc. Candidates who have done research, ask intelligent questions and possess relevant skills , do stand out in any job interview.
What are the main things you look for in a back ground check?
Work History: to verify the candidate’s work history to see if it matches everything on the job application. The information is limited to date of hire, position, salary, and final date of employment.
Educational Background: to verify the candidate’s educational background to see if he/she has truly acquired the degree you stated on the employment application. This information is also acquired with permission. The candidate must sign an authorization form.
Miscellaneous: to verify personal references, character references, etc.
How does the Selection cycle work at Al Fardan?
Identify Need: Recruiting is all about finding someone to fill a vital role. Every company needs the capability to identify shortages in its workforce and to actively recruit candidates to fill those positions. One of the hard parts of that process is to identify the specific needs. The recruiter's mission is to see the gap between what the current employees are providing and what is needed and to locate personnel to fill that gap.
Sourcing Strategies: In the past, the attraction of candidates was done mainly through advertisements in the newspaper. Today, online recruitment and social media use have prevailed, and recruiters are lining up to find new candidates in easier, cheaper and more effective ways.
Candidate Selection: Once the need has been identified and the sourcing strategy put into place, candidates will begin to apply for the position. After a predetermined amount of time, the recruiter will begin weeding out applicants who do not fit the job requirements. A much smaller number of applications will get a phone screen. The phone screen eliminates still more candidates until the recruiter has a handful of people to interview in person. After the interviewing process is completed, a single candidate will emerge with a job offer from the organization.
Warning: While recruiting may seem like a relatively simple process, it is of the utmost importance to ensure fairness in the application procedure. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is in charge of ensuring that employers do not discriminate against applicants during the recruiting or selection processes. All applications are required to be kept for at least one year from submission.
The Passive Job Market: Recruiters should be targeting the passive job market. The passive job market is made up of workers who are currently employed but would change jobs if presented with a suitable offer. In the past, recruiters have not attempted to connect with these types of workers, but a study by Business Communication Quarterly shows that 94 percent of LinkedIn.com users state they are open to new career opportunities
What do the duties of an HR professional in the Middle East mainly entail?
Recruiting: Recruiting is the first step in bringing new talent to an organization. The HR professional must use sourcing strategies to identify talent needs and find potential candidates that fill those needs.
Selection: Once a pool of applicants is created, HR must use selection methods to choose a new hire. Selection and screening tools include interviews and other tests.
Training: Employees must be trained to perform at their fullest capacity, and human resources employees are in charge of training and development.
Strategy: HR strategy is a new buzzword that involves a blending of business strategy with traditional human resource duties. These strategies help to grow the organization through sound HR principles.
Discipline: At the back end, human resources job duties include disciplinary actions. The most aggressive use of discipline can include termination.
Any good advice you want to give to Job seekers looking for a HR job in the Middle East or an HR job in Qatar?
Those who are looking for a job in general first need to define their career goals, what they want to become, not what they want to earn. They need to wish for skills not for fewer problems. Money is the byproduct of hard work. It comes with the passage of time. Those who wish to find a job in HR have a lot to do, not only in their career but also in their social lives. They need to have a positive mind set and should be able to take the pain while bringing the change. There are thousands of registered companies in Qatar in different industries, not many of them have HR department setup yet, so reach out to them, add value and grow.
How is the Middle East evolving as a place to practice HR?
From the continuous growth of most of the Middle East countries such as Qatar, I can say that that the region has shown a positive curve towards a progressive place to practice HR. It can be observed that the region has started to shift from the traditional, routine, administrative- oriented practice to continuous, on-going development function aimed at improving human processes. I can say that most of the managers now have started to actively play a role in developing human capital which is a positive indication.
