Hana was born & raised in Dubai. She Holds a BA in Accounting and a CPA from the states. She worked as a senior auditor in PricewaterhouseCoopers for 2 years then joined IBM Middle East in 1999 where she held several positions in finance, latest as business controls program manager. She was appointed HR manager at IBM in 2005, then IBM Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa recruitment operations manager. Hana Joined EMC as Senior HR manager for Middle East, Pakistan & NW Africa in June 2009.
How do you like living and working in Dubai?
I was born in Dubai, so its home for me.
What is your average day at work like?
Meetings, calls, emails, and some travel around the region, since our office covers the whole of Middle East & North West Africa. There is no typical standard day, and I thank God for that.
What is your biggest professional challenge?
Balancing the resources of the organization and the needs of employees. Knowing when to fight for something and when to say no, and both are difficult.
What is the most important thing you look for in new hires?
Apart from relevant experience, it is the ability to fit within a very diverse and dynamic culture. Inter personal skills are important everywhere, but in this part of the world, in any multinational, you have more than a dozen different nationalities, and the ability to have a strong trustful working relationship with colleagues and customers is crucial. This is not easily measured by a test or a few questions, so the hiring manager and the HR manager have to be smart in trying to find out in an hour or so if the candidate possesses such skills or not.
What do you think is the biggest mistake shortlisted candidates make during a job interview?
Being untruthful when answering any question no matter how trivial it is. Honesty is always appreciated even if the answer is not in the candidate’s favor.
What is the biggest challenge you face in hiring talent?
The fact that the talent pool we have to consider in order to find people with very specific technical skills is spread all over the world.
What has been the highlight of your career in HR?
Being selected for the this job & hearing positive feedback from my manager within just a month of joining, as well as previous awards I have received.
What is your favorite part of your role?
Interacting with employees in general & sharing laughs with my team.
What do you read to keep abreast of industry developments?
Regional & international business magazines, articles published internally on EMC web site, or the internet.
What is your advice to someone looking to enter the field of HR?
No matter how many academic degrees in HR they hold, it’s basically about inter personal skills, common sense and being fair. In addition, corporations are now looking for a business partner and not an HR administrator. In an era of high focus on productivity & efficiency and availability of out-sourcing, the value add by HR and potential positive influence on the company’s overall strategy are key factors in HR’s success within an organization.
How is the Middle East evolving as a place to practice HR?
As I mentioned in my answer to the previous question, our function has literally developed from a “Personnel Department” which took care of admin tasks such as processing payroll and tracking leave, to a real “Human Resources” partner which is an integral part of the management team and is crucial to achieving business results by attracting, motivating & retaining the talent needed to fulfill the organization’s mission.
If you could wave your magic stick and make a significant development in one specific area of HR practices worldwide, where would that fall?
Fairness in general and specifically for women. Companies have come a long way in treating women equally to men in terms of pay & promotions, etc, but it’s still a man’s world out there!
Anything else you’d like to share with the community of Bayt.com Employers?
Thank you Bayt.com for this opportunity to be in touch with your community of employers & candidates!
