Bio: Yousef Al-Eryan holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and psychology. In his past professional experience, Yousef has held key positions in several leading companies in Kuwait. At HSBC Kuwait, he specializes in localization, recruitment, strategy development, and planning and leadership development.
Questions:
1. How do you like living and working in your country of employment?
Kuwait is a rapidly growing economy and working in the banking sector is especially interesting because it’s one of the most competitive industries here. Since Kuwait is also my home country, it is of particular interest for me to see the HR field develop and change every year.
2. What is your average day at work like?
The great thing about my job is that every day is different; every day is a new challenge. My average day starts by going through my emails, checking my schedule for the day and prioritizing what needs to be done that day.
3. What is your biggest professional challenge?
My biggest professional challenge is managing people’s expectations. Sometimes it’s difficult to make everyone happy and whenever you deal with people there is always the possibility of not meeting someone’s expectations.
4. What is the most important thing you look for in new hires?
The most important thing I look for in new hires is attitude and behavior. If a new hire has the right attitude and right behavior, the experience and knowledge can be gained on the job. I’m a firm believer in on-the-job training. Learning by working and experiencing different tasks, assignments and projects is extremely valuable for any new hire’s early development and it helps when someone has the right attitude, as well as, the right behavior from the beginning.
5. What is the biggest challenge you face in hiring talent?
The biggest challenge I face is ensuring that the expectations of new hires are met. Whether that means meeting expectations associated with their salary, career development and/or their training expectations.
6. What is your favorite part of your role?
The favorite part of my role is meeting new people. Whether it is through networking, business meetings or interviews, I am constantly meeting new people.
7. What has been the highlight of your career in HR?
The highlight of my career is seeing individuals I have hired become leaders across various industries in Kuwait.
8. What do you read to keep abreast of industry developments?
Whenever time permits I try to keep abreast with latest industry developments through various online articles and newsletters. Working with a multi-national bank such as HSBC gives me also a great exposure to regional and global best practices.
9. What is your advice to someone looking to enter the field of HR?
My advice to someone looking to enter the HR field in Kuwait would be to actively pursue it. HR is a very “young” field in Kuwait, so the opportunities for career growth and development in the local HR field are very promising right now.
10. How do you see the Middle East evolve as a place to practice HR?
I see the Middle East continuing to evolve in HR practice. Each country in this region has managed to introduce unique practices and procedures in this area, and so it’s interesting to watch how each country grows in this direction.
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?
I would want the HR department to become more of a ‘strategic business partner’ with other departments, and I would like the HR to have a more active role in the business decision making process.
