Danial Schon is the President of Schön Properties, the real estate development division of Schön Group. Since his appointment, he has upheld the Schön family legacy of renowned entrepreneurs with his charismatic flair and leadership skills in the global property market. For his outstanding contribution to the UAE real estate sector, he was included in Arabian Business’s Dubai 100: Most Influential people in the Emirate.
Firstly, can you please tell us more about Schon – the employer? What is it like to work at Schon and what makes it a company job seekers should consider applying to?
Schon Properties is a people-oriented business group that places people before money. At Schon, our biggest asset is our people and, in fact, our staff are more like family to us than employees. It is a great place to work because we constantly find and develop new ways to raise the level of employee satisfaction.
From your point of view, and in your industry, what skill set are young, job seeking, talent lacking?
I believe “it’s the will, not the skill”, that matters the most. At Schon Properties, we look at the potential of the person, his or her attitude, temperament and drive. At the same time, we have a strong emphasis on training and development. When it comes to skill set – whatever level someone enters the organization at – training, mentoring and guidance helps them to develop professionally.
Today the MENA region is not the same as it used to be ten years ago – the faces of businesses, recruitment, and legislation are constantly changing. What major changes do job seekers and employers need to know about when seeking a job or recruiting talent in 2017?
The new regulations that are structured to support employees – such as mandatory health insurance and salary transfer through the Wage Protection System – are making employers more responsible towards new recruits. Although such regulations have also increased the cost of hiring as demand for local talent increased.
Earlier, most companies did not even have proper Human Resource policy guidelines, trained HR managers, staff appraisal systems, guidelines to address employees’ grievances, etc. Now most companies have those systems and policies in place. In addition to this, the UAE Government has done a fantastic job in creating a fair and robust labor law that protects employees and their wellbeing.
Let’s discuss talent sourcing. With the ever-changing world of Human Resources, ways to find top talent are constantly increasing, especially with the availability of technology and global connectivity. Are these new ways to find talent helping establishments such as yours to find more talent or is it making it hard to focus on one, historically proven, effective method?
Like most responsible business groups, we have our own ways to find the right talent. There is a very strong recruitment division within the group that is headed by our Talent Acquisition Manager, Ms. Sara el Masry. Bayt.com is a very strong medium for us in terms of Talent Acquisition at Schon Properties. We give very strong emphasis on recruitment as our business and its success depends on the people we hire.
What sourcing strategies have you been implementing in the past few years?
Schon Properties continues to move away from traditional sources to online channels, which have become more and more important not only for accessing but also acquiring the right talent. We have worked extensively on developing the Schon Properties online career brand.
As a thought leader in the region: What is the #1 piece of advice you would give to HR professionals working in the UAE and the Middle East?
Companies need to make a shift from considering staff as an expense to viewing them as Human Capital. Your success today and your growth tomorrow is dependent on the employees you have. People tend to over-complicate retention. Staff retention doesn’t have to be expensive. Value your employees’ opinions and accomplishments and don’t forget that a simple smile or a word of appreciation can go a long way in keeping your team motivated and engaged.
Celebrate people’s success and provide meaningful solutions in the form of training and development for your team members who aren’t reaching their full potential (yet).
What is the #1 piece of advice you would give to job seekers who want to find a job in the UAE?
I am going to share two:
#1 is networking. Meet influencers and decision makers. In the Middle East, this is still a very important technique.
#2 is to use online resources like Bayt.com – they help you search smarter, not harder.
