How various companies in the GCC undertake their staff recruiting has fundamentally changed this year, as employers seek to restructure after the highly disruptive challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. From record unemployment numbers across the globe to massive workplace orientated changes, we have all found that we are now tasked with rethinking how we source good quality talent, the interview procedure and underpin the hiring of new candidates in a remote working capacity.
Although very promising vaccines are on the horizon, returning to the pre-COVID office days may fast becoming a thing of the past.
We got together the iTalent team to share how these 5 recent shifts in recruitment will impact the workplace into 2021 and beyond across the Middle East.
Remote working becomes dominant and takes center stage.
More companies in the Middle East are taking on remote work as a way of getting things done with as minimal disruption as possible. In a recent recruitment survey by S&P Global Market Intelligence, 64% of companies indicated that the sharp increase in remote working is a permanent change here to stay for the long-term. Additionally, 33% of companies have taken steps to permanently reduce the number of staff in their offices because of the pandemic restrictions.
Now that the majority of physical offices become closed for an increasingly extended period, employers are taking advantage of remote work to expand their talent search to the national and even global level, something that wasn’t considered before as the focus was on-site working. In turn prospective employees are proactively seeking remote work opportunities and flexible working arrangements beyond the pandemic restrictions, and if you have a job which can be done from your home office you now have the benefits of both worlds.
Working remotely has also come to underpin and represent the value that they’ place on the health of their employees. And from an employer’s perspective there have been many reports of a sharp increase in productivity due to working from home and less time spent in the office or in a commute.
Get to grips with virtual hiring as it is here to stay.
Without the usual in-person meetings during the recruitment process, successful recruiters and hiring managers will need to focus on improving the framework of the overall candidate recruitment process.
Middle Eastern companies need to do what they should have been doing all along, which is to institute smart, repeatable hiring processes that rely on qualifications, rather than relying on gut feeling and having people come to the office and hang out.
This means implementing quality practices in the virtual hiring process if they were not already in place, such as benchmarking qualifications thoughtfully and constructing online interview patterns that include candidate behavioral questions. Additionally, it has been noted that employers in the Middle East are looking ever more closely at initial cover letters and thank-you notes as a way to get a sense of an applicant’s overall personality and fit for the role. This aspect has indicated that the humanistic element is returning to the interview process.
Source talent through smaller niche online communities.
At iTalent we are tending to focus our attention on smaller online communities across the GCC and online networks through the Middle East while using new tools to get the word out about recruitment opportunities not only nationally but globally. Often during periods of high unemployment, posting on high-traffic jobs platforms can lead to a deluge of applications that don’t meet the desired qualifications and sap precious recruiting resource time trawling through them all.
Middle Eastern and GCC focused business groups on LinkedIn and other online social platforms, professional body associations and new tools like ‘levels’ a salary comparison platform, can help recruiters like iTalent narrow their focus when looking for great candidates. Many of these smaller networking type communities have been created this year as qualified professionals seek to network virtually using the means they have immediately to hand while being stuck at home.
Contact us for all your recruitment needs
Call us on: +971 (0)4 421 3490 or Email us at: info@italent-me.com or complete the Contact us form.Hiring great talent requires you to pitch to them differently.
Without the normal office visits and a location to impress new job candidates, Middle Eastern employers have to change their sales pitch to potential job applicants. Instead, they must make their offer pitches based on the expanded benefits that have to be introduced, such as home office setups, childcare support, or other wellness & health related benefits to attract and retain new applicants.
Diversity and inclusion
The global conversation around systemic racism and inequality has forced Middle East based employers to consider their own internal diversity and inclusion policies. Many employers in the Gulf Region are hiring specialists, allocating funding, and making sure their public presence communicates their values on diversity.
“Prospective employees are now coming in asking questions,” says Craig Stuart, Director at iTalent “Employers are hard-pressed to not only have a response, but to speak about the current inequities within their organization, and gain insight on how they can accommodate diversity better.”
We hope you find the above useful and as a side note we do encourage employers to pay attention to their Glassdoor and LinkedIn reviews, where prospective employees often go to understand the realities of working at a company, especially as a member of an underrepresented group.
Discover more about iTalent and our recruitment offerings for the UAE, Saudi Arabia and broader Middle Eastern markets.
italent was founded in 2012 in the United Arab Emirates born in a challenging market, one key reason for our success is we have unparalleled commitment and determination to deliver the highest levels of recruitment and executive search.
These fundamentals allowed us to build a reputation and gain the trust and respect of some of the biggest clients and most Senior candidates in the Region. Our team is all seasoned professionals, and with over 100 years of recruitment experience in our office, we are a key part of our clients’ Talent Acquisition Strategies.
You can contact us by using our contact form or call us on +971 (0)4 421 3490 or email us at info@italent-me.com and we will be happy to help.
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