With the impacts of the pandemic, it is no doubt that every country’s economy is badly hit. The same is not an exempt in UAE as well. In case you have been looking for ways to get back into working and find new jobs after losing the old ones, we are going to share some of the important insights that you need to keep in mind.
We are going to share some of the important factors that you need to keep in mind to meet the increasing demands of the recruitment world.
“A typically high-touch human process has suddenly shifted to virtual platforms. Teams are now required to conduct interviews, read tone and body language, and even onboard new hires online,” said Rajai El Khadem, Head of Public Sector at the employment platform LinkedIn (MENA) to Gulf News.
Virtual interviews
The first change that the recruitment process is going to experience is the switch from in-person interviews to virtual interviews. 58% of the talent acquisition professionals have reported that this is the first change that they are experiencing and implementing as well.
Several of the companies are leveraging the video conferencing platforms, live sessions and new hire pages on the company portals to help hire new people onboard.
This also allows the mentors and hiring managers to get the new hire through the multi-week onboarding process virtually for easier acquisition.
New required skills for the hiring process
The covid-19 pandemic has taught us a lot of things. It has taught us that remote working is very well a possibility. Not just that, it has also taught individuals that there are skills that several people ignore but are considered one of the best options now.
Several skills that you didn’t deem needed for your niche of work has now become a necessity, above anything else. Some of the most important ones include:
Better adaptability is a necessity in every candidate now. This pandemic has taught us that there could be sudden changes in work schedule and even workspaces. Even roles have been altered now and in order to be able to thrive in such conditions, it is necessary for all the professionals to consistently learn and adapt to the ever-changing demands.
Another important factor that is going to become a necessity in the UAE recruitment process is the need for better understanding of technology. If you haven’t been tech savvy till now, it is a necessity at this moment to get hired. Businesses are now tapping into the fields of AI, machine learning and data science to further ensure better agility and resilience.
As an individual looking for a new job, it is important that you keep up with the ongoing trends.
Leadership skills are also on the table. With remote work becoming the new change right now, it is important for people to learn better leadership and decision-making skills. The gig economy is growing gradually and there might be times for the employees to take the lead in terms of needs.
With the way the entire world has been affected, the way businesses handle their customers is an important factor worth looking out for. Employers need to find ways to let their customers know they are valued even in high demand. Statistics and reports suggest that the customer service roles are among the highest jobs in UAE right now.
Even emotional intelligence is a skill that people now need to harbour at this point. It allows individuals to assess how the employees work and then put forward new ideas on the table.
Process of candidate selection
Now that you know what kind of new skills that top recruiters from UAE, the next thing to know about is the process of selection.
Professional platforms like LinkedIn have tapped into new tools to help the job seekers narrow down their choices with the new demands.
One of the most prominent out of the lot is the Video Introduction feature that allows all the hiring managers to request a video from the candidates, giving them a chance to stand out amidst the hundreds of written applications.
This specific feature is likely going to help the hiring managers sort out the best candidate from the lot.
Improved levels of practice sessions
In an interview with Gulf News, El Khadem reported that they have also released an AI-powered interview feedback feature that enables the users to record a mock interview for which they would be given an instant feedback.
This specific feature allows the candidates to practice some of the interview questions that could further boost the confidence of the individuals better. This AI technology has been programmed to record the answers and then give the actual feedback on the basis of the answer delivery, point out pacing and even the proactive approach to answering.
Aside from that, even the Video Introduction feature allows the candidates to learn new soft skills and mannerisms to further help improve their profile pages, enabling to get noticed by the recruiters faster.
Webinars and sharing skills
With the new industry changes and several skill upgradation, more and more companies are tapping into the world of webinars and free trainings for candidates and then picking candidates from there.
The same is also going to be a new norm in UAE as well.
“The kindness of people is truly showing by the number of professionals whom have registered their interest to support this initiative absolutely free of charge,” said Ismail.
