SA: Ghenwa, what are the current MENA trends?
GH: “There are multiple trends that are happening in this region, some industries and organizations are either on track, some are trying to find ways to be on track, and some are holding back, it could be either because of budget or a capability issue or not being convinced at this stage, or, it’s the growth mindset that they have to jump on, adopt and adapt to it. There are a lot of things happening from an industry perspective particularly surrounding the digital transformation which everybody is embarking on.
One big question is: how can we hire while leveraging AI? AI is making the recruitment process faster, but we’re still not there yet, AI lacks the human touch. It would be great to create a more enriching experience for the candidate, something that is more engaging and interactive, something that adds the human element. Like a hologram, let that persona speak for me or let me design a persona that best reflects the company’s identity, their DNA, their culture and so on. So that’s something we could perhaps adopt in the next year or two.
Another new trend is the “Shop for Talent” perhaps more like adopting a shopping behaviour as if we are shopping in a Super Market. The “supermarket day” is where businesses can “shop” for talent in a mass recruitment drive. In the UAE, there is an organisation that targets students from different universities and they have marketed themselves as a one-stop shop for businesses to hire people from there.”
“AI is making the recruitment process faster, but we’re still not there yet, AI lacks the human touch.”
SA: How important is D&I in the UAE?
GH: “This is a subject close to my heart. It is imperative to focus on; diversity, equity, and inclusion, and honestly, I am a huge advocate! We must focus on having the right people on board and that is something that fuels my search and is embedded in me. I advise everybody to look at the dynamics of the organisation from a D&I perspective to find the right person – the person who can have a high level of adaptability & social intelligence, so they can fit in a way or another but also help drive change.” With DEI, organizations are prone to thrive and lead the wave of continuous change.
SA: The key word you mentioned is adaptability, organizations are moving so fast at the moment alongside the technology that everyone’s using. Having someone that adapts to both what’s going on externally and internally is really important, do you agree?
GH: “It’s important that the organisation adaptability quotient is high. They need to ask questions like: Do we have the right capability in the system and the structure? Could we leverage people from outside? Where are we today on the success scale? What do we need to change? What should we do more? What do we need to invest? In who we invest?
Another point I would like to add is the concept of “Employer Branding”. A lot of people ask: Who are you? How do you portray yourself? The employment market is rapidly changing and if the new generation don’t see the right branding from an employer, they may think twice about joining, So employer branding is pivotal for an organisation’s success, it reveals to the world outside how X organization is attending to change as well as elevating its behaviour to change… It helps shows the scale of adaptability to the current & future, customers, employees, stakeholders… etc. I hear a lot of young people saying, OK, you know what, the company might give me the right salary, but it might not give me the right culture. So portraying that you have the right culture of adaptability through the right employer branding channels is going to be an accelerator for your business.
We all speak about the buzzword ESG (environmental, social, and governance), but what does this mean, to me as an employee? How is what the organization is doing from an EGS perspective feeds into the adaptability quotient? Again, it’s about the belief and the morals combined and asking: “Do my morals fit with your morals?”
“Employer branding is pivotal for an organisation’s success.”
SA: Can you shed some light on *Emiratization which came into play last month. Is that really something that companies are focusing on?
*Emiratisation is an initiative by the government of the UAE to employ its citizens in a meaningful and efficient manner in the public and private sectors.
GH: Emiratization continues to be among the top business priorities for any organization in the UAE. It is a core area of focus and organizations are under pressure to meet the criteria. Personally, I believe in the saying: “Where there is a will there’s a way?” Im an advocate and a follower of this quote even though match making is not easy in this space and sustaining the match is even harder!
SA: So, with the awards in mind, when you’re judging and going through the entries, what’s the story you want to see?
GH: “I like the word story, because storytelling is important for me in a submission. If the story is clear, it will help them get a good score. Why do I say this? Because if the story is clear, I can understand the message behind what they’re trying to tell me as a judge. So, if the message was focussed on innovation and creativity, for example, I would be asking, how creative was the intervention that you used? From a technical perspective, is it easy to use? Is it relevant to the business and where you want to go as an organization moving forward? It comes down to innovation, creativity, the ROI, the stakeholder and engagement and involvement, the buy-in from the leadership. Together, this is one big tick, ultimately, there needs to be a clear link and a strong story.”
SA: Is it fair to say, if you don’t set the scene right, as a judge, you’re not going to be interested, and therefore your marks are going to be lower?
GH: “Organisations today need to have that hook to drive my curiosity as a judge. I need to see what’s in there? What do I need to know? So you could have the best innovation or the best intervention, but if I don’t see a link or you don’t tell me the story it will be harder for me to give higher marks. So the whole setting of the scene question is really important as well as the clarity of what your story is. Get the hook there. And then you’re going to be carrying on my interests throughout the entry. If you don’t set that scene right, it’s likely the marks are going to be lower.”
SA: So, what were the common mistakes or pitfalls in submissions that you may see or advise entrance to avoid?
GH: “Sometimes the evidence of data is not there and the storytelling aspects are lacking. So if you are not invested, I’m not either. Sometimes I’m just not inspired and I have to push myself to be motivated to listen and put that extra effort in. I’m not saying that as a judge, I don’t put the extra effort in, but I have to work harder to understand the entry. What I want… is to be inspired from the beginning, so if the story hits me, I am invested!”
SA: Is there anything else you see and you think, please don’t say things like that?
GH: “It’s when the entrants drift away from the main message. Sometimes, I hear people talking a lot to convince me, but when it comes to words, often less is more. We tend to judge up to 10 to 15 entries in a day and so we are looking for a strong, clear, succinct message, with evidence to back up the statements. If I’m inspired, you will always be memorable to me.”
SA: Is there anything else that you want to see, that you’re excited about in terms of these awards?
GH: “So what you have to do is focus on what you have done as an organization that made you stand out? As a recruitment agency, I want to know, why do I want to come to you? What makes you different from the others? From a candidate experience, how do you help elevate their resumes and showcase what makes them special? It always comes back to human development, eventually candidates choose companies to work for that feeds their drive, passion and purpose. This is what I am intrigued to discover.”
SA: How do you think the role of the awards contributes to the industry in digital industries growth and development?
GH:“That’s a big question. The awards are a massive boost to the employer brand aspect which we spoke about earlier. Generally speaking; competing for an award is a matter of friendly & healthy competition to showcase an organization’s innovation and success, which means organizations here are constantly and consistently working towards “Up Their Ante”, if you know what I mean! It is what pushes organizations mainly to step out of their comfort zone. The award surely helps with elevating a company’s visibility, highlighting trustworthiness, credibility and authenticity – So winning an award, is a matter of 360 rejuvenation I can say, from employer, employee and customer perspectives being at current or future stage!
“The award surely helps with elevating a company’s visibility, highlighting trustworthiness, credibility and authenticity”
