33% of global job seekers look for professional development as the most important factor when accepting a new position[1]
Senior human resources officers from top companies across the Emirates are leading the hunt for UAE Nationals who have a solid work ethic and a desire to learn and grow within their organisation, at the country’s leading platform for Emirati job-seekers.
Candidates’ own professional development will also play a key role as Emirati hopefuls, in line with global averages, will seek out positions to challenge their expertise according to a 2016 report of statistics published by LinkedIn.
Offering their advice to graduates and young professionals ahead of the 17th edition of Careers UAE, held at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from 9-11 April, top hiring officials have also highlighted key qualities they will be looking for this year among applicants and candidates.
Mouien Al Madhoun, Chief Human Capital Officer at Majid Al Futtaim Holding said: “We advise young graduates to always seek and to join companies that can offer a variety of learning initiatives. Learning should be a continuous process in one’s career to progress and grow.”
Keen on investing in people across all aspects of their organisation, Majid Al Futtaim Holding uses events such as Careers UAE and more notably their 18-month Graduate Development Program ‘Tomouhi’ to cement their position as a company with the best talent from around the world, building relevant skills and experiences across their many businesses, creating lasting and fulfilling careers and supporting continued growth of their employees.”
Added Al Madhoun: “It is also important that people not only work hard to achieve success but that they also enjoy working in their fields of choice. Many studies have shown that happiness contributes to high levels of productivity and reaps rewards in both the employees’ career journey and the company’s business growth.”
The three-day job fair, an event dedicated to empowering UAE nationals in the workforce, will welcome a host of regional and international companies offering diverse employment prospects to Emiratis.
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the event will build on last year’s success which saw thousands of Emirati graduates and jobseekers finding employment avenues and internship opportunities across the automotive, aviation, banking, construction, energy, telecoms, healthcare, real-estate and oil and gas sectors.
Dubai Air Navigation Services (dans) which runs the National Development Program for Air Traffic (ATCOs) and the National Development Program for Air Traffic Service Engineer Professionals (ASTEP) will be at Careers UAE this year looking for suitable candidates across a number of diverse roles.
With a line-up of more than 100 employers from local and federal government, semi-government, as well as the UAE and international private sector, Careers UAE will host a variety of interactive activities and education sessions designed to help job seekers develop key skills.
Asma Al Sharif, Director of Exhibitions, Exhibitions & Events Management DWTC, added: “When we have spoken to our participating organisations ahead of Careers UAE this year, advice they have offered to candidates includes not to be afraid of starting at the bottom and working your way up the ladder, choosing a job which makes you excited and passionate, stay focused on career goals and be willing to work hard to build experience and expertise, and to be willing to learning new skills, however far outside of their initial comfort zone they may be.”
Also taking part in Careers UAE will be Gold Sponsors National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Strategic Government Partner Dubai Government Human Resources, Bank Sponsor Commercial Bank of Dubai, Partner UAE University as well as organisations such as Arab Bank, Dubai Municipality, Emirates Group and Sharaf Group.
Providing job seekers with additional incentives to hone their skills is the returning feature, ‘Mission Possible’, a team challenge quizzing groups on their employability, CV writing skills and interviewing techniques, with prizes up for grabs for the best teams.
Careers UAE returns 9-11 April 10am-6pm (10 April 2017 10am-1pm – Ladies Only) with support from Strategic Careers Partner, Bayt.com; Youth Employment Partner, InternsME; Partners Ministry of Human Resource and Emiratisation, Zayed University, Higher Colleges of Technology and Hopscotch. For more information, please visit www.careersuae.ae.
[1] LinkedIn’s Ultimate List of Hiring Statistics 2016