Dubai: Graduates fresh out of university have come a long way in the past few years here in the UAE. They are more enthusiastic, harder working, better prepared for job interviews and can articulate their career goals clearly, employers and career guidance counsellors say.
But there is significant room for improvement when it comes to their soft skills, which include language, workplace etiquette, friendliness, communication, personal appearance and time management. These skills are as important as the occupational requirements of a job, experts say.
"I don't think that it's an issue of a poorer calibre of graduates in the Middle East, there are global concerns about the ‘work-readiness' of graduates, and that's something that's evolving as graduates become more aware of the rigors of work," said Ammar Shams, Regional Head of Corporate Sustainability at HSBC Bank Middle East Limited.
"Also, this preparedness to work is not purely an issue of academic qualifications — but one of attitude and aptitude," he said.
Are graduates up to par?
Cornelio Gomes, who works at the University of Wollongong in Dubai's (UOWD) Career Development Centre, agrees the main problem he sees is a lack of soft skills. "It's time management, communication, organisational skills that we address."
While employers usually give positive feedback about employees sourced from the university, interns can be problematic as they find it difficult to juggle the demands of university and work. Often companies will give interns a full workload which they did not anticipate, "and they find it too much". This is a problem as internships have resulted in full-time job offers.
Patrick Luby, former managing director of Manpower Middle East and current CEO of Clarendon Parker Qatar, says feedback from employers is mixed.
"The ones from technical colleges seem to be very well prepared and I think some of the universities like AUS (American University of Sharjah), AUD (American University of Dubai) and ADU (Abu Dhabi University) seem to produce people who are reasonably work ready."
On the whole, the quality of graduates is much higher compared to previous years, said Luby.
Omran Mahmoud, director of HR Source in Dubai, agrees that the calibre of graduates has improved and they are well- rounded.
He cites the lack of soft skills as a problem with new graduates. He said performance issues, poor work attitude, graduates finding work too difficult, communication skills, using slang and the poor use of English grammar and punctuation frustrate employers. "This results in lack of confidence over a period of time from clients, colleagues and suppliers," he said.
Less hassle
Luby said companies have realised there are benefits to recruiting graduates. They are cheaper, they know the environment better and it is less hassle to employ them than to bring someone over from another country. Fewer resources can be allocated to graduates for housing, transport and relocation.
"I think the market is [moving] towards graduates. I used to think it was unfair that companies would barely look at graduates… now more companies are saying it's better to get someone who knows the country well and can come in as a trainee than hire someone from a few thousand miles away with no understanding of the culture," said Luby.
However, he advises employers to conduct tougher assessments or testing because they lack a track record in the workforce. "It's essential to do some kind of testing as part of the process because they can't talk about work experience, just marks and their hobbies."
What employers want
Often a company will prioritise a person's soft skills and personality for a job than the degree they bring to the table.
Attitude is important, said Robert Gardener, director of Bell Pottinger Middle East. "We look for enthusiasm, an interest in the media and public affairs, attention to detail and a willingness to learn. We look for people with a degree but it doesn't have to be in media studies or international relations," he said.
Gardner said employers realised it was hard for graduates to know what the job market expects from them but that they should be able to work independently and not ask ‘what do I need to do' but bring ideas to the table.
"Sometimes we see graduates who are receptive to instruction and can pick something up easily by day two and then instigate their own work. In other cases, some are entirely reactive to requests." Employers prefer proactive people he said.
As a graduate with a tertiary qualification, employers expect the quality of English to be of a high standard but this is not always the case said Gardner. "The quality of English differs enormously. When people put ‘fluent' on their CV it is much lower than the level of English I would have as a benchmark that I would consider acceptable," he said.
While some sectors would not have stringent language proficiency requirements, jobs that require communication with clients, co-workers and the public, need to be of a very high standard.
Mahmoud said impressive graduates are those who have done an internship, are clear about their career path, realistic about their ambitions and growth and are willing to learn and show a positive attitude.
Handy hints: Tips for job seekers
1. If you don't have experience with job interviews, get together with friends and practise. Practise talking about yourself so that your job interview is not the first time you do it. You don't have to memorise your CV like a parrot but you do need to experiment and be comfortable talking about yourself.
2. Get someone who is not that close to you to check your CV for spelling, grammar and layout. There is no right or wrong CV but if it's messy, it will set you back.
3. Always do some research on the company you're interviewing with. Have a look at their website to understand what the organisation does.
4. Confidence is key. If you walk into the job interview imagining yourself in the job already, it will help with your confidence levels. Don't forget to be cheerful and friendly.
5. Persistence is very important. Even when you get knocked down, don't hide your head in shame — be persistent and don't let setbacks put you off.
Attitudes: UAE nationals are career-focused
Patrick Luby, former managing director of Manpower Middle East and current CEO of Clarendon Parker Qatar, said Emirati graduates have also changed their attitude to employment these days.
"With UAE national graduates it's a question of expectations. The employer has the expectation that graduates will start at the bottom and work their way up but some UAE nationals will want to come in at a manager level expecting someone to train them while they are manager so they go up the chain faster." But that attitude is changing and "students coming out today are aware that a career is choosing to do something you want to do because it gives you job satisfaction, not something you do for eight hours that makes you miserable because it pays well." During his 13 years of recruiting in the UAE, Luby said he has watched some UAE nationals take the highest paid jobs, which were the wrong jobs for them, only to be sidelined and overtaken by others in the long run. "The naiveté about better paid jobs is fading out and they understand that a career is not only a financial choice. The money is a part of it but not the only part." Omran Mahmoud, director of HR Source in Dubai, also said the Emirati talent pool is improving significantly every year.
"More Emirati graduates are graduating with good results and are clearer about the career paths they wish to follow."
