Talent Hunting

The American University in Dubai (AUD) held its annual Careers Fair on campus last week, attracting more than 30 companies. Students were given the opportunity to introduce themselves to organisations seeking potential employees.

Elnaz Zandi, 23, is a graphic design graduate from AUD who was volunteering at the fair. "The fair has not been as successful as last year as most of the companies present are not actually hiring at the moment given the current economic situation& there are not as many opportunities as last year," she said.

Ammar Al Hashemi, 20, is a final year business management student at AUD. "I've handed in my CV to most of the companies here and they all said they would be in touch& but most of them do not respond," he said.

Al Hashemi wants to gain experience with an international organisation for a couple of years and then use his experience to develop his family's business.

Saleem Abu Karim, 26, is finishing an MBA with a concentration in finance and came to the fair to find a job. The responses he got, he said, were mostly vague. "I cannot understand whether the companies are here to advertise or recruit as they keep telling me there are no openings; but if they are not hiring why are they here?" Abu Karim asked.

Flavio Faustini, 25, a civil engineering student at AUD, sounded more positive. He was at the fair to secure a summer internship and had only two options - the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and the Punj Lloyd Group. He is confident he will find a job, as "most companies in the UAE want to recruit a civil engineer," Faustini said.

Aamir Eslam, 20, is a finance student and was at the fair to get an idea about how companies recruit. However, most of them told him to apply online.

"There is not much going on here, it is disappointing. I thought it would be more than just giving out company cards. If I knew it was going to be like this I would not have dressed up and made the effort to come," he said.

Al Futtaim training was hoping to get acquainted with students and promote their new recruitment website www.afuturewithus.com for online job applications.

The company offers paid summer school positions for Emirati high school students for a period of 20 days up to two months, with an earning potential of up to Dh6,000.

It also offers internship programmes to Emirati students as part of their university course. Joan Dawson, office manager for emiratisation at Al-Futtaim, told Notes they are looking to recruit employees for all sectors of the company, ranging from electrical engineering to marketing.

"We are looking for individuals who possess initiative and a positive work attitude. We want people willing to work hard and learn fast& we have seen a few potentials at this fair," she said.

Expeditors - a global logistics company specialising in air cargo, cargo management, customs clearance, insurance and road freight services - was at the fair, scooping out fresh graduates with no professional background who can "grasp and understand the culture and region with ease," said Fadi Al Hakim, distributions manager.

Al Hakim was recruited by the company at a similar event at the American University in Beirut five years ago. Having completed management training he is now the one seeking out budding graduates.

The Chalhoub Group has been an ambassador of luxury lifestyles in the Middle East for more than 50 years and was at AUD in need of interns and fresh graduates.

"AUD is a big university and offers students a high calibre education; we are looking to recruit trainees of such quality," said Margot Diab, recruitment personnel officer for the company.

Notes spoke to Mohammad Qaiser, recruitment manager of Oman Insurance Company, who said the company is seeking new recruits. "The insurance business is still prospering and has so much untapped potential," said Qaiser.

The company has plans for expansion in the UAE and across the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) and is looking to recruit "fresh blood into the company& we have come because students here receive a high quality of education and have global exposure, setting them apart as a different class of candidates," said Qaiser.

"Oman Insurance offers graduates a full graduate trainee programme that will put them on mentoring and rotation programmes, ensuring they grasp all aspects of the business so they are qualified to be placed anywhere," he added.

TECOM Investments develops and manages businesses supporting growth of knowledge-based industries in Dubai. It was at the fair to collect CVs from students for potential enrolment in its 'Mustaqbali' programme.

Salih Al Sharif, acting recruitment manager told Notes: "We are here looking for fresh graduates from all fields who have the capability and basic skills to guide our company to reach its vision and goal of going international.

The Mustaqbali programme is a six-month graduate development programme essentially for UAE nationals. However, Al Sharif told Notes that a vast number of expatriates had submitted their CVs so "we will see what happens".

The RTA was in search of UAE nationals interested in joining one of its programmes. RTA runs three types of programmes - special needs programmes, scholarship programmes and a programme for those interested in studying engineering and researching bridges.

"There should be more events like this and for longer periods of time," said Suad Abdullah Al Janahi, senior recruitment officer, when asked about the turn-out. "We have received some CVs but not as many as we had hoped for."

Adrian Hogg, recruitment manager, told Notes the auditing firm wants to recruit the "brightest and the best with exceptional abilities". He explained that an academic education is not what will set a candidate apart from his or her peers.

"Obviously a high-quality qualification counts but it is more about individuals' extracurricular activities& what students have proactively done with their time at university, besides their studies," said Hogg.

He rolled off examples and activities that would be of interest to them - captains of debate teams, sports captains and students who have actively and independently sought out internships.