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Middle East job site Bayt.com, has recently conducted a new survey to discern shifting industry hiring patterns and fundamental changes MENA professionals face when looking for jobs after the COVID-19 crisis.
According to the survey, 91% of respondents are considering changing jobs in 2022.
The Modern Job Search Strategies in the MENA poll aims to promote understanding of how much has changed in the job market to increase candidate’s chances of finding a job under the current circumstances. A majority of respondents (86%) expect remote hiring to increase in the next few years. In fact, 83% of professionals prefer companies that allow them to work remotely all or some of the time.
Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com said: "Flexibility is no longer viewed as an extra benefit, as demonstrated in the Modern Job Search Strategies in the MENA poll. In fact, flexibility is now a minimum requirement as job seekers look for their next career opportunity. The research also highlights the importance of adapting to the changing work environment as the key to make yourself the right candidate for the job."
Skills Needed in Today's Job Market
The skills and traits companies are looking for are changing too. Survey respondents reveal a variety of skills that they believe have become the most important: flexibility and adjusting to change (33%), ability to work without supervision (26%), self-motivation and discipline (18%), familiarity with virtual work tools (18%) and written and verbal communication (6%). Job seekers should highlight these skills and traits on their resume and job applications.
Modern Job Search Techniques
Respondents provided insights on the most important aspects of their job search journey. These include creating a strong online CV and cover letter (42%), searching for jobs online (34%), learning new skills including enrolling in online courses (17%), considering freelancing and remote and part-time jobs (5%) and attending virtual job fairs (3%). For job seekers, email (46%), online job sites (38%), social media (9%), virtual job fairs (3%) and instant messaging (3%) are the main methods of communicating with potential employers.
A vast majority of respondents have reported an increase in online and virtual job search activities – the most common tools used by survey respondents to look for jobs are online job sites (78%), companies’ websites (12%), social media (8%) and virtual job fairs (2%). The concept of virtual career fairs as a hiring strategy has been gaining ground since the pandemic began – 31% of survey respondents have attended an online job fair and 60% are planning to attend one.
Job Interviews
Video job interviews have become the new normal. According to the survey, 56% of respondents are very familiar with video interviews, 33% are slightly familiar and only 11% are not at all familiar with video interviews.
On the other hand, 34% prefer face-to-face interviews, 28% prefer video interviews and 25% prefer phone interviews. Candidates who do not use video chat and meeting tools often should get familiar with them so they are comfortable and natural if they need to be ready for a video interview.
Data for the Bayt.com Modern Job Search Strategies in the MENA poll was collected online from June 1 to July 3, 2022. Results are based on a sample of 3,067 respondents from the following countries: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Yemen, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Sudan among others.
