The private sector is responsible for the majority of all managerial (83 per cent) and non-managerial (82 per cent) hires in the Mena region, a report said.

Specifically, multinational companies account for 26 per cent of managerial and 28 per cent non-managerial; large local companies for 25 per cent and 24 per cent; and small and medium companies are involved in 15 per cent and 17 per cent of all respective hires, added the ‘Hiring Practices in Mena’ survey, recently conducted by Bayt.com, a leading career site in the Middle East, and YouGov, the leading market research company.

The survey also revealed that 93 per cent of respondents hiring managerial staff and 92 per cent of respondents hiring non-managerial staff in the Mena region believe that first impressions in a job interview matter.

The construction industry is mostly involved in hiring both managerial employees (12 per cent) and non-managerial employees (13 per cent). Of those responsible for hiring management positions, 41 per cent are a part of the Human Resources (HR) department; 25 per cent of those responsible for hiring non-managerial employees are part of HR. Fourteen per cent and 11 per cent of managers/ senior managers and 12 per cent and 13 per cent of directors/ department heads are respectively involved in the hiring process of managerial and non-managerial staff in the Mena.

Sources of recruitment

Seventy-four per cent of respondents in the Mena have said that online recruitment has facilitated the hiring process; 35 per cent saying that it has facilitated it ‘greatly’. However, a majority of respondents (53 per cent) still say that they do not use an applicant tracking system during the recruitment process; 22 per cent say that they do. The usage of applicant tracking systems is higher in the GCC (27 per cent), and especially in the UAE (40 per cent).

Referrals appear to be the most popular source of recruitment in the Mena for both managerial and non-managerial employees, with 40 per cent of respondents involved in the hiring process of both managerial and non-managerial employees saying so.

Among users of social media channels for recruiting candidates for managerial positions, 79 per cent do so for posting jobs, while 52 per cent do so for finding candidates and another 40 per cent for pre-interview candidate screening. On the other hand, among users of social medial channels for recruiting candidates for non-managerial positions, 78 per cent do so for posting jobs, 37 per cent for finding candidates and 35 per cent for checking referrals.

While employee referrals may be the most popular source for recruitment for hiring managerial employees, 67 per cent of firms in the Mena don’t offer a referral bonus, although firms in the GCC are more likely to offer a referral bonus (39 per cent) than companies in other areas in the Mena. The same is true for hiring non-managerial employees with 74 per cent of firms in the Mena not offering a referral bonus despite employee referrals being the most popular recruitment source.

“Employee referrals are cited to be the most popular source for recruitment,” said Suhail Masri, VP of Sales, Bayt.com.

“With that discovery, it is not surprising that one of our most successful features is a referral tool on Bayt.com, where members can refer their friends to certain jobs and where people can see if they have any friends working at companies that currently have open vacancies. It’s the power of word of mouth and the power of referrals – multiplied!”

“In terms of social media in the recruitment arena, Bayt.com Specialties and Bayt.com People are also pioneering social platforms that employers use to qualify and cross-reference potential candidates and leverage the full power of referrals. In fact, we are always developing tools and features to best empower employers to engage with these specialists and get to know them at a level that was never possible with a traditional paper CV.

“At Bayt.com, we are very proud to go beyond being a traditional job site and to offer both professionals and employers a wide and constantly expanding array of innovative tools that harness the full power of social media in a specific career context, in line with our mission to empower people with the tools and technologies to build better lives, beginning with optimal careers,” he added.

More than 7 out of 10 Mena respondents claim that the hiring process can last up to 2 months in their organization. Hiring process in the GCC tend to be longer than in North Africa though, with approximately 7 out of 10 organizations in the GCC needing at least 1 month to complete a hire.

Approximately 1 out of 2 companies have a 3-month probation period for managerial and non-managerial positions. GCC organizations (GCC: 56 per cent, KSA: 72 per cent, UAE: 28 per cent, Kuwait: 72 per cent) are more likely to use a 3-month probation period than those in North Africa.

Managerial employees

Approximately 4 out of 10 companies use pre-employment tests and academic certificates as methods in the hiring process. The interview (55 per cent) is still the most popular method used in the hiring process across the Mena.

For 37 per cent of organizations, the potential candidate for a managerial position is interviewed by 3 different people. Being interviewed by ‘4 or more people’ is more likely to happen in the GCC as compared to North Africa. In the Mena overall, and according to 46 per cent of the respondents, the typical job interview lasts 16-30 minutes; 24 per cent say that it only lasts up to 15 minutes.

About 7 out of 10 companies need 2 weeks to make the hiring decision, and for 73 per cent of companies a phone call is the most popular method of informing prospective candidates that they have been selected for a managerial position.

On the other hand, when the candidate is not selected for a managerial position, email is the most popular (44 per cent) way of informing them, followed closely by a phone call (41 per cent). A higher proportion of organizations in Egypt (32 per cent) give no notification to an unsuccessful candidate for a managerial position as compared to other countries.

Non-managerial employees

The interview (57 per cent) is the most popular method used in the hiring process of non-managerial employees in Mena; 45 per cent companies use pre-employment tests; and about 4 out of 10 use academic certificates as methods in the hiring process. Interestingly, a higher proportion of organizations in the GCC use academic certificates, personality tests, reference checks, pre-screening phone interviews and work samples or portfolios during the hiring a process, as compared to organizations in North Africa.

For approximately 7 out of 10 organizations in the Mena, a non-managerial candidate is interviewed by 2 or 3 people, and the interview lasts for 30 minutes – at most – for 75 per cent of organisations.

Approximately 8 out of 10 companies need 2 weeks to make the hiring decision, and for 74 per cent of companies a phone call is the most popular method of informing a prospective candidate that they have been selected. Organizations in North Africa tend to take less time to make a hiring decision after having interviewed all prospective candidates with  more than half (55 per cent) needing less than 1 week to decide. This percentage is even higher for organizations in Egypt (62 per cent).

When the candidate is not selected, phone call (38 per cent) is the most popular way of informing them, followed closely by emails (34 per cent), while almost 3 out of 10 Mena firms do not inform a candidate at all.

“The hiring trends of management and non-management staff are relatively similar across the Mena region. Interestingly, around 4 out of 10 organizations expressed that they needed specialist help with conducting face-to-face interviews,” said Masri.

“Employers can benefit greatly from our new product, Bayt.com Tests, which will help them qualify candidates early on in the application process. It’s a very exciting tool that lets employers choose from a bank of professionally-created technical tests to qualify candidates.

“These tests are very diverse in terms of topic, ranging from ‘Mechanical Engineering’ to ‘EQ’ and ‘Sales Knowledge’. It’s a great and simple way to map job vacancies, candidates, and appropriate job knowledge. Bayt.com specializes in bringing employers together with their ideal candidates. Likewise, it provides essential information for job seekers to properly arm themselves with the tools required to make a difference in today’s robust and competitive market.”

“With 74 per cent of respondents saying that online recruitment has facilitated the hiring process – 35 per cent saying that it has facilitated it ‘greatly’ – it seems that more and more employers are using online recruitment methods to source, screen and hire potential employees,” said Elissavet Vraka, YouGov.

“Potential candidates now have thus to ensure that they have an online presence that is well-thought-out and reflective of their skills, qualifications and professional experience.” – TradeArabia News Service