RIYADH, 28 June 2006 — Dozens of Saudis attended a conference titled “How Saudi youth should market themselves in the private sector” at the headquarters of the Riyadh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) yesterday.
The conference, organized by the employment department in the RCCI, was presented by three officials in the human resources departments of their companies. All of them spoke about the flaws most Saudis face when applying for jobs in the private sector and how to better present themselves to land jobs.
Azzam Al-Fadda, executive manager in Al-Wahat Group, said that the private sector in the Kingdom was suffering from what he described as “Saudi youth roaming in circles” to land a job. He said that such an attitude of hopping from one job to another to secure an increase of a few hundred riyals causes confusion in the private sector.
He also spoke about the importance of learning new skills before applying for a new job in the private sector, which are not taught in the university such as computer skills, and learning sufficient English.
“It takes Saudi youth from up to four to five months to get used to the job they apply for in a new environment and up to four to five years for them to decide whether to stay there or leave,” he said. He noted the importance of being well prepared for the personal interview and having a relative or friend write down the future applicant’s points of strengths and weaknesses.
“Rather than making sure your resume is clear and does not have mistakes, it is even more important to leave a good impression at the end of the interview,” he said, stressing the importance of first impressions in landing jobs. Abdullah Al-Sugair, admission officer in Al-Rumaizan Company, stressed the importance of Saudis respecting the time factor and attending on time for the job interview. He also said that it was important to dress properly. “Many Saudis apply for jobs without even making the effort to look up the company’s profile and services,” he said. He also said that Saudi applicants should avoid asking questions in the interview that could backfire on them such as inquiring about the leave days and vacations, which could give an impression that the applicant is not serious.
One of the points raised yesterday by attendees to the speakers were that the private sector did not trust Saudis applying for jobs in the private sector. “There are reasons for that,” said Azzam. “Saudis tend to request permissions to leave from the office very frequently to do errands. They are also late at coming to the office,” he said.
All of these factors exhibit an impression that the Saudi applicant is less serious than his foreign employee colleague “who is only here in the Kingdom to work and work only,” he added. The speaker also said that it was unfortunate that many Saudi youth only were concerned about the salary in their jobs and did not seek ways to develop themselves in their companies. A job seeker in the men’s section of the conference hall spoke about a recent challenge faced by many Saudis in the private sector. “Most companies require a minimum expertise of three years for Saudis to apply. How cans any fresh graduate land a job there?” He believed that such ads by private companies were hurdles to not hire Saudi graduates. “I do not see why these companies do not train Saudis for several months and judge them during that period. Even if the training was not paid for,” he added.
Nasser Al-Harthi, another job seeker, said that he wished he had attended such a conference before applying to several companies.
“I learned a lot today. Many of the flaws mentioned by the speakers were exhibited by me in my first two personal interviews,” he said.
