The chief executive officer of Prolinks commercial and administration services said her goal is to place job seekers in their ideal jobs and provide companies with top candidates.
Prolinks’ mission is to close the gap between the expectations of the job seeker and of the business sector through its recruitment and training services and an understanding of the labor market’s dynamic changes.
One of Prolinks’ main services is training and guiding Saudi youths to help make them attractive for the job market.
“We aim to decrease the number of unemployed Saudis, and we do so by studying the Saudi job market, the employer and the candidate,” said Al-Naja.
Al-Naja says that one of the problems why Saudis do not want to get a job is that the government has provided a stable benefit payment for the unemployed.
“Some Saudis earn SR3,000 for an eight hour job. Those are the ones who see that it’s better and easier for them to quit their jobs, stay at home and do nothing,” she said. “They believe that getting the SR2,000 is enough and less of a headache.”
“Our role here is to try to convince them that if they worked harder and improved themselves they will be able to climb the career ladder and earn a better salary. We offer them courses and training sessions to help them meet the labor market’s needs.”
Saudi men and women have great capabilities and they have the urge to work and build a career, according to Al-Naja.
“There is a small group of Saudi employees who are undermining opportunities for other Saudis by making unnecessary demands and requests,” she said. “This is the main reason why Saudi employees are stereotyped as lazy and not fit for certain jobs,” she added.
Prolinks is now studying the needs of the Saudi labor market in comparison to those in neighboring countries.
“This is a huge project that aims to look for solutions for the Saudi employee. This project is similar to the decision made by the Ministry of Labor (through the introduction of the Nitaqat program) to employ more Saudis,” said Al-Naja. “We are now looking to find out more about Saudi employees and their needs, achievements and career dreams. We want to create a database where you can find the history of every Saudi employee and the obstacles that face him or her and find a solution.
“We also want to make a database of Saudi companies and list their professions, needs and views, which will make it easier for us to recommend a number of Saudi applicants.”
Prolinks started two years ago and already has more than 30 companies registered with them.
“We usually measure a company by its accomplishments, success and achievements,” said Al-Naja. “We have registered a number of big companies in Saudi Arabia and already helped them with finding the perfect candidates and they are seeking more.
“We are moving fast and using new strategies in finding a solution for unemployment in Saudi Arabia.”
Al-Naja is preparing for a new exhibition called “Real Job Opportunities for Saudi Youth.” This will be held for three days in Riyadh in January.
“We are inviting more than 1,000 companies to join us and provide us with their criteria so we can help them find their perfect applicants,” she said. “We will be following up with the companies and register them in our database to put them in contact with new Saudi candidates,” she added.
“At the event we will be offering free interviews and recruitment advice that will help Saudi youths find the best career for themselves,” said Al-Naja.
