RECRUITMENT

October 2015 Middle East Consultant 7

On topicF

or any company to stay at the top of their game, having the right set of players on a team is essential. Sourcing and

approaching the perfect candidate for the job is never a simple task, which gives rise to the question of whether to entrust the search to an in-house team or use an agency.

While the methods used by the two may differ, they each bring their own advantages to the table, and therefore using a combination of the two is likely to be more beneficial to a company than relying solely on either one.

When it comes to the recruitment process and sourcing a candidate, Mamoun Taraboulis, regional resourcing manager at Mouchel, says they like to get a head start on things by teaming up with their bidding managers and hiring managers at an early stage when a project is identified.

"We have our resource planning and we forecast the manpower requirement for a period of one year. We try to find a candidate ahead of time, and once we have the new project awarded, we have almost a majority of candidates who are identified, after which we can expedite the mobilisation process.

"We first look internally at our own engineers, some of whom may be looking to end up on a project, so we give them priority. Additionally, we also try to bring talent in from our business in the UK, therefore we merge our local expertise with our international expertise to bring valuable skills to the client.

"Besides advertising on our websites, we use social media, which is ideal for networking and looking for talent. Word of mouth is also a very effective and efficient tool. After all, the best person to attract talent is someone who is in the industry and knows who can be suitable for the business. In addition, from time to time we take part in recruitment fairs and virtual job fairs as well.”

07RECRUITMENTHow agencies and in-house recruiters source the best talent for Middle Eastern companies.

Davina Munro explores how agencies and in-house recruitment teams work together to head hunt the best talent in the region

Building Human Capital

on topic RECRUITMENT


From an agency perspective, Charlie Parish, director at Redpath Partners, says that they provide contingent and executive search methodologies to the property and construction industries, and when it comes to sourcing a candidate, it entirely depends on the assignment from a client.

"We typically source from our extensive network of passive candidates, i.e., candidates who are not actively seeking a move but are interested in suitable opportunities when they arise. In addition, we have many long-term relationships with our candidates who respect our confidentiality and service, and who act as an excellent referral network for us.

"Redpath Partners also shares an integrated database across all our offices, which enables us to source candidates from overseas. We also use the typical social media tools at our disposal that all recruiters engage with."

So what are the qualities they look for in a candidate?

Taraboulis notes that their search depends on the client's requirements and the nature of the project. “We use a number of tools for recruiting senior positions, including professional organisations such as the ICE, LinkedIn, and we actively head hunt as well.”

“When looking for senior positions, we have our own directors in the company who help us in identifying the right candidates through their networks. We enjoy the challenge of sourcing

for a senior level position, but we always need to ensure that we have the right amount of rigour involved in the process, so we follow various stages like technical, behavioural, social and cultural, to name a few.”

Parish says that as an agency, they focus on the technical discipline, but it typically comes down to the personality of the candidate. "We go through a proper screening of our candidates and apply a strong understanding of the culture and DNA of our clients, which is just as important as the technical skills and projects experience. Relevant professional qualifications are also important."

"We follow confidential search principles so that the candidates feel assured they are being approached in a confidential manner. Wherever possible, we will meet the candidate in person to determine their suitability and genuine interest, and then provide a full reference and qualification

check where required by the client."Having been in the region for eight years and in

the industry for six years, Mark Salisbury, head of Recruitment at WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, says that as an in-house recruiter, he is well versed with the benefits of using an agency, especially because specialist agencies often have better knowledge of a specific market.

"We use agencies and we will continue to do so, because if used properly, and when there is a good relationship in place, they add a tremendous amount of value. As a specialist recruitment company in that particular field, it's their job to add value and so they would have greater knowledge of that specific market than an internal recruitment team might have.

"For example, we'd use a specialist recruiter for an executive role in a particular market because that's their job day in and day out. You'd expect

Mamoun Taraboulis, regional resource manager at Mouchel Consulting.

“We try to find a candidate ahead of time and once we have the new project awarded, we have almost a majority of candidates who are identified and then we can expedite the mobilisation process”

Mark Salisbury, head of Recruitment at WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Charlie Parish, director at Redpath Partners.

PO BOX 26385 DUBAI UAE t: + 091 4 333 2692 [email protected] www.bell-wright.com

TESTING ● INSPECTION ● CERTIFICATION

▪ Fire Testing▪ Facade Consulting▪ Curtain Wall Testing▪ Construction Monitoring Inspections▪ Fire Propagation Testing in Cladding to NFPA 285▪ Product Certifications for Civil Defence Approval▪ Fire Stop and Fire Door Inspections

6762

SIA-211,AA-748,TL-626Member of European

Group of Organisations for Fire Testing,Inspection and Certification

ACCREDITEDTESTING

ISO/IEC 17025:2005No. ATL 0017

GAC



them to have more knowledge than an internal recruiter who's working several different markets and different positions."

While in-house resourcing teams reduce the cost per hire, and the time to find candidates and get them mobilised, Taraboulis also agrees that using an agency from time to time can be significantly helpful. This is especially true when it comes to massive requirements which can't be handled by only the in-house team.

“Recruitment agencies can assist and help with sourcing for challenging or difficult-to-fill positions, and when we have mass recruitment needs. In case we have very large projects and our in-house team has no time to go through all the requirements, agencies can help us cut it short in terms of advertising vacancies and arranging technical input. But if we can do it internally, then we source the candidates and close the position in-house rather than go to an agency.

"Our relationship is more with the agents than with the agencies. It’s about working with

an agent, so when you build up that relationship with them, they understand exactly what you need and they have their connections through whom they can bring qualified candidates."

Parish points out that a specialist agency's independent relationship with candidates also means that they have the advantage of knowing which candidates are willing to make a move but would otherwise not speak openly about their availability.

"Sometimes candidates often are in the top tier of their profession and have the highly desired skill sets that our clients are looking for, and prefer to be represented by a third party as opposed to a direct in-house recruiter. This is particularly the case with senior appointments.

"Additionally, we also provide a seamless extension of our client's recruitment and marketing departments and enable in-house teams to be more efficient. This we do by reducing those all-important time-to-hire ratios through candidates we are able to supply to them, having already saved valuable time through our own

“We go through a proper screening of our candidates and apply a strong understanding of the culture and DNA of our clients, which is just as important as the technical skills and projects experience”

Recruitment agencies can help with sourcing candidates for difficult to fill positions.

CATEGORIES

▲ Consultant Team of the Year▲ Multi-discipline Consulting Company of the Year▲ Structural Engineering Company of the Year▲ MEP Engineering Company of the Year▲ Quantity Surveying/Cost Consulting Company of the Year▲ Architectural Company of the Year▲ Interior Design Company of the Year▲ Urban Design and Landscaping Company of the Year▲ Project Management Company of the Year▲ Construction Law Advisory Company of the Year▲ Specialist Consulting Company of the Year▲ Project of the Year▲ Outstanding Individual of the Year

NOMINATION

DEADLINE

20 OCTO

BER 2015

6 December 2015The Terrace Between the Towers, Jumeirah Emirates Towerswww.meconsultantawards.com

SPONSORS

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Michael Stansfield

Commercial Director

+971 4 375 5497

michael.stansfield@

cpimediagroup.com

NOMINATION ENQUIRIES

Davina Munro

Deputy Editor

+971 4 375 5475

davina.munro@

cpimediagroup.com


12 Middle East Consultant October 2015

internal candidate screening processes."However, there are challenges in terms of

attracting the right talent and finding a good agency–in-house match.

Salisbury says, "I tend to stick to a small number of agencies with whom I have built up a relationship with over the last six years, and we are aware of how we complement each other. In terms of the market, I think any company out there would tell you that finding the truly great people is always a challenge because they are not in great numbers. But WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff has a good reputation in the market.

"Last year, we got the Great Place to Work award in which we ranked the 12th best place to work at in the Middle East or the UAE. This really does enforce us as an employer of choice, and it does help us a lot with attracting key talent."

Taraboulis notes that another challenge is ensuring that the agency specialises in one particular field. “It's very important that when we go to an agency, they are specialists who only work and focus on the business that we do, because some agents have a general background and they focus on different industries. It's always better to work with

“Social media makes the world a much smaller place and generally over half of our hires last year came from our own networks. This came from places like LinkedIn and Facebook”

Despite social media platforms adding value, there will always be a need for human nteraction.

people who focus on the main engineering aspect because they have better networks as well."

In terms of challenges from an agency's perspective, Parish says, "Relationships and trust with in-house teams is important. We work best with those who see us as a value-add to their recruitment strategy, rather than necessarily a threat."

Despite the challenges, the recruitment process is evolving and the future of recruitment will involve brands largely focusing on capitalising on the opportunities that social media platforms provide. "Social media makes the world a much smaller place, and generally over half of our hires last year came from our own networks. This came from places like LinkedIn and Facebook," says Salisbury.

"We use LinkedIn quite extensively, and we have a very large global reach through this. Couple this with the fact that people whom we employ in the business are from all over the world, we know that they bring with them their network of good people they've worked with in the past."

Taraboulis is upbeat as well and says, “The future of recruitment is very promising. We always focus on employer branding and marketing and this is a key element in the recruitment process. With current technology and social media, we have a more visible platform and can attract thousands of applicants without spending much on advertising and agencies.”

Parish concludes by saying that while social media adds value to the recruitment processes, people still like working with people.

“There will always be a need for human interaction, particularly when hiring for key mid-senior or executive level positions. Ultimately, if a company wants to have access to the best talent in the market, the specialist agency recruiter will always have a key role to play.”

FAÇADE

WATERPROOFING

REPAIR & PROTECTION

SEALING & BONDING

ROOFING

FLOORING & COATINGS

STRUCTURAL STRENGTHENING

COMPLETE SOLUTIONS FROM BASEMENT TO ROOF

You may know us for just one skill area, but Sika has over 100 years of global experience in providing durable and high performance solutions for the key areas of construction.

A global leader since 1910, Sika has had a presence in the GCC for over 50 years, increasing its market share in the region year on year with its well-known and respected brand, consistency in innovation and premium quality products and systems.

Sustainability is a key component of the company’s innovation drive; Sika aims to enhance durability and improve both energy and material efficiency for buildings as well as for industrial applications.

Sika’s local Specifications team can provide a tailored solution to your project requirements. They offer specification support and complete system details, as well as advice on life-cycle optimisation.

To find out more please visit gcc.sika.com or click on the QR code below.

Sika: global expertise, local support.

gcc.sika.com

VISIT US AT:

Co-located with

23-26 November 2015Dubai World Trade Centre

STAND MEC C87

SIKA UAE +971 4 439 [email protected]

SIKA INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS+971 2643 [email protected]

SIKA QATAR +974 4016 [email protected]

SIKA SAUDI ARABIA+966 11 [email protected]

SIKA BAHRAIN +973 17 738 [email protected]

SIKA KUWAIT +96 599 708 [email protected]

SIKA OMAN +968 2412 [email protected]

This image is for illustrative purposes only

RECRUITMENT

Documents

Transcript of RECRUITMENT