An employer poll conducted by www.bayt.com, an online job portal, has revealed that 28.8 percent of employers in the Middle East look for ‘hunger, drive and ambition' as the most important factors when making a hiring decision. Salary considerations come in second (22.7 percent) with career track record being placed at the backburner. Most employers (67.2 percent) will consider hiring a candidate who has relevant skills but no direct experience in the company's field; similarly, the majority will hire a subordinate who is older than them (59.6 percent) or who is more skilled, capable, and qualified than themselves (74.6 percent). The employers' survey says the majority of jobseekers are letting themselves down by presenting unpolished resumes and not doing research prior to being called for the interviews. The results demonstrate that spelling and grammar does count, as 21.3 percent of employer respondents claim that poor language on a CV is the biggest mistake that jobseekers can make. The second biggest mistake, according to 19.7 percent employers, is submitting a CV that is not customised for the role. Clear exaggerations (16.4 percent) and poor format (14.8 percent) also figure highly on the list, along with lack of focus and key omissions. When it comes to interviews, 20 percent of employers consider poor preparation to be the biggest turn-off in potential employees; 17.5 percent feel that dishonesty is the worst trait an interviewee can have, followed by the candidate arriving late or asking inappropriate questions or making inappropriate comments, with 13.8 percent of employers citing each as the biggest turn-off. Insufficient enthusiasm for the role and poor interpersonal skills come joint fourth on the list of biggest turn-offs(12.5 percent), followed by inappropriate attire (7.5 percent) and being overly aggressive (2.5 percent). Most prospective employees are likely to be interviewed by one or two people (27.3 percent and 28.8 percent, respectively), though it is not uncommon for them to meet with more existing employees in their potential new company; 22.7 percent of respondents say that their interviewees will meet three people, while 18.2 percent claim that candidates will be interviewed by more than four. However, no matter how many people the candidate meets, the vast majority of employers (70 percent) say that post-interview follow-ups are essential. Almost 61 percent of employers consider the hiring practices in their company to be sophisticated, with 58.1 percent claiming that their organisation provides training on interview skills for those involved in the hiring process.
