Layan Damanhouri
Job-hunting has transformed globally with the sizeable amount of online recruitment sites, networking platforms and available tools online. Bayt.com, a leading job site in the Middle East that serves over 23 million members, posts over 10,000 job announcements on an average day, according to the vice president of sales at Bayt.com Suhail Masri.
As a result, employers often face a bulky load of resumes. “With so many CVs, it becomes difficult for an employer to distinguish between a great candidate and an ‘okay’ one,” Masri said.
He added: “It’s important to keep in mind that online recruitment is an enormously diverse channel, and it includes everything from posting a job online, to searching for a candidate’s profile on a search engine, to owning a career page on a company website. Bayt.com continues to expand its product and service offering, its business lines, its mediums of delivery and its geographic footprint. The general public often does not know how much Bayt.com does.” Masri said that 15 year old website has recently added features to make it easier for recruiters as well as candidates, such as tests, employer branding resources and a mobile app.
Nonetheless, the unemployment rate for Saudi youth remains at a high rate of over 29 percent. Female unemployment represents over 32 percent in Saudi Arabia.
Glowork, a platform that seeks to bridge the gap between female job seekers and employers, announced a brand new social media app that will soon be launched in Saudi Arabia to boost women’s chance in finding jobs and advancing in their careers.
Since 2011, the online portal has aimed to bridge the gap between employers and female job seekers who would upload their resumes for potential companies to scan their profiles.
Speaking to Saudi Gazette, founder, Khalid Alkhudair said the recruitment site for Saudi women has not been effective in Saudi Arabia. “After 4 years working in this industry, recruitment sites are not frequently used. On average, they are used once every 5 months.”
The new app, he explained, mimics an Instagram-type social media platform where users can look for a job in an entertaining way.
“We created a social community where candidates follow friends, companies, brands, and so on. At the same time, you can see job vacancies.”
Similarly, it allows employers to target the users through a geographic mapping system.
Alkhudair hopes to see the app a more successful method, adding that users would be able to take photos of things that interest them and help them find a job according to their preferences. Clients will also be able to connect with others in a network in a friendly environment.
