UAE employers require graduates with more than just good grades

DUBAI : Employers in the UAE require graduates with more than just good grades, according to new research carried out by Hult International Business School.

Dr Amanda Peters, dean at Hult’s Dubai campus, said the research aimed to highlight what the world’s top 100 companies seek from graduates – and said there were aspects unique to the UAE and region.“There are hundreds of people who can get good marks in financial strategy but we want people who can actually do things,” she said. “People who can deal with real-life situations, manage relationships, deal with problem solving.”

Among the priorities and qualities sought by employers here were the ability to work in a multicultural environment.

“Working in multicultural teams is evident every day in the UAE. People come from a wide variety of nationalities,” she said.

For global companies, moving to a developing economy such as the UAE required a rethink of traditional practices, she said. “It needs a fresh look at what you’re doing. You’re always reinventing, therefore, graduates need skills such as problem solving, dealing with this ambiguity and developing creative approaches.”

Developing relationships, notably through face-to-face contact, was also a key skill sought by employers.

“You see it here all the time, that business often has more to do with relationships than simple agreements. In the western world people judge you on statistics and reputation but that’s not enough for the big players in this region.”

Yassar Jarrar, a partner at Bain & Company, was part of the research. He agreed the UAE was less structured and more dependent on skills such as multicultural relations. “These [face-to-face] relationships are a cornerstone of trust which is more powerful than legal contracts in some countries in the region.”

Mr Jarrar said many graduates were still not ready for real-life work situations.

“Academic grades are not an indicator of career success. While it is important to have good degrees, the skills needed to succeed in today’s world of work are personal skills: critical thinking, communication, and leadership are much more important to employers … the core skills for building a career or starting a business.”

– Information courtesy: The National, UAE