Jobs In Dubai's (JID) reputation can be instantly discerned with a visit to its website. A click on its 'employers listing' helps us understand its standard of service. Clients such as Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Axiom Telecom, Arya Insurance, FedEx, First Gulf Bank and many more are a part of its team. Online positive testimonials from fresh graduates and experienced employees complete the picture of its reputation.

JID is not just another recruiting agency website. All you have to do is click and the rest is done for you.

In an interview with Emirates Business, Nofel Izz, CEO of JID, said his company follows the best customer service practices, encompassing knowledge, character and careers on a 'non-traditional' platform. It acts as a helping hand for the employers and job seekers by offering 50 trial accounts to more than 1,500 clients.


How did the concept of online recruiting start?

With the growth of the internet, our habits as information seekers, shoppers, applicants, etc, have changed immensely. The information explosion on the internet created a safe, secure, immediate and direct avenue for access to information. Traditional mediums such as advertising in the print media and faxing in of resumes meant that the process of employment took long and did not meet the growing needs of employers. Online recruiting was born out of this need and it has made the job search and recruiting process faster, easier, less cumbersome and empowering.

You have also signed up with other recruiting websites. Why did you use this marketing strategy?

The strategic alliances that we have created provide a better platform to increase accessibility of employers to a larger pool of worthy candidates. This approach also ensures that we are able to take job postings to a wider audience of job seekers. It also increases the success rate of JID as an employment portal.

How are you different from other leading recruiting websites?

We are committed to constantly improving our reach and appeal to employers and candidates alike. This unwavering focus has catapulted us to being the number one employment portal for jobs in Dubai. We have focused on establishing strong relationships with both employers and our pool of candidates and we have a solid track record to prove that we deliver well on our commitments. Besides, we are also an extremely cost-effective choice for employment needs.

You have the largest database of clients and recruiters. How did JID establish its credibility?

When JID initiated its operations in 2002, we were the second online employment/recruitment portal in the marketplace. We stayed true to our strategy of providing integrity in the employment process and remaining cost-effective at the same time. Like in any business, staying true to your purpose and strategy will ensure that you gain credibility in the marketplace. We've seen exponential success over the years and have built a strong brand-equity.

Are people valued for their nationality or their career record?

The employers firstly select candidates based on what they see in the candidate's profile and resume. Qualifications for the job, experience, skill-set, education, etc, rank among the first attributes that the employers would be looking for in a candidate. A successful career path will impress employers and increase the likelihood of selection for interviews.

However, it is also important that the candidates present themselves well during the whole hiring process – especially if the job entails interacting with external customers. JID has made it easier for qualified candidates to showcase their resume and also to demonstrate a professional physical appearance. Our SnapShot feature enables candidates to upload their picture to their online account, thus offering employers more decision capability.

One thing you would think is important for employers to understand on the recruiting front?

E-recruitment is the way to go, given its cost-effectiveness, ease of use and access to a large pool of candidates. At JID, we have further simplified it for employers and recruiters from our large database of resumes. Firstly, our candidates' profiles are robust with almost all of the relevant information needed in order to pre-screen and select worthy candidates. Recruiters can also see pictures of our candidates through our SnapShot feature. Secondly, we've created an intuitive online interview procedure that helps recruiters assess candidates prior to setting up telephonic or in-person interviews. This cost-effective way of short-listing saves a lot of the recruiters' time.

How has the sudden drop in recruitment in the region affected your organisation? Are you able to cope with the requirements?

We have had an influx of job seekers, but have not seen any dramatic drop in employers' job postings as such. We have had all sorts of positions filled in the past week in a myriad of fields, from sales and medical to IT. A noticeable trend is that we see a lot of resumes from property sales consultants who are engineers or even doctors but got lured into the real estate market. They are definitely at an advantage as now they can secure jobs in their own field.

What are the new plans of JID in this rapidly changing environment?

We are in the process of introducing a networking service for professionals that would make it easy for them to share valuable industry information, best practices, job search tips, etc. This process, called Connect, will be free to access for anyone who visits our website. This new process would help to establish the first Middle East networking service if its kind consisting of more than three million professionals. Individuals and corporations would be able to form groups, and invite and advertise on this platform similar to popular social sites.


PROFILE: Nofel Izz CEO, Jobs in Dubai

Nofel Izz was born and raised in Dubai. After completing his schooling here he immigrated to Canada for further education.

Izz worked for the Bank of Montreal in the private banking division and later quit to set up his own venture. His entrepreneurial spirit made him endeavour to make simple online systems, which ultimately led to the creation of JobsinDubai.com.

Izz is currently pursuing an MBA from the University of Toronto, Canada, and is always keen on venturing into new concepts and ideas.