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I am a UK based Business Development Manager with a huge amount of experience looking for training and business development opportunities, everything in the UAE is based around degrees why ? Is there anyone who can help, or suggest ?
Well if you allow me, I might reply to your question as Business Development Mgr that had to create own team of +80 employees and succeed as HR Manager for Automotive plants in3 countries; also developed projects in Marketing, Telecoms and IT where I always prefer to create my own team.
At same time, I'm currently Business Dev. Mgr and Institutional Relationships Mgr for Governmental Authority in MENA region.
Coming to your inquiry, It is a matter of fact, that right now with current economic situation degrees upon a profile is the first filter. Why?
- Simply because there is more demand than offer. When you receive500 candidates for a simple non-qualified role, HR Executive has to take a determination to filter candidates in fast way. Usually many of them chose the wrong action of filtering by Degree; when upon my experience the correct one is filtering by a mixture of minimum degrees + proper knowledge + proper experience + ATTITUDE.
Also note that Experience could always be covered by some "fuzzy or hidden information" but, degrees can simply become audited by calling the college you write in CV.
From my experience, filtering by DEGREE is a costly WRONG determination; why?
- Becoming bored or unmotivated is the main brake for success; It is also a fact that86% of candidates that took a job that was undervaluing their capacity it is just mainly driven by need.
- This means that As soon as the Candidate/hired person has no need, will quit job; or worse than that... his/her mind will always be25%occupied and repeating that is lack of motivation.
As conclusion: These hiring’s that have Higher degree that the one it is needed to complete the tasks assigned... this person (man or woman) will try to leave the job ASAP to find something that really fills his/her soul, mindset and makes him/her feel happy when leaving job and reaching home.
As per suggestion, I might highlight the power that have Real Recommendation Letters and References; due that at least in my case I usually focus on candidates that have a nice balance of knowledge/background/degree & references to cover the requirements we need to fulfill.
The right candidate might still have some lack of knowledge that needs to fill (to improve they motivation to learn and delay the day they become bored and look for new challenge) and with most relevancy... I look for ATTITUDE, need people that is keen to work, to take decisions, to become self-motivated, to become autonomous, that... like to solve problems!!!
Note that when you're hired to cover a position, is because the Manager, the Owner or someone had a Problem and you come there to solve it... if you don't solve it... you might not be there receiving salary and they might look for someone else.
Best regards,
Marc
Hi Marc
Your answer is so lengthy, You spent some time on it, I appreciate your comments, however balancing business and being practical in your result is something else.
Its hard to know how many , but im sure there is a lot of them :), in arabic countries , they evaluate you by your degree, a few of them give chance for interview without degree , but anyway the chance is still there.
Poor understanding of the business development job requirements. In UAE they have the misconception that a degree guarantees you to have the expertise for the job; nothing far from the truth in business development and other position too. The question is always, it is more worth for a company an individual with20 years of experience in the job or a graduate with3 years experience?
There is no degree in business development, an engineering or business management degree does not qualify you for the job even closely, business development is one of the few positions where a face to face interview and a long experience list is mandatory.
In the international engineering and contracting business business developers comes from inside the organization, they go through, proposal, estimating, commercial, junior sales training before even being exposed to business development.
I have been successful at my location so sorry that I havent got an opportunity to work at UAE or KSA yet. But I am handling some customers at UAE and so far good response.
As I have worked in Dubai with different agency, recently I have worked with Web Development agency: Dubaimn.com here in UAE I found management is too much easy if you know the local language. Because people are easily trust and give you a work. All you need is to know local language, this is what I think ...
It is really difficult to judge or evaluate individual performance, only their respective companies can evaluate their performance. Not necessarily that every Business development Manager company is hiring should be successful, some time companies hire to manage their clientele not to let go their clients to competition.
Even if they are successful in meeting the expectations also they are successful without further contribution..
I hope team agrees with my point..
