When hiring a fresh graduate, an employer needs to be aware of their expectations, their readiness for the market, and their target industries in order to attract the best candidates. Here are a few facts about hiring fresh graduates this year in the MENA region, from the Bayt.com Fresh Graduates in the MENA survey, July 2016.
Are fresh graduates in the MENA happy with their education?
According to the Bayt.com Fresh Graduates in the MENA survey, three-quarters of fresh graduates in the MENA claimed satisfaction with the higher education quality they received. Moreover, even though the general consensus was satisfaction towards education, fresh graduates felt they didn’t get the value for money their education costs (54%) and they were unsatisfied with the infrastructure of their higher education (58%). Consequently, over half of them feel unfit for the job market as their education didn’t prepare them for it.
Realistically, are fresh graduates prepared for the job market or their target industry? Survey results show that those who believe they are ready consist mainly of participants from the GCC (ranging from 20% in Bahrain to 30% in Kuwait). Alternatively, fresh graduates in Egypt were likely to claim their education didn’t prepare them to target their industry of choice (19%).
Are they ready for the job market?
As an employer, experience is an important factor alongside education. According to the survey, two-thirds of fresh graduates across the MENA acquired work experience before or during their time in college. The larger portion of those had experience ranged between 1-24 months.
What are fresh graduates looking for in a job?
As an employer, the most important attribute for fresh graduates is doing a job they feel passionate about. Meaning, if you were to hire fresh graduates in their target industry, you are making a long-term investment in this new employee to become a valuable asset for your company. Two other important attributes are salaries and opportunities for career progression.
Online job sites are the number 1 tool for finding a job
As seen below, the number 1 tool for finding a job is leading online job sites, such as Bayt.com.
Future plans
Despite what many perceive as a ‘negative outlook’, results suggest fresh graduates across the region tend to be resilient and persistent in their search, with by far the largest proportion (43%) claiming they will keep looking until they do find a job in their industry of choice. Nevertheless, results also point to a ‘pragmatic’ youth, with one in every five (21%) fresh graduates surveyed across the region claiming they will start looking for a job in another industry and further 16% claiming they will look for any job no matter the industry. This pattern of responses was fairly consistent across all countries surveyed.
