The Jobs Applicants!
For Thursday – June 27th 2013.
Between Us Only!
The Jobs Applicants!
- Our young men have proven over the past years that they are people of resolve – Abdicating Emir of Qatar in favour of his son speech June 25th 2013.
- Every day I wake up a little afraid. Only a fool is never afraid! – Ron Meyer
- If you do not tell the truth about yourself; you cannot tell it about other people! – Virginia Woolf
I read now with great interests about The Jobs Applicants – and how that from the so-called for interviews lots – that many do not turn up even – or if the minority do – they turn down the offers as too little! And not to their expectations!
I do not know what has really happened or changed – but a few years ago the situation was not that rosy! Whatever jobs that were offered – people ‘ran to grab’ – the only issues remained of high demands and expectations – and of people moving around jobs – and changing for even as little as Omani Rials 30 in the ‘live examples’ per se that I had handled myself – and in trying to talk to them and to convince them ‘not to leave’ – because we had a career plan for them – and were looking at their best interests – even if it may take a bit longer!
Learning on The Job!
But the wait was better – for their overall interests and benefits! Some of them listened – but many did not! Years far later in life I see them in the very same jobs and levels – whilst their peers that were more attentive to good advices and wisdoms – have moved on – to higher levels! To levels that even for some of them were pleasantly surprising – and least expected!
Engineering Craftsmen
I know personally of many cases that some that are now Senior Managers and Directors – but their ‘rolling stone gathers no moss’ peers are at best at middle levels – and that too if they are lucky! That happens to you when you leave a good decent place – for another with a few more Rials – and who are more interested in poaching others trained – to ‘boost their egos and Omanisation figures only – and not really interested in the person in reality – or what he represents.
Generally this happens in mainly expatriate management run companies – and everyone knows this! Does not even need to be said – but as the good Brits say – ‘that is how the cookie crumbles! Despite so many things happening – nothing much has happened in these places in reality – with exception of the new media gimmicks of ‘office parties and long services recognition awards – but apart from that nothing concrete or in reality! The PRO and the Clerk is still there – same levels – years on – years out – whilst his peer is a Supervisor, Asst. Manager – or even a Manager – in the place he left and quickly abandoned for 30 Omani Rials more! It is very sad and pathetic in reality!
Young Lady Graduate
There is an expression that says – Do not kill the messenger. Over 10 years ago – in my first book I wrote about ‘The Rebellious Teenagers’ – giving live examples – but as usual people do not like these to hear these things – and want to be fooled by always hearing only good news – not the other lot! It is still there – and people can still read it!
In one acrimonious Management meeting – even before this – can you imagine? I had cautioned about the problems of jobs – and the flimsy excuses we were giving at the time of turning away job aspirants – and yet people will always compare ‘apples to oranges’ – when they see many other expatriates – and in large numbers – still working there! If I were in a place where people read my columns – and act on my advices – I firmly believe we could have avoided a lot of things. Yet in this meeting I was clearly sidelined and marginalised – and for a long time after that! For the first time that year I received ‘Just Satisfactory’ performance bonus – when in many years before it was in the superior levels – as a personal message and affront!
Science Lab Students
I find it very satirical that the same peoples that are now retired too – telling me that they ‘heard me loud and clear’ – and really appreciated my personal sacrifices vis-à-vis my career progression and prospects! But the part that makes me find it more jovial and pun – is saying ‘we were just following orders – do not blame us’! I guess even the Nazis cold tell the same to the 6 million massacred Jews in the holocaust – if they wanted to! Or in Rwanda – and so many other examples!
Going back to the Job Applicants. In one of the places I was working there was an Omani girl Engineering graduate and SQU too – who had applied for a Secretarial job that we had advertised to replace the expatriates – as ‘jobs reserved for Omanis’ – at least at those times! I asked her point blank if she was crazy or what? She told me – I come from the Interior – I know no one with W here – and even our own do not help us! And I am the only bread winner now – with my sick parents resisting the urge to marry me off to a richer man with 2 wives already – till I finished my studies!
Omani Lady Manager
When the good American CEO came on a visit from Dubai – I told him this heart rending story of this young Omani girl! The good man told me – You are the Country HR Manager – and make a proposal so we both can recruit her in the Secretarial Slot – but we will move her to look after Logistics and Inventory – which is the ‘nearest Engineering’ job that we had at the time! It was done – and she was recruited.
Omani Lady Engineer Image – For Demonstration Purposes Only – For All The Images Above.
Yet this same girl had gone to many local Engineering Companies – run by expatriate Management. And they told her the very same thing – we do not have any Engineering jobs now – but we can take you in Admin. Admin being the dumping grounds for University graduates – and these same firms are everyday now in the days in various campaigns – and winning all kinds of ‘home country awards’ – and for what? For deceiving and hoodwinking peoples – because like in this case they would have had to train and educate her – and there were no ‘good American CEO and caring local HR Manager’ around! Forgive me – for blowing my own trumpet!
What more can I say now? Take Care!
By Majid Al Suleimany
