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Are you an A-Player?

Target an A-employer

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he number of employers looking for A-Players is once again on the rise after a worldwide financial crisis which forced many top employers to lay off key staff.

Employers today are demanding top credentials and are well positioned to source top candidates given the number of unemployed and under-employed A-Players in the marketplace today.

In demand are candidates with outstanding technical skills, excellent education backgrounds, unblemished professional experience histories and admirable personality traits.

You are all of that... and more. Will you

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simply go with the flow and jump at the first job opportunity that comes your way?

Don't you classify yourself as an A-Player who is entitled to work for an A-Employer? Shouldn't you look for a company that has what it takes for an A-Player such as yourself to want to join its ranks?

Our recommendation is simple: Ask yourself what are you really looking for. What are you worth? What company would satisfy your professional ambitions?

The career experts at Bayt.com share some insights below regarding what to look for in a potential employer company regardless of its size or capital!

A company with a vision: Gone are the days of corporate visions revolving around lofty unachievable dreams; it's all about visions with an attainable focus today, inspiring but realistic visions that give corporate direction to a company's founders, executive team, staff and prospective A-players. Target a company which involves its community and staff in its plans, a company you can relate to and where your individual objectives can correlate with the corporate strategic objectives.

A company with a healthy & positive corporate culture: Employees spend most of their time in the office. Would

bottom line you want to spend your day suffering from the repercussions of negative office politics, an unreasonable hierarchy scheme or colleagues you do not relate to in any possible manner? A sense of belonging to the corporate culture is a key motivation and driver for employees to commit to one specific job or company, according to 31% of Middle Eastern professionals who have taken part in a Bayt. com survey. Target those organisations that have a set of lucid corporate norms and sound values that you can personally respect and relate to. (Not easy to figure this out before joining? It's always wise to interact with current employees while you are going through the interview process on the company's premises. Insider information is priceless!)

A company that provides Job and Financial Security: While it is not only about the money, the remuneration package will play a fundamental role when your are comparing offers from potential employers and as an A-player you are inevitably seeking some degree of medium to long-term job security, a vital commodity that has escaped many professionals during the recent economic turbulence. Look for fair and compelling total compensation packages comprised of a competitive salary as well as benefits that could include performance-based bonuses, personal (and family) health insurance, retirement schemes, education allowances and perhaps even children's education support. Think twice about companies that demonstrate a high degree of volatility in staff turnover and look instead for those that provide a healthy degree of career longevity and sustainability for their staff (again, insider information works wonders here).

A company that conducts regular performance reviews: Should you be interested in a company that does not value regular employee job performance

appraisals? Probably not as these appraisals will often be your principal means to gauge how well you are faring vis-a-vis your daily responsibilities and to discuss and set bigger and better job objectives as well as receive assistance with directions to help achieve them. Regular employee job performance appraisals also offer the opportunity to voice any issues or concerns you are faced with and suggest any additional job tasks you would like to undertake. This being said, make it a point to look for an employer who listens and does not shy away from providing regular constructive feedback, then beefing it up with necessary support!

A company that offers opportunities for career development: Does the company you are considering foster regular in-house trainings? Fund external training programmes for current employees? Organise internal job rotation programmes? It is vital for you to have an answer to these questions as some companies have halted official employee career development programmes as part of their post-crisis restructuring strategies. Do you really want to be part of their team? You should be looking for an employer who is willing to invest in you and support you to advance both personally and professionally: 32% of professionals surveyed in a recent Bayt.com employee motivation survey have agreed that professional growth opportunities are a prime motivator when it comes to committing to a certain job or company.

An employer willing to invest meaningfully in their employees is definitely an employer you would want to target.

A company that does not shun employee recognition: Are you an overachiever? An innovator? Do you constantly succeed and exceed your company's expectations and maximise its ROI? “Over-worked, under-valued” is then not a valid or sustainable long-

term proposition for you. Look instead for a company with a meritocratic culture and clear reward and recognition schemes where you will receive a strong public and private boost for your efforts. A company that recognises and acknowledges a job well done is definitely a keeper.

A company that can show flexibility where needed: Employee work/life balance strategies, now more than ever, are hungered for by employees worldwide. A recent Bayt.com survey shows that 91% of working professionals in the Middle East consider work/life balance very important to their personal and professional well-being. “Over-worked, overstressed” is probably also not an equation you favour. Aim for a company that demonstrates a genuine concern for the well-being of its staff and an intention to show flexibility where and when needed, a company that is aware of the importance of work/life balance and its effects on the morale and productivity of employees. Work-/life balance strategies can be illustrated in various ways including flexible timings, occasional telecommuting allowances, strictly limited eight -hour office workdays, daycare facilities for working mothers, a company cafeteria and perhaps even a company gym or discount rates at a local gym or spa.

A company that provides/believes in mentor/apprentice relationships: Look for a company that invests the extra effort in turning its managers into mentors.

A healthy, positive and mutually beneficial relationship between an employee and his line manager was deemed a key motivational factor by 32% of Middle Eastern professionals surveyed in Bayt. com's recent motivation survey. You are a knowledge seeker, a career enthusiast and a mentorship aficionado and should aim to work for a company that fosters these practices n

Bayt.com is the #1 job site in the Middle East with more than 30,000 employers and over 4 million registered job seekers from across the Middle East, North Africa and the globe, representing all industries, nationalities and career levels. Post a job or find jobs on www.bayt.com today and access the leading resource for job seekers and employers in the region.

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