WATCH:What are the employers in Qatar looking for?

The entire world is going through a tricky phase because of COVID-19. Even though Qatar has proved to be a far better place to be in in these trying times, the Gulf state too had to face a lot of challenges, and its job market, like in any other country, has had to adapt to the situation for survival. 

Despite the timely government intervention, months of uncertainty put at least some firms in a spot of bother and some people out of their jobs. But things are slowly getting back to normal - that is, if you consider face masks, hand sanitizers, and social distancing as the new norm. However, businesses are trying to stand on their feet after the knockout blow while some families who had to stay apart because of the virus are back together.

The best, and in fact the only way, to cope with this difficult period is to make the most out of what we have and employers in Qatar know this all too well. With almost all nations imposing strict restrictions on issuing new visas, job providers are forced to hire from within the country. So apart from the hard skills and soft skills they normally seek in a potential candidate, these days job providers are keen about a few other things as well. Here we have a look at what they are actually looking for in a prospective employee. Here we have a look at what they are actually looking for if you are searching for jobs in Qatar.

Visa status

The visa status has become the important criteria for hiring an employee and coronavirus has a big role to play in it. With companies forced to hire from within the country, they are more than happy if the candidate already has a valid visa, especially now that workers are allowed to switch jobs without employers’ permission, after Qatar made changes to the labour rule in August. 

Hiring from within the country might be the second best option, but now that companies are forced to do it, they can surely find positives in that as well. To begin with, it saves them plenty of overhead costs. Hiring used to be an elaborate process which included job campaigns and recruitment drives outside the country, costing plenty of money. With no hiring from outside the country, that cost comes down drastically. And if a company can find a candidate with a valid visa, it reduces the expenses even more. 

Years of experience

There is no substitute for experience in any field. Experienced hands would cost more for an employer but ensure increased productivity and they are in top demand now, more than ever, in any field. 

Seasoned campaigners achieve quality output without compromising on quantity. They save time, are crucial when decision making and risk-taking are involved and are more often than not, multi-talented. If a company hires freshers or less experienced candidates, it has to give them training which will cost them money and time, and companies would not like to invest in it now. Freshers are a valuable investment, they are the future, but at the moment survival is the name of the game.  

Previous experience

A person whose previous job has been exactly the same would need some time to adapt to the new situation. Vice versa, however talented a candidate may be he would have to get used to the new job, if it is something he has not been doing. 

A candidate with previous experience at a large firm but of a similar nature brings with him the style and work culture to the new place and his employers are definitely going to gain from that. Similarly, if he is joining a big firm from a small company he might be used to having more responsibilities. 

Employers know that the idea of a perfect employee is just an idea while the same goes for the ‘perfect job’ as far as a candidate is concerned. The trick is to get the best of what is available, for both of them - the employer and the employee.   

Salary range

Employers have to decide whether an employee, however good he or she may be, is ideal for their salary system. Offering one or a few employees considerably more than what they pay the rest may upset the pay scale of the company and it is not a very healthy situation. 

But every now and then companies come across exceptional candidates for whom they might be forced to play around with their salary cap, even if it means leaving a few disgruntled.

Pleasing personality

Pleasing personality is an important prerequisite for any job as no employer would be happy to deal with a frowning, temperamental employee, no matter how good he or she is at work.

A pleasant attitude is half the job done and employers would always go for a safe bet especially during this period where nobody has time for tantrums.

Pleasing personality alone won’t get the job done and employers need to make sure that prospective candidates have the necessary soft skills and the hard skills for the job.

Soft skills and hard skills 

Soft skills, or emotional intelligence quotient, are personality traits such as communication, leadership and time management. It is the ability to use one’s emotions in a positive way to derive the optimum result from a given situation. Hard skills are referred to as the technical ability of a person to do a specified job. Hard skills are important in all jobs, especially in specialised fields. Soft skills give an employee a head start, but without hard skills no one can survive. 

So employers will look for a combination of soft skills and hard skills, and in Qatar, in the present scenario, a few other factors like visa status are also of prime importance.

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