Company focuses on UAE nationals

Iris Executives, which was launched in Dubai about a year and a half ago, has sidestepped the market for expatriate job seekers and dedicated itself solely to UAE nationals.

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"The idea was, for the first time, create [a recruitment firm] that is only going to be focused on Emiratisation instead of trying to adapt what everyone is doing for expats to Emiratisation and hope for the best," says Hamza Zaouali, the managing director of Iris Executives.

On the basis of his experience thus far, Mr Zaouali says many Emiratis do not submit CVs online, which expatriates often do.

Rather, Mr Zaouali says, employers can better target UAE nationals for open positions by using social media such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Personal recommendations also go a long way, and Iris has created a database of potential candidates who are known to be strong performers in their fields - even if they are not necessarily looking for new jobs.

The idea is that employers can approach individuals from this pool when they need to hire.

"Usually, recruitment companies would put up an advert, wait for an application, then send a shortlist," Mr Zaouali says.

"This is a completely different way of doing recruitment."

Of course, convincing qualified potential recruits to leave their posts and take up new ones can be a challenge.

That is why Iris often reaches out to Emirati employees before they are headhunted for specific positions.

"One of the questions I'd like to know the answer to is 'how can we improve your life at the moment?'" Mr Zaouali says.

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