du picks up the fruits of success in Career Fair by meeting with 420 nationals

The company announced vacancies in its business department and at its call centres and has received applications for many positions including sales executive and clients’ care staff for its call centres.

Over four thousand unique CVs were handed over to du, with the vast majority actually being turned in by hand at the fair. And over a thousand were also sent via an application form on du’s homepage. du is trying to change the belief that they are merely creating a job for people but rather that what the company is offering is a complete career, and people who are coming to work for du as sales executives will have many great and expanding opportunities.

“Our aim is to help Emiratization. We organised the Open Day targeting qualified nationals who submitted applications to du directly or through other programs like Tanmia and Emirates Nationals Development Programme (ENDP). In fact we are seeing significant attention across the board from the community, so our efforts at this career fair have been rewarded,”

said Fahad Al Hassawi, Executive Vice President – Human Resources, du.

du currently employs nearly 750 workers, and the company expects to more than double that total to 1400 by the end of the 2006 calendar year. Its participation in Career Fair and organising the Open Day reflect its commitment to the locals of UAE which has been shown in the many job opportunities created for them.

Al Hassawi encouraged young locals to change their beliefs regarding a “costumer services” career in du’s call centre. He said that it is not only a matter of answering calls but that it requires special skills in communication. Al Hassawi also explained that the reasons behind the substantial offers for du’s positions were due to du being the choice for highly-skilled applicants not only locally but also globally. He said: “To have excellent employees requires a strong plan for recruitment, and then maintaining a strong relationship with them. We make these efforts because employees are the basis of any business.”

du announced at Open Day that it would offer an attractive package for locals in the position of sales executive. In addition, applicants hired will get yearly plane tickets for both themselves and their spouses and children, comprehensive medical insurance, education packages for their children, and employee development courses which could include training to learn a foreign language.

Mansoor Ahmed, a 19 year old graduate, was impressed by du’s packages for locals, and hopes to join du as a sales executive and urges companies in the private sector to make similar offers like du has in order to attract more locals.

Liyla Al Shehi who has been unemployed since she graduated with an IT diploma degree two years ago, looks forward to joining du and working as a sales executive too. She said that “du’s” working atmosphere with its many opportunities for advancement will be a choice for many locals. She added: “What du announced during the Open Day will differentiate it from all other competition in the market.”