Recruiting right

RELATED ARTICLES: Recruitment still a challenge | Sharp decline in labourer recruitment in Dubai | Bluehaus design concept with universal appeal

Recruitment has long been a bugbear for Dubai-based interior design firms. When the market was booming, finding quality design staff was notoriously difficult; keeping them loyal was even more of a challenge.

When the economic slowdown first hit, many companies were faced with the unsavoury task of slashing their workforce. Even those that didn’t have to downsize were forced to stop, take stock and consolidate, making for a decidedly stagnant employment market.

Dubai-based design firm, Bluehaus, opted to take a cautious, long-term approach to the market, and hasn’t employed any new staff over the last six months. “As management we have a longevity responsibility to the business and our customers and as such have focused on working with the team that we have built up over ten years,” said Ben Corrigan, design principal, Bluehaus.

However, with the first stirrings of renewed confidence being felt in the market, this is set to change. Bluehaus will be looking to recruit new team members in the final quarter of the year, as part of its 2015 growth plan.

“We have always believed in hiring as part of a growth strategy, as opposed to knee-jerk during busy periods. Over 65% of our customers are repeat customers, and like the consistency in our team. It gives them confidence,” Corrigan explained.
Meanwhile, Dubai-based Design Work Porfolio is currently looking to hire a document controller and a mid-level interior designer.

This follows the hiring of seven new members of staff over the last six months. Global Design Interiors, part of the Al Reyami Group, is also currently looking to fill a number of positions, with vacancies for a design director, senior designer, client relationship manager, project managers, business development people and general office assistants currently open.

Edward Smith, director of Global Design Interiors, is looking for candidates with applicable experiences, excellent communication skills and the ability to “wear many hats”. “They must be motivated from within, not by the paycheck. And they must understand our commitment to the client and to the schedule,” Smith explained.

According to Christian Merieau, managing director, Middle East, of Samuel Creations, potential recruits must obviously be intelligent, with a controlled creativity and the capacity to both listen and understand. “They should also be well travelled with a strong cultural and artistic background,” he said.

As companies begin to jump-start their recruitment processes, they could be forgiven for expecting to find a glut of high-quality candidates on the market – a by-product of last year’s lay-offs and a depressed recruitment market. But that’s not necessarily the case, according to Martin Wojnowski, design principal, Design Work Porfolio. High-level candidates are still extremely hard to come by, he maintained.

“Finding the right people to fill our vacancies is still a challenge. It seems like the best candidates have retained their positions throughout the economic slump and they are not considering a career move,” Wojnowski said.

“In response to our job adverts we receive hundreds of CVs. Only a handful get shortlisted. Quite often the selected ones do not make it through the probation period,” he said.

Wojnowski looks for candidates with knowledge of local FF&E markets, good budgetary awareness, the ability to develop intricate design details, exceptional documentation ability, proficiency in graphic software and, above all, good design instincts.

But finding employees that are experienced in high-end commercial work is notoriously difficult, he explained. “We are working on high-end, commercial interior design projects,” he said.

“The specific character of the projects, as well as our clients, poses various recruitment challenges. Very few locally-available candidates understand the specific nature of contemporary international hotel design standards. They are not acquainted with the appropriate references.

“Their understanding of design in the commercial sense is limited as well. Applicants usually come from a contracting background or other design firms with no exposure to high-end international projects. Very few candidates are well oriented in the locally available materials, finishes, furniture or lighting,” Wojnowski maintained.

While recruitment companies are a popular tool when it comes to finding new staff, this is still a market that relies heavily on word of mouth, networking and personal recommendation. Companies are now also capitalising on new, web-based recruitment channels, using sites such as Dubizzle to attract prospective employees.

However, regardless of the chosen channel, finding the right people is still a tricky business. “Recruitment is not an exact science and regardless of how stringent your recruitment policy is, decisions need to be made and gut feeling is occasionally the deciding factor between two equally strong candidates,” said Corrigan.

“Expertise and experience are the key drivers, but we also look for strength of character and passion. I have always been a big believer that expertise and experience are under-utilised commodities without character and passion,” he added.

Getting the right mix of personalities is particularly crucial if you are trying to build up a coherent team, Global Design Interiors’ Smith noted. “The most challenging aspect is personality assessment, because everything else can be verified,” Merieau agreed. “Due to the strong mix of nationalities in Dubai it is crucial that each new employee is ready to make the necessary effort to communicate and understand others. Sheer creativity, if not communicated properly, is useless,” he said.

While effective recruitment is a universal challenge, there are aspects of the local market that make it even more difficult in this part of the world, Corrigan suggested. “Predominantly because we live in an incredibly transient part of the world and employ based on long-term strategy as opposed to short-term contracts. Long-term in the UAE can mean two years. Due to this, personal circumstances can play an important role in the decision making process.”

However, for Merieau, the cultural diversity of the region more than makes up for its transient nature. “There is a wide variety of competencies and cultures. Most importantly, job seekers come here with the right attitude and an enormous appetite for success. The only difficulty is finding designers with a true knowledge of classic craftsmanship,” he maintained.

“The general market we work in has attracted high-quality people over the years to the region, providing a pool of reasonably-skilled designers and project managers,” Smith agreed. “However this is undermined by the transient tendencies of the workforce, so creating a high performance workforce is reasonable; keeping it together is the challenge.”

Staff retention may be slightly easier when your competitors are no longer lining up at the door to poach your best talent – but that doesn’t mean that employers can afford to be complacent. After all, staff retention has little to do with economic conditions and much to do with how a firm is managed and run.

“I feel that many design firms suffer from serious management issues,” said Wojnowski. “Designers are usually disastrous managers. Staff feel insecure and pressured in a negative way. The atmosphere in the studio is often toxic. Staff feel they have no clear direction.

“I remember myself working for one such Dubai company. The management was disorganised and deeply arrogant at the same time. Eventually, they faced the challenge of staff and client retention,” he recalled.

According to Merieau, effective employers should offer their staff absolute respect, honesty and fairness, as well as providing them with a sense of belonging, and giving them the opportunity to take charge, while being supported by the management.

Bluehaus also prides itself on its staff retention record. “We are very proud of our team retention,” said Corrigan. “We believe this is a reflection of our corporate culture, based on strong core values. We look after our team, and they look after the Bluehaus brand and our customers. Transparency, trust, integrity and a good working environment are all fundamentally important to the wellbeing of your team; that’s why they stay.”

But this represents an investment – of time, money and energy. “We have employed the services of a success and leadership coach for 2010, Mick Todd. Mick continues to work with each team member, across the hierarchy,” Corrigan detailed.

“We are big believers in investing in training at all levels, particularly during difficult times.”