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Job seekers must “up their game” now that the FM recruitment market has taken a dramatic U-turn, specialists in the field have warned.
According to recruitment advisors, there are currently more experienced facilities managers than there are FM jobs in the region, meaning that candidates must increase the level of their skill sets if they wish to compete with other potential employees.
“I believe that, since 2007, the perception of the ideal candidate has altered. During the boom the recruitment processes was at times haphazard, due to pressures of volume of work and project deadlines,” said Kobaltt senior recruitment consultant Helena Gammon.
“Clients are now able to be more selective and will wait to recruit until they find the most suitable candidates.”
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Hays senior recruitment consultant Leonie Yates has also found that the job market has altered considerably since the downturn and, before the summer of 2008, many companies hired employees based on their availability, not their talent.
“The market was hugely candidate lead, meaning there were too few experienced FM candidates in the region to meet the demand. Hence most companies, pre-summer 2008, were desperately recruiting internationally to plug the shortfall in skills in the region,” she said.
“The facilities managers still here in the region really do need to raise their game. We do have a core selection good FM’s working in the region, with qualifications and serious professional caliber, but many more who do not. FM is always going to be an industry that people think they can do with little or no experience.”
Another change to the job market has been the increased demand for FM’s with GCC experience. Before the downturn, this wasn’t as essential.
“Employers are now looking for real Middle East or international experience that relates directly to knowing and understanding local requirements,” explained Millennium Solutions managing director Simon Hobart.
“Too many recently-arrived FM employees have gained high positions and salaries without achieving the required results.”
Yates seconded this argument and added that FM companies in the Middle East are now less inclined to employ international candidates until there is an urgent need for a skill set that they haven’t found in the region.
“This is because many international candidates arrive and do not settle and choose to go home. They are unable to adjust to the working conditions, which can be very different to their country of origin. And, candidates already based in the UAE are seen as safer option for employers,” she said.
Despite the changes in the market, however, the job pool remains steady and the number of available opportunities is increasing.
“We foresee that, when the market matures within the next five years, the number of available jobs will increase. The opportunities are also not as limited as last year,” insisted Gammon.
Ideal candidate qualities
- Longevity of service – candidates who show commitment to a company
- Specific skill and experiences
- UAE-based candidates
- Knowledge of all areas relating to service charges and sinking funds
- A degree an/or industry specific qualifications
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FEATURED COMMENT
In the time I have spent in the UAE I have discovered that there are very little FM Hard Service Managers with practical