What do graduates in the Middle East really look for in a job?

Are you one of those young, energized, ready-to-work new college graduates searching for a job? If so, what would appeal to you most in one? 

Conventional wisdom would have it that the answer is a high salary. As it turns out, chances are that this would be dead wrong.

Surprisingly, close to 80 per cent of fresh graduates in the Middle East and North Africa said that a job that they feel passionate about is the most important attribute that they look for.

This was followed by “competitive salaries” (61 per cent), “opportunities for career progression” (60 per cent), and “good training and development programs” (58 per cent).

These were some of the findings of a recent survey of more than 4,200 fresh graduates, held by job site Bayt.com and research organization YouGov.

“Indeed, the largest proportion of fresh graduates surveyed claimed they would keep looking until they found a job in their industry of choice and a ‘job they feel passionate about,” said Joao Neves, Senior Research Director at YouGov. “Unfortunately, aside from the necessary work experience, many graduates also lack an understanding of how or where to look for jobs.”

Here are some of the key takeaways of the survey:

• The greatest challenge that stands between fresh graduates and a successful career is the fact that candidates with work experience are preferred.
  
  
• The majority of fresh graduates across the region claimed that it was challenging or will be challenging to secure their first job, with 31 per cent rating it as “very difficult.”
  
  
• Other challenges faced while trying to secure first jobs include a lack of knowledge about where relevant jobs could be found (35 per cent) and a lack of understanding of how to effectively search for jobs (32 per cent).
  
  
• The majority (62 per cent) of fresh graduates said that they would have fared better in the job market if they had selected either a different major (32 per cent), the same major but from a different school (11 per cent), or both a different major and a different school (19 per cent).
  
  

HOW LONG IN A JOB?

While the largest proportion of fresh graduates (33 per cent) across the region were unsure how long they will stay in their first job, results suggest some may see the first opportunity as a ‘stepping stone’, with 34 per cent claiming they would not stay in their first job for more than two years.

According to the survey, fresh graduates in the GCC, where there may possibly be more job opportunities, could be more inclined to leave their first job within the first two years (50 per cent in Qatar, 47 per cent in Kuwait and Bahrain, 41 per cent in the UAE).

Related stories:

Why are employers in the Middle East taking so long to fill jobs?
Which is the most preferred country for young Arabs?
Dear Graduates: Before making the leap into Emerging Markets, read this