Advance Your Career This Holiday Season

We all wait for the holidays! Whether it’s Eid Al-Adha, Christmas, New Year’s, these are seasons for relaxation with friends and family, a time where you can sleep as much as you want, eat and hang around with no care in the world. For many people regardless of career level, holiday season is a time when work is low on your list of priorities. Most people stop working, stop blogging and stop any work-related activities all together.

While not taking time off can do your career more harm than good, staying on top of your job and up-to-date during holidays can help you get ahead of competition and advance your career. With just a bit of minimal work, you can set yourself apart from the crowd and dedicate a small amount of your time-off to work. Akhtaboot is here with smart tips to help you go this extra mile and get ahead of others during the holidays.

Self Education

Dedicating an hour or two daily to educate yourself on things that are relevant to your business will always do you good. Perhaps it’s a new but relevant topic that you are not familiar with or maybe you came across a new piece of research that you haven’t had the time to read. Bring your laptop home, research on new creative ideas to bring back with you to work. Get a relevant book and devote some time to read whenever you’re free. There is actually a saying that states: “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young”, and another great person said, “Formal education will make you a living; self education will make you a fortune.”

Think Long Term

If you’re an employee handling the social media department of your company, the worst thing to do is to just stop answering people’s inquiries, stop posting news and events and stop blogging. Of course you don’t need to write as often but getting a few posts out there because chances are you’re going to be one of the few people out there who are still writing. You might also want to start planning conferences you want to attend. Usually we’re busy at work and don’t have the time to organize and keep things neat, so this is a good chance for you to keep on track. You may also organize key contacts and email them. Keep building the relationships with clients over the holidays, send out holiday cards. Make sure that when 2012 starts you are top of mind for everyone that knows who you are.

Work hard, Play hard

It’s totally fine to give yourself a break! Don’t feel guilty about it; we all need a vacation every once in a while. Spend time with family and friends, celebrate the holiday with loved ones or work on a hobby that you rarely get the chance to devote time to. Sleep for long hours, eat healthy and go to the gym. Doing so will help you feel enthusiastic and energetic after you go back to work. Work hard, Play hard!

Going back to work after a holiday vacation is typically something we all dread. After all, you were just getting used to staying up really late reading or spending your days watching football. While it naturally may be a jolt to your system when you first get back to normal work schedule, trying to prepare for work before the end of your vacation can help reduce the discomfort. Go back to your regular sleep routine before the holiday ends, check your emails to get yourself organized before going back to work after a long holiday.

The Akhtaboot team wishes you and your beloved ones a healthy, happy and stress-free holidays!

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Akhtaboot as one of the Fastest Growing 500 Companies

Akhtaboot – the career network is proud to announce that it has been included in the “Arabia Fast Growth 500” List, a project of AllWorld Network which highlights the ranking of the fastest growing companies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Turkey, and Pakistan.
In the Levant, Jordan took first place with 27 fast growth company winners, followed by Lebanon with 14 winners, Palestine with two winners, and one winner from Syria. Overall, Jordan was fourth on the Arabia500, competing against the much larger economies of Turkey, Pakistan, UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

Yousef Shamoun, Co-founder and CEO of Akhtaboot said:

“Being selected as an Arabia Fast Growth 500 company is an honor as well as a true testament to the efforts of our team who have played an instrumental role in helping Akhtaboot achieve sustained growth year-over-year. With this announcement, we reaffirm Akhtaboot’s commitment to delivering the best online recruitment services to help link job seekers from across the MENA region with their dream jobs.”

Each entrepreneur on the Arabia500 ranking has grown an average of 40 percent annually between 2008 and 2010, created an average of 200 jobs per company, and is succeeding in industries from web technology to food, and construction to consulting. The Levant winners are in Istanbul for the 2nd Global Summit on Entrepreneurship, December 3-5.They will meet with Arabia500 winners from 11 other countries and will be recognized by Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan.

Read more about Arabia500 company rankings and view the full company list.

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Akhtaboot to Power PepsiCo Jordan’s Recruitment

Akhtaboot - the career network is proud to announce the launch of PepsiCo Jordan’s Career Connect solution, “Powered by Akhtaboot”, which will provide PepsiCo Jordan with their own fully integrated and branded jobs section with the ability to post unlimited job postings and receive job applications directly onto their careers section on their own website.

As part of Akhtaboot’s relentless efforts in providing world-class recruitment services to its clients, PepsiCo Jordan will be able to make the most of their Career Connect solution with a single point of contact for all of their recruitment needs with a variety of CV filtration, and organization tools, making the hiring process simple, efficient and as cost-effective as ever.

Ms. Hawar Hijazi, Human Resources Manager at PepsiCo Jordan said:

“Our Human Resources team at PepsiCo - Jordan is truly delighted and impressed with Akhtaboot’s Career Connect service as it will help us find the right people to add to our existing human capital. The relationship we had with Akhtaboot as recruitment solutions provider over the past few years has proven to be both successful and fruitful in helping us reach our objectives as a leader in the food and beverage industry. We are definitely looking forward to a successful extension of our collaboration.”

With Career Connect, Akhtaboot goes beyond helping companies simply find the right candidates; it actually provides companies with a one-stop recruitment gateway that is specifically designed to cater to the employment needs of companies.

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Akhtaboot Launches Its Own URL Shortner Akht.bt

Akhtaboot – the career network has announced the launch of its own URL shortener Akht.bt that will be used for posts that link to official Akhtaboot pages, making the sharing process more convenient than ever with shorter and easier to remember links.

Mohamad Haj Hasan, COO and Co-founder of Akhtaboot said:

“URL Shorteners play an important role in social networking websites like Twitter and other micro blogging services. The Akhtaboot team can now create custom short URLs with excellent keywords for easier monitoring and control over the shortened links. We also think it's pretty cool to have our own customized short URL!”

Akhtaboot users and followers can now visit Akht.bt shortcuts with confidence that they will always end up at a page for Akhtaboot.

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Akhtaboot Unveils Smart Recommendations Feature

Akhtaboot - the career network recently launched Akhtaboot SmartJob Recommendations feature, which entails sending a weekly SmartJob Recommendations email to job seekers consisting of more relevant jobs, based on the communities they are interested in, countries they prefer to work in and the experience highlighted in their profiles.

In yet another step towards providing world-class recruitment services to its clients, Akhtaboot SmartJob Recommendations feature aims to help recruiters target more relevant candidates to their vacancies with focus on the country of residence of job seekers.

Yousef Shamoun, CEO and Co-founder of Akhtaboot said:

“As part of Akhtaboot’s constant efforts to help companies achieve the biggest return on their recruitment efforts, Akhtaboot SmartJob Recommendations feature provides an added benefit for companies through promoting jobs that truly suit the qualifications of job seekers who have specific information listed in their Akhtaboot profiles.”

In essence, this new targeting feature makes Akhtaboot job postings even more relevant to the audience, thus, reflecting the industry shift toward more relevance in advertising.

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Akhtaboot TAG-Knowledge Host Their Second Successful Job Fair

Under the patronage of Jordan's Ministry of Labor, H.E. Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman and CEO of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization inaugurated the second Akhtaboot TAG-Knowledge job fair, the biggest career event for the year 2011 in Jordan.

For the 2nd year in a row, Akhtaboot - the career network and the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Center (TAG-Knowledge), join forces to organize their ever popular job fair, which was held on the 26th and 27th of October at TAG-Knowledge headquarters, Queen Rania Street.

The opening ceremony witnessed the participation of officials from the Ministry of Labor, representatives of the participating companies along with many concerned entities and individuals. The job fair also attracted more than 10,000 aspiring professionals and fresh graduates of different industries and career interests.

Mr. Yousef Shamoun, Akhtaboot Co-founder and CEO said:

“We are truly happy to renew our partnership with TAG-Knowledge as our cooperation has proven to be a key factor in the success of our 2010 job fair. Akhtaboot and TAG-Knowledge job fair 2011 is a continuation of last year’s success and a true fulfillment to the mission of the Akhtaboot Cares Initiative in tackling the unemployment problem and helping match the right person to the right career opportunity.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Tareq Hammad, TAG-Knowledge Executive Director said:

"H.E. Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh is extremely satisfied with the outcome of this year's event and we are proud to partner with Akhtaboot again in organizing this job fair and we will work on making it an annual event.”

The 2-day event also provided career related workshops targeting job seekers on CV and interview skills in addition to other career-related topics. The event was sponsored by Bank of Jordan (Platinum Sponsor), Umniah (Gold Sponsor), Pepsi Jordan and Bell Amman (Silver Sponsors), The Online Project and Addustour Newspaper (Media Sponsors).

About Akhtaboot Cares Initiative

The Akhtaboot Cares Initiative (ACI) is a comprehensive CSR program that was developed through partnerships with a number of second parties and educational institutions in the Middle East and GCC region. Through the ACI Akhtaboot maintains an ongoing presence in the region’s educational institutions and career-related events by developing and executing specific training programs that are tailor-made to educate graduates-to-be and job seekers on how to approach the job market and to smoothen their transition into the professional world.

About TAG-Knowledge

TAG-Knowledge is the latest initiative by Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh to perform its corporate social responsibility towards the Jordanian and Arab communities, and to be a hub for promoting intellect and knowledge, developing Arab youth and human resources, and qualifying the largest number of local professionals by providing them with competitive skills through exposure to knowledge and developments in the international community under the direct supervision of TAG-Org experts and Umniah's exclusive sponsorship.

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Want to Win an iPhone 4S with Akhtaboot?

Akhtaboot - the career network is proud to announce the first-ever “Win an iPhone 4S with Akhtaboot” contest. All you have to do is shoot a 30 - 45 second video of yourself talking about your experience with Akhtaboot; how Akhtaboot helped you land your dream job, what do you like about Akhtaboot…etc. You can be funny, serious, talk in English, Arabic, or both... Basically, be yourself!

How can you enter the contest?

1. Like one of the following Akhtaboot fan pages: Akhtaboot – The Career Network, Akhtaboot - UAE, Akhtaboot - KSA, or Akhtaboot - Egypt.
2. Unleash your creativity with a 30 - 45 second video of yourself on what you like most about Akhtaboot!
3. Send the video to: contest@akhtaboot.com, along with your name and contact information (Mobile phone and personal email).

Selection of the winner

• All videos delivered to contest@akhtaboot.com will be reviewed by a panel of Social Media Specialists and narrowed down to 20. Areas they would look at:

Content
Creativity
Originality
Relevancy
Uniqueness

• The 20 final videos will be posted on all Akhtaboot Facebook Fan Pages on a specific tab called “Why I love Akhtaboot” for members to view and “like”.

• People can start liking the videos for one month after the submission period is over.

• The video that gets the highest number of "Likes" wins.

• The winning video will be announced on the 10th of January, 2012 and will receive an iPhone 4S. The winner will be interviewed and videotaped and the interview/video may be used for promotional purposes including: a press release covering the contest, blog posts, Akhtaboot social media channels and newspapers.

For more information on the Rules and Regulations of the contest, please visit: http://www.akhtaboot.com/contest_2011.html

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Motivating your Employees without Breaking the Bank!

Many employers to this day still believe in the good old saying that “more money equals happier employees”. But, contrary to popular belief, it is important for managers to focus on the top non-monetary motivating techniques that put employees at the core of your business strategy and stop them from jumping ship once a better offer is on the table. While non-financial motivation can be a challenging task, if done with the right combination of leadership and management skills it can increase job satisfaction and employee morale.

While employees wouldn’t mind a good pay raise, there are also other ways to motivate staff for higher productivity and to push them to go over and beyond established goals, without breaking the bank. Fortunately, Akhtaboot is here to give you some “out of the box” motivation tips without busting your budget.

Flexible Working Hours

From family obligations, friends, sports, hobbies to other activities, a flexible schedule or the occasional afternoon off can definitely help employees meet some of these commitments. Many companies are witnessing the benefits flexible working can bring to staff performance, motivation and productivity. In today’s hectic business world, more and more employees are demanding more flexibly in working hours in order to achieve work-life balance. Most flexible working hours schemes have a “Core Time” period during the day when employees must be in the office. A typical core time would be between 10 am to 4 pm. With the exception of core times, employees have the flexibility to start and finish work within flexible timelines at the beginning and end of each working day.

Invest in Social Functions

Holiday parties and company outings are some of the tried benefits that help boost employee morale. Companies have found that events such as parties and outings promote a team atmosphere. Create some casual days where employees can dress casually before a certain holiday or on their birthday. Launch contests where the prize entails getting some time off. Decide on specific days throughout the year where employees can go out of their offices and work outdoors. These are perfect opportunities that create a sense of belonging to the company and for employees to bond. You will be surprised that many employees will actually prefer time off over extra cash.

Fair Treatment

Employers must understand the fact that employees unconsciously assign values to each of their various tasks and accomplishments. Employees who are highly motivated are the ones who perceive their compensation to be equal to their contributions when compared to peers. It is important for companies to recognize this and reward employees based on their contributions to the success of the organization. Keep in mind that fair treatment does not entail that all employees are treated in an identical manner. For example, flexible working hours might be effective for motivating a working mother even more than a pay raise, while additional training may motivate younger employees.

Consider your Employees’ Career Goals

While it can be difficult to get a precise answer to the different career goals of all employees, companies that show interest in the career paths and personality types of their staff are considered employers of choice! Have your employees describe a previous project that they felt good about, then see what aspects of that can be repeated. Keep in mind that some employees may say that they want to work on a prestigious project, only to discover that it isn’t what they expected. Matching the right person to the right project is no easy task. To identify the right person successfully, relevant qualification and work experience should also be considered as primary determinants.

Managing the Learning Curve of your Top Talent

When it comes to motivating and retaining your best employees, always remember that they are on the look to bulk up their CVs with exceptional information. They will stay long enough to prove their worth as long as they are on the fast track. Once they feel that their learning curve is going straight, they will start looking for employment elsewhere. It is important to allow all your employees a chance to reach their career goals at your organization. Training is one way to do that. Organizations sometimes use seminars as a contest prize or to show appreciation to employees. The ability to change rapidly, be flexible and learn quickly are highly valued in the workplace, and these are skills you can teach your employees.

It is an expensive mistake for companies to base employee motivation on money only. Fair and competitive compensation will always be a vital element to finding and retaining key personnel. However, additional cash is not always the only answer to motivate employees, and in many cases not even the best answer. Keep in mind that non-monetary incentives have trophy value and are more likely to be acknowledged than would be the case if the award were in cash. Using a variety of financial and non-financial motivation techniques without over-reliance on monetary compensation will lead to long term organizational success and staff motivation.

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Akhtaboot to Power Dar Al-Dawa's Recruitment

Akhtaboot - the career network is proud to announce the launch of the Dar Al Dawa Development & Investment Co. Ltd. Career Connect solution, “Powered by Akhtaboot”, which will provide Dar Al Dawa with their own fully integrated and branded jobs section with the ability to post unlimited job postings and receive job applications directly onto their careers section on their own website.

As part of Akhtaboot’s relentless efforts in providing world-class recruitment services to its clients, Dar Al Dawa will be able to make the most of their Career Connect solution with a single point of contact for all of their recruitment needs with a variety of CV filtration, and organization tools, making the hiring process simple, efficient and as cost-effective as ever.

Raed Ali, Human Resources Manager at Dar Al Dawa said:

“The wonderful relationship we have shared with Akhtaboot as a recruitment solutions provider over the past few years has been both rewarding and impressive. With the Career Connect solution, we are looking forward to building on our successful partnership with this user-friendly recruitment hub thatwill help us find the experiences, skills, and qualifications that add to our existing human capital and help us reach our objectives as a leader in the pharmaceutical industry in the region.”

With Career Connect, Akhtaboot goes beyond helping companies simply find the right candidates; it actually provides companies with a one-stop recruitment gateway that is specifically designed to cater to the employment needs of companies.

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Living Core Values

Expressing the Personality of your Company with Core Values!

We have an entire universe of values, but some of them are so indispensable that with all the changes in society, government, politics and technology, we still abide by them. Core Values of an organization are those basic principles which form the corporate culture of a company and set it apart as a great place to work at.

In the ever-changing business world, core values are constant. Core values are not descriptions of the work we do or the strategies a company employs to accomplish its mission. They actually define the framework in which employees go about their work and the way they are expected to interact with and treat other stakeholders both inside and outside the organization.

At Akhtaboot, the core values we believe in and practice continue to guide the way we operate and are fundamental to our success. They are as follows: Integrity and Ethics, Respect, Family Environment, Ownership and Learning.

Why Have Core Values for your Company?

There are many obvious advantages that core values can bring to an organization. The most important benefit is that they let clients, potential consumers and employees know what the company is all about. Core values provide key pointers to be followed when building and maintaining relationships with the media, customers, public and other stakeholders. Core values also represent a reference point in the decision-making process. If an important decision is to be made, core values are always considered before making the final call.

Discovering Your Company’s Core Values

Creating a set of solid corporate core values is one of the most significant aspects of strategic planning. With that being said, there are still many companies that do not give much weight to setting up their core values, and as a result they stand nowhere in today’s business world. Core values are to be created by first allowing each and every member of your employees to determine all the possible positive points of your company, and then realizing how these points can be used for the betterment of the services the company provides. A core value can be anything that the company does best, such as commitment to excellence, integrity or family environment. Make sure that your company core values are in line with the industry you are operating in.

Discovering your Personal Core Values

In order to discover your own core values, you must first understand who you are and what you’re bringing to your workplace. This isn’t an easy task; it needs lots of thinking and careful consideration. Ask yourself the following questions: ‘What are your values?’ ‘What do you stand for?’ ‘What do you believe in?’ ‘What is important to you?’ it might take you days to figure out the right answers for you, however doing so will definitely help you figure out what your core values are. There’s something about actually writing down your values that makes you more committed to living them!

It Gives you a Sense of Purpose

When you don’t know or you haven’t clearly defined what you stand for on both the corporate and personal levels, you end up drifting along with no sense of purpose. Instead of basing decisions on an internal compass, you make choices based on circumstances and social pressures. You end up trying to fulfill other people’s expectations instead of your own, and before you know it, life has passed you by and you haven’t even accomplished half of what you were hoping to do. Going through life without core values is downright exhausting and leaves you feeling empty and worthless. Conversely, living a life in line with your core values brings purpose, direction, happiness, and wholeness.

Who Are You In Business With?

When it comes to setting your own core values, another crucial question to ask yourself is: Who are you in business with? You may have to ask yourself this question more than once throughout your career. It is often said that two things will actually determine who you become five years from now, the books you have read, and the people you deal with. Once you know what your own core values are, you can start to attract those of the same values, making your business connections that much deeper.

Core values play an important role in setting the goals and motives of a company. In business terms, core values are the rules, regulations, and guidelines that are to be followed to ensure the smooth running of the business. Which core values a company adopts and how consistently they are followed, will influence how clients and employees perceive it. Unfortunately, there are numerous companies out there that seem to promote their core values while behaving in complete disregard of them. Always remember that core values are the essence of the corporate culture and an expression of its personality.

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Akhtaboot Rolls out Video Applications

As part of its commitment to being at the cutting-edge of online recruitment, Akhtaboot - the career network has launched their video application feature for employers. This feature provides companies with the option of asking job seekers to record and save a 60-second video answer to a question specified by the company as an application requirement, resulting in more specific and targeted candidates.

Rather than an employer just posting a simple job description and receiving CV applications, the video functionality will allow recruiters to do a preliminary screening of the candidates’ communication skills without getting involved in the time-consuming process of interviews and practically evaluate how they present their experience and skills, all from within the Akhtaboot online platform.

Mohamad Haj Hasan, COO and Cofounder of Akhtaboot said:

“We believe that this feature will add a completely new dimension to the recruitment process in a way that only the Internet can. I have personally tried this feature out, and I was wowed with the results! It basically allows employers to have a mini-interview and significantly simplifies and streamlines the recruitment process. We are very excited to offer this feature to our clients.”

The video feature also aims to allow job seekers to personally market themselves by presenting a quick video that speaks directly to employers, thus helping them stand out and land their dream job.

Interested in trying out the Video Applications feature? Apply to Akhtaboot's latest vacancy "Recruitment Consultant" now!

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Akhtaboot as Official Employment Partner of Oasis500

In yet another step towards supporting the young Jordanian entrepreneurs, Akhtaboot - the career network signed a partnership agreement with Oasis500, in which Akhtaboot will provide all eligible Oasis500 companies with the revolutionary Career Connect platform, a fully integrated and branded jobs section, with the ability to post unlimited job postings and receive job applications directly onto their careers section on their own website.

In addition, Oasis500 companies will also receive a wide range of online recruitment and social media services to help post their vacancies across the World Wide Web. Akhtaboot will provide all these services to Oasis500 companies as part of the Akhtaboot Cares Initiative – Akhtaboot’s CSR arm. Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Mohamad Haj Hasan, COO and Co-founder of Akhtaboot said:

“We are truly pleased to have this partnership with Oasis500, as they play such a significant role in shaping the entrepreneurial landscape of Jordan and the MENA region. Our cooperation is an important part of Akhtaboot’s entrepreneurial ecosystem that aims to support the next generation of Jordan’s entrepreneurs and promote economical growth for our region. With Career Connect, Oasis500 startups will be able to find the right candidates for their vacancies with a single point of contact for all of their recruitment needs.”

Akhtaboot – Oasis500 partnership announcement was made during a press conference on the 6th of September, highlighting a number of exciting, fast-growth and investment-ready early stage ICT, digital media and mobile companies in the MENA region. Oasis500’s second Angel Investment Event is scheduled on the 12th September, where a new crop of startups will be given the opportunity to pitch to and network with attending early-stage, international and local investors.

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Akhtaboot Cares Initiative Signs a Cooperation Agreement with Ruwwad

Akhtaboot Cares Initiative - Akhtaboot's CSR arm - has recently signed a cooperation agreement with Ruwwad, a community empowerment organization that helps disadvantaged areas in Jordan overcome marginalization through youth activism, civic engagement and education.

As part of the agreement, Ruwwad were provided with Akhtaboot's Microsite solution, a revolutionary service, Powered by Akhtaboot, featuring their very own fully integrated and branded jobs section, allowing website visitors and job seekers to search and apply to jobs directly onto the careers section on Ruwwad's website.

A career training session on CV writing and interview skills was also conducted today by Akhtaboot at Ruwwad's headquarter, Jabal Al Natheef, as part of Ruwwad's Enrichment Program, in which 35 young, college students will be equipped with the necessary skills to help them become more employable in today's competitive job market.

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The Effects of Employee Satisfaction on Customer Satisfaction

Empowering your employees to act in your customers’ best interest!



There is a clear connection between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction. While it is difficult to quantify the impact of employee attitude on the satisfaction level of your clients, one fact remains the same: satisfied customers will keep coming back and referring your company to their friends and business acquaintances. It is obvious that there are significant benefits to be gained from trying to improve an organization's service quality, and that's why managers devote so much time and money to training programs that provide employees with guidelines on the specifics of dealing with customers. What managers don't fully understand is that such attempts are, to a certain extent, shallow! Real improvements in customer service start with providing superior service and support to the employees themselves.



Akhtaboot is here to provide you with tips on how to make sure your employees are happy and satisfied and in return are giving their maximum in providing the best services to your customers.



Hire Better!



Because not everybody is capable of working on a computer while handling a phone conversation, HR managers must first define the company’s future employee needs to deliver the right customer experience. Company culture, details of the job and specific competencies also need to be evaluated and understood in order to develop an effective hiring model. While finding exceptional client servicing employees who can do efficient post-call work is important, it is actually not as important as finding employees who can listen and respond with empathy to clients, and who have the ability to identify issues and deliver specific answers effectively and efficiently with emphasis on first call issue resolution. By systemizing the hiring process, using a more strategic approach and taking time to analyze the job and your employee competency needs, you will be able to identify and hire candidates that better meet the needs of your organization and who are more likely to stay in their positions for a longer period of time.



Trust and Respect



Trust and respect are the basis of pretty much all successful relationships, and it’s certainly no different in employee relationships. One of the best ways to determine the level of trust in a company is to examine assumptions regarding intentions. Do policies and procedures seem to assume that employees act on their best intentions or their worst intentions? In other words, are the policies in place mostly to ensure employees don’t do things they are not allowed to do, or to ensure employees have the right environment to do the things they should be doing? An excellent way to test respect is in how input is heard from the different members of a team. Are people’s ideas that presented with detail and backed with supporting evidence taken seriously? This doesn’t mean that all ideas must always be accepted and implemented. However, if the idea is ultimately rejected, it should be rejected with the same level of thought and supporting evidence.



Show Appreciation



Employee attitudes typically reflect the moral of the company as a whole. In areas of customer service and sales, happy employees are extremely important because they represent the company to the public. Satisfaction, however, is not linked solely to compensation. Sure, a raise or extra benefits will probably improve employee contentment, at least temporarily, but small, inexpensive changes can have a long-term impact such as showing ‘Appreciation.’ Appreciation means making your employees feel important and that they are a vital part of a common goal. The result of doing so will sure be manifested in better customer satisfaction.



Instill Confidence



With a solid framework for hierarchy, clear accountabilities and matching authority, employees can begin to make decisions about their daily work with confidence. As those decisions become more and more effective, employees become more self-confident. Self-confidence is definitely a vital element to success in all aspects of life. Confident employees find it much easier to do what’s right for customers and for the company.



Create an Atmosphere of Growth



A Job is more than a source of income, it is actually a venue for employees to grow and learn. Companies that invest in their employees’ growth will not only have happier employees; they will have more productive employees who generate better and better ideas for improving the company service level. This means mentoring employees, training them in areas even beyond their current scope of responsibilities, being more transparent about aspects of the business that are interesting to particular employees and more. Creating more skilled and more knowledgeable employees has an extremely high ROI.



Measurement is Key



Companies with a highly evolved sense of the impact employee satisfaction makes on customer profitability constantly measure everything: customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, process efficiencies and bottlenecks. This enables them to determine what’s working and what’s not so as to make adjustments accordingly. Periodic re-evaluation also enables your company to benefit from the fresh ideas of your current and new hires.



“People are our most valuable asset”, “Our employees come first” and “We’re only as strong as our people”. These statements have been around in the workplace for decades, yet countless companies seem to be in denial of just how accurate those statements are. Many business owners think that they only need to pay attention to paying customers, providing them with exceptional service. Yet, it has been proven that keeping your employees satisfied with their work experience, providing them with challenges and allowing them to have a sense of ownership in the business can have a tremendous effect on customer satisfaction and loyalty. The correlations are clear: Satisfied employees generate satisfied customers, who in turn build long-term relationships and spend more money!

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Akhtaboot Cares Initiative at the Launch Event of the “Leader in Progress” Program of the German-Jordanian University

As part of Akhtaboot’s continuous efforts to help the less fortunate in pursuing their education and finding the right career path, Akhtaboot Cares Initiative (ACI) has recently participated in the Leader in Progress Scholarship Fund Initiative, a charity program organized by the students of the School of Management and Logistics Sciences of the German Jordanian University.



Akhtaboot Cares Initiative - Akhtaboot’s CSR Arm - provided a donation for the purpose of supporting outstanding orphan students in pursuing their university education. In addition, Akhtaboot will also take an active role in helping the orphan students in planning their career paths and in landing the right job upon graduation.



In celebration of all donating companies, the German Jordanian University organized a charity Suhoor to support the Leader in Progress Scholarship Fund Initiative. The Suhoor was held under the patronage of Her Highness Princess Alia Tabbaa, President of the German Jordanian University, at the Sheraton Hotel - The Sanctuary terrace on Tuesday the 16th of August.



About Akhtaboot Cares Initiative



The Akhtaboot Cares Initiative (ACI) is a comprehensive CSR program that was developed through partnerships with a number of second parties and educational institutions in the Middle East and GCC region. Through the ACI Akhtaboot maintains an ongoing presence in the region’s educational institutions and career-related events by developing and executing specific training programs that are tailor-made to educate graduates-to-be and job seekers on how to approach the job market and to smoothen their transition into the professional world.



About The Leader in Progress Scholarship Fund



The Leader in Progress scholarship fund was created by the German Jordanian University students who wanted to contribute to the society of our beloved country, Jordan. This initiative is intended to close the gap social classes and even the wider gap between large businesses and social institutions. Driven by the vision of his majesty King Adbulla II, the initiative is geared mainly toward youth education.

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Google Adwords Case Study on Akhtaboot as a Success Story: Akhtaboot is Taking on the Online Recruitment Market with all 8 Tentacles!

Google AdWords has recently chosen Akhtaboot as a success story in a recent case study conducted on a selection of online portals utilizing Google AdWords services in the Middle East.



Akhtaboot is a Jordanian-based career network that is committed to providing a user-friendly, effective and efficient way of linking the right person to the right job opportunity. Founded in 2007 in Amman, Akhtaboot currently serves as a career network for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with branches set up in Dubai and Riyadh. It has seen exponential growth since its inception, and it is seeing a phenomenal increase in traffic and users with every passing day. In May 2011, Akhtaboot made it to Jordan's Fastest Growing Companies List.



Since the launch of Akhtaboot, it has used Google AdWords as a key tool in growing the business. Yousef Shamoun, Founder and CEO of Akhtaboot, says: "We use most advertising/marketing platforms. We have noticed that we get our best results from our online advertising campaigns, specifically Google AdWords. Our target audience is primarily online, and Google provides us with the necessary tools to effectively and accurately track our ROI." As a result of using a combination of very targeted AdWords campaigns and continuous SEO efforts, Akhtaboot experienced a significant annual growth of 168% in registrations and sign-ups.



Being a purely online business, Akhtaboot today relies on AdWords for 20% of all its traffic. It uses AdWords to grow its database of qualified CVs, to get company clients to use its services, as well as for branding and exposure. It has used both search as well as display ads in its campaigns, experimenting with different messages, and tracking corresponding clickthrough-rate and cost-per-conversion. Performance of the campaigns is also optimized through regular phone calls with the Google AdWords team, which, as Yousef describes it, "have been instrumental in improving our results and were very responsive to our needs". What separated AdWords from its competitors was the return on investment. Having used other online advertising programmes, Yousef commented that "We are very pleased with the ROI achieved from our Google ad campaign even when compared to other online mediums."



Akhtaboot started to use Conversion Tracking to measure its success in February 2011. "Conversion tracking", says Yousef, "is great. It helped us identify the exact number of conversions from both our English and Arabic campaigns. Conversion Tracking helped us identify the bottlenecks in our registration process, and ultimately we were able to tweak our registration process and reduce our cost-per-conversion."



Akhtaboot has recently started experimenting with Conversion Optimizer, an AdWords feature that uses Conversion Tracking data to get more conversions at a lower cost. Preliminary results show that there has been an increase of 14% in conversions and a decrease of 18% in the cost-per-conversion.



Through AdWords, Akhtaboot managed to strengthen its brand equity as well as to extend its services to new geographical countries. Yousef is highly confident that Google AdWords is essential for the success of their business. Akhtaboot plans to expand and open local offices in most of the countries in the MENA region to stay in close contact with job seekers and companies alike and to be able to serve them in the most effective and efficient manner.



Check out more success stories of Google AdWords users.

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Akhtaboot Launches “Career Connect”

Akhtaboot - the career network is proud to announce the launch of its revolutionary new service: Career Connect for your company, powered by the Akhtaboot jobs platform. Career Connect will provide companies with their own fully integrated and branded jobs section, with the ability to post unlimited job postings and receive job applications directly onto their careers section on their own website.

The launch of the Career Connect service follows the recent release of the revamped employer side of Akhtaboot, which includes several new improvements, ranging from new time-saving functionality to easier navigability. Career Connect is now going a step further by giving companies their own branded careers section, with benefits including:

• Customized Design: companies will enjoy a fully integrated job board, branded with the company name, logo and job content, powered by “Akhtaboot”.
• Social Media Integration: companies can link their Twitter and LinkedIn pages to their “Career Connect” platform for maximum exposure of their posted jobs.
• Branded Facebook Application: companies can now link their Career Connect platform to their Facebook Fan Page, allowing fans to search for and apply to the posted jobs from within Facebook.
• CV Email Drop Functionality: allowing companies to gather all CVs received by email into one database, along with the ability to filter all CVs through a revolutionary text search box. CVs can either be soft-copy attachment or hard-copy scans, and the Akhtaboot system is powered by OCR technology to handle any kind of CV.
• Additional Customized Sign-up Fields: for more specific and targeted job applications that meet the requirements of any company.

Mohamad Haj Hasan, COO and Cofounder of Akhtaboot said:

“Our core business expertise lie in the development of cutting edge recruitment solutions to help our clients pursue their business objectives. With Career Connect, we offer our clients a single point of contact for all of their recruitment needs”.

With the launch of Career Connect, Akhtaboot goes beyond helping companies simply fill their vacancies; it actually provides companies with a recruitment hub that is specifically designed to make the hiring process simple, efficient, and as cost-effective as ever.

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Going Social!

The Best New Tool for Online Job Search If Managed the Right Way!

Remember the old job hunting days when you had to actually call and visit the company offices yourself to fill out an application or drop your CV? Not to say that these days are long gone, but the attention nowadays is shifting towards Social Media – the new player in today’s job market. While finding a job through social media won't replace traditional methods anytime soon, but it certainly has its perks. More and more employers these days are making the most of their social media presence to drive brand awareness and attract job seekers to their businesses. With that in mind, social media networks can be your best friend and your worst enemy. If you don’t manage your social profiles in a smart way, it can actually hinder your efforts in landing a job and even cost you your current job. Akhtaboot is here to the rescue with career-saving tricks to help you effectively manage your online presence.

Take Control of your Online Image

Whether you are currently employed or seeking a job, having a digital presence on the web is a valuable chance to create your personal brand and affect how people who don’t know you think of you. Let’s face it; no matter how professional you really are on the job, you can actually lose a whole lot of respect by how you handle yourself online. When it comes to your social profiles use neutral pictures that do not show detail into your personal life. Be careful what you write about yourself in your status updates, tweets and blog posts. Publishing inappropriate content about yourself or your employer may be detrimental when seen by a potential or current employer.

Be Proactive

Social Media has made it acceptable to connect with companies and professionals you don’t actually know. Conduct periodic searches to identify the top companies you’d like to work for. Follow recruiters on your account and address them directly for a few times before you actually inquire about any potential vacancies. Doing so will help you learn a lot about them and their companies, but make sure that you don’t spam them with too many inquiries. Twitter has become the leading platform to directly connect with companies to communicate with them on specific topics and to find jobs. Follow online recruitment portals on Twitter such as @Akhtaboot and stay up to date with the latest job openings and career-related articles and news.

Produce Content to Attract Industry Attention

An excellent way to use your online presence to your advantage is to post things that will make your network of professionals think highly of you and help you position yourself as the go-to expert in your business landscape. Use your network to share news and information about industry-related topics with great commentaries. Try to be the first to publish relevant news and articles and don’t ignore the importance of speed when it comes to replying to comments and questions. Recognizing the importance of social engagement to the recruitment process, Akhtaboot developed its Facebook application (http://apps.facebook.com/akhtaboot) to include a social recommendations feature to boost your Akhtaboot profile in front of employers. By linking your Akhtaboot account to your Facebook profile, you will now be able to give and receive personal recommendations about your top personal traits within a career context, in addition to searching for and applying to jobs directly from within Facebook.

Integrate your Online and Offline Efforts

No matter how social media savvy you are, there’s still a very strong chance that you will need to complement your online job hunt with some offline measures. Every time you apply for a job, there's a big chance that someone with the power to affect a hiring decision will be seeking you out online. Bearing that in mind, perhaps it's worth taking the time to sort out and tailor exactly what those people can discover about you. A smart way to do so is to add links to your blog, LinkedIn profile and Twitter ID on your CV. Before a job interview, learn about a potential employer by following the company Twitter stream. Google your name before you go in. If anything shady comes up, be ready to address it in the interview.

All job seekers want to stand out from the crowd that is filled with many good candidates who are eyeing similar positions. This is where social media can tip the scales to your advantage. In many industries, a lot of employers are making the most of social media to fill their positions and find potential candidates that have the necessary requirements. With that in mind, what may be okay to share with friends is possibly not employer-friendly in the professional atmosphere. Whenever you share or tweet anything, keep in the back of your mind: "Who is going to see this?"

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Working Smart

Stepping on the fine line between hard work and smart work!

“Working Smart, not Hard” is a popular get-rich-quick concept among workers in today’s business world. Although there is a great difference between working hard and working smart, most of the time employees mistake “smart work” for only doing the bare minimum while getting a fat paycheck at the end of each month. This is not actually the case for nothing can be achieved without hard work. However, there are some strategies that can be employed to help you work smarter by reducing the amount of energy you put on to accomplish each task. Akhtaboot reveals 6 techniques that can help you achieve more with half the time.

Focus on Important Tasks First

Have you ever felt like you spend a lot of time being torn between multiple tasks, but at the end of the day you don’t feel like you’ve really accomplished anything significant? When it comes to working smart you need to focus on completing the most important tasks with the greatest impact on your career and company goals. An excellent way to find out your key tasks is to narrow down your three most important items for the day by asking yourself: “If I could only do three things today, what would I feel the most fulfilled in doing?” Understand your working habits and what tasks take you the longest time to complete and do the most tedious on the times you are most productive.

Shortcuts are Allowed

We all perform dozens of similar actions every day. But what really makes smart employees different is that they always try to optimize work processes to get things done faster and more efficiently every day. Taking shortcuts doesn’t necessarily mean that your work will become less valuable or complete, it means, analyzing the flow needed to accomplish tasks and then understanding if that whole process is necessary. Try to come up with smart ways to complete the same assignments with the same outcome, but in a more resourceful ways.

Dare to Delegate

It goes without saying that we only have 24 hours a day; so our valuable time should be used in places where we can make the most impact. For the lower impact tasks that needs to get done such as administrative work, make sure that it’s delegated to someone else. If you are a business owner, study the aspects of your work such as accounting and design that can be outsourced to others. Smart employees know that there's no need for them to learn and get hands-on on every single thing, especially if it's not related to the core of their job. Being a perfectionist sometimes prevents you from achieving more. Let go of the perfectionist mindset and stop obsessing about the minor details and specifics of the tasks delegated to others.

Keep your Losses to a Minimum

Everyone hates to fail but what most people don’t realize is that failing is an essential part of success. Working smart is all about learning from your bad moves and overcoming them. Don’t invest your time and your resources into a lost cause, there’s no point. Do what you can to salvage the situation and understand what went wrong and why, and then move on. Make sure that you don’t repeat the same mistake twice in the future.

Stay Ahead of the Learning Curve

Working smart is all about your ability to see the big picture. You need to constantly work on your skills and knowledge if you want to position yourself as an indispensible part of the company. Don’t narrow your scope as you need to be able to adapt and evolve with the times. Keep in mind that companies no longer focus on the number of working hours spent on the job but on how flexible and adaptable employees are.

Stop Feeling Guilty About Time-Off

Many employees choose not to take time off due to too many responsibilities or stress at work. While some simply claim that they do not have the time and resources to plan a holiday, smart workers understand that a tired person can’t do meaningful work. Asking for a vacation can be done the smart way too. Plan your holidays during the slowest season is one example of this. Another suggestion is to plan for how your most critical tasks will be covered before you leave with the help of your colleagues.

For some reason people seem to think that they have to be miserable for the first few years of their working lives in order to get anywhere on the professional level. Lots of younger people have this notion that if they work hard, everything will be fine and fall into place for them. This is the wrong way to go about trying to succeed. In this day and age it’s not about the experience you have but your ability to learn and apply what you have learnt that makes you most valuable.

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Akhtaboot Employer Side Undergoes a Major Upgrade

Akhtaboot- the career network (http://www.akhtaboot.com) has undergone a major upgrade on the Employer side of Akhtaboot to include several new improvements, ranging from new time-saving functionality to easier navigability. These new employer features include:

• A revolutionary one-page application, resulting in the most user-friendly recruitment engine in the industry.
• The ability to preview CVs without the need to download them first, which will greatly reduce the time spent in looking for qualified candidates.
• Improved filtration and CV search functionality as well as a more logical display of candidates. This will help companies identify and target the right candidates more efficiently.

Mohamad Haj Hasan, COO and Cofounder of Akhtaboot said:

“The revamped company side marks our team’s one-year of hard work to evolve Akhtaboot's recruitment solutions to the next level. I am proud that these upgrades will improve hiring, reduce employment costs and result in more jobs for the region. I want to thank our dedicated team for all their efforts.”

The new features are based on the feedback received from Akhtaboot users and are in line with Akhtaboot’s constant efforts in making its website the easiest, most user-friendly and efficient jobs platform in the industry.

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Office Politics: The Game Everyone Plays

How to Win in a World Where Hard Work and Talent Aren't Enough!

Believe it or not, almost every workplace is a political environment. While many say that they don't engage in such games, there’s actually little truth to that. Even though we probably might not realize it, we are all engaged in office politics to a certain extent. While the word politics implies doing absolutely anything to get ahead, office politics is really all about building relationships to get things moving at work. As an employer your take on office politics may differ significantly from those whom you supervise. While managing office politics can be a difficult thing to do in diverse companies, trying to maintain a healthy, productive political environment is crucial for success in today’s complex workplace.

Being an office politician might come naturally to some but to others it can develop over time out of necessity. With that being said, one fact remains the same: top performers are those who master the art of winning in office politics. Akhtaboot unveils 5 smart tactics to help you win the political game, the “Ethical” way!

Master the Fine Art of Tactful Bragging

Most employees think they have only two choices when it comes to self-promotion; remaining under the table or sounding arrogant, but neither works! Good self-promoters know this: They’re always planting seeds for the future. They understand that doing a good job doesn’t mean that others will actually realize it. In order to become a top office politician, develop a personal track record as someone who gets results and don’t dwell on your mistakes or others will, too. Celebrate your successes gracefully and tastefully. You never know; it might actually rub off on your coworkers!

Don’t Stick with One Group

By sticking with the same people at work, you are more likely to miss out on the important information or the factual news in your company. Mingling with your coworkers during lunchtime or coffee break is the best way to keep up-to-date with all that is happening in the different departments. Office politicians don't cling too tightly to one crowd; they master the art of making good conversations with both peers and bosses. With that being said, make sure that you don’t become the office “social butterfly” to the extent that you aren’t getting your work done!

Profile Power Figures

Let’s face it; some people have more power than others either through their position or personality. Understanding the informal and formal network is key to becoming a successful office politician. Find out who's who in the organization and identify where the power and influence lay; who are the real influencers? Who is highly respected by everyone? Who has the last word in discussions? Once you profile power figures at your company, build relationships that are based on trust and respect with those who have the informal and formal power while avoiding empty flattery. Pay attention to the way they speak, network and work, and develop your strengths in a way that emulates their behavior.

Be Real to Yourself and Others

Standing up for the right things, being known as a person who is honest, dependable and fair are indispensible qualities of a true office politician. Practice what you preach; do what you say you will do. Whenever you hear something, take some time to evaluate how much credibility it has. Rise above personal conflicts and never rely on confidentiality. Assume things will be disclosed and so decide what you should reveal accordingly. Doing so, you might not be liked by everyone but you will be respected by most for sure.

Have your Say

You know that weekly 30-minute meeting that you all hate because it seems to drag on forever? These meetings might seem irrelevant and very common but they are one of the most important aspects to give attention to when it comes to office politics. Not only this is your chance to be with the people who have the most influence over your promotion, but your are being evaluated by both your peers and boss. Office politics demand that you come prepared for these meetings. Even if you don’t have much to say, be prepared to say something. If you miss your shot, rest assured that your competition will be waiting to pick up the ball.

Office politicking happens whether we admit it or not. Some people try to be noble and refuse to play the political game; they try to focus their efforts on their tasks and hard work hoping that they will be noticed and rewarded. But in fact, there is no such thing as not being part of it. Business is all about competition; from time with important colleagues, prestige, recognition, bigger salaries, to - of course - power. Don't hate the game of politics; step out of your comfort zone and play it to win!

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Akhtaboot Parterns with KFUPM's for the 28th Career Day - Dhahran, KSA

Dhahran, May 23, 2011: For the 3rd time in a row, Akhtaboot – the career network partners with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals 28th Career Day, attracting thousands Saudi students seeking to enroll and advance in the different fields of work Akhtaboot offers.

Akhtaboot’s participation comes as part of Akhtaboot Cares Initiative efforts in securing employment opportunities for Saudi citizens and graduates while providing training and guidance on how to successfully approach the Saudi job market with Akhtaboot career lectures and CV evaluation services. Thousands of students visited Akhtaboot booths to learn about the company's recruitment solutions as well as interact with the Recruitment Consultants on the different employment opportunities at Akhtaboot.

From the very beginning, Akhtaboot has made a significant contribution to the development of the country's job market while supporting the careers of young Saudis through targeted professional recruitment and training programs.

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Akhtaboot Makes Jordan’s Fastest Growing Companies List

Akhtaboot – the career network is proud to announce that it has earned the honor of being included to the “Jordan Fast Growth 30” List, a project of AllWorld Network which highlights the fastest growing privately held businesses in Jordan.

The Jordan30 are part of the “Arabia Fast Growth 500” that will be announced November 15-17, 2011 at the Arabia 500 Awards & Global Summit. Jordan will host the first Arabia 500 Summit, held under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah. This will be the largest convening of growth entrepreneurs ever held outside of the United States. Alongside Akhtaboot, companies- from all over MENA, Turkey and Pakistan are competing for a spot on the Arabia 500.

Yousef Shamoun, Co-founder of Akhtaboot said: “Akhtaboot was founded in 2007 by passionate entrepreneurs who wanted to make a difference in the Middle Eastern job market. Akhtaboot's success, for the most part, depends on its fantastic team and on its ability to link the right person with the right career opportunity. With Akhtaboot making the Jordan 30 List, we feel that we are on the right track with regards to helping people find jobs that are suitable for their skills and in line with their career aspirations, while on the other hand helping companies find the right talent.”

The Jordan30 bring to life Jordan’s knowledge economy with strengths in software, gaming, web communities, e-commerce, animation, telecom, health and education. What truly distinguishes the Jordan30 is the dominance of knowledge-based companies, with Jordan achieving the AllWorld #1 spot for a creative economy.

Congratulations to the Entire Akhtaboot Team!

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Akhtaboot as Online Recruitment Partner in P&G Saudi Arabia University Campaign

Akhtaboot is proud to announce that it has been chosen by Proctor and Gamble - a Fortune 500 multinational manufacturer of consumer goods - as Online Recruitment Partner of P&G University Campaign, a yearly career development multi-day event in Saudi Arabia targeting university students and graduates to be on how to sharpen their career related skills when it comes to looking for jobs.

The campaign will be dedicated to supporting over 8,000 students Kingdom-wide by preparing them on how to best land their dream job. Akhtaboot will be there to offer tips to job seekers on how to write an impressive CV and to prepare for a job interview. Akhtaboot will also give tips on how to best use its website to search and apply for jobs.

The 44-day event is going to cover almost all major Saudi universities in Jeddah, Riyadh and Addammam with a total of 44 university visits covering top Saudi universities all over the Kingdom.

Check out the event pictures on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/akhtaboot.saudi.arabia.jobs

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The Akhtaboot Social Platform is Enhanced with Recommendations on Facebook

In yet another step towards providing robust career networking functionality via social media, Akhtaboot – the career network (http://www.akhtaboot.com) has enhanced its Facebook Application by giving users a new valuable insight into their personal strengths through social recommendations.

Akhtaboot Facebook application (http://apps.facebook.com/akhtaboot) has social functionalities that include the ability to give and receive personal recommendations about your friend’s top personal traits within a career context. Akhtaboot also plans to build more engaging features in the near future with mutual benefit to both job seekers and employers alike.

Mohamad Haj Hasan, Head of Product Development and Co-founder of Akhtaboot, said:

“Facebook is all about personal networking and social engagement, and with so many people spending so much of their time on Facebook, we think this new development leverages the wealth of useful information trapped in the social graph and uses it to enhance the professional profile of users on Akhtaboot.”

By linking your Akhtaboot account to your Facebook profile, you will now be able to make the most of Akhtaboot’s new social recommendations feature to boost your profile in front of employers, in addition to searching for and applying to jobs directly from within Facebook.

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It’s Not All About the Money Afterall

What really makes employees happy at Work!

There is no doubt that employees expect to be able to pay their bills and maybe have some extra cash on the side. But with the implications of the current financial crisis, many of us have started re-examining our requirements when it comes to choosing a new company or job. While a fat paycheck might be tempting to take on a new job offer, everyday tasks and the company mission and culture can also be major factors in whether you will be content in your position or not.
When talking about employee job satisfaction, a number of relatively universal factors arise that are actually based on very basic psychological needs. Tackling into these sources of motivation will lead to a long-term sense of personal commitment and can definitely breed loyalty to a company. Said another way, it’s much easier to get employees to do something that has to be done because they want to do it.

So is it all about money afterall? Akhtaboot reveals the top factors that keep employees working at a company even when there are other opportunities out there.

Professional Development

High performing employees are learners by nature. They like to have career paths they can work toward. The moment their learning curves start going down, that’s when they start to think about quitting and responding to headhunter calls. In order for employers to keep their team engaged they need to find ways to challenge them and utilize their skills effectively. If an employee’s knowledge exceeds his or her current position, consider promoting them to a new job. The more valued your employees feel, the more engaged, motivated and happy they’ll be!

Job Security

With the massive layoffs as a result of the current recession, employees have returned to basics citing job security as one of most important aspects of employment. When it comes to motivating and keeping employees, job security is essential. Wise companies are starting to adopt new ways in helping their employees learn how to stay employable. If employees stay up-to-date and add value on their current job, most certainly they will be in the front seat of their responsibilities, not only tagging along for the ride hoping that they might get to a place they like. In other words, employees are expected to think and act like entrepreneurs!

Autonomy and the Sense of Ownership

Autonomy is the exact opposite of micro-management. Employees usually like having some control over their tasks and making decisions. It makes them feel as if they are a vital part of the business. Companies that create a culture of trust, clarity and openness in the workplace will definitely have more committed workers who are more interested in performing their jobs. Although the concept of autonomy is perceived differently among corporate cultures, the point is that in spite of the autonomy form applied at your company, companies that instill a sense of ownership and autonomy among employees have better performance, higher employee loyalty and lower turnover.

A Positive Work Environment

It only makes sense that employees who are happy within their work environment will be far more productive than those who are uncomfortable. If an employee is working in an environment where there is a lot of negativity among coworkers this can reduce his or her moral. The first step into creating a positive work environment is to try to maintain a zero tolerance policy for negative attitude. In order to create a workforce of positive employees, the fastest, simplest and cost-efficient way is to hire people who are optimistic and cheerful by nature. Leaders also need to be a role model by always displaying optimism, focusing on solutions and smiling.

A Visionary Boss

It is often said that people don't really leave jobs, they leave bosses. A great boss gives direction and guidance to his team members. An exceptional boss takes an appropriate interest in each employee as a person. Employees like to be challenged to do their best, so as a manager you need to know when to push and when to back off so as to draw out the best from your team. Exceptional leaders trust that the people they hire are smart enough to do their job, even if they might do it differently!

All companies understand the fact that it is generally less expensive to retain good employees than find new ones. When it comes to employee retention, companies tend to think about money as being the key motivator. While money talks to most people, it shouldn't have the final say. Companies need to set a culture that makes employees want to do a better job. To foster long term, sustained motivation, organizations must inspire employees to draw their motivation from the inside!

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Akhtaboot Sponsors the "Ideal Ka'ek Cart" Project of Amman Baccalaureate School Personal Project Exhibition

On April 27, 2011, Amman Baccalaureate School ABS held The Personal Project Exhibition which marked Grade 10 students’ celebration of their successful completion of their personal projects. This year's exhibition was divided into the different areas of interaction, which forms the foundation of the personal project and that is "Community and Service".

Akhtaboot Cares Initiative - Akhtaboot's CSR Arm, sponsored "The Ideal Ka'ek Cart", a project designed, created and presented by the talented, creative 10th grader, Tala Zuraiqat. "The Ideal Ka'ek Cart" project idea, which is inspired by the traditional street vendors of Amman, aims to provide locals with high quality street food at value-for-money prices for those who can't afford to spend much on good quality, nutritionally adequate food.

"The Ka'ek Cart" project grabbed the attention of attendees, both parents and business professionals and is now in talks with a governmental unit regarding taking it to the next level on a local scale.

The exhibition showed the excellent work, accomplishments, talents and originality of ABS students. A job well done to Grade 10 of Amman Baccalaureate School.

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