Major UAE manufacturer enhances recruitment process with Cielo

Challenges

Following its acquisition, a multinational manufacturing company had ambitions to develop a truly global business from a base in Abu Dhabi. It was estimated that this would generate the need for more than 5,000 new staff over the following five years.

The first stage of this development plan required a new team of around 80 people in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The company wanted this talent to mainly be local Emirati citizens. But that presented quite a challenge because both the industry and organization are new to the Middle East and North Africa region.

With no relevant local talent pool to draw from, the organization knew it had to get creative to uncover the talent it needed. So, they partnered with Cielo, the world’s leading talent acquisition partner, to enhance its recruitment process.

Solutions

Cielo quickly put together a dedicated delivery team. After initial research, the client and delivery team agreed on a two-pronged strategy:

1. an international work program where degree-educated Emiratis would work overseas to gain the requisite technical and managerial experience before returning to the company in the UAE
2. a local retraining project also aimed at non-graduates to provide an immediate local workforce

The team collaborated with educational institutions, government agencies, and leveraged social media to promote the industry, company, and job opportunities. Cielo also conducted a targeted mapping and search campaign to pinpoint relevant passive talent in the UAE. Once top talent was identified, Cielo engaged with them and held the initial interviews.

“Cielo has worked hard to attract and engage a large volume of high-quality UAE national talent by helping us to deliver our employer brand message, manage communications with candidates, coordinate interviews and assessments, and assist us in managing the offer process. Cielo has provided outstanding support and has been flexible in adapting to changes to the original scope and expectation of the project,” said the client’s Senior Manager of Talent Management.

Results

The collaboration between the client and Cielo’s dedicated RPO team delivered glowing outcomes, including:

• Hiring nearly 90 Emiratis within the initial six-month phase
• Maintaining the minimum average cost per hire
• Becoming a recognized employer of choice in the UAE