Get the Job You Want

A couple of weeks ago I gave my first training workshop for Good Word Society’s volunteer skill development program Itqan (perfection). It was titled “Get the Job You Want”.

In Bahrain, just like any other place in this –now- tiny world, competition over jobs is fierce.

What I thought was a problem of simply not knowing how to write a CV/Resume and how to attend a job interview, turned out to be a complete lack of communication skills, an evident weakness in foreign languages (referring to English), and the inability to perform in a competing world.

The culture that the majority of youth face in Bahrain is one of dependence. Many expect their parents’ networks to do them favors, or the government to provide them with everything that is needed. This though, doesn’t work in the real world. It also doesn’t go in line with the proposed Bahrain 2030 economic vision which is summarized as follows:

We aspire to shift from an economy built on oil wealth to a productive, globally competitive economy, shaped by the government and driven by a pioneering private sector – an economy that raises a broad middle class of Bahrainis who enjoy good living standards through increased productivity and high-wage jobs.

Interestingly, as I was pondering the solution to this issue, I saw a billboard advertisement for a program by the General Organization for Youth & Sports  called “Almohemah” , which literally translates to the The Mission.

I went and googled the term “Almohemah“, to find that it’s a training program to train young graduates on how to hunt for jobs and the basics of business ethics.  Some of the program’s interesting goals are:

• Prepare young graduates to join the workforce.
• Create a competitive work atmosphere.
• Development of the work force skills.
• Instill proper business ethics into participants.

Luckily, I’ve been chosen to take part in this program, helping me give back to the society in a way that I can help best. I will be assigned to 10 out of the 80 participants to deliver short workshops on Teamwork, Business Ethics, CV Writing & Self Marketing, and others.

The program will start next week, and will be entirely filmed and produced as a reality TV series! So now you’re reading the post of a soon to be celebrity =)

Back to my Get The Job You Want workshop. It was an excellent experience that differed from teaching at the university. Workshops and seminars tend to be more dynamic and encourage participant involvement in activities and discussions. I received great feedback from the participants and will certainly incorporate their ideas into version 2 of the workshop.