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Most roles in the Middle East aren’t posted — they’re shared through trust.
This episode explains how opportunities really move in the region and how to position yourself to be recommended —not just seen.
Most companies focus on hiring; few know how to keep their people.
You’ll hear:
Why retention starts on Day 1
The five rules of leadership-driven retention in the GCC
How emotional loyalty outperforms salary increases
What great leaders in Dubai & Riyadh do differently
🎙 Host: Ines Mokrani | MatchMaker No. 1
👉 More: https://youtu.be/Wy5evgvPXDs
Most companies don’t lose candidates in the Middle East – they push them away. Slow hiring, weak communication and no real commitment are the real reasons offers fail in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
In this episode, we expose the brutal truth about hiring in the Middle East – and why European hiring processes collapse in fast-moving GCC markets. If you want to win top tech talent in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh or Doha, this episode is not optional – it’s a wake-up call.
🔎 What you’ll learn in this episode:
Why speed beats brand in the GCC talent market
How WhatsApp recruiting builds trust faster than email
Why salary is not the reason candidates reject your offer
The role of family in relocation decisions – and how to manage it
The real reason behind offer dropouts and ghosting
The 5 rules for winning hiring in the Middle East
How to close candidates before competitors even react
🎙️ Hosted by
🚀 Work with us
🎧 Follow the Podcast for more episodes on hiring strategy, talent acquisition, recruiting psychology and business expansion in GCC markets.
Middle East hiring
GCC recruitment
Dubai jobs
Saudi Arabia careers
Hiring strategy
Talent acquisition
UAE recruitment
MENA talent market
Business expansion Middle East
Executive search GCC
Tech hiring Dubai
Relocation UAE
Recruitment podcast
Hiring mistakes
MatchMaker No.1
Gen Z is entering the workplace across the Middle East at a faster rate than ever — and they are not here to follow outdated systems. They want purpose, growth, and leadership they can respect. So why are so many companies still struggling to retain them?
In this episode, Ines Mokrani and guest Noura Al-Mansoori break down:
– Why Gen Z isn’t “impossible” — they’re misunderstood
This episode offers genuine insights, candid conversations, and fundamental strategies for HR leaders and executives shaping the future of work in the Middle East.
In today’s episode of the Hire Arabia Podcast, host Ines Mokrani and guest Samir Al-Hassan discuss how AI is reshaping the world of work — and why upskilling has become the most valuable investment a company can make.
🔹 Why technology alone isn’t enough
🎙️ Join us for a smart, engaging, and slightly humorous take on how to prepare your workforce for tomorrow.
#HireArabiaPodcast #Upskilling #AI #MiddleEast #Leadership #Recruitment #HRStrategy #LearningAndDevelopment
Is AI a recruiter’s best friend — or a hiring hazard waiting to happen?Join Ines Mokrani and Samir Al-Hassan as they unpack the good, the bad, and the occasionally hilarious side of Artificial Intelligence in recruitment.
💬 Topics include:
👉 Tune in for a smart, engaging, and slightly witty conversation about the future of talent acquisition in an AI-driven world.
#HireArabiaPodcast #AIRecruitment #MiddleEast #HRTech #WorkCulture #Recruiting #Podcast
Remote work is transforming the global workforce – but what is the situation in the Middle East?
Host Ines Mokrani talks to Noura Al-Mansoori, an expert in HR technology, about:
Trends and challenges in the region
- Which industries are already successfully implementing remote work
- Tools and strategies for a sustainable remote work culture
- Why hybrid work could become the norm
Ideal for anyone seeking to understand how work and careers are evolving in the MENA region.
In Episode 6 of the Hire Arabia Podcast, host Ines Mokrani welcomes Samir Al-Hassan to discuss Employer Branding strategies for companies in the Middle East.
Topics include:
Why Employer Branding Matters More Than Ever
How to use social media for talent attraction
Success stories from the region
First steps for companies to build a strong brand
Tune in for practical tips to win the talent war!
In Episode 5 of the Hire Arabia Podcast, host Ines Mokrani sits down with Noura Al-Mansouri, an HR strategist from Abu Dhabi, to discuss Talent Retention in the Middle East.
We talk about:
Why employees stay or leave
How culture shapes retention strategies
Regional differences in employee expectations
A Dubai-based company’s success story that reduced turnover by 25%
Tune in for practical steps to keep top talent engaged and loyal in a rapidly changing market.
Hashtags:
In this episode of the Hire Arabia Podcast, host Ines Mokrani talks with tech entrepreneur Karim Al-Farouqi about the future of work in the Middle East.
Together, they cover:
🌍 How countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia are adopting remote and hybrid models
💡 The role of culture in shaping workplace flexibility
🚀 A fintech success story from Abu Dhabi
✔️ Practical steps for companies to manage hybrid teams
🎧 Tune in if you want to understand how the Middle East is redefining the future of work – and how your business can get ahead.
#HireArabiaPodcast #FutureOfWork #MiddleEast #RemoteWork #HybridWork #Recruitment #HR #Careers #BusinessExpansion
From the publisher's feed
Middle East Talent & Leadership Podcast
Hosted by Ines Mokrani
The Middle East Talent & Leadership Podcast explores leadership, executive careers, talent, business, and the realities of today's workplace across the Middle East and beyond.
Hosted by Ines Mokrani, Founder & CEO of MatchMaker No.1, the podcast looks beyond headlines, corporate narratives, and comfortable assumptions to understand what is actually happening inside organizations, careers, and markets.
From leadership decisions and executive hiring to career strategy, transformation, AI, and changing labor markets, each episode examines the forces shaping how organizations operate — and how leaders and professionals need to respond.
Some episodes challenge conventional leadership thinking. Others examine what is happening in the market and ask whether the prevailing narrative actually matches the evidence.
Because business reality is rarely as simple as the headline.
The podcast explores four core perspectives:
Leadership Reality
How leaders make decisions, build influence, navigate complexity and create the conditions for performance.
Career Reality
What really shapes executive careers, professional value, visibility, opportunity and progression.
Talent & Hiring
How organizations identify capability, make hiring decisions and build the leadership and talent they actually need.
Market Reality
What economic, technological and regional developments mean for businesses, leaders, hiring and careers — with a particular focus on the GCC within a global context.
Topics include executive leadership, decision-making, Executive Search, global talent strategy, organizational psychology, executive careers, AI and the future of work, transformation, international expansion, and the changing business landscape across the GCC and beyond.
For CEOs, executives, managers and ambitious professionals who prefer clarity over corporate clichés and evidence over comfortable narratives.
No corporate myths. No manufactured optimism. No provocation for the sake of attention.
Just clear perspectives on how leadership, careers, talent and business really work.
New episodes every week.