Will AI Decide Your Next Job in the Middle East? | Kirsty Koen

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chatGRG

23 episodes

1 week ago

chatGRG explores how careers are built, shaped, and evolved in an AI-driven world. In a region where opportunity moves fast, careers are rarely linear. Being skilled is not enough. How you position yourself, how you show up, and how your experience translates into opportunity matter. chatGRG brings together leaders, founders, hiring managers, and regional influencers to share honest perspectives on building careers in the Gulf. We speak openly about getting hired, navigating multiple career moves, and understanding how decisions are made behind closed doors. Across these conversations, we also explore how personal brand and career visibility influence hiring outcomes, progression, and long-term credibility, especially in a market where reputation travels quickly. Produced through GRG, the region’s largest independently owned recruitment firm, the discussions are shaped by real access to senior hiring environments and market insight. This is not theory or motivation. It is experience-led discussion on careers, visibility, hiring dynamics, and what it takes to build long-term momentum. If you are building yourself or navigating your next move, this is the insight most people only gain after years in the market.

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Society & Culture

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Will AI Decide Your Next Job in the Middle East? | Kirsty Koen – Group CHRO at IDS Borjomi Int.

chatGRG

24 minutes 11 seconds

1 month ago

Will AI Decide Your Next Job in the Middle East? | Kirsty Koen – Group CHRO at IDS Borjomi Int.

Hiring in the Middle East is changing fast, and as Kirsty points out, the real story sits somewhere between the rise of AI and the power of genuine human connection.

In this episode of Out of Office, Kirsty Koen, Group CHRO at IDS Borjomi International, talks through the unwritten rules of hiring in the region, why some candidates move forward easily, and why others fall out of the process without ever understanding what went wrong.

We reveal:
↳ Why soft skills and relational intelligence now outweigh technical ability in today’s job market.
↳ How candidates can structure the perfect interview answer and show real value beyond the job description.
↳ What hiring managers get wrong about Gen Z
↳ Why AI and ATS systems are disrupting recruitment and how candidates can navigate the shift.
↳ The hidden expectations candidates never ask about but absolutely should.

If you want to stop guessing what HR wants and to start landing opportunities in the Middle East, this is the episode to listen to.

(00:00:00) Opening: The AI Hype and Middle East Hiring Reality

(00:01:17) Understanding the Middle East's Familial Culture

(00:03:14) The Three Dimensions of Hiring: Technical, Soft Skills, and Networking

(00:04:46) Common Hiring Manager Mistakes

(00:08:39) Red Flags: When Candidates Just Want Dubai

(00:09:49) The Art of Asking Questions in Interviews

(00:11:09) Quality Over Quantity: The Talent Abundance Myth

(00:14:25) The Gen Z Question: Are We Overthinking It?

(00:13:34) Career Longevity vs Job Hopping: The Complete Cycle

(00:18:16) AI in Recruitment: The Black Box Interview Disaster

(00:22:30) The Hunger Games: Competing in Dubai's Job Market

Listen on:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6spVLsSjrJYAK93ntA6nNC?si=fc536887c15d442c

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/will-ai-decide-your-next-job-in-the-middle-east/id1781880969?i=1000739482541

Connect with Kirsty:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstykoen/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kewwiggs/

Follow Our Host:

Mark Timms: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marktimmsgrg/