Why Intercultural Skills are Important to Employers in the UAE?

Winning the hearts of prospective employers is something every job seeker dreams of. What if we tell you the secret behind it? That would be great, isn’t it? What if we tell you that it is not a secret anymore? Yes, the answer has been there in front of our eyes for a very long time but we have been ignoring it.

The secret was revealed some years back by a study conducted by the British Council in partnership with Booz Allen Hamilton and Ipsos Public Affairs. The study revealed the one thing that employers in the UAE value the most in job candidates is ‘Intercultural Skills’. According to the study, 59 percent of the total surveyed employers were found in favor of employees with great intercultural skills. These numbers were based on the responses received from Human Resource Managers of some of the top employers in the UAE.

As we know, the UAE is one of the most popular job destinations in the world. Each year, people from all over the globe come in huge numbers and settle down in the region. The job prospects are tremendous. Moreover, the government and employers are open to letting global employees join the native workforces. This has put the UAE on the world map of job seekers. Most organizations in the UAE, whether big or small, usually employ a mixed staff. When people from different cultures and backgrounds collaborate together to work towards achieving organizational goals, they are bound to face some challenges. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that ‘Intercultural Skills’ are indeed very important for employers. Still, it is one of the least talked about things when it comes to job seekers and job search.

Many job seekers are unaware of this fact and most of them probably don’t even fully understand what intercultural skills actually mean. So, let us first understand –

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What does ‘Intercultural Skills’ for employers mean?

According to the surveyed employees, intercultural skills can be best defined as one’s ability to understand different cultural contexts and viewpoints. For many employers, it also means respecting people from different cultures, being adaptive to different cultural settings and accepting cultural differences. For some employers, knowledge of an additional language also counts as an important intercultural skill.

If we have to combine all the points discussed in the previous paragraphs, we can say that intercultural skills have more to do with one’s ability to communicate freely and clearly with people regardless of their background, culture, and knowledge of a particular language. Hence, intercultural skills are sometimes also referred to as intercultural communication skills.

Why are ‘Intercultural Skills’ important?

The operating environment of most organizations is becoming increasingly global. Hence, more and more employers look for employees who can demonstrate a great understanding of different cultures, the ability to identify social cues of different cultures and the talent to adapt to different cultural contexts. Such employees are believed to:

- Bring in more new clients for the business

- Work smoothly in a diverse team without giving way for conflicts to happen

- Assist in building a good brand name and reputation for a company

All the factors mentioned above are crucial for any organization as they result in positive financial implications for the business.

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How employers judge ‘Intercultural Skills’ while interviewing candidates?

Employers are not able to fully judge the intercultural skills of job candidates during the preliminary screening process. However, they gauge the same during the interview process. Some of the indicators used by employers to judge a candidate’s intercultural competence are:

- Impeccable communication skills

- Sensitivity towards different cultures

- Knowledge of an additional language

- Overseas work experience

- Overseas education

Job seekers should demonstrate all or at least some of the things mentioned above through their job application and make sure to emphasize on the same during the job interview as well. Try to connect the dots for the employer by explaining to them how your experience of studying abroad can be utilized to give your best in the role you have applied for. Quote examples from your previous work experiences to explain how your strong communication skills helped in resolving team conflicts or assisted in bringing more new clients for the business.

Employees realize the importance of intercultural communication in the workplace. It is high time job seekers start taking it seriously as well. It could be the factor that will help candidates stand out in the competition.

All the best!

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