Q. 1. What are, in your view, the basic principles of success in a professional life?

Mr. Hamid Ikram: Work hard and to the best of your abilities. Focus on your aims and to be honest in your dealings with all.

Q. 2. Tell us about your educational life?

Mr. Hamid Ikram: I grew up in England where I received all my education, qualifications and training. My schooling was from Isleworth Grammer School in London, from where I obtained 12 GCSE O-levels and 3 A-levels. I then graduated from the University of Southampton, from where I received a BSc in Business Economics & Accounting. I completed my Chartered Accountancy articles with KPMG and then qualified as a Chartered Certified Accountant with ACCA.

This is the formal education, but one has to realize that life itself should also be an education and in my case it certainly has been.

Q. 3. What makes your company an attractive employer for the job seekers?

Mr. Hamid Ikram: Being a full HR Consultancy and one of the largest in Pakistan, we offer a number of different services that complement each other:

  • Recruitment Consultancy
  • Employee Outsourcing
  • Business Process Outsourcing
  • Training & Development
  • Organizational Development

Q. 4. What do you look for in a candidate during a hiring interview session? Name 4 key things?

Mr. Hamid Ikram: The four key things that we look for in a candidate while hiring are:

  • Honesty
  • Confident and well spoken
  • Realistic expectations
  • Professional attitude

Q. 5. What is the scope of Human Resource Management in Pakistan?

Mr. Hamid Ikram: HRM in Pakistan is still at an immature stage and needs to grow up! The potential for HRM is very good in Pakistan, but only if organizations and individuals take it in a professional manner. Organizations must realize that their employees can be their most important assets, while individuals must realize that nobody owes them a job and they have to work for it.

Q. 6. How would you rate the success and importance of online recruitment firms such as ROZEE.PK?

Mr. Hamid Ikram: ROZEE.PK is the number one in its field and the top of such organization in Pakistan for online recruitment. It presents an effective option for a particular level of recruitment and in the modern internet dominated world its importance is high.

Q. 7. How has ROZEE.PK helped your firm regarding recruitment i.e. Have you tried any recruitment tools provided by ROZEE.PK e.g. Job Fairs/Job Postings/CV Search?

Mr. Hamid Ikram: Our company has taken part in Rozee Job Fairs and used the CV Search Engine in our own recruitment processes.

Q. 8. What is your strategy on work-life balance and how do you achieve this balance yourself?

Mr. Hamid Ikram: Quite simple – work hard and play hard!

You have to recognize that when it is time to work then you have to give 100%, focus on your objectives and deliver results.

There has to be downtime and relaxation, so this time has to be recognized and then you make sure that you enjoy it as best as possible.
In both cases honesty and good intentions play a vital part.

Q. 9. Do you believe that Pakistani universities are creating an effective talent pool and what is your company’s strategy to attract the best talent in Pakistan?

Mr. Hamid Ikram: There are a few good universities in Pakistan but unfortunately many average ones. Whilst the few good ones are turning out talented individuals, many of these do not stay in the country and so the pool of talent is never really growing. Pakistan needs the quality of education to keep increasing and the many average universities to be turned into good ones.

Any company needs the following to attract the best talent:

  • to be professionally run with the latest processes and systems,
  • a leader with vision and honesty,
  • a good career path,
  • adequate compensation and a good working environment.

Q. 10. What is your formula of success in life?

Mr. Hamid Ikram:

  • To be honest with myself and in my dealings with all others.
  • To have a clean heart and good intentions in all I do.
  • To work to the best of my abilities – both mental and physical.
  • To be the best Muslim that I can and leave the rest in the hands of Allah (swt).

Q. 11. What are the biggest turnoffs in an interview of a job applicant?

Mr. Hamid Ikram:

  • Being late, not properly dressed, unshaven, etc.
  • Saying things that are different to what is written in the CV.
  • Having unrealistic salary expectations, for example thinking that a new employer should automatically double their salary or even more!
  • Believing that they are the best in their field, but not being able to justify it.

Q. 12. Any good advice you want to give for the job seekers who want to enter and prosper in the professional field?

Mr. Hamid Ikram: Please re-read and understand the answers to questions 1, 4, 8, 10 and 11 above.

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