Category: Blog

Impact Hiring: A Talent Success Story

Posted on by admin

Globalization is having an impact on how businesses reach their target audiences across the globe. Can globalization and impact hiring allow companies to target their “audience” of top IT talent to fill their employment needs? Yes, placing the same importance on diverse and global hiring can enhance your reach but provide real solutions to maintaining scalability and flexibility in your hiring mode. Impact hiring can also change lives when jobs reach areas impacted by economic, political, and climate devastation.

A MENA Alliance Talent Success: Walaa Abu Libdeh 

Walaa Abu Libdeh is a true talent success story that demonstrates the human impact of companies hiring with globalization in mind. Walaa had the skills, experience, and education to work as a front-end developer.

Corporations across the globe need help in fulfilling this highly valued tech position on their teams. Walaa, who lives in Palestine, had the talent and the degree but, due to circumstances beyond her control, needed more access to the types of positions she dreamed of holding.

“My favorite thing about working with MENA Alliances is the incredible opportunity for growth and advancement. It also introduced me to and prepared me for remote work, which was a game changer for me in my career as a developer.” – Walaa.

Walaa had a list of desirable talents that companies everywhere look for help finding for their tech teams. She has fantastic NodeJS, Express, React, Redux, AWS, CI_CD, Mongo dB, and SMTP skills.

Walaa dreamed of working with and learning more from other top talents in her field. She hoped for a job where she could make a significant difference in her work, her family, and her community.

Through the staff augmentation model offered by MENA Alliance, a US corporation could fulfill her dream and give her the position she had wished for, and she worked so hard to obtain the skills needed.

Hear About the Experience of Impact Hiring

“Finding a job that suits your capabilities and abilities is always a challenge. The matter becomes more difficult when we talk about the harsh political and economic situation in Palestine. Despite the odds, I was able to graduate from university with a major in computer information systems. This allowed me to pursue good opportunities at some of the best tech companies and startups in Palestine as a female developer.”

“However, I always keep looking for more growth and career development, and this is where MENA Alliances came in. The company introduced me to remote work and offered the support I needed. They believed in my qualifications and skills. MENA Alliances gave me the opportunity to work in a US company as a senior front-end developer and helped me to advance my career.”

Changing the World Through Impact Hiring

When companies choose to impact real human lives in their hiring practices, they make fundamental changes on a global level. Globalization means how you target your sales and how your reach affects these same economies. Impact hiring is an actual win-win resolution for both companies and talent. Your global reach should focus on more than just sales but how your presence impacts and gives to the economies you seek. Hiring from these areas delivers top talent to your team and changes real human lives, like our success story Walaa! Hire Now! 

 

2023-03-31

 

 

2023 Hiring Solutions Using Staff Augmentation

Posted on by Abeer Abu Ghaith

Human resource leaders need help finding qualified IT professionals to fill open positions and start exciting new projects. The problem is blamed on the great resignation and other recent social issues, but there are, in fact, fewer workers. 

In the US, for example, available workers will fall by 3% due to aging. Svenja Gudell, Chief Economist for Indeed, points to demographic shifts in population and immigration policies as two significant factors expected to impact hiring for years. 

Gudell states the supply chain will also impact hiring, product availability, and services. According to Gudell, “Deep-seated and long-term supply dynamics will continue to be a major force that creates a persistent gap between employer demand for new hires and the supply of candidates.”

HR departments are not only challenged by the hiring crisis but face an ongoing need to remain flexible and scale their staff according to the needs of new and ongoing projects. IT staff are in tremendous demand, and managers know actual costs are involved. 

Costs When Hiring an In-House Team

There are costs when hiring an in-house team. No matter the project, new ideas come with excitement and expectations. Your excitement for your company’s great new project might impact your in believing that you can hire a brilliant tech team, lure them away from their present jobs, and they will drop everything for your fantastic idea. Consider the following:

  • Candidate Sourcing – Where will you find talent? A hiring agency has costs involved, but if you search yourself, your time costs, too. 
  • Time = Money – Glassdoor’s research shows that the tech industry’s interview process alone can take 24.4 days. You can expect as much as 95 days from initial contact to hire specialty IT talents.
  • External vs. Internal Hiring – Choose a recruiting agency or use external hiring, and figure in as much as 25% of your new hire’s salary to pay for their services. You are not saving money by doing it yourself. According to Entrepreneur Magazine, startup founders spend up to 40% of their valuable time doing the hiring and other non-income-generating tasks. How much is your time worth?
  • Salary and Benefit Costs – Consider costs. According to Indeed, an average salary for a full-stack developer is $119,177 per year plus cash bonuses, matching 401K, and health insurance. And that doesn’t begin to cover hidden expenses, such as office space, staff IT support, etc.
  • Retention Costs – Once hired, you must keep feeding that relationship. According to PeopleKeep, the cost of losing and replacing a tech employee is often as high as their yearly salary. You don’t want to lose a new hire to a competitive job offer – so expect to provide perks like gym memberships, tuition reimbursement, stock, remote working, and paid time off. 

Staff Augmentation as a Solution

Staff augmentation is a hiring model that brings qualified staff on board to fulfill a short-term need or a job that may be project-based. Staff augmentation can allow smaller companies and startups to reach the skilled team members they need. This option provides your company quick access to vetted applicants at cost savings, increasing your business’s flexibility and scalability options.

Consider the challenges faced when you need to replace staff quickly due to the permanent or temporary loss of a required team member. As you can see above, the hiring model that includes time-consuming searches or expensive recruitment costs can add to the pain. When you begin a relationship with an augmented staffing solutions provider like MENA Alliances you have an affordable answer to finding your needed skills. 

Benefits of Choosing Staff Augmentation 

Staff augmentation benefits you by expanding your hiring options. You can purchase the resources your tech worker provides such as their time and talent. Your company retains control over team members allowing you to develop your project on your own terms. Benefits you will experience by choosing the staff augmentation hiring model: 

  • Manage skill gaps
  • Cost savings
  • Saving time
  • Access to top talent
  • Fast team-building

Level the Field for Startups 

Entire product development teams can be sourced through staff augmentation. Many startup leaders spend up to 40% of their valuable time doing the hiring and other non-income-generating tasks. When you choose to hire through a staff augmentation solution provider, you can focus your energy.

Good News for Human Resource Managers

There is good news: companies can build solid relationships now with staff augmentation solution providers offeringaccess to areas with a wealth of human capital. Information released by Korn Ferry predicts a labor shortage of approximately 85 million skilled workers by 2030. The report also reflects that if this shortage is not addressed, it could mean $8.5 trillion in untapped annual revenues. You will leave this revenue on the table if you can’t access the staffing you need. 

Karin Kimbrough, Chief Economist at LinkedIn, has reported a need to fill 150 million new tech jobs in the next five years. Recent discussions at the World Economic Forum covered rapid tech growth and an expectation that over 50% of current positions will need new skill sets. Finding access to skilled IT staff will be a key factor in your future success. 

MENA Alliances Delivers Staff Augmentation Solutions

When you locate and partner with a staff augmentation solution provider, you can identify and hire the staff you need within a few weeks. You will get access to qualified, skilled IT staff and teams while saving on your two most significant cost factors: time and money. 

At MENA Alliances, you can talk with our consultants on a complimentary basisto go over your staffing needs. We offer three staffing options to deliver the flexibility and scalability you need, on your terms. Consultations allow you to understand our three staffing models, and there is no fee unless you choose to hire. Ask us for details on our options, including:

  • Project-Based Model
  • Staff Augmentation Model
  • Placement Model

There are considerable cost savings when you fill positions through staff augmentation providers. With over 5000 active resumes and growing, our skilled professionals have completed over 700 projects for top companies and startups. 

Build Staffing Solutions with MENA Alliances Today

If you are ready to discover solutions to your technology labor shortage, then IT staff augmentation may be the way to go. Here at MENA Alliances, we are un-compromised in our values and deliver smart, impactful hiring solutions across the globe. 

Our solution is simple: we match your needs to skilled professionals that we have taken the time to vet for their education, skills, and work history. Our company can supply entire tech teams that are ready to start with the skills you need on day one. There is no better solution than one that delivers savings and creates hope. Contact MENA Alliances today for a free consultation. 

MENA TEAM!

 

 

 

References

Bika, N. (2023, March). What is the Average Time to Hire by Industry? Retrieved from Workable: https://resources.workable.com/stories-and-insights/time-to-hire-industry

Charaba, C. (2023, February 2). Employee retention: The real cost of losing an employee. Retrieved from PeopleKeep: https://www.peoplekeep.com/blog/employee-retention-the-real-cost-of-losing-an-employee

Devarajan, S. (2016, June 30). The paradox of higher education in MENA. Retrieved from The World Bank: https://blogs.worldbank.org/arabvoices/paradox-higher-education-mena

Gudell, S. (2022, May 23). What’s happening in the labor market right now and why does it matter? Retrieved from Indeed: https://indeedhelps.com/episode/whats-happening-in-the-labor-market/

Gudell, S., & Terrasaz, A. (2022, November 11). Indeed and GlassDoor’s Hiring and Workplace Trends Report 2023. Retrieved from GlassDoor: https://www.glassdoor.com/research/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/11/Indeed-Glassdoors-2023-Hiring-Workplace-Trends-Report-Glassdoor-Blog.pdf

Gutner, T. (2011, January 14). Is It Time to Outsource Human Resources? Retrieved from Entrepreneur Magazine: https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/is-it-time-to-outsource-human-resources/217866

Kimbrough, K., & Blue, A. (2020, October 23). Your Next Job Move Could Be Easier Than You Think. Retrieved from World Economic Forum: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/your-next-job-move-could-be-easier-than-you-think/

Maurer, R. (2023, January 23). Labor Shortages Forecast to Persist for Years. Retrieved from Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/labor-shortages-forecast-to-persist-2023.aspx

MENA Generation 2030. (2019, April). Retrieved from UNICEF: https://www.unicef.org/mena/media/4141/file/MENA-Gen2030.pdf

Samans, R., & Zahidi, S. (2017, May). The Future of Jobs and Skills in the Middle East and North Africa – Executive Briefing. Retrieved from World Economic Forum: https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_EGW_FOJ_MENA.pdf

 

Finding Success During Global Labor Shortages Today and Beyond

Posted on by Abeer Abu Ghaith
Synopsis:
Discover how diversifying your hiring process and developing unique employment opportunities can help your business grow successfully during trying economic times. Learn how embracing flexible work options will help your corporation overcome the skilled labor shortages faced today. Moving from traditional employment into a more task-oriented or project-managed system could be critical to continued growth in the coming years. Globalization as a marketing strategy can be applied to employment options. Read more about this concept,and how a global workforce strategy can solve your labor issues.

Takeaways: 

  1. Understand the numbers for skilled worker shortages and predictions for the future.
  2. Find out more information about the 2030 problem.
  3. Review how unique work solutions kept businesses going during the pandemic.
  4. What are the attitudes of employees today when searching for employment?
  5. Project management through HR
  6. Where to find your future qualified workforce.
  7. Network with MENA Alliances to access a wealth of knowledge.

We have written a guide to help you understand what is behind the labor shortage, what steps to take to plan for your hiring success, and where to bridge the gap with an abundance of skilled labor. Read more

"فرصة عمل" للموظفين التقليديين، "تجربة مؤثرة " لأصحاب الشغف

Posted on by admin

قد تبدو فرصة العمل هذه في شركة مينا أليانسز للناس مجرّد مهمة يتقاضون أجرها نهاية كلّ شهر، لكنّها لم تكن كذلك فحسب، لقد صنعت فارقًا كبيرًا منذ اليوم الأول من أيام التدريب قبل الشروع بالعمل، كان التدريب قائمًا على توضيح الأدوات التي سنقوم من خلالها بتعريب محتوى فيديوهات موقع اليوتيوب وتحويلها من مادة سماعية إلى نصٍ مكتوبٍ بلهجته الأصلية التي نستطيع الإستماع إليها عند تشغيل الفيديو مباشرة.

20170808_112315

فمن خلال الإجتماعات عبر الإنترنت واللقاءات المرئية التي كانت تجمعنا مع المسؤولين في الضفة الغربية تمت عملية التدريب خطوةً بخطوة حتى أتقنّا كل خطوات العمل واحدة واحدة، ثمّ خضعنا لإختبار القبول، وما زلتُ أذكر يوم تقديمي لذاك الإختبار الذي كان يتحدث محتوى الفيديو فيه عن طريقة صنع أحد أنواع الحلويات، فحينما قُبلت، وجدتُ نفسي أطبقه فعلًا على أرض الواقع!

إنّ أحبّ الأعمال إلى الأشخاص تلك التي يعملون بها بكلّ شغف وحب، بل تلك التي تضيف لهم كمًا هائلًا من المعلومات حول الثقافات المختلفة، والموضوعات الكثيرة التي تشغل بال العالم سواء أكانت دينية، ثقافية، إنسانية، سياسية، طبيّة وغيرها الكثير والكثير من التصنيفات، وهذا الأمر تحديدًا ساعدني على وجود حافزٍ أكبر إذ أنّي كنت أتعمّد إختيار الفيديوهات القصيرة لأستطيع أخذ الكثير من المعلومات التي لا يمكن أخذها من فيديو واحد يصل إلى ساعتين مثلًا.

20170816_120451

لقد اكتسبت مهارة الإستماع، كنتُ قليلًا ما أتحدث بسبب حاجتي للتركيز الكبير مع ما يقولون لإختلاف لهجاتهم التي يتحدثون بها وسرعان ما تعلمتها من التكرار المستمر، وهذا الأمر تحديدًا كان له الأثر الكبير في حياتي الإجتماعية، مهارة الإستماع وحدها كانت تكفي لأن أحسن فهم الأشياء، تعلمتُ كيف يمكنني أن أكتب بسرعةٍ تنافس سرعة الحديث حتى أصبحتُ حقًا أشعر بيداي تكتبان لوحدهما دون حاجة مني لأن أنظر إلى لوحة المفاتيح، وهذا الأمر أدى حقًا لوجود قدرة لدي لإنجاز عملٍ أكبر بوقتٍ أقل.

أثناء تجوّلي بين الفيديوهات والتعلم منها، أذكر كثيرًا أني كنتُ أجد نفسي في تساؤلاتٍ عن كلماتٍ معينة في لهجة ما، أو قضية ما، وهذا الأمر أدى لوجود حبّ إستطلاع كبيرٍ يثري معلوماتي بشكلٍ رائع جدًا، ولربما بعض المصطلحات التي لا نفهمها إلا بعد الشرح، الكثير من الشخصيات الهامة التي لم نكن نعرفها، الكثير من الأحداثالتي جهلناها ربّما أثناء انشغالنا بحياتنا، كلها كانت حاضرة أمامي وفي متناول يدي، وكما يقول من قال، إن لم تُحب ما تفعل، وتنقله لحياتك الخاصة، فأنت لا تفعل شيئًا إطلاقًا.

IMG_6536 copy

إنّ كل ما ذكرته بالأعلى لم يكن إلا جانبًا شخصيًا واحدًا، أما على الصعيد العملي والمهني، فالحق يقال، كان كلّ شيءٍ يسيرُ بشكلٍ رائع، حتى الفريق كان متكاملًا ما بين مسؤولين ومدققين وموظفو العمل الحر، لقد اكتسبنا جميعًا مهارة فوق كلّ هذه المهارات وهي العمل بروح الفريق وإقتسام الأدوار فيما بيننا حتى يكون نجاحنا مشتركًا لا نجاحًا منفردًا، أذكر أنّي كنتُ كثيرًا ما أطوّر قدرتي على العمل بشكلٍ صحيح في كلّ مرة أسهو عن شيء ما ويُرجعُ لي أحد المدققين هذا الملف ليخبرني عن مكان الخطأ الذي وقعت به، فأعمل جاهدة على عدم تكرره أبدًا وأعاهد نفسي أن أتقن العمل للمرحلة التي لا يعود لي بها أيّ ملفٍ آخر.

لا شكّ أنها لحظة صعبة حين تعمل على فيديو ما ولربما قد يطول إلى ساعة أو نصفها ثم يعود لك ما عملت عليه لتقوم بالتعديل على جزئية ما، لكنّ الذي يريد التعلم من أخطائه سيقبلُ كلّ ذلك بصدرٍ رحب، الخطأ ليس عيبًا، العيبُ أن نمرّ عليه ونكرره دون محاولة واحدةٍ حتى لتصحيحه، وهذه أهم خطوة من خطوات إتقان الأعمال.

 تبادلنا الحديث كثيرًا بيننا حول كيفية العمل مع المسؤولين وتواصلنا بشكلٍ دائم مع المدققين والذين جميعًا لم يقصّروا في تواجدهم أبدًا على مدار الساعة حتى نكون يدًا واحدًا في تجاوز هذه المرحلة الأولى،تشاركنا كثيرًا طرقًا اكتشفناها للعمل حتى نسهل على بعضنا البعض ولا يقتصر الواحد منّا على نفسه أبدًأ حلًا لمشكلة ما.

 

20170910_121804
من الخليل، نابلس، الأردن وقطاع غزة، تلاقينا هُنا دون أن يكون هذا اللقاء وجهًا لوجه، لقد حاربنا المسافات الجغرافية هذه بحبّ العمل والشغف، بالتعاون وروح الفريق الواحد الذي يتقاسم الأدوار ويتشارك النجاح، نعملُ سويًا في عالمٍ افتراضي عبر التطبيقات، لكن ذلك لم يكن معيقًا ابدًا، ونجحنا في تجاوزه.
 

Bridge Between US and MENA

Posted on by admin

Bridges connect. Bridges connect the two banks of a river and, metaphorically, two minds, two communities of people, creating connecting bonds.

MENA Alliances, based in the UK and MENA region and ServiceAlliances, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA are joining forces to connect and offer their joint services to organizations in need of training, business process optimization (thru several services), localization services (in English and Arabic) and IT solutions.

The remote services resourcing that is offered through this union is a step above outsourcing and freelancing. In fact, it is a new breed of service. Top designers, translators, and IT professionals are inspired and recruited from a large pool of applicants throughout the MENA region. The ‘best of the best’ are chosen to join the team. Oversight and quality control oversight is an ongoing process so that the finished product/service is beyond customer expectations.

This is an opportunity to support positive endeavors between business professionals that are ascending above the political differences and cultural divides. We have come together in alliance….to change the world, one business project at a time.

Call or email us now so we can tell you how we can help your business….large, medium or small. We promise satisfaction!

Are you looking to expand into MENA markets? The time is NOW!

Posted on by admin

MENA is a fast growing market of millennial, high-tech and discriminating buyers. To achieve marketing goals of selling products, delivering services or providing information in this emerging market, organizations should ensure that their content is relevant, understandable and desirable to the buyer. In order to have the most effective marketing, technical communication or even company-wide communications the materials must be localized. Localization opens roads to developing new markets through increasing revenues, and bringing the much sought after economies of scale.

Localization is more than the translation of words or text. Localization services ensure that products or services have the look and feel as if they originated in the target market. International companies and enterprises localize products or services in order to overcome cultural barriers for their products or services….and to reach a much larger target audience.

MENA Alliances specializes in the localization into the MENA Region (from English to Arabic) through the following services

 1. Software & App Localization
 2. Multimedia Localization including
 

  • Voice-overs
  • Script creation or transcription of the original master
  • Script translation
  • Subtitle translation and production
  • Video production
  • Audio and video postproduction
  • Art and graphics localization
  • Animation localization
  • Cultural assessment of multimedia content
  • Multimedia quality assurance

 
3. Website Localization
4. Social Media Content Creation & Management
5. Marketing Documentation Localization–User guides, manuals and tutorials
6. E-Learning Localization
 
For More Detailed Information on any of these services and pricing, please contact us @  www.menaalliances.com/customer
 

Transform Your Business and Drive Strategic Value

Posted on by admin

A New Model to Transform  Your Business and Drive Strategic Value – An Alternative to Outsourcing & Freelancing

Recruiting and Hiring best talent and managing people, along with the dynamic forces of technology and globalization are bringing increasing challenges to small and medium size businesses (SME). What if there was a Change Management model that could drive major, enterprise-level transformation? Read on—there is such a tool.  www.menaalliances.com

Forget what you know about Outsourcing & freelancing. The market has been saturated with online workers and freelancers. These workers have provided businesses with more choices and diversity. And outsourcing has proven cost effective in many situations by taking away high expense of overhead costs involved with hiring employees, providing benefits, needing space and other resources for those employees. Outsourcing has alleviated many of the costs and hassles involved with hiring and managing employees. Virtual assistance on a variety of projects from website & mobile development, graphic design to business processes is available from these independent workers.

The challenge with outsourcing is finding the best talent, oversight (management of projects and people), concern for security of information, and quality assurance. SME leadership still has to take the time to manage and do quality assurance on these projects.

MENA Alliances offers a new alternative—an alternative that drives strategic value and includes oversight (management of projects and people), security of information and quality assurance. MENA Alliances is a new breed of organization that offers Remote Services Resourcing.

MENA Alliances’ carefully design oversight process works like this: (see above).

CLICK HERE FOR OUR OVERSIGHT PROCESS

For more information and pricing, please contact us at sales@menaalliances.com

Our Participation in One Young World in Bangkok

Posted on by admin

MENA Alliances Founder & CEO, Abeer Abu Ghaith, was a Delegate Speaker  for One Young World in Bangkok this past November.

12278770_10207254549816227_1783777244981213609_n

“Palestinian women face a lot of challenges,” said Abeer Abu Ghaith, “We have plenty of qualified women in my area who have no access to jobs.”

Abeer has been working in her local Palestine and MENA region to set up several business aimed at connecting young women, not only to the job market, but also to each other. Her first venture began in 2013 when she created StayLinked, which serves as a platform for Palestinian freelancers and businesses in need of services -such as translation, data entry, graphic design, online marketing and website development- and female talent in need of work.

While her work has transformed the lives of many women, Abeer pushed boundaries to get to this point. Growing up, Abeer was told that ‘her job is in her husband’s kitchen’ but refused to accept that a woman couldn’t enter the workforce.

Despite graduating with an honors degree in computer systems engineering, Abeer describes a period of two years in IDG Connect article where she was completely unemployed with no job prospects. “During my unemployment period, I kept taking online courses in my technical area to improve my skills. This helped me to get my first job as an instructor in computer networking at a university.”

See Abeer’s speech about creating jobs in MENA here:

www.oneyoungworld.com/news/meet-first-female-high-tech-entrepreneur-west-bank

 

What is Freelancing ?

Posted on by admin

 A freelancer is someone who performs tasks, usually for multiple employers over the course of a year for a fee without being an official company employee. . This allows the freelance freedom to do tasks on their own. This process of doing job is called freelancing. For example, a magazine or website will have a core team of editors who hire freelance writers to write articles, or a TV production crew might hire freelance cameramen to work on one series of programmes.

Freelancers may work part-time or full-time. Because they are not considered employers, freelancers are allowed to work for other employers and are usually permitted to perform tasks in their own way, as long as the work gets done to the client’s specifications.

Freelancing can be tons of fun. You create your own hours, accept the jobs you want. Plus, many freelance and contract jobs come with the enormous perk of working from the comfort of your own desired environment.

Payment for freelance work also varies greatly. Freelancers may charge by the day or hour, or on a per-job basis. However, large clients such as businesses may have internal policies regarding freelance pay, so a freelancer accustomed to charging by the hour may be asked to accept a lump sum payment for a particular job. Although, if a client’s conditions are undesirable, the freelancer often does not hesitate to attempt negotiation before accepting or rejecting the job.

What are the advantages of freelancing?

Choose your work. Being a freelancer means you don’t have a boss telling you what to do so you can say ‘no’ to jobs you don’t want. You might also get to work at home for specific projects. As long as your work is delivered to the deadline most clients won’t mind how and when you do it – making freelancing a good option for people who don’t want to work normal office hours.

Better pay. Freelancers can negotiate your own rates with the companies who hire you. Companies are often prepared to pay freelancers a better rate than their own staff because they don’t have to pay for things like sick leave as part of the contract. The more experience you have then the more money you can ask for.

What are the disadvantages of freelancing?
  • Getting work 

    There are a lot of freelancers out there and getting your first few jobs can be hard. Just being good at what you do isn’t enough – you need to network, market yourself and make contacts because no-one will hire you if they don’t know you’re there! The workload can be unpredictable – sometimes you might be working all night to meet three deadlines in one week, while even the most successful freelancers have months where they get no work at all.

  • Managing your money

    You will not receive a regular pay cheque per month and you’ll also need to remember to keep some money aside for times when you’re ill or there’s no work – and while it might be great to have a holiday any time you want, remember that no-one will pay you for it!

There are both pros and cons to being a freelancer. Consider what is important to you. More work is being given to freelancers each year, so if you have special talents, it could be the best career option for you. But remember, you have to market yourself and sell your services. Once you get a good reputation and portfolio of work, it gets to be much easier.

One of the benefits of signing on as a freelancer with MENA Alliances is that we do the selling for you! Once your name and credentials are in our system, you will have the opportunity to do the work you love without the difficulty of trying to sell it!

Freelancer Of the Month: Dr. Rania Filfil

Posted on by admin

In 1rania2987,I left Palestine for eight years to further my studies. I had obtained an IB diploma from Lester B. Pearson College in Canada (1987) and then an MA in Applied Foreign Languages from Lumière University- Lyon, France. That same year, my mother was extremely ill and I decided to return to Palestine to be near her. She passed away that same summer and I was on the move again. I was already doing translations here and there – even before going to university.

These translations included interpreting for the French Consul General at the opening of the French Cultural Center in Gaza in 1989, and translating play therapy sessions at the Gaza Community Mental Health Program. However, still in the mindset of having a ‘fixed job’, I started working as Public Relations Officer for the World Trade Center (WTC) in Gaza. Signed up for a Ph.D. Program at La Sorbonne University in Paris.

My position at WTC was very interesting. Every day involved a variety of activities and I had the opportunity to travel for my job. However, I could not accommodate the working hours. I wanted to be in control of my own time.

 

In 1998, while finishing (and defending) my Ph.D., I found out that I was pregnant with my first child. I decided then that becoming a mother was the most important thing and I quit my job. By that time, Birzeit University was establishing the Institute of Law, which needed a lot of translation and interpretation work. With this, I started my career as a freelancer. I realized very quickly that I should plan realistically.  After some harsh experiences, I learned WHEN to say ‘yes, I can do it’ or ‘No, I cannot do it”.

This became my strategy. I put family first and filled in the free time with translation. I targeted quality first. Therefore, I raised my fees and explained to all my clients that I do one job at a time and submit a finished ready-to-use product. I kept my promise most of the time and respected quality and deadlines.

Moreover, I was transparent about the problems I faced, even if it meant telling my client that after having started the job, I did not think I was the right person to do it. Most clients appreciated the honest communication and I could refer them to the translators most competent for their work.

This strategy enabled me build cooperative rather than competitive relations with other translators. Virtually, we acted like teams and stepped in for each other.

The major problem I face is the current taxation system, which compels a home-based translator to spend hours of administrative work and to issue VAT invoices with payable taxes every month even when the invoice is not collected. Paying taxes consumes much of my time and efforts, and I have been calling for reform to ease on the procedures, but have received no official response.

 

The best part of my work is that I can take some time off and focus on my family, which I have been doing for the past two years. During this time, I participated in writing a book about Politics and the Power of Tourism. I wrote the chapter on Gaza, the “Missing Assets”.

My day as a freelance translator/interpreter does not have any fixed routine. I may work from home, from a café near my children’s school or at a swimming pool in Jericho. My office consists of an efficient laptop and Internet connection. There are days when I have conferences to interpret and I act like an employee for these days. I always say, I can work, swim and cook at the same time.

Dr. Rania Fulfil