Overseas Labour Supply: Talent hunting perfectionists

It is said that a good recruiter is no less than a messiah. And when it comes to taking care of both the employee and employer, there isn't any other relevant recruitment organization than Overseas Labour Supply (OLS), which is knowledgeable to the core. With a human resource experiment of more than four decades, Overseas Labour Supply is an indispensable reality initiated by Mohammed A. Jindran, its Managing Director. He says the company offers recruitment services with excellence that is evident from the track record of services offered since 1979.
OLS is one of the biggest recruitment agencies in the UAE, and Jindran proudly says that the company has supplied manpower to the tune of more than 125,000 persons till to date. Moreover, OLS has branch offices in around 20 countries and possesses a state-of-the-art recruiting mechanism. There is no walk-in privilege at the OLS offices in the UAE, as Jindran believes in picking gems abroad after going through a sustained process of vetting the candidate as per the client's requirements, and selecting them with due professional diligence. 
"How can I be assured of a candidate's background and other security issues, if he walks into my UAE office with a resume on visit visa?" enthrals a cautious Jindran. He acts as not only a responsible recruiter, but also serves as the guarantor for both the employer and employee in addressing their concerns.
Jindran's mark is in carefully evaluating blue-collar and white-collar employees alike, and ensuring that they get the best deal from their respective employers. The versatile chief of OLS makes a point by saying, "You cannot expect gold at the cost of copper." This, he says is his considerate argument in making the employers realize that they need to pay their employees well if they are on the lookout for the best talent. This is why OLS is a reliable manpower organization that provides employees to many onshore and offshore companies in the GCC and beyond.
Jindran substantiates his experience by saying that the trend in recruitment has changed of late. "The workforce is quite choosy nowadays. You have to run after the candidates with lucrative offers, promising them the best of the deal in pay scale, accommodation, and other fringe benefits. We at OLS try to broker a plausible equation for both parties." 
OLS has one of the largest databases of clientele in the UAE, built over 40 years. He says the biggest challenge to his profession came during the recession period in 2008 to 2011 that tested his skills and resilience. However, OLS stood the test of time and was able to deliver manpower from more than 18 countries to the UAE during those years.
Divulging his achievements, Jindran said that OLS, on behalf of UAE, was invited to lecture on the UAE labour market at the International Labour Conference in Beijing in 2009.
Jindran says that after working with a number of countries, in the process of studying and interacting with their respective labour and immigration laws, one could proudly say that the UAE is the best. "It has some of the best principles in providing a level-playing field for the workforce and the entrepreneurs," he added.
OLS' managing director takes a cue from the visionary approach of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who once said, "In the race for excellence there is no finish line."
Excerpts from the interview with Mohammed A. Jindran, Managing Director, Overseas Labour Supply:
How would you define OLS?
Our motto is "people are the greatest asset of a company." It is the people who work in an organization that make it great. Even the most sophisticated machinery, equipment and hardware are useless without the right people to use it. We at OLS have strived for the past 38 years to ensure that our clients are provided with the most appropriate personnel for their specific requirements. 
What are the various sectors you cater to, and what are the main components for hiring the right candidate?
We cater to companies in the field of construction and engineering, infrastructure, electro-mechanical, facilities management, oil and gas, manufacturing, retail, security, hospitality, food and beverage, cleaning, and almost every industry in the UAE.
The main components in hiring the right candidate are a mix of knowledge, skill and experience in the relevant field, positive attitude, passion for work, and the ability to be a reliable team player. Before finalizing the selection of employees for any project, we evaluate how they fare in the criteria mentioned above, and those that qualify are then subjected to further psychometric tests to assess their behaviour and emotional balance with respect to the job in question.
Explain how OLS sources the right candidate
As we operate out of 20 countries, we maintain extensive databases for most types of professions needed in the UAE. In case where the suitable candidate is not available in the database, we carry out sourcing and headhunting activities by means of newspaper advertisements and online portals.
In some highly specific recruitment projects, we may also need to employ specialized recruiters in the respective countries, who personally visit the locations where required skills are found, and in some cases we offer better opportunities to workers that are already employed in specific jobs in their countries.
After shortlisting the candidates, we present their resumes to our client (employer) for approval. We also conduct Skype interviews if needed, and the employer also conducts face-to-face interviews and skill trade-tests. We then conduct medical and psychometric tests to assess the candidate's fitness for the job, and only those who pass are processed for employment in the UAE. 
What do you foresee in years to come?
We aim to deliver outstanding recruitment services, especially for projects related to the upcoming Dubai Expo 2020. Our scope of recruitment is very broad, and in addition to the usual Asian nationalities we also try to bring in human potential from countries as diverse as Vietnam, Serbia, Croatia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Cameroon and Canada to infuse a fresh blend of nationalities into the existing workforce in the country.