Senior Career Development Specialist, Dr. Hamda Al Naimi
Doha: Qatar Career Development Center (QCDC) has announced subscription for its Career Advising System (CAS) to all students in Qatar. The programme will assist students in their academic and career planning and help them make sound career decisions that align with their interests, skills, abilities, and the future labour market’s needs in Qatar.
This system is the most comprehensive and extensive career planning solution in Qatar and the region. It was developed in collaboration with Kuder Inc., a world leader in career planning services, and customised to fulfil the Qatari society’s needs and meet all the requirements of its users. The CAS seeks to support students’ career planning and development across Qatar, providing parents and career and academic advisers with the right tools and solutions to deliver the best professional guidance to students on their future career paths.
Dr. Hamda Al Naimi, Senior Career Development Specialist at QCDC, said, “We have launched the CAS as an IT solution that allows students to plan their academic and career paths from the safety of their homes, in light of the precautionary restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Sound planning is an essential step in making the right career decision and achieving future career goals. The planning process begins with exploring career interests and then determining the appropriate academic and career paths, ultimately achieving the desired career goal, and attaining professional and personal stability, reflected in a person’s productivity and contribution to advancing the nation’s economy.
“The CAS contains all the components of sound career planning any student is looking for. The system helps students explore their interests using psychometric and personality assessment tools. Based on the results of these assessments, the system offers students appropriate academic and career suggestions that are based on solid information that can be relied upon to make sound decisions.”
On the significance of this, Dr. Al Naimi said: “Psychometric and personality assessments are now extremely popular in the hiring process. Although the job interview is still largely important, companies have lately increasingly relied on assessments, such as psychometric assessments, to learn more about the candidates’ personality, skills, and abilities before they are hired. Therefore, when students undergo such assessments beforehand through the CAS, they gain an opportunity to obtain sufficient knowledge and experience to become more professional during the hiring process.”
The system proposes appropriate academic and career options for students and helps them in the planning process to meet future career requirements. It suggests appropriate training in specific institutions, informs students of available opportunities, prepares them to enter the labour market before graduating and starting the job search process. It also trains them on some activities related to career development skills and how to search for the right profession, such as learning how to write a curriculum vitae and a cover letter, preparing a list of references, how to conduct an interview and other activities that help them reach their desired career path.
A CAS licence costs QR200 and is available via the Education City app through link: https://bit.ly/3rMYmmf. It is valid for one year. After completing all the assessments and obtaining the results, each user can book a free virtual career advising session with one of our career experts to discuss the results via: https://bit.ly/3h4rpjE.
