By Azmat Haroon
Doha: Reliance on web portals for finding jobs has increased in Qatar but very few manage to get employed through them. IT experts here say most of these websites mislead people and some go as far as selling personal information to call centres in different parts of the world.
“Because these websites are based outside of Qatar and not required to register with Qtel, there is no way to ensure whether they at all forward CVs to actual companies,” a local web administrator, who did not want to be identified, said.
Dependency on these websites is a risky business since many have been found to sell personal data like telephone numbers to call centres, which in turn lure people into various scams.
Several cases have been reported where people were asked to pay amounts from QR50 to QR100 through telephone calls or emails, with claims that jobs have been found for them. It is through employment websites that fraudsters obtain such personal details.
“I submitted my CV to one of these websites and after a few weeks I began receiving calls from unknown numbers. I was shocked to find out that the operator knew everything about me,” said Mohammad Hamad.
Call centres also make money if people call back on their numbers, say IT experts.
There are some small companies that even charge people for finding jobs, but such activities are illegal, said Ali Afifi, who runs a local recruitment agency.
“It is illegal to ask job-seekers for money in Qatar. Companies have to pay recruitment agencies for finding workers,” Afifi said.
Young job-seekers, especially Arabs, have completely lost their confidence in finding jobs online, says Hatim Al Mir. “We are in a fix now because companies tell us to submit our CVs online but we don’t get a response.”
The Peninsula
