Elevating Career Trajectories: Empowering Palestinian Talent through Personal Branding on LinkedIn

In today's job market, technical skills alone are insufficient to secure a successful career path in tech. Personality is just as important. More commonly, recruiters rely on online presence and personal branding to supplement CVs and cover letters. Today, job-hunting Palestinians must embrace a broader perspective to market themselves to reach global opportunities.? According to Social Shepard on average, recruiters reference 7.8 different social media sites to source and recruit passive candidates. Among these channels, LinkedIn stands out as the most-used platform for recruitment efforts, with 77% of recruiters taking advantage of its features. The influence of social media is undeniable, as over 85% of recruiters and employers consider a strong social media profile to be somewhat extremely important. Particularly noteworthy is the impact on millennials, with 73% of them having found their current roles through social media platforms. Additionally, social media contributes significantly to employer branding, as acknowledged by 47% of recruiters. This underscores the pivotal role that a well-crafted online presence plays in shaping successful career trajectories.

In light of this growing trend, Gaza Sky Geeks (GSG) partnered with Foras.ps, the online platform that provides you with all available opportunities in Palestine, and Khaled El Ahmad, a renowned communications expert who previously served as the government of Jordan’s digital media director. The aim of this collaboration was to educate Palestinian students and professionals in personal branding and maximize the potential of LinkedIn to build their careers.?

Khaled highlighted that Palestine has a relatively low LinkedIn user base of around 370,000 users. The underutilization, or complete lack of utilization, of LinkedIn, is a major deterrent to the advancement of the Palestinian workforce in accessing the international market.?

GSG and Khaled Elahmad designed and delivered a series of workshops focused on LinkedIn optimization and personal branding in several cities in Palestine, including Jerusalem, Hebron, Ramallah, and Nablus, and online sessions for Gaza total attended by 700 participants from West Bank and Gaza varies from uni and school grads, business owners, HR employees, and startup founders.

In engaging three-hour sessions, Khaled imparted valuable insights to participants on LinkedIn optimization – what makes content compelling, and how to be an active user on the platform.? He equipped them with essential tools to create and maintain effective LinkedIn profiles.

The workshops served a diverse variety of participants. Rasha Okal, a Nablus-based business owner, found it useful for tapping into regionally relevant, trustworthy insights directly from an industry expert. Bahaa, a university student in Nablus, felt prepared to broaden his approach from traditional job-seeking methods to cultivating a distinct professional identity on LinkedIn.

Yakoub Hammouri, hailing from Hebron and working as a Full-Stack developer, expressed immense satisfaction in joining this session. Khaled expertly elucidated the finest practices for enhancing each section of one's LinkedIn profile. Following the session, Yakoub's LinkedIn score underwent a remarkable transformation, skyrocketing from 57% to an impressive 95%.

Safaa Aayad, founder of Foras.ps emphasized the significance of this workshop in educating Palestinians seeking jobs, internships, or entrepreneurial opportunities. For employers, a LinkedIn account has become a window into a candidate's professional demeanor and potential. As Palestinian professionals recognize the need for a robust online presence, GSG, Foras.ps, and Khaled El Ahmad's collaboration is fostering a generation of individuals ready to conquer the global job market with confidence and competence.

As part of the GSG's mission to build and upskill the Palestinian tech ecosystem, and as a believer in the importance of opportunity sharing, GSG is always looking for resources and partnerships to support its mission. ? If you're interested in forming an exciting collaboration with GSG, Contact us at [email protected]

?Khaled Elahmad has pioneered his own venture, Mujtama.ai, with the ambitious aim of empowering a million job seekers. Through AI-powered solutions, Mujtama enhances LinkedIn profiles, offering a pivotal advantage to job seekers. If you're inspired by this goal of uplifting more individuals to achieve their professional dreams, take the step to connect with Khaled. Get in touch with him at: [email protected]?