Behind the scenes of recruitment in Dubai and the wider Middle East, hiring has become harder and far more unforgiving than most candidates realise.

Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of CVs for a single role. Enormous pressure on companies to get leadership hires right. And very little room for error when the cost of a bad hire can follow a business for years.

Few people see this reality more clearly than Fareeseh Chaudhry, HR Business Lead at Haleon.

In the latest episode of Out of Office, Fareeseh joins Mark Timms for a conversation about what leadership hiring currently looks like in the region, particularly at a senior level. She speaks candidly about the sheer volume of interest organisations now receive, how hiring decisions at the top are really made, and why leadership recruitment has become one of the highest-stakes calls companies face.

What makes this conversation refreshing is where it challenges long-held assumptions. In a region where leaders are expected to project confidence and control, Fareeseh explains why those signals alone are no longer enough. In fact, they can sometimes work against candidates. The leaders who stand out are not always the most “perfect”. They are the ones who understand their own motivations, can explain their decisions honestly, and show real self-awareness.

This podcast episode also offers a timely reminder for anyone navigating the Middle East job market right now. Job searching is no longer just about having the right CV or the right titles. It’s about how you tell your story, how well you understand your own career decisions, and whether you can interview beyond rehearsed answers when it matters most.

It’s a conversation that sits naturally alongside broader discussions around career progression, interview performance, and leadership expectations in the GCC.

Fareeseh and Mark don’t offer quick fixes or interview hacks in this chat, but rather an understanding of how hiring leaders really think, and why the rules of leadership recruitment in the Middle East are changing fast. This episode is a must listen.

Watch The Conversation Here

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