In Iraq, the possibilities for recruiting are great, but by misunderstanding local laws or marketplace dynamics, organisations can expose themselves to great risk. Many of their largest issues within recruitment are preventable simply by planning better, developing a more concise process, and working with the right on-the-ground support.
Top Mistakes Employers Make During Recruitment in Iraq
Ignoring Local Labour Law and Work Permits
The abuse of this practice in Iraq is one of the most critical errors that occur while hiring in this country. In many cases, employers provide letters of offer or commence work without ensuring they are in total compliance with Iraqi Labour Law No. 37 of 2015 and the regulations regarding foreign employees and regional authorities.
As a result of this type of conduct, many instances occur where:
- Contracts were issued that were not compliant with the minimum standards of hours, leave, and termination established in Iraqi Labour Law No. 37 of 2015.
- Foreign employees are now working illegally, i.e., without a valid permit or approval.
- Authorities are reviewing documents related to a business and have discovered discrepancies in them. Therefore, fines and/or sudden stoppages can occur.
Hiring Iraq best practices: involve legal or HR experts who are versed in the labour law framework in Iraq, ensure that any letters of offer and contracts are compliant with the Iraqi Labour Law, and do not allow expatriates to begin work until their visas and work permits have been issued.
Overlooking Regional and Cultural Nuances
The Iraqi market is incredibly diverse, with a wide variety of laws, regulations, and customs between the central government and the Kurdistan Region. There is also a wide variety of candidate pools and business cultures throughout Iraq. The most common mistake that employers make when recruiting in Iraq is applying the same approach to recruit across all regions and candidate pools.
Employers should customise their hiring process to the context of the region in which they are operating. Employers should prioritise factors such as language proficiency, regional salary levels, security concerns, and cultural perspectives on loyalty, career progression, and family responsibilities.
By developing a recruitment strategy that is tailored to the regional context, employers can increase the effectiveness of their recruitment strategies and ultimately improve both attraction and retention rates.
Vague Job Description and Unrealistic Profiles
Ambiguities in job descriptions are one of several big mistakes employers make when trying to identify a candidate, but they especially impact potential employees in a competitive environment like Iraq. Employers often make the following mistakes:
- Use broad, generic ‘catch-all’ job postings that attract people with incompatible qualifications.
- Combine multiple jobs into one job description that no one can realistically fulfil.
- Require a lengthy list of qualifications and experience that are not available at the local salary level.
Ambiguous job definitions also create delays in hiring, higher dropout rates, and dissatisfaction for new employees when they discover that the actual work and responsibilities do not match what was submitted on the job application.
This approach can be improved by spending time defining responsibilities clearly and distinguishing between must-haves and nice-to-haves, and having a complete understanding of the expectations for the role by hiring managers and human resources before publishing the job listing.
Weak Screening and Reference Checks
In Iraq, an additional common recruiting error is disproportionately depending on CVs or a single interview. Increased time pressures often lead to employers bypassing structured screening, skill testing, and reference checking, leading to issues identified after a potential employee has started.
Common problems with this approach include:
- Employers often overstate or overlook experience or qualifications.
- Poor soft skills (discipline, teamwork, reliability) that don’t show up on a CV
- Mismatch between an employee’s expectations about the worksite/project and the actual working conditions.
Employers should implement a structured screening process when hiring in Iraq. In addition to conducting at least two short phone or video interviews and administering job-related tests where necessary, key hiring roles should require basic reference checks.
The need for a structured screening process is particularly critical when hiring for remote sites, for positions with an HSE-critical component, and in positions that have access to financial or client-related information.
Understanding the Importance of Communication and Candidate Experience
There are choices for potential employees in Iraq’s expanding private sector. Companies that provide unclear information or delay communication have a better chance of losing top talent to competitors that are quicker and more efficient in responding. A few examples of issues resulting from this include:
- Long pauses in communication (weeks to months) between the time candidates take the interview and the time they are called in to do another.
- No clear salary ranges, benefits, or rotation.
- Last-minute changes to job offers or hiring locations.
All this can result in candidates turning down job offers, not showing up for interviews, or talking poorly about your company because of the poor communication.
Best Practices for Hiring in Iraq: Communicate quickly, honestly, and consistently throughout the hiring process. Establish quick turnaround times, give realistic salary ranges early on so candidates will have that information before they attend any interviews, and continue to communicate regularly, regardless of whether a decision has been reached or not.
How 6 Pence Helps You Avoid Recruitment Mistakes in Iraq
Hiring in Iraq improperly can be very expensive; in addition to losing money on one bad hire, this can potentially set back your entire project, create compliance issues, and damage your reputation in a rapidly changing, connected labour force. 6 Pence works with companies to prevent these types of problems by blending local experience, established processes, and regional labour experience.
Through 6 Pence, you will:
- Create an attractive, compliant job and contract that meets the requirements of Iraqi law
- Identify qualified local and expatriate candidates through the use of effective recruiting and screening techniques
- Simplify payroll, permits, and HR administrative functions through the use of outsourced staff or employer-of-record arrangements
- Concentrate on project completion and business development while 6 Pence takes care of managing your recruitment and labour force operations.
By partnering with 6 Pence, employers do not have to view the recruitment process as an area of risk; they can view it as a method for gaining a competitive advantage through speed, intelligence, and reductions in costly errors in hiring.
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