With over 15 years of Human Resources experience, I currently lead as the Head of HR at Independent Food Company, leveraging CIPD credentials and an MBA to deliver transformative HR strategies. My expertise spans talent management, performance systems, and employee engagement, helping shape an inclusive, high-performing workplace aligned with organizational goals.  

I oversee strategic HR initiatives, including enhancing recruitment processes, implementing innovative sourcing tools, and designing talent development programs. Passionate about data-driven solutions, I collaborate with leadership to drive sustainable growth, foster operational excellence, and empower teams to unlock their full potential.

Ahmad Al Cheikh Hassan

I'm a recruiter and I don't see the reason for cover letters. 
 
I find them archaic and pointless and should be left in the past. 
 
It's stressful enough being a job seekers these days. 
 
If a candidate is taking the time to apply to a role, this shows me they are interested. 
 
Plus, an applicants resume and work samples reflect their accomplishments and work history more than a cover letter ever could. 
 
 
#employeeexperience #talent #hiring #jobseekers #careers #hr #humanresources #culture #interviews #business #strategy #linkedin #linkedinconnections #aach

LinkedIn Top Voice | Head of HR | CIPD & MBA | 15 Years Driving HR Innovation | Strategic Leader in Human Capital Excellence, Business Integration & Organizational Transformation

30 INTERVIEWS and no one HIRED! Yet another friend telling me she can not find good talent. My thinking - If you interviewed 30 people and did not hire someone, then start looking in the mirror. The problem is recruiters and hiring managers are looking for the "perfect" candidate. NEWSFLASH!* - There is no "perfect" candidate. 

If you have someone with the right attitude and skill set to do the job, and they fit in with the team -- HIRE them. There are so many qualified individuals still job searching. Yet I see the same jobs being re-posted over and over again, being left vacant for months. Who took a chance on you? 

Who took a chance on you?

It's time to rethink what "good enough" really means.

The ideal candidate isn’t someone who checks every box on your list.

It's someone willing to learn, adapt, and bring energy to the team.

Holding out for perfection is costing you top talent.

You need to ask yourself: are you creating a process that catches real potential?

Or just filtering out anyone who isn't perfect on paper?

People are out there, ready to grow and make an impact.

You just have to be willing to give them a real shot.

#hr #humanresources #employeeexperience #talent #hiring #leaders #people #leadership #jobs #jobseekers #culture #culturematters #business #growth #branding #strategy #hrstrategy #interviews #tips #linkedin #linkedinconnections #aach

Dear hiring manager, 

A couple of suggestions:

1. Please post the salary in the job description. If you want to know my salary expectation, then you also should post the salary budget for the role.

2. Don’t ask me to repeat stuff that’s already in my resume or cover letter. You can assume that I have read the job ad carefully, so I should assume that you have read my application.

3. Please tell me who I am going to be working for and with. Yes, you are taking a chance on me, but I am taking a chance on you guys too.

4. Please tell me the outcome of the interview, even if I was unsuccessful. It takes less than a minute to write a polite rejection e-mail. Failing to do this is just plain rude.

5. For the third interview and onwards, you should pay my time at standard consulting rates including expenses, transportation etc. I won’t make a living by constant interviews.

Recruitment is a two-way street. Both parties need transparency and respect. Open communication builds trust and sets expectations right from the start.

Let’s make the hiring process fair and efficient for everyone involved. Prioritize clarity and mutual respect. It’s time for a change in the recruitment game. What's your take?

#hr #humanresources #employeeexperience #talent #hiring #leaders #people #leadership #jobs #jobseekers #culture #culturematters #business #growth #branding #strategy #hrstrategy #interviews #tips #linkedin #linkedinconnections

I’m #hiring for an open role. Know anyone who would be a good fit?

I’m #hiring for an open role ( Project Coordinator, FFE technical) Know anyone who would be a good fit?

Helping tech startups & scale-ups solve their talent challenges. ☕ Let's connect and rethink recruitment together! #SusmithaRecruits

With over 7 years of experience optimizing recruitment processes across Tech, Media, Retail, Engineering, and Operations, my career has been a journey. Starting out as a hands-on Technical Recruiter and now leading as a Human Resource Business Partner, I'm not just about filling roles; I'm about creating stories of success and growth for individuals and the organizations they join.

What Drives Me:

🚀 Innovative Recruitment: I've revolutionized hiring cycles, leading to a 30% improvement in candidate quality and a 24% reduction in time-to-hire.
🌟 Team Dynamo: Successfully built and led a team of five recruiters, streamlining our process to achieve remarkable efficiencies.
🎯 Branding with a Twist: Created unique programs like "Coffee with Leader," boosting top talent conversion by 20%.
📊 Data Geek: Implemented metrics dashboards, enhancing decision accuracy by 20%.
💡 Tech and Beyond: Closed over 20 diverse roles within 150 days, showcasing my versatility and network prowess.

Beyond Work:

When I'm not connecting people to their dream jobs, you'll find me exploring the world of culinary arts, experimenting with new recipes, or lost in the pages of a gripping mystery novel. I'm an avid traveler, always ready for my next adventure, and a yoga enthusiast, believing in the power of mindfulness and balance in both personal and professional life.

Let's Connect:

I'm deeply passionate about building teams that thrive and fostering environments where talent can truly shine. If you're seeking someone who can blend professional rigor with a dash of creativity and a sprinkle of humor, let's connect! I'm always up for an engaging chat over coffee (virtual or otherwise) about the latest talent trends or the best new book releases.

Susmitha Golla

"I knew nothing about technology or management. But I knew how to find people smarter than me." - Jack Ma.

Your job isn't to be the smartest person on the team; your job is to:
- Find the best talent
- Make them work together

If you are a founder trying to do everything yourself, you aren't scaling—you’re bottlenecking.

The secret to Jack Ma’s success wasn't his technical skill; it was his people strategy.

So, how to actually find people "Smarter" than you:

➟ Identify the tasks that drain your energy or confuse you.
➟ Find people with deep expertise in one area and enough curiosity to understand the whole business.
➟ If you hire someone smarter than you and then tell them how to do their job, you’ve wasted your money and their talent.

Whether you are a founder building a startup or a manager growing a department, remember: Your success is capped by your own knowledge, but it becomes limitless when you leverage the knowledge of others.

Remember,
Weak leaders hire for execution. Great leaders hire for visionary thinking.

#Leadership #recruitment #JackMa #StartupGrowth #TalentAcquisition #Founder #CareerConsultant #dubai #UAE

Caffeinated Talent Founder| Helping Founders, CXOs make smart talent strategy. Let’s connect and rethink recruitment together! #SusmithaRecruits

You can spend years building a culture, but you can destroy it in five minutes by reacting poorly to a resignation.
I’ve sat on both sides of the desk during a resignation.

I’ve felt that pit in the stomach as a manager when a star player hands in their notice, and I’ve felt the anxiety as an employee wondering if my boss will take it personally.

When someone tells you they are moving on, they aren't attacking you. They are growing.

What a "Human" leader does next:
➝ Puts the ego aside
➝ Acknowledge the impact
➝ The rest of the team is quietly watching. If you turn cold, you’ve just told everyone else: "You are only valuable to me as long as you are useful to me."

In a small market like Dubai or India, your ex-employees are your loudest brand ambassadors. I’ve seen candidates turn down offers because they heard through the grapevine that a founder "turns toxic" the moment someone resigns.

Conversely, I’ve seen people fight to get into companies because a friend said, "Even when I left, my boss was my biggest cheerleader."

Leaders: A resignation isn’t a breakup.
If you truly want your people to succeed, you have to be okay with them succeeding somewhere else.
#HumanLeadership #CompanyCulture #Resignation #EmpatheticLeadership #CareerGrowth #Founder #TalentRetention

Leaders: A resignation isn’t a breakup.

If you truly want your people to succeed, you have to be okay with them succeeding somewhere else.

"Hiring stops during Ramadan." - if I had a Dirham for every time a candidate or client told me this over the last 3 years in Dubai, I’d be retired by now 😅 

There’s a common misconception that the hiring market goes into hibernation during the Holy Month.

People think,
➝ decision-makers are away
➝ offices are empty
➝ your application will just sit in a void

As a recruiter on the ground in the UAE, here is what I've seen:

1. The Quality is Higher
Because so many people believe hiring stops, they stop applying
- noise levels drop significantly.
- your profile actually has a much higher chance of being seen by a human 

2. Decision Makers are More Accessible
With shorter office hours and a shift in pace, many hiring managers actually find more time for focused reviews.
- fewer internal meetings
- less corporate noise
- ideal time for them to look at strategic hires for the rest of the year

3. The Post-Eid Pipeline
If you wait until the holidays are over to apply, you’re already 4 weeks behind the people who interviewed during Ramadan.
- Companies don't want to start the search after Eid
- They want to be onboarding after Eid

4. It’s About Connection, Not Just Transactions
In my experience, interviews during this time tend to be more human- and less like an interrogation. It’s a great period to build a genuine rapport with a future boss.


My advice?
👉 Don't take your foot off the gas.

The pace might be different, but the opportunities are very much alive.

Respect the shortened hours, be mindful of the cultural significance, but keep your career roadmap moving.
#DubaiJobs #Ramadan2026 #UAEHiring #RecruitmentMyths #TalentAdvisor #DubaiRecruiter #CareerAdviceUAE

If your team only finds peace on the weekends, your success is costing too much.

- We have ambitious targets
- We glorify the grind
- We celebrate the hustle

Sometimes, we forget that sustainable success is built on sustainable well-being.

As a Talent Advisor, I've seen what happens when this balance tips:

➝ Talented individuals leave because the environment is no longer sustainable
➝ A stressed team culture impacts communication and morale
➝ Exhausted minds don't produce their best work or creative solutions

Leaders, it's time to redefine what "success" truly means.

It's about the health and happiness of the people driving those numbers.

Let's build companies where peace is an integrated part of the work week, not just a weekend luxury.
#Leadership #WorkLifeBalance #CompanyCulture #Burnout #SustainableSuccess #Founders #TalentManagement

if your team only finds peace on the weekends, your success is costing too much

My life used to look a lot like endless stream of - Now Hiring, endless resumes, and a laptop that never seemed to close (even on a beach)

I loved the energy!
But I’ve learned that hustle without boundaries is just a track to burnout.

Which is why I'm intentionally building a boundary between work and life.

✨ Spending more time with my pets
✨ Going to the gym without skipping
✨ Taking time to heal by painting and reading

The truth is,
Success shouldn't cost you your evening peace.

The shift I’m making right now is intentional.

I’m moving away from being
➝ The recruiter who does it all
To
➝ The advisor who helps you do it right

Whether you are a founder looking to build a team that actually stays
Or a job seeker trying to navigate a hard market without losing your soul,

💡 Remember that your well being is as important as your career.

Neither of them can be successful without the other.
#worklife #recruiter #dubai #uae #hiring #trending

The last 48 hours have been heavy for all of us in the UAE.
Midnight emergency alerts. Sounds of interceptions.

We’ve never experienced anything like this before.

In times like these, our priority is each other.

To my fellow employers & founders,
Now is the time to be the leader people remember for a lifetime.
✨ Some of your employees are far from home and feeling isolated. A simple ✨ ✨ "How are you doing?" without a follow-up about a deadline goes a long way.
✨ Keep your team updated on company safety protocols and let them know you have their backs.

To the job seekers & applicants, 
I know the added layer of stress this brings to your search.

✨ Be patient. Interviews might be rescheduled. Responses might be delayed.
✨ Use this time to rest and stay safe. The market will find its rhythm again, but your mental well-being is the most important asset you have.
✨ Stay calm. Follow official channels (NCEMA/Ministry of Interior) and avoid the WhatsApp rumors.

Dubai and the UAE are built on resilience.
This too shall pass.

To my candidates, clients, and friends across the Emirates: Stay safe, stay indoors where advised, and stay kind. We are in this together.
#UAE #Dubai #AbuDhabi #Leadership #Empathy #CommunitySupport #NCEMA #CareerAdviceUAE

"Why won't you tell me the company name yet? 🤐” - job seekers ask me that a lot. But I’m not really gatekeeping.

I understand the curiosity.
- you want to do your research
- check Glassdoor
- see if the brand aligns with your goals.

But sometimes, as a recruiter, I have to keep the client's name under wraps for the first round of our conversation.

It’s not about being secretive. It’s about being strategic.

Here is why we do it:

↳ I want to make sure the role, the challenges, and the culture actually excite you before we talk about the logo on the building

↳ Often, a founder is looking to replace a role or enter a new market that hasn't been announced ye

↳ By discussing the requirements and your expectations first, I ensure that neither your time nor the founder’s time is wasted if there isn't a fundamental match on values or compensation.

Once we establish that the "DNA" of the role matches your career roadmap, the cards come off the table.

I’m just making sure you actually want this.

Trusting the process means trusting that your recruiter is looking for a long-term match, not just a quick placement.
#Recruitment #Transparency #JobSearch #TalentAcquisition #CareerAdvice #FounderLife #UAEJobs

Applying to 100 jobs and hearing nothing back. It makes you feel invisible. You want to give up.

I’ve been there too—staring at a screen, wondering if your resume even reached a human being or if it’s just floating around with bots and algorithms.

As a recruiter, I see the frustration.
And I want to help you take your power back.

I created this Job Seeker’s Manifesto to help you stop applying randomly and start applying strategically:

↳ The Resume Reality: It’s built for ATS algorithms and quick human skimming—keep it clean and impact-heavy.

↳ The "Easy Apply" Trap: It's only easy if you have the exact keywords; otherwise, you're just a number in a crowded room.

↳ Headline > Badge: Your LinkedIn headline is your prime real estate for keywords—don't waste it solely on "Open to Work."

↳ Own Your Story: If you have a career gap, don’t hide it—explain what you learned and how it made you better.

↳ You Have Power: An interview is a two-way conversation, not a one-way interrogation.


💡 Apply strategically and focus on building real relationships instead of just growing your network.

The market is tough right now, but when you change your approach, you change your results.
#JobSeekerTips #CareerStrategy #RecruitmentSecrets #CareerConsultant #JobSearch #ResumeAudit #LinkedInGrowth

The job market is about 20% lower than it was before the pandemic - said LinkedIn CEO, Ryan Roslansky.

I was just watching this clip and I agree,
As a recruiter, I see this reality in my inbox every single day.

But why does it feel so different?

❗ Remote work opened doors, but it also means you’re no longer just competing with people in your city—you’re competing with the world.

❗ Companies are looking for "immediate impact" and specialized skill sets instead of potential

❗ With AI-generated applications, recruiters are drowning in volume. It’s harder for a great candidate to actually be seen through the digital clutter.

Don’t panic.
There’s a solution

If the CEO of LinkedIn is admitting the market is tough, then 'doing what everyone else is doing' won't work anymore:

👉 Move beyond the 'Easy Apply' button
👉 In a hard market, generalized profiles die. Your LinkedIn and Resume must speak directly to the specific "pain" of the company you want to join.
👉 Strategic networking is the only way to bypass the chaos of the job boards.

The market is harder, but it isn't impossible.
It just requires a new playbook.

As a Talent Advisor, my goal is to help you navigate this "new normal" with a strategy that actually cuts through the noise. Stop applying to 100 roles blindly. Start targeting 10 roles with precision.
#JobMarket2026 #LinkedIn #CareerAdvice #Recruitment #FutureOfWork #TalentAcquisition #JobSearchStrategy

P.S.: I’ve decided to open 5 slots for the month of February for job seekers in the UAE looking for their next big role.

I will be:
- Auditing and optimizing your resume and linkedin profile
- Understanding your 5-year plan and creating a roadmap
- Helping you shortlist and reach out to the right set of decision makers

In short, I’ll be holding your hand throughout the application and job seeking process, at a reasonable fee. Email your resume and a short description to Susmithargolla@gmail.com and I’ll share the next steps with you.

taplio

The Battle

Ahmad Al Cheikh Hassan

Susmitha Golla

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreAhmad Al Cheikh Hassan's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreSusmitha Golla's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Ahmad Al Cheikh Hassan

Susmitha Golla

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Ahmad Al Cheikh Hassan's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreSusmitha Golla's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreAhmad Al Cheikh Hassan's LinkedIn Performance