JobsForLebanon.com: let them earn fresh dollars The Guru of Hospitality

JobsForLebanon.com: let them earn fresh dollars

The idea was quite simple: let them earn fresh dollars. Thus, the birth of JobsForLebanon.com, an employment platform that allows the Lebanese diaspora to post jobs, primarily freelanced or outsourced, destined for job seekers in Lebanon.

“We ex-pats were feeling helpless,” said Roy Baladi ‘01, the founder of JobsForLebanon.com, who lives in San Francisco “at first, we were filled with hope with the Lebanese revolution, then the banks go bankrupt and everyone’s money was trapped.”

Lebanon is in the midst of unprecedented economic crises, a currency that has lost almost 80% of its value, and hyperinflation prices for necessities. The pandemic ignited the further collapse of the Lebanese economy. Compounded to that is the Port blast, which killed almost 200, injured thousands, and displaced hundreds.

Shortly after the Lebanese pound collapsed, Baladi received a call from a friend who worked as a venture capitalist. Her LinkedIn account and email were inundated with messages from Lebanese asking for jobs. The messages were all from highly educated people. “If these people are in so much despair, then what about the rest of the country?” she told Baladi. “There should be a global campaign for the diaspora to hire Lebanese.”

Of course! He thought that is precisely what we need. It so happened Baladi was working for SmartRecruiters – a recruiting software company that helps managers and recruiters optimize and digitize the hiring process, including recruiting candidates, screening CVs, and sending out offer letters. Since COVID-19 had hit the globe, many employers depended on remote work. The timing was perfect.

Together with a few friends, Baladi created a small team – 10 altogether. But the question was, could they possibly reach and rally the global diaspora to hire the Lebanese back home? Could they put together a product where potential employers and employees can connect?

There was one way to find out, and so he put out a call to all Lebanese diaspora – about 16 million worldwide: Help Lebanon by giving Lebanese remote jobs back in the homeland. Let them earn fresh dollars.

Seeing an overwhelming interest in the project, Baladi and his team got to work. Powered by SmartRecruiters, the website went under construction as a complete recruiting product to create jobs, receive applications, send offers, and hire people. “With this job portal, we began creating links with all existing initiatives, and scaling from there,” explained Baladi.

For advertising, the team created a video clip. But somehow, the video leaked, went viral, accidentally marking the launch date as March 10, six days ahead of schedule “Forget the communication plan that we had prepared!” laughed Baladi. “Now, we had to see what happens.”

What happened was overwhelming. In one month alone, 30,000 people from 131 countries visited the website. One hundred fifty jobs were posted, and 1323 candidates applied. Eight got hired: Three Arabic teachers, a writer, a salesperson, a listings manager, an environmental scientist, and a product manager. Social media hits went from 0 to 3500 followers on the Instagram page and from 0 to 1400 fans on Facebook.

“We had somehow created a movement,” said Baladi. “And more and more people were joining this movement.”

Seeing the instant success, the team built a social calendar, content strategy, visuals,

and posting approach. Potential partners began to emerge, including the Beirut Digital District, AUB, UNICEF, LIFE, Lebnet, Shaker, Linkedin, and Alfanar.

Eight months later, JobsForLebanon. com registered 105,000 hits from 176 countries, 1075 jobs from around the globe, more than 8134 candidate applications, and hundreds hired or in active hiring processes. Jobs for Lebanon launched an ambassador program, and the team of 10 volunteers swelled to 80 from various parts of the globe. Among the members are IC graduates, Lea Hakim ‘99, Edwin Baladi ‘04, and Gloria Tahhan ‘05.

JobsForLebanon.com was officially registered as a US nonprofit NGO. “A lawyer contacted us and told us we should register as a nonprofit NGO,” said Baladi amused. “So we said sure, go ahead.”

Not even a year later, JobsForLebanon. com boasts a board of directors, marketing growth and product, human resources, and legal departments.

“It’s just amazing to sit on a call and see all these Lebanese professionals from Argentina to Australia to the Ivory Coast to the US, Canada, Europe, all speaking in Arabic, English, and French,” said Baladi. “It’s a bit of a nightmare finding the right time to call, but effectively JobsForLebanon.com never sleeps.”

Today, almost 1000 jobs have been posted.

“Jobs for Lebanon is a gift to anyone in Lebanon looking for work,” added Baladi. “It’s scalable to the point of creating an alternate economy. It puts our skills to work and brings in fresh money. But it’s also a group effort: it needs everyone to join as a candidate or an employer to meet its promise.”

When the explosion hit on August 4, JobsForLebanon.com, in partnership with the Lebanon Relief Working Group, organized a relief effort that secured $12.7 million. Baladi was in Beirut at the time and found himself at the scene transporting the injured to hospitals. The horrific experience only intensified his determination to keep JobsForLebanon.com going.

“My heart aches so much for Lebanon,” said Baladi, “even with Jobs for Lebanon in place. But Jobs for Lebanon gives me genuine hope that we can have better days. I feel good, and we’re just getting started.”