The training at Qatar Development Bank provided an orientation to the industry’s daily activities and challenges. The first 40 hours of training were not enough for one to grasp the assigned department’s routines since there was a lot to learn and understand. On the reporting day at QDB, I met Mr. Ramez, who gave me a brief introduction of the bank and what the training entails (Ramez Mohamed Salah Eldin Thabet par 1). His orientation focused on the bank’s goals, visions, and mission and the general requirement expected from the trainees. The next step was to sign a contract after reading the rules and policies of the bank, which he covered briefly in his orientation. He randomly distributed us into the various departments, and I was to begin my training at the Capability Development department. The department’s manager, Mr. Saoud Al Mannai received me and explained the nature of work his department handles (Saoud Al-Mannai par 1). Later, he provided me with the basic plan of the training program and the key elements I ought to work on during the training.
The initial stage after joining the department was to understand its importance to the bank. The Capability Development was under the Consulting Services branch, and its main work was to develop entrepreneurs’ capabilities in Qatar, focusing mainly on the industrial field. In the last few decades, Qatar transformed to an industrial city, hosting major global companies. Moreover, it provides opportunities for other industrial companies to expand their business. The spike in industrial activity comes from the need to create better buildings, roads, and godowns. It is the reason why QDB seeks to stand out as the region’s most preferred bank for entrepreneurs (QDB par 3).
The other activities for the day were attending interviews with mentors in the department. Since I did not have a specific career that I would focus on in future, I had to work with all the mentors. After the lunch break, I headed to the department’s meeting room to discuss several ideas about the Global Entrepreneurs Week, an upcoming event that would help the company reach major and minor entrepreneurs (Saber par 1). It was the key event at the time, and the department had to look into different aspects of presenting the company. I learned how to set and write a criteria's and evaluate the interviewers based on them, and I can deal with different personality. After the meeting, I met Mr. Saoud to highlight some of the things I learned and what I look forward to in the coming days.
The second day was quite interesting after a quick brief at the office. The department had a common principle of starting the day’s work with a brief meeting with Mr. Saoud, who is quite punctual to discuss the day’s activities. I found his method of leadership as inspiring and team building as it keeps everyone focused on what they need to achieve at the end of the day. The duties delegated to me for the day was editing the department’s workshops/activities for the upcoming months of 2016 (Workshops and Events). I had to ensure all the days or weeks of each workshop/activity had all the details such as the person in charge, venue, and strategies among others. The other task was to ensure all the information was up to date by confirming the events online or by calling the respective event managers. Having done all the work for the day, I had to report to Mr. Saoud for his final opinion and mark of completion.
The activities for the third and fourth day centered on GEW, where I assisted the supervisor in completing the Al Fikra Pregame, set up the training plan for trainers and brainstorm some ideas that would help improve the training. I enjoyed working with Mr. Saoud, who was my supervisor on the project since there was a lot I learned from him. He was creative in organizing the various activities of the day by organizing creative skills in between sessions. According to him, these sessions will help the attendees to stay sharp during the day since most of the sessions were purely theoretical. Moreover, he placed the major lectures and talks during the early sessions when people were sharp and attentive. Upon completion of the two-day activities, Mr. Saoud provided me with the activities to work before the end of the week. It was his first test to see how well I can schedule the task and complete it in the shortest time possible.
The activities assigned were editing and translating some official letters for the sponsors, write down some suggested traitors for the five days in GEW and write down a list of organizations sponsored by QDB. I completed the first two activities on the fifth day: the official letter for sponsors and suggested traitors. However, there were a few pitfalls, especially when coming up with clever names for the traitors. I had to ensure the names matched up with the GEW’s theme. I began the third task after the lunch break, though I was not in a position to complete it. Despite the shortcoming, Mr. Saoud congratulated me for the work done as it surpassed his expectations. Such encouraging times helped me enjoy the time in the department and could not wait to see what awaits in the following months there.
On the sixth day, I reported earlier that expected to work on the list of organizations as it was quite challenging since though I was familiar with the Microsoft Excel version the department used. It did not take me long to compile the list of organizations that deals with QDB as sponsors, saved it as a database for use as reference yearly. Later in the day, I joined the marketing department to discuss how to present the Al Fikra event on QDB’s main website (Staff par 1). The department had to ensure it had a simple and direct page that will attract people to attend the event. The meeting ended with a summary meeting with Mr. Saoud, who analyzed the week’s activities, time taken and his thoughts towards them. He finalized by providing brief overviews of the activities we would work on the following week. I had a small talk with him to gauge my first week at the department, and he said all is well. He pointed out the need to keep up with the work in ensuring I grow daily in all the tasks. Another point he added was to take all difficulties and troubles positively; it is the only way to overcome them.
The first 40 hours in QDB were quite interesting though there was still a lot I had not learned about the company. I completed all the tasks assigned on time and without any difficulty apart from the quick familiarization with the department’s Microsoft Excel software. I received positive feedback from Mr. Saoud, my supervisor and a few other people in the department. His remarks were that I am a quick learner, sharp and well prepared to handle the task. I learned a few tricks from him such as how to plan an event’s activities and ensure the attendees stay sharp through the sessions. Apart from that, I observed his leadership skills, such as scheduling impromptu meetings and authority. There were few workers in the department and they are so busy to learn and teach me every details and they do not gave me a big tasks to work on it so I spend a lot of time without any work. I could not do to multiple departments because it was not on my hand and under my control, it is on the HR hand, since they distributed each student to only one section and I think if I could go to multiple departments I will learn more. For the upcoming weeks Ms. Maali will be the supervisor on behalf of Mr. Saoud for the rest of the month, as he would be out of the country on holiday. Overall, the first 40 hours in the department helped me connect with the various activities that I would be working on in the training as well as have a quick introduction on what the supervisor expects.
Works Cited
QDB. 2016. Web. 6 August 2016. <http://www.qdb.qa/English/Pages/default.aspx>
Ramez Mohamed Salah Eldin Thabet. 2016. Web. 6 August 2016. <http://people.bayt.com/ramez-mohamed/>
Saber, Doaa. Global Entrepreneurship Week in Qatar Kicks Off. 16 November 2015. Web. 6 August 2016. <http://www.qbic.qa/global-entrepreneurship-week-in-qatar-kicks-off/>
Saoud Al-Mannai. 2016. Web. 6 August 2016. <https://www.linkedin.com/in/saoud-al-mannai-62093596>
Staff, QNA. Qatar Development Bank Launches Al-Fikra Competition. 1 September 2015. Web. 3 August 2016. <http://www.qna.org.qa/en-us/News/15090117260052/Qatar-Development-Bank-Launches-Al-Fikra-Competition>
Workshops and Events. 2016. Web. 6 August 2016. <http://www.qdb.qa/English/Workshops/Pages/default.aspx>
