Careem, the Middle East’s leading ride-hailing app, has made waves not only for its breakthrough services but also for its unique approach to employer branding. As a company aiming to simplify and improve people’s lives, they have garnered the respect of many job seekers interested in becoming part of their mission. This article will provide an in-depth analysis of Careem’s employer branding strategy as reflected on their Careers page, focusing on their approach to communicating as an employer and the market perception they aim to create with their careers messaging.
Careem, the Middle East’s leading ride-hailing app, has a story defined by vision and determination. Co-founded by Mudassir Sheikha and Magnus Olsson, it was later strengthened with the addition of Abdullah Elyas to the team following the acquisition of his start-up, enwani. What started as a simple solution to the region’s transportation challenges quickly evolved into an all-encompassing platform, simplifying and improving lives across the Middle East.
ℹ️ Quick facts about Careem:
- Operates in over 70 cities across 10 countries, from Morocco to Pakistan.
- Empowers more than 2.5 million Captains to earn their livelihoods.
- Serves over 50 million customers with a multitude of services.
- Became the most prominent Middle Eastern unicorn after Uber’s $3.1 billion acquisition in 2019.
- Recently attracted a $400 million investment for the expansion of the Careem Super App.
In the fast-paced world of Tech Start-ups and the challenging Middle Eastern market, Careem stands out. Its success is not just in its impressive growth or diverse offerings, but also in its dynamic approach to employer branding.
In this article, I’m taking a deep dive into Careem’s employer branding as showcased on their careers’ online resources. I’ll be analyzing how they communicate as an employer, the market perception they aim to establish, and what tech startups can learn from their methods. Let’s get started!
Careem’s Employer Branding Strategy
Careem’s employer branding strategy is deeply rooted in their purpose: simplifying and improving people’s lives while building an awesome organization that inspires. Their career page outlines a compelling narrative of their journey, their achievements, and their mission, making it an attractive destination for prospective employees who resonate with their values.
Values
The company’s journey is a testament to its relentless drive to reshape the face of transportation and service in the Middle East and beyond. Yet, the heart of Careem’s success lies not only in its revolutionary ‘Super App’ or impressive market reach but within the very fabric of its organization: its people. The company’s employer branding strategy is deeply connected with its core values, which serve as the guiding principles for its workforce. These values do more than just decorate the walls of Careem’s offices; they breathe life into the company’s culture and paint a vivid picture of what it means to be part of the team.
What are these values? What is their significance in shaping Careem’s unique employer brand?
- 🗝️ Owners not employees: At Careem, there are no employees, only owners. The company trusts its team members to take ownership of their work, aiming to foster a sense of accountability and deep engagement with the company’s mission. This approach empowers team members to fulfill Careem’s purpose and contribute to the realization of the region’s full potential.
- 🚀 To the moon and beyond: This value expresses Careem’s commitment to ambitious goals and bold visions. The implication for potential employees is clear: Careem is a place for those who are not afraid to dream big and push boundaries.
- 🌟 Every experience matters: This value underscores Careem’s commitment to delivering exceptional experiences, not just for its customers, but also for its team members. It sends a clear message that every interaction within the Careem ecosystem is valued and that every team member’s contribution matters.
- 🧠 Committed to developing each other: Careem places a strong emphasis on learning and growth. The company offers its team members valuable on-the-job learning experiences and the opportunity to work alongside some of the industry’s most talented individuals. This commitment to development fosters a supportive and collaborative environment where team members are encouraged to grow their skills and take ownership of their work.
- 🫂 Responsible for our communities: This value speaks to Careem’s commitment to making a positive impact on the communities it serves. Careem empowers its team members to drive meaningful change in the region, providing a platform for their ideas and perspectives to be heard and valued.
- 💪🏼 Building a lasting institution: This value reflects Careem’s long-term vision. The company is not just about short-term gains but is focused on building an enduring institution. This message appeals to prospective employees who are looking for stability and longevity in their careers.
Employee Value Proposition
As we’ve explored, Careem’s unique values serve as the foundation of its organizational culture and guide its approach to doing business. However, these values go beyond shaping the company’s identity; they also play a crucial role in defining Careem’s Employee Value Proposition (EVP). An EVP outlines the unique mix of characteristics, benefits, and ways of working in an organization. It’s the deal struck between an organization and an employee in return for their skills, capabilities and experience. Essentially, it’s an answer to the employee’s question, “What’s in it for me?”.
Let’s explain how Careem’s values translate into their EVP and what it means for prospective employees.
- 🗝️ Empowerment and Ownership: Careem promises to entrust its employees with significant responsibilities, enabling them to drive meaningful impact in the communities the company is serving.
- 🚀 Ambition and Innovation: Careem commits to providing a platform where innovative ideas can flourish, aspiring to improve and simplify lives across their target market with technology-enabled services.
- 🌟 Valued Experiences: Careem assures to provide its employees with opportunities to work on challenging problems at scale, enhance the reliability and service maturity of its platform, and create stellar experiences for its customers, captains, partners, and merchants.
- 🧠 Continuous Learning and Development: Careem pledges to offer its employees valuable on-the-job learning experiences, giving them the chance to develop their skills in a supportive and collaborative environment.
- 🫂 Community Impact: Careem aspires to empower its employees to make a difference in millions of lives across the region, seeing the enormous growth potential as a privilege and opportunity to positively transform people’s lives.
- 💪🏼 Building for the Long Term: Careem commits to creating an enduring organization that inspires, with its teams focused on building tech for future needs in areas like e-commerce, technology-enabled logistics, maps, identity, and fintech.
Engineering at Careem
Careem has positioned their business as a pioneering force in the the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan. Their mission—simplifying and improving lives—is showcased through the architecture of their digital solutions, designed to catalyze mobility in its many forms: of people, of things, and of money.
This is far from being an easy task. It’s a challenge that demands the very best from Careem’s over 600 Engineers and Developers, individuals committed to push through what is actually possible, to build the technology of tomorrow. They do so from a robust platform provided by Careem, which includes deep tech expertise, strong regulatory relationships, and a local presence. Add to that the energizing spirit of start-ups that defines their increasingly specialized global teams, and it’s easy to see how they are well-positioned to tackle complex, large-scale challenges.
Careem Next Gen Programme
Careem’s commitment extends beyond the confines of technological innovation. They are invested in the growth of local talent, nurturing the potential of aspiring engineers in Pakistan, Jordan, and Egypt through their Careem Next Gen program. This unique initiative provides these junior engineers with a one-year graduate scheme, embedding them in an environment where cutting-edge technology is the rule rather than the exception.
Core Engineering, Infrastructure, Data and AI, Security, and Product Teams
Careem presents a diverse range of opportunities within their engineering department, from core engineering to infrastructure, data and AI, security, and product teams.
The Core Engineering team grapples with some of the region’s most difficult problems at scale, driving stellar experiences for their customers, captains, partners, and merchants. The Infrastructure team focuses on enhancing the reliability and service maturity of Careem’s platform, building a system that can dynamically adjust to demand in real time. The Data and AI team strengthens Careem’s big data platform and ensures fast, reliable, and secure access to data. The Security team diligently safeguards the information of Careem’s customers, captains, and colleagues from data breaches and other disruptive security threats and attacks. Last but not least, the Product team is at the heart of materialising Careem’s mission to simplify and improve lives through their Super App vision.
In this way, Careem’s engineering teams are more than just a cog in the machine. They are the very engine of Careem’s mission, a mission that is as much about shaping the future of technology in the region as it is about transforming lives.
Careem Tech Blog
Careem fosters innovation and knowledge sharing through various initiatives, one of which includes a Tech blog actively maintained by their team. The blog not only highlights the company’s cutting-edge work but also provides insight into the diverse challenges and opportunities in the tech field that prospective employees can look forward to.
The blog covers a variety of topics, providing a window into the type of work that Careem does. Here are some examples of topics covered in their blog posts:
- 🌐 Collaborative problem-solving initiatives that address unique regional challenges.
- 📚Essential skills for data analysts aiming to accelerate their career progression.
- 🤖 Innovative applications of Artificial Intelligence in daily operations by software engineers.
- 📱 In-depth discussions on the integration of AI in their Super App development.
- 🛡️ Exploration of best practices for data privacy and security in the digital age.
- 🎯 Customer-centric approaches to ensuring robust security.
- 🚫 Practical tips to protect oneself from cyber security fraud.
- 📊 Technical insights, such as rate limiting in data processing.
- 🚀 Deep dives into complex tech solutions, like implementing full-text search without using conventional tools.
This initiative underlines Careem’s commitment to transparency, innovation, and the professional development of their teams, creating an environment that is attractive for top tech talent in the region.
Telling a Story – A Decade in Motion
Embracing the power of storytelling, Careem provides an immersive glimpse behind the scenes with their documentary, “A Decade In Motion”. This documentary offers a unique perspective into Careem’s journey and culture, bringing to life their dedication to improving lives and inspiring change. It underscores the importance of transparency in talent attraction, allowing potential recruits to truly understand the spirit and operations of the organization they’re joining. This level of openness invites trust and fosters a sense of belonging even before the first day on the job.
My Thoughts on Careem’s Employer Brand!
- 🎯 Vision & Purpose ★★★★★
- 🌎 Culture & Values ★★★★★
- 📈 Employee Growth Opportunities ★★★★★
- 🌟 Diversity & Inclusion ★★★★☆
- 💻 Innovation & Tech Focus ★★★★★
In this evolving Start-up landscape, Careem stands out with its compelling employer branding strategy, particularly in the Arab region. Their mission, centred around improving lives and fostering growth, is more than just a statement – it’s a living proof of their commitment. They’ve integrated this belief into their company culture, making it a place that is both inviting and encouraging.
At the heart of Careem’s success is its focus on continuous learning, employee empowerment, and impactful work. These factors not only attract top-tier talent but also foster a sense of belonging and purpose among its employees. In a fast-paced technological era, they’re setting the pace, driving change and innovation while ensuring their team members feel valued and engaged.
While Careem demonstrates a clear commitment to its employees and values, there is a noticeable lack of explicit mention of diversity initiatives on their career sites and online resources. The absence of such information can lead to ambiguity about their diversity and inclusion efforts. But remember, inclusion and diversity can mean different things in different parts of the world. The communication around these initiatives may not be also approached the same way.
In conclusion, Careem’s employer branding strategy is an inspiration, illuminating the path for startups in the Arab region and beyond. Their formula – a clear vision, a commitment to employees, and a robust sense of purpose – is the cornerstone of an irresistible employer brand. As a testament to the immense potential of businesses in the Arab region, Careem is indeed a masterclass in creating an employer brand that recruits, engages, and retains.
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