Job Hunting in Dubai

Welcome to United Arab of Emirates, the land of opportunities ! 

Each day more than 2000 people arrive in UAE for job hunting and lets say the job you are looking for is being searched by only 10% of those then it means you would be competing against 200 people for the same job . 

I get a lot of queries about how to find a Job in UAE. Therefore, I decided to make a comprehensive document to help my friends find an appropriate job here. This article is for those who wish to come to UAE for job hunting and it is entirely based on my personal experience and knowledge. 

Please note I am neither a HR Consultant nor an expert related to jobs but the strategy worked for me and most of my friends. So what goes in trying these ? Please go through my post for the guidelines regarding the visit to Dubai. 

Failing to Plan is planning to Fail !

One month is often not enough to find a suitable job and it is recommended to take three months visit visa instead. 

• Printed CVs are the key to job search in Dubai. Plan your daily visit according to the areas and drop your CVs in different business towers (I got interviewed on the spot in three of those occasions)
• Start applying from day one. 
• The best time to email the CV is early morning.

Pro Tip :

If you are travelling from Pakistan, please make sure that your ticket/visa is stamped with ‘OK to Board’. Ask your travel agent for this stamp as it is mandatory !

Invest in yourself

Most of the companies in UAE hire through head hunters and HR Consultancies. The recruiters spend an average of six to eighteen seconds reviewing an individual resume, therefore make sure it is worth it !

Your CV should be up to date and finely crafted and if you are not sure then there are experts who make your CVs worthy enough for example Ashraf Chaudhry is one of the finest in Pakistan who does Guirrella CVs for around 3 to 5 thousand. 

Pro Tip:

Make a cover letter, stating your dates of visit visa, mobile numbers (Both PK & UAE)        Please update your profile on the following websites and review daily on it (I got 3 calls from these):

www.bayt.com

www.gncareers.com

www.gulfrecruiters.com

http://buzzon.khaleejtimes.com/
www.monster.com 

www.indeed.ae

www.dubizzle.com
https://www.dubaicareers.ae/ (for Dubai Govt. Jobs)

Pro Tip:
Make sure your profile is up to date on Linkedin as there are a lot of people who got the jobs through Linkedin. Make sure you mentioned your Linkedin Profile on your CV as well.

Best Time / Worst Time

There are no best/worst times to visit UAE for job hunting however the following points should be considered:

• Summers are pretty long and unbearable in UAE normally from APRIL to OCTOBER, so plan your trip accordingly. 
• The timings in Ramadan are short so it is not a good idea to visit during this month.
• Most of the consultants are foreigners and they travel to their countries in vacations, therefore visiting UAE for job hunting in Christmas/New Year period is not recommended.

Pro Tip:
Your shoes should be very comfortable and durable as there will be a lot of walking and dont forget to keep a water bottle with yourself all the time.

Must Have Items 

• Laptop and Smart phone with power bank are the must have items.
• Bring your original educational documents and professional testimonials along with photocopies

Pro Tip:

Make sure you get enough printed copies of cover letters and CVs from your home country as printing and photocopies are expensive in UAE.

Final Word

Be patient, it sometime takes more than 03 weeks to get response from employers. Everyone you know in UAE will recommend you a different way to apply for the jobs, go for it as what goes in trying. 

As I know a lot of people who have got their jobs by applying online, through HR consultants, walk in interviews or personal visits. Therefore, never underestimate any of the above mentioned ways of searching jobs.

Good Luck !