# How difficult is it to find employment in Dubai?



## NewbieSam (Aug 27, 2016)

Hello! I decided to write in, just to hear your thoughts since some of you have probably gone through the same phase that I am going through right now, and would like to know if this is the norm in Dubai.

I had to give up an excellent career in another Gulf country and re-locate to Dubai last year due to my husband's new role. I have been unsuccessful in getting myself a job for the past 1 year! I have applied to over a 100 jobs advertised online, and have met a few Recruitment agents as well, but none has so far being able to get me even an interview. Is this the trend in Dubai? I am from Sri Lanka, have a MBA in HR from the UK, and CHRM certified, with over 15 years experience in the Middle east and 5 years in a management role. I am not concerned over the pay or the title and just want to get my foot in the door to land a permanent job to get started. What surprises me is that I am not even getting an interview even though my skills, regional experience and qualifications far exceed the basic requirements mentioned in the Vacancy Posts. I meet the criteria but yet.....  

I am at a complete loss here.... Is it my nationality? I have noticed that most HR vacancies here state they prefer "Western-educated" candidates. Am I up against a discriminatory sector here? I am a Sri Lankan but hold UK degrees and speak the language fluently and do an even better job with the pen. I have now started applying for administrative jobs like PA, EA, OM out of sheer despair as I get the feeling that my core skills (HR) will never get the recognition in this market. Please share your thoughts, so that I can remain a bit more positive. 

Thank you.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

Plenty of western expats struggle to find jobs too. There's just a glut of candidates. 

If I were you I'd emphasise that you're on your husband's sponsorship and can work with a NOC (meaning it'll be cheaper for someone to hire you). And just keep plugging along. Check out LinkedIn if you haven't already. The better jobs tend to be advertised through there and make sure you have a great profile. I think Kershaw Leonard is a recruitment firm that does a lot of placement of HR and office support roles. As for jobs that state "Western educated", yes it seems unfair, but there are also employers who will only hire Indians or Arabs. This country does not have a level playing field. In your case, when it comes to the "Western" requirement, keep sending in your CV and include a top notch cover letter (I can tell from your post that you write better than many Westerners!). In most cases the employer is merely concerned about having a candidate who can not only write properly but can work easily in a western office environment, and the tone of your CV/cover letter can go a long way in demonstrating that.

Just keep working at it. It's all about finding the right job with the right company with the right criteria. You'll find something eventually. Summer is always slow and things will pick up after eid.


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## svgeorge (Jul 9, 2016)

Hello! I empathize with your situation. From what I see around me, most companies are not really hiring much and are rather cutting excess flab wherever possible. With more than 15 years experience, I'm sure you are looking for senior roles which are few in any case. Your only hope is replacement hiring, and instead of depending on recruitment agencies, I would suggest you to tap into your personal and professional network (maybe your husband's as well) and that could really help.
If that still doesn't help, I would encourage you to start something on your own! With so many years of experience behind you, you could definitely think about starting a recruitment consultancy or start a HR shared services for small companies or an HR outsourcing firm or a contractual services firm etc. 
All the best!


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## tahir29 (Mar 13, 2014)

I'm western educated and I'm struggling to find a new role, I'm currently working on freelance projects until I find myself a permanent role. I had landed couple jobs but both had been cancelled for several reasons. The UAE is very frustrating, I've been In Dubai for 3 years and never really seen the market steady never mind booming. There's more recruitment consultants than jobs, 1 job gets advertised 100 recruitment consultants advertise the job and they receive all together 5000 applications and only 5 applicants get shortlisted and so on. 

Hang in there and don't give up.


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## NewbieSam (Aug 27, 2016)

*Thank you!*

Thank you for your replies, which gives me a tad of hope. Thanks TallyHo for the tip about NOC which I am going to incorporate in to my cover letter. I am on LinkedIn, and my resume is up on most online job portals, and have also written to almost all the recruiting agents in Dubai, but absolutely no luck as yet. This is what really bothers me. I am not even particularly looking for a highly paid senior role to kick start with, as I am being realistic given the present market conditions, but I know I will be a damn good deputy to a senior HR professional like a Director or CHRO. 

As for starting my own business in HR - I feel that we already have far too many recruitment consultants in the market and they still cannot fix me a job, given my experience, skills, qualifications etc. - adding myself out there is not going to help the situation and I certainly do not have the means $$ to start one off either. Anyways, thank you all for your positive vibes! Shall keep my chin up and continue my journey through the job portals!!


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## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

Have you checked out the job ads on that other forum (the one that should not be mentioned here)? It might be worth it as the jobs there are aimed for women.There is at least one HR job advertised on there now. It's more of a junior role but perhaps worth considering if you are desperate to get a job now.

American School of Dubai: Staff Opportunities


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## NewbieSam (Aug 27, 2016)

QOFE said:


> Have you checked out the job ads on that other forum (the one that should not be mentioned here)?
> 
> Which site is that? I am relatively new to the UAE and joined this site yesterday, so without wanting to sound daft, I have to ask which one? I guess you cannot spell it out here (no idea why?) but hope you can at least share the link of the HR job you are referring. Thank you so much.


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## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

NewbieSam said:


> QOFE said:
> 
> 
> > Have you checked out the job ads on that other forum (the one that should not be mentioned here)?
> ...


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## NewbieSam (Aug 27, 2016)

Thank you QOFE, but for some reason the link you sent me is deleted from your private message. It does not contain the name of the forum and goes like this : ........ xxxxxxxxx/forum/com (I guess it is not allowed even via private messaging).

Thank you anyhoo! )

Cheers!


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## crt454 (Sep 3, 2012)

Like a needle in a haystack, those are your odds.


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