# applying thru recruitment agencies



## shahzadqu (Sep 23, 2010)

hi all,

I am a software developer living in Canada and have been thinking about trying out in the middle east especially Dubai/Abu-Dhabi since i know a few people there

I have signed up for a few recruitment agencies I found on the net, some of them didn't seem legit but others did, however I yet have to even hear a "hi" from any of them let alone anything useful.

Perhaps I am going about this wrong so I decided to ask you wonderful people here. 

so when i sign up for a recruitment agency on their website, am i expected to email them telling them that I have created a profile and what i am looking for or is that good enough and someone usually contacts if there is something for me?

I will also look into the agencies listed on "Read Before Posting" thread on this forum


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## Nightshadow (Sep 21, 2010)

In my experience, youll only get the one email saying "thanks for signing up" and then you just wait. Out 50+ jobs applied for, Ive already gotten 2 rejections, thats pretty exciting as it tells me someone, somewhere is looking at my CV. 

My favorite one has to be Jobs in Dubai, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait | Search Job | Bayt.com, kershaw leonard has very few jobs and clarendon parker's website is just awful and cumbersome, but worth checking out either way. DO NOT sign up for one called "jobsindubai.com" - From what Ive read all over the net, its a scam. They ask you to pay $90 USD up front before your CV is even submitted and people have complained, if you google it, that no one has ever gotten a job off that page.

Lastly, one of the moderators, I think it was Elphaba posted a list of many headhunter / recruiters in the main sticky for this thread... you can find all the names there. 

Good luck!


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## shahzadqu (Sep 23, 2010)

so will someone from the recruiting agency get in touch with me once the company likes my resume or does the company directly gets in touch?

if the company directly gets in touch me, then its not really a recruiting agency just a job search site isn't it? 

I was hoping that someone from recruiting agency will deal with the company on my behalf as headhunters usually do


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## Dozza (Feb 17, 2009)

shahzadqu said:


> so will someone from the recruiting agency get in touch with me once the company likes my resume or does the company directly gets in touch?
> 
> if the company directly gets in touch me, then its not really a recruiting agency just a job search site isn't it?
> 
> I was hoping that someone from recruiting agency will deal with the company on my behalf as headhunters usually do


My personal Opinion & of course everyone's is different is that recruitment agencies are useless. Quite often I think they have no idea of what either your work experience actually is, or they dont actually understand what they are actually recruiting for. 

In the past I have been rejected for a position by the recruitment agency, I then found out who the actual job was with & applied direct. Not only did I get an interview, I also got the job!!

Maybe I have just had bad experience's with them in the past. Since I am currently job hunting myself, let's see who gets me a job first, myself or an agency...The clock is ticking


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## Rochelle (Sep 20, 2010)

recruitment agents here are astoundingly bad... I have literally been n top of one chasing a job (same job and industry as I was in previously - yet I got a bulk list of jobs via FB - he didn't think to match me to the job off his own back) I had to send my cv through numerous times etc.


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## Nightshadow (Sep 21, 2010)

Dozza, 

Im with you on that man although I dont have experience with them as of yet, i know in the US a recruiter would have already called me to ask me more in depth questions, as he/ she is looking to place me as quickly as possible to get the commission.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Forget traditional online websites, they get hundreds of thousands of applicants for each job advertised. There is an automatic filtering system but a recruiter told me that even after that it's mostly ignored.

If you see a position advertised, try to find out who it is with and apply direct. Or at least contact the recruiter in person. To echo the other sentiments it's a combination of them being useless but also there just isn't that many buoyant firms hiring staff.

One of the biggest problems here in Dubai is the notion of transferable skills even within the same industry. If the job advertised is for making the ring pulls on Coca Cola cans and you have 15 years experience making the ring pulls on Pepsi cans you won't get a look in as they need someone with experience of Coca Cola cans.

Also a of positions in your industry are filled by Indian workers who are willing to work for a lot less salary thus having an effect on overall rates.


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