# Why is it so difficult to find work in Dubai?



## Minamiller

I'm so glad to find this site here. I've posted this same question at expatwomen forum without much success so I would like to give this forum a try! 
I've been here in Dubai for 6 months now and have been actively looking for work with no success. I came here as my husbands work was transferred here and made me no choice but to leave a highly paid and competetive career behind. However, have been sitting at home not being able to find anything. I have a degree in computer science, have over 16 years in management and leadership in customer service and support for many major companies such as IBM, Nokia, etc..I'm from Vancouver Canada. I have my residency visa and UAE drivers license but somehow I'm not able to land even one single interview. I've applied through dubizzle, gulf talent, linkedin and every other agency and all the head hunters I could find. What am I doing wrong? I have worked my whole life since I was 14 and just can't sit at home as I feel useless and depressed. Please help me shed some lights? Out of boredom I took a Real Estate course (passed my RERA exam in 3 days). What am I doing wrong? I will not give up obviously! I know I will find a good role if I could just get to some interviews!

Thanks so much for reading my post!


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## twowheelsgood

At a guess, you are experienced in a market dominated by low cost, high performaing individuals from ' East of here' and the salary you can get in Canada isn't even remotely competitive for this region.

Sorry !


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## Kawasutra

Minamiller said:


> I'm so glad to find this site here. I've posted this same question at expatwomen forum without much success so I would like to give this forum a try!
> I've been here in Dubai for 6 months now and have been actively looking for work with no success. I came here as my husbands work was transferred here and made me no choice but to leave a highly paid and competetive career behind. However, have been sitting at home not being able to find anything. I have a degree in computer science, have over 16 years in management and leadership in customer service and support for many major companies such as IBM, Nokia, etc..I'm from Vancouver Canada. I have my residency visa and UAE drivers license but somehow I'm not able to land even one single interview. I've applied through dubizzle, gulf talent, linkedin and every other agency and all the head hunters I could find. What am I doing wrong? I have worked my whole life since I was 14 and just can't sit at home as I feel useless and depressed. Please help me shed some lights? Out of boredom I took a Real Estate course (passed my RERA exam in 3 days). What am I doing wrong? I will not give up obviously! I know I will find a good role if I could just get to some interviews!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading my post!


Maybe this post will help you because it is more a job application...


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## Netta

Minamiller said:


> I'm so glad to find this site here. I've posted this same question at expatwomen forum without much success so I would like to give this forum a try!
> I've been here in Dubai for 6 months now and have been actively looking for work with no success. I came here as my husbands work was transferred here and made me no choice but to leave a highly paid and competetive career behind. However, have been sitting at home not being able to find anything. I have a degree in computer science, have over 16 years in management and leadership in customer service and support for many major companies such as IBM, Nokia, etc..I'm from Vancouver Canada. I have my residency visa and UAE drivers license but somehow I'm not able to land even one single interview. I've applied through dubizzle, gulf talent, linkedin and every other agency and all the head hunters I could find. What am I doing wrong? I have worked my whole life since I was 14 and just can't sit at home as I feel useless and depressed. Please help me shed some lights? Out of boredom I took a Real Estate course (passed my RERA exam in 3 days). What am I doing wrong? I will not give up obviously! I know I will find a good role if I could just get to some interviews!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading my post!


Hello MinaMiller,
I know exactly how you feel. I have been through very depressing moments too. I have been in Dubai since March 2012 and I had a total of 10 interviews only. I thought I was never going to get the dream job, at one point I was despairing to get ANY job just to keep me going. Out of the blue two offers came along at once and I have been lucky enough to have the pleasure to choose between them. It took 20 months to find my dream job....therefore please do not lose hope,it might take some time…...


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## Minamiller

Netta said:


> Hello MinaMiller,
> I know exactly how you feel. I have been through very depressing moments too. I have been in Dubai since March 2012 and I had a total of 10 interviews only. I thought I was never going to get the dream job, at one point I was despairing to get ANY job just to keep me going. Out of the blue two offers came along at once and I have been lucky enough to have the pleasure to choose between them. It took 20 months to find my dream job....therefore please do not lose hope,it might take some time…...


Thanks Netta for your encouraging words! I will not lose hope. You had a total of 10 interviews. I have had 0 in 6 months! Something isn't right!


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## Chocoholic

Minamiller said:


> Thanks Netta for your encouraging words! I will not lose hope. You had a total of 10 interviews. I have had 0 in 6 months! Something isn't right!


Sadly Minamiller, as someone else said, it looks like you're qualified in an industry which here is dominated by men, from the subcontinent, who work for peanuts. You will find it very hard to compete in that arena if at all.

You might have to look at another industry.

Can you give us an idea of exactly what sort of job you're looking for?


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## Minamiller

Hi Chocoholic
I absolutely understand and appreciate your comment, which btw I'm beginning to get the point! I'm looking for anything in management and leadership in Customer service and support. But The roles I've applied for are anything from PR, Personal assistant, ITIL Trainer, EA, business development manager, project manager, and in the past month have applied to entry level positions such as Receptionist, travel coordinator etc... Not one single phone call for any of the positions!


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## saraswat

Although the key phrase going around is 'Dubai's back', that hasn't really translated into more jobs (yet). Employers are still wary, keep trying though, things tend to take a while out here. 

Regarding the whole bit about being in an industry where you will compete with people willing to work on lower wages. While that might be true for people looking to enter the market with limited experience (1-3 maybe even 5 years), it does not apply to someone with your profile. 

16 years of experience in Canada, with a Computer Science degree from there, doesn't lend itself to an entry level / non-managerial position. The position that your profile relates to would be upper level management, and those jobs regardless of nationality of the person working it, are well paid out here. Like I said earlier keep trying, it takes a while for things to work out here (speaking from personal experience).


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## Minamiller

saraswat said:


> Although the key phrase going around is 'Dubai's back', that hasn't really translated into more jobs (yet). Employers are still wary, keep trying though, things tend to take a while out here.
> 
> Regarding the whole bit about being in an industry where you will compete with people willing to work on lower wages. While that might be true for people looking to enter the market with limited experience (1-3 maybe even 5 years), it does not apply to someone with your profile.
> 
> 16 years of experience in Canada, with a Computer Science degree from there, doesn't lend itself to an entry level / non-managerial position. The position that your profile relates to would be upper level management, and those jobs regardless of nationality of the person working it, are well paid out here. Like I said earlier keep trying, it takes a while for things to work out here (speaking from personal experience).


Oh Thank you Saraswat for your great words of encouragement to keep looking! Much appreciate it!


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## twowheelsgood

Minamiller said:


> I'm looking for anything in management and leadership in Customer service and support.


Sorry to be so blunt (again) but there are multiple factors working against you.

1. You come from a country, as most of us do, with quite strong restrictions on immigration, which requires a relatively high degree of experience/qualification to get into the country. You have never had to compete with a really competent low salary individual. We are also from economies where the cost of living is quite high and consequently, salaries are much higher even for very simple activities. In Dubai terms, you have been overpaid and many employers doubt you would be willing to take the pay cut.

2. I am not sure, but I am guessing you don;t have a Masters or higher in your chosen field of expertise. There are a LOT of people here who do have, and we sit just offshore from a sub-continent where its hard to throw a rock without hitting two Masters and a PhD in just about any field.

3. Countries in this region pay very little for simple skills/capabilities which means (like it or not) that certain areas of the market are largely reserved for specific sections of the population. Not by a conscious policy but simply by the fact of the volume of people who current deliver that service. In my view, Customer Service is one of these as the supply of staff vastly outnumbers demand.

4. Your skills may not appear to be particularly unique, or in demand. Customer Service in the region is pretty good, but provided at a low price already. You don't need to pay for a Rolls Royce to run a taxi service, kind of issue.

You need to figure out exactly what your UNIQUE qualities are that you bring from Canada or wherever, that the locals cannot get from India, Phillipines etc. It might not be a skill, but could be knowledge gained. You also need to network a lot more than you apply for job adverts a,s as a Westerner, you have more chance of getting someone 'one the inside' to get you a job, than you have of being picked over a very well educated ex-pat from a country with a cost base one tenth of yours.

Network with lady friends, with their husbands, their companies and socialise and you will find the jobs that are not advertised anywhere as they won't advertise locally as they really want a Westerner to do them but they know if they advertise, they will get drowned in applicants from regions they don't consider suitable.

Terrible, country based, skin based bias I know but it is a reality out here. The last two guys I employed were for roles which never even made the notice board.

This isn't Canada and you need to leave all that behind.


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## Gavtek

The problem is simple.

Your specialism is customer service.

Customer service does not exist here.


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## Minamiller

Gavtek said:


> The problem is simple.
> 
> Your specialism is customer service.
> 
> Customer service does not exist here.


Customer Service exists, just needs improvements!


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## xxxxxxxxclownfish

Minamiller said:


> Customer Service exists, just needs improvements!


Yes, but employers just don't want to pay a westerner. They like the idea and kudos of employing westerners but don't want to pay the salary.

A friend of mine applied for a job as a PA on a prestigious construction site. She was offered the job on the spot and then expected to negotiate a salary. The Arab manager wanted to know the minimum she would work for - he wanted to negotiate down from the advertised salary - WTF. She desperately wanted a job but not enough to be taken for a ride. The guy pestered her for days asking what her minimum salary would be. He had no intention of paying the advertised rate but wanted a western lady working in his office.

It took a while but she eventually found a job. Be patient, find other things to keep you occupied, don't come over as desperate with people and a job will eventually find you.


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## Minamiller

clownfish said:


> Yes, but employers just don't want to pay a westerner. They like the idea and kudos of employing westerners but don't want to pay the salary.
> 
> A friend of mine applied for a job as a PA on a prestigious construction site. She was offered the job on the spot and then expected to negotiate a salary. The Arab manager wanted to know the minimum she would work for - he wanted to negotiate down from the advertised salary - WTF. She desperately wanted a job but not enough to be taken for a ride. The guy pestered her for days asking what her minimum salary would be. He had no intention of paying the advertised rate but wanted a western lady working in his office.
> 
> It took a while but she eventually found a job. Be patient, find other things to keep you occupied, don't come over as desperate with people and a job will eventually find you.


Was the Arab manager negotiating the price of a car? That's just not professional at all! I'm glad she found something else.


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## Desert_Fever

Maybe start a Customer Experience consulting firm (for ways they could improve/track) for companies that remotely care about service in Dubai and see how that goes, in parallel with your job search. Who knows maybe the "Canadian" consulting firm does way better than you thought in this marketplace.


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## xxxxxxxxclownfish

Minamiller said:


> Was the Arab manager negotiating the price of a car? That's just not professional at all! I'm glad she found something else.


Ah, now professionalism!!! That seems to be another missing quality in the work place (along with customer service).


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## hmalij

Minamiller said:


> I'm so glad to find this site here. I've posted this same question at expatwomen forum without much success so I would like to give this forum a try!
> I've been here in Dubai for 6 months now and have been actively looking for work with no success. I came here as my husbands work was transferred here and made me no choice but to leave a highly paid and competetive career behind. However, have been sitting at home not being able to find anything. I have a degree in computer science, have over 16 years in management and leadership in customer service and support for many major companies such as IBM, Nokia, etc..I'm from Vancouver Canada. I have my residency visa and UAE drivers license but somehow I'm not able to land even one single interview. I've applied through dubizzle, gulf talent, linkedin and every other agency and all the head hunters I could find. What am I doing wrong? I have worked my whole life since I was 14 and just can't sit at home as I feel useless and depressed. Please help me shed some lights? Out of boredom I took a Real Estate course (passed my RERA exam in 3 days). What am I doing wrong? I will not give up obviously! I know I will find a good role if I could just get to some interviews!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading my post!


feel your pain and posted similar thread couple days ago...I am an Electrical Engineer, had like 2 interviews in a year or 2 span, i dont get it


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## Fat Bhoy Tim

Desert_Fever said:


> Maybe start a Customer Experience consulting firm (for ways they could improve/track) for companies that remotely care about service in Dubai and see how that goes, in parallel with your job search. Who knows maybe the "Canadian" consulting firm does way better than you thought in this marketplace.


Mina, see a PM in reference to Customer consulting.


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## Minamiller

Hmmm sounds like a great idea! A customer experience consulting firm. My husband has his own huge office in a beautiful tower. He is the only person working there. He has 2 empty offices he said I can use if I take that route! He's paying 250k for the office and is willing to share. Sounds like a good idea but as I mentioned before, I'm new to Dubai and much rather work with an already established company. Unless there are others in this forum who want to explore ideas etc...


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## r-rose

Minamiller said:


> I've been here in Dubai for 6 months now and have been actively looking for work with no success.
> 
> However, have been sitting at home not being able to find anything.
> 
> I have worked my whole life since I was 14 and just can't sit at home as I feel useless and depressed.


Why not consider something unpaid? Find a local volunteer group (for whatever cause is most relevant to you) and give them "full time" hours. They benefit, you are no longer bored, and you're getting something new for your resume.


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## Minamiller

I've done 4-5 years worth of volunteering back home while also working full time. As much as I enjoyed everything about it but would rather find a paid full time work before getting in to volunteering.


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## Minamiller

I went for my first interview in Dubai yesterday for a PA role and feel horrible. The Chairman was a disgusting xxxxx. His interview questions:
Are you married? 
Would you travel with me? Yes
Would you travel with me for a long time? Yes, I travelled at least couple of times a month in my previouse work.
No I dont care about your previous work. Can you travel anytime? Yes
Do you like to have a good time? Me: Please define a good time!
I don't know, are you fond of good living? Me: define good living!
Him: dressing nice, nice cars, dinner etc... 
Me: good times and good living to me is spending time with my family!
Him:if i ask to go for drinks would you go?
Me: No
Him: Why not?
Me: Unless its a company function... I've gone for drinks with my staff and my superiors a lot. As long as its strictly business but other than that no.
Him: Why not?
Me: because Im a professional women.
Him: are you saying Im not professional? 
Me: Im not here to judge you. But I will think about the role and get back to you.

Are all PA/EA roles here in Dubai going to be requiring .... Or was this just a one off?

I was so excitted to go for my first interview here in Dubai... I just felt so awful afterwards!!


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## TheCool

One of my friend told me that skillmills is a best job portal site in UAE. You can try that one also. Let me know if this link helps you or not?


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## Minamiller

TheCool said:


> One of my friend told me that skillmills is a best job portal site in UAE. You can try that one also. Let me know if this link helps you or not?


Where's the link?


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## Minamiller

TheCool said:


> One of my friend told me that skillmills is a best job portal site in UAE. You can try that one also. Let me know if this link helps you or not?


Tried Skillmills.com and the site doesn't work!


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## Minamiller

*Struggling to find work*

Hi all
Trust all is well with everyone! Just wanted to update ya'all on my progress. Well it has been 10 months of searching for work but have not had any luck. It's quiet frustrating!!! I need help with any leads, contacts etc... I dont know what I'm doing wrong! I apply to any postings i see. I have 29 different versions of my resume as I apply for many different positions. From PA, EA, Call center manager, Service delivery manager, support manager, Business dev manager, tech support manager, desktop support manager and many more... To no avail.


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## twowheelsgood

Minamiller said:


> From PA, EA, Call center manager, Service delivery manager, support manager, Business dev manager, tech support manager, desktop support manager and many more... To no avail.


Sorry to hear that but from that list all I can read is 'overhead' ...... and thats not a good place to be when trying to find a role.

Good luck with your search though.


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## Desert_Fever

That sounds frustrating. Are you in UAE or applying remotely? What is your core skill set? The list below is a very varied set of positions.




Minamiller said:


> Hi all
> Trust all is well with everyone! Just wanted to update ya'all on my progress. Well it has been 10 months of searching for work but have not had any luck. It's quiet frustrating!!! I need help with any leads, contacts etc... I dont know what I'm doing wrong! I apply to any postings i see. I have 29 different versions of my resume as I apply for many different positions. From PA, EA, Call center manager, Service delivery manager, support manager, Business dev manager, tech support manager, desktop support manager and many more... To no avail.


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## Minamiller

Desert_Fever said:


> That sounds frustrating. Are you in UAE or applying remotely? What is your core skill set? The list below is a very varied set of positions.


I've been in the UAE for the past 10 months. Skill set i have a degree in computer science, diploma in Business Admin and 16 years experience in the technical and support field where 12 years of that has been in the leadership.


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## Desert_Fever

The IT market is widely unpredictable in my opinion, and there is so much cheap labor supply from the indian subcontinent that unless you get a senior leadership position, almost every buddy else is a cheaper resource than you. Most people aren't ready to take that cut. The other option is to see if you can secure a work from home option at home (I assume you are a canadian national) with an IT firm, and you can use that a bridge while you look for that perfect option in Dubai. Try the Big 4 (PwC, E&Y etc as well).



Minamiller said:


> I've been in the UAE for the past 10 months. Skill set i have a degree in computer science, diploma in Business Admin and 16 years experience in the technical and support field where 12 years of that has been in the leadership.


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## nagib_91

Minamiller said:


> I went for my first interview in Dubai yesterday for a PA role and feel horrible. The Chairman was a disgusting xxxxx. His interview questions:
> Are you married?
> Would you travel with me? Yes
> Would you travel with me for a long time? Yes, I travelled at least couple of times a month in my previouse work.
> No I dont care about your previous work. Can you travel anytime? Yes
> Do you like to have a good time? Me: Please define a good time!
> I don't know, are you fond of good living? Me: define good living!
> Him: dressing nice, nice cars, dinner etc...
> Me: good times and good living to me is spending time with my family!
> Him:if i ask to go for drinks would you go?
> Me: No
> Him: Why not?
> Me: Unless its a company function... I've gone for drinks with my staff and my superiors a lot. As long as its strictly business but other than that no.
> Him: Why not?
> Me: because Im a professional women.
> Him: are you saying Im not professional?
> Me: Im not here to judge you. But I will think about the role and get back to you.
> 
> Are all PA/EA roles here in Dubai going to be requiring .... Or was this just a one off?
> 
> I was so excitted to go for my first interview here in Dubai... I just felt so awful afterwards!!



wow , I can't believe someone can be that low.

on the topic

I am a recent graduate, I came here before approximately 2 months, I had only 2 job interviews within the period of a month and second interview I got lucky.

I keep an excel sheet of all the jobs I applied for and I have applied over 300 jobs. I must stay it wasn't easy spending hours and hours searching online but I didn't give up and you shouldn't .Eventually you will find a job.

my advice to you is to keep applying online also going to social events with your husband or doing social activities , expand your connections that might help.


Best of Luck :fingerscrossed: and keep us updated what happens with you


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## Froglet

Do you apply through websites? Send emails? Call them? Connect with potential future colleagues on LinkedIn and invite them for a drink to learn about the company? What is your strategy?


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## MAW0504

Minamiller - I read back over your problems. I think you are suffering from the "No Dubai experience on CV" problem that many find when they get here. 

My wife had the same problem when we arrived 5 years back. She had plenty of experience in PA roles back home but got nowhere applying for similar jobs out here. Someone told her to take anything she could and get on the ladder which at our age sounded like a huge backward step. Regardless she got herself a reception job. 

Within 6 months she moved to the next step of the ladder.....EA then Office Manager and then PA and eventually, 2 years back, dream job. 

So there's my advice - and it was the best advice anyone ever gave to us - take a step back a bit and just get on the ladder however you can. This place is all about progressing via people you know. Show your worth in any role and you'll soon move up.

Good luck.


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## DDouza

Hi Minamiller,

I have not been in your place, however I can very much understand the frustration of having to sit and home and search for a job, while nothing turns up. Inspite the number of job applications.

This is how its done. Well, for a westerner, it works even better. Majority of the recruitment agencies are employed by expats. You should be able to contact them on LinkedIn and pester them for a one to one interview so they know your skills and there are many jobs that do not even go up on the website page.
Try as much as you can to get in touch with the consultants and have a face to face. I spoke to one consultant before I came from India, fixed an interview with him (since there was a relevant opening), he told me that the skills I had were relevant to the job and they stood out. In any case, since one company has more than one recruitment company they work with, he told there are chances that I may not get it as well (which was a 100% match to my previous job) and I did not even get a chance to be interview, but he told me one thing: Do not apply for every job you see on the portals, apply for 5 jobs relevant and pick up the phone and call the consultant who posted the job and why they should review your resume. 

Well, surprised or not: I had about 20 jobs I applied to and 1 interview I attended, I got through. The employer was skeptical about hiring me, being of Indian Nationality and all except one in the office were of Non-Indian origin. Sometimes being in the right place at the right time works, with that being said you should look at getting in touch with recruitment firms and fixing interviews with the consultants.

All the best!


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## tahir29

*Finding a job*

Hi, 

I've been in Dubai since March but finding it difficult to find a job, anyone have any tips? or can put me forward to their networks. 

I believe with my strong 10 years experience working, academical achievements and my skill set will make me a very suitable candidate for positions available throughout companies within Dubai. As a Analyst, I worked several roles such as a business analyst, sales analyst as well as finance analyst within blue chip orgainsations. I also have hospitality experience working at 3 restaurants over a 10 year period, as assitant manager catering upto 150 guests. With a BS (Hons) Degree in Business Technology, I have a well balanced understanding of the key areas in business such as Marketing, Technology, Management and Finance. 

Thanks

Tahir


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## rsinner

tahir29 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I've been in Dubai since March but finding it difficult to find a job, anyone have any tips? or can put me forward to their networks.
> 
> I believe with my strong 10 years experience working, academical achievements and my skill set will make me a very suitable candidate for positions available throughout companies within Dubai. As a Analyst, I worked several roles such as a business analyst, sales analyst as well as finance analyst within blue chip orgainsations. I also have hospitality experience working at 3 restaurants over a 10 year period, as assitant manager catering upto 150 guests. With a BS (Hons) Degree in Business Technology, I have a well balanced understanding of the key areas in business such as Marketing, Technology, Management and Finance.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Tahir


If I were the recruiter, I would have no friggin idea what job to offer to you. A hospitality guy who is an IT guy who is an "Analyst" (sorry but BA <> Sales A <> FA).


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## nerd_deluxe

rsinner said:


> If I were the recruiter, I would have no friggin idea what job to offer to you. A hospitality guy who is an IT guy who is an "Analyst" (sorry but BA <> Sales A <> FA).


Agreed. Dump the jargon and buzz words and just say what you did. I had a resume professionally written for me. Worst. Move. Ever. The person didn't understand IT and I finally had to re-write the whole damn thing. Avoid fluff. Say what you've done.


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## tahir29

Hi guys, 

Thanks for the responses. 

I've had 4 interviews since i've been here but each company i've had an interview with wants me to relocate to either Europe or Jeddah however due to my wife working in Dubai i'm unable to relocate. I don't think the jargon above is bad, it shows i'm skilled in differant areas but i totally understand were the confusion can be. 

I'll re-word and start over again. 

Thanks


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## vantage

nerd_deluxe said:


> Agreed. Dump the jargon and buzz words and just say what you did. I had a resume professionally written for me. Worst. Move. Ever. The person didn't understand IT and I finally had to re-write the whole damn thing. Avoid fluff. Say what you've done.


Agreed.
If you need someone to write your resume for you, then it is unlikely you can actually hold down a real job.

Just because a service is available, it doesn't mean that one should 'avail' of it.


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## rsinner

tahir29 said:


> I've had 4 interviews since i've been here but each company i've had an interview with wants me to relocate to either Europe or Jeddah however due to my wife working in Dubai i'm unable to relocate. I don't think the jargon above is bad, it shows i'm skilled in differant areas but i totally understand were the confusion can be.


To be honest I was less bothered by the jargon than the absolute lack of focus - still don't know what job to hire you for in my company (hypothetically speaking) if my company was hiring. Obviously your resume would be more detailed than the paragraph above, and I absolutely hope that you are tailoring it for whatever job/role you apply to, but having 6-7 disparate experiences over a 10 year period does not come across as particularly focussed or skilled (and definitely not "strong" in any field).

PS: find it a bit weird that people would be interviewing here just to relocate you to Europe.


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## scrappydoo

There might be a vacancy coming up in my company here in Dubai. We are looking for a native english speaking lady on husband's visa with EXCELLENT administration skills and computer skills, ability to work on own (a lot) and flexibility (no children). PM me with your email address if you fit the bill. DON'T contact me if you are not a native english speaker.


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## vantage

Good to see that you can't be bothered with Western hiring standards.
- You want your English speaker to be native
- You want them to have no children
- You want her to be a woman

Quite frankly, you should be ashamed of yourself.


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## scrappydoo

vantage said:


> Good to see that you can't be bothered with Western hiring standards.
> - You want your English speaker to be native
> - You want them to have no children
> - You want her to be a woman
> 
> Quite frankly, you should be ashamed of yourself.



Hey, don't shoot the messenger! 

This is what the company have asked for - I see this all the time, but the shoe being on the other foot, on adverts here. Even more specifically adverts stipulating young, good looking asian females, wanting to pay peanuts. I was excluded from so many jobs during my search for employment here due to my nationality so don't twist it back around. 

Those are the companies that should be ashamed of themselves for being so shallow. But yes, I get your point but I just don't see the point of wasting people's time and effort when their CVs are only going to be filtered out anyway.


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## vantage

scrappydoo said:


> Hey, don't shoot the messenger!
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> if you personally find the message offensive, you shouldn't really deliver it!


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## TallyHo

Give him a break.

It's just the way the world works here. I may not like it either, but at least people are honest about it. There are many roles in my company where we won't hire anyone but a South Asian or Filipino but that's strictly for financial reasons. Western cvs will be ignored, if only because we know they won't be happy making 5K a month. 

It's part of selling your soul, which we all did when we moved to Dubai. And no one's exempt. 





vantage said:


> scrappydoo said:
> 
> 
> 
> Hey, don't shoot the messenger!
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> if you personally find the message offensive, you shouldn't really deliver it!
Click to expand...


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## twowheelsgood

vantage said:


> if you personally find the message offensive, you shouldn't really deliver it!


If you find the message personally offensive, ignore it and move on ?

Life's too short to go around being offended by others whose actions are legal in the country in question.


----------



## w_man

I might be wrong ... but I think Minamiller did find a job. I remember a different thread where she ended up getting a job in her field with a very good package.


----------



## Minamiller

*Work in Dubai*

Hi 
I just wanted to update my original post. 
In short, I'm still looking for work. The so called excellent and too good to be true offer was just that. It was a total bluff. The signed offer letter meant nothing when emails and phone calls went unresponsive. I mean who does that? The CEO interviews you for 2.5 hours, gives you a written offer right there and then, and says HR will call you tomorrow to discuss start date and visa etc... and then ignores your calls, your emails and finally after 2 months HR decides to respond with "unfortunately you were not the right fit" blah blah blah.... 
Anyways, I have been through a few other interviews, but to this day I am still spending most of my day on my laptop, drinking coffee and submitting resumes. 

I'm just doomed!!!


----------



## tahir29

Join the club I'm still searching, I'm more than capable of doing most of the jobs i get interviewed for but they reject me and give me absurd reasons for rejection. Not one person interviewing me can speak clear and concise english, maybe i'm a threat to them god knows but i'm back to square 1.

Drinking water, submitting resume and networking


----------



## The Rascal

Work for yourself? Consultancy in the larger firms that will pay you $,1000+/day? Invoice them from your home country and you don't need (should have but don't need) a company based here.

You've already got residency etc. so look outside the box. Even doing a part time job for 3 days a week at $500+/day is better than nothing.


----------



## Desert_Fever

What about recruiters? I have not followed the entire thread but are they just as hopeless?


----------



## Desert_Fever

Is that like an IT consultancy?


----------



## Minamiller

Recruiters are non existent. The only response I get is their automated email response. 
For a while my everyday activity was to dress the part and go door to door. Was getting really good at getting past security and going up floor by floor. Unfortunately receptionists were very well trained in the script of "Oh it's best if you visit our website and apply through there" handing out companies business cards.


----------



## NiceToqueEh

You need to change your strategy. It's all about who you know here, so spending your days at home, sending out your CV to cyberspace is unlikely to result in interviews. You need to get out there and meet people.

A few months ago I was looking for a job. I spent many, many hours online, applying for everything that looked interesting. No matter how good my application, and no matter how qualified I was, I got zero response. I tried recruiters and they were about as useful as a chocolate teapot. I joined a sports league and met some people, and within a couple months I was literally turning down a different job offer every week (after accepting a really great one). 

Get out there and network. If you're as good as you say you are, the offers will come. Good luck!


----------



## Mr Rossi

It took me around 2 months to find a job. From about a month in from deciding to take new path, it was fairly secure and was just timing 3rd and 4th round interviews.

Tips - 

Don't apply for everything, decide what you want to do and stick to it. If you fancy a change in career or something different, prove it by having done an internship, written a blog etc about your desired new venture.

Search for positions on Linked In and Bayt, set up alerts.

COVER LETTER COVER LETTER COVER LETTER and once again COVER LETTER

This is your first port of call and realistically all anyone will look at. Take up to one hour to write a cover letter that appeals directly to the position your are applying for. Take time to find out about the company, key personal, published changes and any other positive news. Talk about the industry or field that particular company deals with.

Make sure your CV is neat and easily to skim read. And having a proper file name (full-name-cv-2014 dot pdf) rather than one that looks like a virus helps.

Network, both in real life and on Linked In. DON'T be needy and just focus on your career, use the skill set and experience of whoever you are talking to. Networking should be 80% listening and 20% talking.

When using Linked In, take time to connect with people properly, don't just click the auto connect button - "Hello, we've not met but I saw your profile and impressed by the work you did at X. I'd love to keep in touch and follow any insights you may have."

Networking is NOT asking people for jobs, asking for contacts or forcing your CV on people.


----------



## TallyHo

It's much easier to give advice on how to find work than it is to find work.

While there's plenty of solid advice given on here and which should be followed, I've generally stopped providing further suggestions because I've come to realise there are too many factors involved that determines whether you get a job or not. Polished CVs don't always work. Smooth networking doesn't always work. Years of experience doesn't always work. A lot of it seems to be being both highly qualified and lucky to be in the right place at the right time. And, of course, dependent on your skill sets and the demand for your skills in the UAE and your nationality and ethnic origins. There are too many factors that have to align properly.


----------



## Mr Rossi

TallyHo said:


> It's much easier to give advice on how to find work than it is to find work.


You could essentially apply that to anything though, thus rendering the point of this forum redundant.

As for the nihilism, you surprise me, I thought you'd be more of a "get on your bike" type.


----------



## Minamiller

Tally Ho I agree with you 100%. 
A lot of good suggestions here and I appreciate all of them. 
Being on the other side of the interview table myself for 10+ years, I think I know the basics such as customized CL, neat resume specific to the role applied for etc. 

Btw, just came back from an interview for a business dev mgr role. Going back for a second interview on Wednesday to meet with the director. I kind of low balled myself when forced to give a salary expectation. I said 12k-18k. He agreed on 12k plus commission. There will be a lot of traveling to Europe and US involved. 
Overall was a good 3 hour meeting. But it's funny how some business practices that would never be tolerated in NA is somehow perceived as the norm here.
For example I waited 39 minutes for the interviewer to come collect me. Then he took personal calls while conducting the interview (conversation about dinner tonight and kids homework). Asked for my age. Excused himself and left the room for 25 minutes while I stared at the walls. I'm fine with all of these as long as I get the job lol.


----------



## Froglet

Seems like a strange experience you had at that company today. To be honest, who said that those business practices you experienced today are acceptable here? The fact that it happens doesn't mean it's normal or acceptable (maybe the company you visited is an exception rather than the rule...). 

To me there are too many indicators that it will be a crappy job/company/boss, so I probably would have ended the interview myself indicating that this would not be the place I aspire working at, thank the gentleman and walk out. Respect yourself!

Had the salary been 50k then you may want to put up with a bit more crap than 'normal', but for that money it's really not worth it. You get a weak package AND you have to deal with this behavior...


----------



## Minamiller

Froglet you are absolutely correct. I wouldn't have tolerated this behaviour up until a month ago. However under the circumstances that I have been out of work since August 2013 since moving here has left me no choice but to accept reality and bite the bullet. Get in, get noticed, meet clients and perhaps a potential future employer. I'm not going to judge a company by one employee behaviour. The technology it delivered excited me. I was wowed by where it is today and where it's going. Yes 12k may be pocket change for someone with my background but who am I kidding? 16 months gap on my resume is more concerning at this point than a 12k salary.


----------



## Froglet

Your situation seems a bit 'too bad to be true' kind of thing. You have 16 years of experience working with companies like IBM and Nokia and now you have been out of work for 16 months (since you came to Dubai)... There's something strange going on here and I have the feeling it has to do with you not adjusting and adapting to the environment you're actually in.

Do you ask for feedback when you get rejected?


----------



## Minamiller

Feedbacks are always either "over qualified" or "lack of UAE experience".


----------



## TallyHo

Normally people shouldn't stop trying to find work. It's essential unless you're independently wealthy.

But Dubai is a different case. It's not the right labour market for everyone. So much work here is effectively a closed shop for different nationalities. To use as a simple example, a shop worker in the UK isn't going to have much success finding comparable work in the UAE unless he or she is willing to work longer hours at lower wages, and hiring managers will avoid hiring them because they won't happily put up with the different standards. We've all seen the posts from a plumber or electrician from the UK or Australia asking about finding work here and what has been the general response? Forget it, of course.

Even for the more "professional" occupations it can still be extremely difficult. Take the case of "business development managers" which seems to be one of the more common occupations in the UAE, every opening attracts hundreds, if not a thousand, applications. I glanced over at LinkedIn and saw that one role racked up a thousand applications in just a day! You may be qualified for the work, but the hiring manager may want an Arabic speaker, so you're out. Or he's Indian and will only hire Indians, so you're out. Or it's in O&G and you don't have a mechanical engineering background, so you're out. Then you're not experienced enough. Or you're too experienced. Or you're too expensive. Or you're too cheap. Or you don't have enough UAE experience. Or they'd rather bring someone new from overseas. 

If you have a very specific skill set, then those jobs may not come up often. Let's say you're a landscape architect at an associate level. There are many design firms, but altogether how many associate level landscape architect positions actually come up in a given year? A dozen? Maybe two dozen? You'd have to fight with those who have already practiced landscape architecture in the Gulf for years, including those who remained stuck at a level for half a decade due to the crash in '08-'09 and are looking to move up. Because you're already in the UAE due to your spouse working here, you also apply for all the junior graduate level positions too, but those firms won't consider you because your background is too senior. So what do you do? Apply for an entirely different role in a different industry despite your training and years of landscape architecture?

Even years of UAE experience and a strong network doesn't always help you. I've watched highly experienced people struggle to find work after working in the UAE for nearly a decade and easily switch jobs in the past, but suddenly this time it's not working out for them. The stars can't just align properly for them in 2014. They get lots of calls from recruiters and lots of interviews, including multiple rounds, but something always happen, they're either the second to finalist, or the role is cancelled at the last minute. 

There are some sectors in the UAE where highly experienced people have little trouble finding jobs or switching to new positions. I suspect those who are in a stable job, or who have never been unemployed before or who have one of the sought after skill sets, probably don't realise how difficult finding work can be when you're unemployed. 

If this was the UK or your home country, then of course you just have to keep plugging along looking for work. But for many job seekers in the UAE, there has to be the point when they need to call it quits and return home. Those with a working partner have the luxury of staying and keep looking, but ultimately many accept the reality and end up housewives. 




Mr Rossi said:


> You could essentially apply that to anything though, thus rendering the point of this forum redundant.
> 
> As for the nihilism, you surprise me, I thought you'd be more of a "get on your bike" type.


----------



## Stevesolar

Hi,
I think it is very difficult to find good, professional people here - many expats have left their home countries as a way of escaping some problem or another and think that the Dubai streets are paved with gold.
From my perspective - coming from the UK - where we have very strict working time, minimum salary, maternity, equal opportunities, grievance, redundancy etc. regulations - then this is a very difficult place to work!
We simply dont get the same level of protection from racist, slave-driving, meglamaniac bosses - as we are used to in our home country!
Combine this with the requirements to have a work visa and the threat of labour bans when you quit - make it difficult to chop and change jobs when you are not happy.
I am currently helping a friend who is looking for very specific type of sales people and it is so difficult to find people who match their requirements here.
In the UAE, the pool of applicants for each job is huge - but imagine trying to hire someone when you have over 1000 applicants for each post? - how the heck do you filter and shortlist from such a huge number of people - and more importantly not miss the really good ones?
Cheers
Steve


----------



## twowheelsgood

Stevesolar said:


> I think it is very difficult to find good, professional people here


While agreeing with your general ideas, I think this is too broad a statement to be true.

Our company is growing and while candidates are not falling from the trees, there are plenty of good, professional people around. The challenge is that the market in which we operate has been in a slump, and is coming out of it now and companies have found that the good, professional people are in demand and have not woken up to the realities of market based salaries.

People who say they cannot find people, are almost invariably, not prepared to pay the market rate for a variety of reasons.


----------



## Stevesolar

twowheelsgood said:


> While agreeing with your general ideas, I think this is too broad a statement to be true.
> 
> Our company is growing and while candidates are not falling from the trees, there are plenty of good, professional people around. The challenge is that the market in which we operate has been in a slump, and is coming out of it now and companies have found that the good, professional people are in demand and have not woken up to the realities of market based salaries.
> 
> People who say they cannot find people, are almost invariably, not prepared to pay the market rate for a variety of reasons.


Hi,
Sorry - perhaps i did not write it clearly and therefore it is how the word "find" was interpretted in my post.
There are plenty of very professional people here - it is simply difficult to identify and "find" them amongst all the others!
Salaries are not the issue with the people that i work with - it is simply the recruitment process here that is a little different to back home.
Cheers
Steve


----------



## TallyHo

I heard this story over the weekend.

This friend of a friend was contacted by a recruiter about a role. The role sounds great. He hit it off well with the recruiter and they chatted for a hour.

The next day he gets a call from the company's HR asking him to come in for an interview. 

He goes in. The first thing he notices is that everyone in the office, from the receptionist to the CEO is Indian. He knows right there and then that he isn't going to get the job and it's going to be a waste of time.

But he goes ahead with the interview, partly because you just never know and decides it'd be good experience for future interviews.

The CEO, after keeping him waiting in a conference room for a full hour, calls him into his office. Glances at him, glances at the CV and asks three or four short questions, with no follow up questions. He tries to lengthen the interview by asking many questions about the role and the company's expansion plans and how his background could help the company. The CEO is non committal. The whole interview lasts less than 30 minutes. 

It was obvious from the get-go that the company had no interest in him once they found out he wasn't Indian, despite that they must have known from looking at his CV. A waste of everyone's time. 



Stevesolar said:


> Hi,
> Sorry - perhaps i did not write it clearly and therefore it is how the word "find" was interpretted in my post.
> There are plenty of very professional people here - it is simply difficult to identify and "find" them amongst all the others!
> Salaries are not the issue with the people that i work with - it is simply the recruitment process here that is a little different to back home.
> Cheers
> Steve


----------



## Froglet

I guess it doesn't harm to check LinkedIn before you visit a company to see what type of people you'll meet there...


----------



## Stevesolar

TallyHo said:


> I heard this story over the weekend.
> 
> This friend of a friend was contacted by a recruiter about a role. The role sounds great. He hit it off well with the recruiter and they chatted for a hour.
> 
> The next day he gets a call from the company's HR asking him to come in for an interview.
> 
> He goes in. The first thing he notices is that everyone in the office, from the receptionist to the CEO is Indian. He knows right there and then that he isn't going to get the job and it's going to be a waste of time.
> 
> But he goes ahead with the interview, partly because you just never know and decides it'd be good experience for future interviews.
> 
> The CEO, after keeping him waiting in a conference room for a full hour, calls him into his office. Glances at him, glances at the CV and asks three or four short questions, with no follow up questions. He tries to lengthen the interview by asking many questions about the role and the company's expansion plans and how his background could help the company. The CEO is non committal. The whole interview lasts less than 30 minutes.
> 
> It was obvious from the get-go that the company had no interest in him once they found out he wasn't Indian, despite that they must have known from looking at his CV. A waste of everyone's time.


Hi,
Interesting story - recruiters are paid when somebody is actually placed in a role - so the bad/desperate ones act like they are trying to fit Cinderellas slipper on an ugly sister - it just aint gonna fit!
Cheers
Steve


----------



## Minamiller

That's just sad. You'd think the recruiter would know the company is looking for Indians only.
It frustrates me to see some of the job postings with "Males only" or "Indians only" or for an EA role "do not apply if you're over 24" lol


----------



## Lady Engr.

Minamiller said:


> I went for my first interview in Dubai yesterday for a PA role and feel horrible. The Chairman was a disgusting xxxxx. His interview questions:
> Are you married?
> Would you travel with me? Yes
> Would you travel with me for a long time? Yes, I travelled at least couple of times a month in my previouse work.
> No I dont care about your previous work. Can you travel anytime? Yes
> Do you like to have a good time? Me: Please define a good time!
> I don't know, are you fond of good living? Me: define good living!
> Him: dressing nice, nice cars, dinner etc...
> Me: good times and good living to me is spending time with my family!
> Him:if i ask to go for drinks would you go?
> Me: No
> Him: Why not?
> Me: Unless its a company function... I've gone for drinks with my staff and my superiors a lot. As long as its strictly business but other than that no.
> Him: Why not?
> Me: because Im a professional women.
> Him: are you saying Im not professional?
> Me: Im not here to judge you. But I will think about the role and get back to you.
> 
> Are all PA/EA roles here in Dubai going to be requiring .... Or was this just a one off?
> 
> I was so excitted to go for my first interview here in Dubai... I just felt so awful afterwards!!


Hi Minamiller!
I like the way you answer to his questions.
Like you, I experienced same.
He asked me about the job then followed by personal questions then come back to work related questions and so forth.
Until he said he is hungry and will continue the interview in the restaurant (that I should join him).
I said I am not hungry and will wait him in the reception.
He said I might lose the job if I won’t come, I ran away from his office.

So pathetic.
Cannot believe that lunch is part of interview, LOL!

Take care.
I wish you’ll have job very soon.
Good luck!


----------



## FerPR

Sorry if the question is out of place, but how does working in real estate go???? Is it a viable job option????


----------



## BedouGirl

Some interesting posts over the past day. I do believe in networking. I don't know how I would do it if I had to, but it does seem to work. Just recently, the daughter of a lady who used to work for me, came to see me. She's a graduate, with some working experience, who is articulate and presentable. She'd been on countless interviews and barely heard anything back from any of them. I networked her CV and she was lucky enough that someone else who used to work for me worked for an agency that was recruiting for a three-month post. She went for the interview and they are processing her paperwork and there is a chance it will become permanent. Good timing too I guess, but it can often be just down to that.


----------



## Minamiller

I worked for a small real estate company for a month but left due to illegitimate business practices. Employees were yelled at, not paid for several months at a time. I actually paid the receptionist 300 aed because she had no money to go home with and she was starving. It was just too inhuman to watch someone cry so much because they hadn't been paid 2 months. The next day I went straight to the owners office and demanded answers. To my surprise he was very blunt about his behaviour and almost looked like he was proud. He said let me tell you something. Im sorry but his is not America or Canada. I will not pay someone who doesn't know how to do their job blah blah.. I just walked out without looking back. I didn't get paid either but got my RERA license which he paid for.


----------



## FerPR

Wow, sorry to hear that. Was the company Emirati-owned or expat-owned????


----------



## Minamiller

Expat owned.


----------



## FerPR

Wow, that's appalling. How about searching in Abu Dhabi or nearby emirates???


----------



## Minamiller

My husband works in Dubai, my son goes to school here. I can't move to Abu dhabi.


----------



## FerPR

I thought commuting didn't take more an hour. Sorry.


----------



## TallyHo

Anywhere from 1.15 hours to over two hours, depending on where you live in Dubai and where the office is located in AD. 

It's a horrendous commute.



FerPR said:


> I thought commuting didn't take more an hour. Sorry.


----------



## Gavtek

It's probably not going to be much better through there either.


----------



## twowheelsgood

Minamiller said:


> Expat owned.


Report their business practices to the MoL and do everyone a favour.

Not paying salaries of staff is a serious breach.


----------



## Minamiller

If I'm going to report him to the authorities for what he did then I'd have to spend 2 hours a day on the phone reporting things. Cause they're plenty. Plus, to my knowledge everyone left after I did. Also his wife was a sweet and kind women with disabled triplets.


----------



## tahir29

Disgusting people, makes me sick. 

Minamiller, what sort of job you looking for? I have contacts that are unable to aid myself but I can send you a spreadsheet with contact details of people to ring and they can either help you or point you to the right direct. 

If you like? I can't promise but I'm in the same situation myself, networking and talking to people one way of hopefully finding a job in Dubai. 

Let me know


----------



## Minamiller

That would be wonderful thank you. I have created a spreadsheet of all recruiters I can send to you as well. What are you looking for? 
I'm open to the following positions.
Customer support management 
Technical support management
Service desk/ help desk/ desktop support management 
Client service management 
Also open to EA roles as well.


----------



## tahir29

private message me your email


----------



## Navaron

The IT industry in UAE is in its infancy, big salaries for senior IT employees here just doesn't exist. Development and project management roles are filled with lower-paid Indian/Pakistani or similar nationalities as they are ready to accept less than westerners. That's the way it is.


----------



## Navaron

sorry to be negative but applying for entry level positions is a non starter in my opinion. My wife had a very similar situation... she was a medical secretary/PA/office manager back in the UK for 20 years and came over here hoping to apply for similar.... even though she worked in the NHS which is notoriously low paid in the UK.... she was finding salaries here were half that in the UK and even some roles specifically asked for Filipinos in the job ad.....

She applied for identical jobs she had been doing all her career and never even getting a reply..


----------



## Navaron

nagib_91 said:


> wow , I can't believe someone can be that low.
> 
> on the topic
> 
> I am a recent graduate, I came here before approximately 2 months, I had only 2 job interviews within the period of a month and second interview I got lucky.
> 
> I keep an excel sheet of all the jobs I applied for and I have applied over 300 jobs. I must stay it wasn't easy spending hours and hours searching online but I didn't give up and you shouldn't .Eventually you will find a job.
> 
> my advice to you is to keep applying online also going to social events with your husband or doing social activities , expand your connections that might help.
> 
> 
> Best of Luck :fingerscrossed: and keep us updated what happens with you


Ive heard other people saying a similar thing....


----------



## The Rascal

For those CV and grammar nazis out there, this popped up on my LinkenIn feed, all job-seekers should read it.

40 Incorrectly Used Words That Can Make You Look Dumb

You and you're anyone?


----------



## BedouGirl

The Rascal said:


> For those CV and grammar nazis out there, this popped up on my LinkenIn feed, all job-seekers should read it. 40 Incorrectly Used Words That Can Make You Look Dumb You and you're anyone?


Excellent! But what about its', there, advice and advise? I've lost count of the amounts of times I see 'please advice me'.


----------



## londonmandan

I read that earlier, I have bookmarked it for some reason....


----------



## 734001-Katjones111

*Jobs*

Hi everyone 

This rings so true for me. I've been searching for a position in Dubai for the past 12 months as Document Controller (or any other role that suits my skill set). Zero luck so far! I do think networking is the key but that can be difficult if you don't know many people and aren't a natural social butterfly. 

Good luck to all those looking and congrats to all those who finally made it!


----------



## INFAMOUS

Katjones111 said:


> Hi everyone
> 
> This rings so true for me. I've been searching for a position in Dubai for the past 12 months as Document Controller (or any other role that suits my skill set). Zero luck so far! I do think networking is the key but that can be difficult if you don't know many people and aren't a natural social butterfly.
> 
> Good luck to all those looking and congrats to all those who finally made it!


Can you please post some more so you can PM. I am curious to know your experience and expectations as a Document Controller. I may have something for you.


----------



## 734001-Katjones111

INFAMOUS said:


> Can you please post some more so you can PM. I am curious to know your experience and expectations as a Document Controller. I may have something for you.


Hi there. I've posted my obligatory five posts and I'm waiting for permissions to be applied. Unless I'm mistaken and need to post five NEW threads?? Thanks


----------



## leandrothomas

Minamiller said:


> That would be wonderful thank you. I have created a spreadsheet of all recruiters I can send to you as well. What are you looking for?
> I'm open to the following positions.
> Customer support management
> Technical support management
> Service desk/ help desk/ desktop support management
> Client service management
> Also open to EA roles as well.


Hi Mina,

Have you found something yet? I lived in the UAE on two occasions, work in the exact same field as you and have previously helped people get work over there. I would like to help you (not for money). Not going to put my email address here but you can visit my site, /snip/ and use the contact form to get in touch, if you like.

I know about the hurdles you face and don't mind assisting at all.

Let me know,
Leandro


----------



## leandrothomas

leandrothomas said:


> Hi Mina,
> 
> Have you found something yet? I lived in the UAE on two occasions, work in the exact same field as you and have previously helped people get work over there. I would like to help you (not for money). Not going to put my email address here but you can visit my site, /snip/ and use the contact form to get in touch, if you like.
> 
> I know about the hurdles you face and don't mind assisting at all.
> 
> Let me know,
> Leandro


Hi Mina,
I tried to email you via the address above but it bounced back, could you double check it?


----------



## Minamiller

Hi my email /snip/


----------



## BedouGirl

Minamiller said:


> Hi my email /snip/


Posting personal contact details is against forum rules. Thank you


----------



## leandrothomas

Minamiller said:


> Hi my email /snip/


Just post as a comment on my site again. Double-check the spelling so I can ensure my email gets to you.


----------



## Minamiller

I did Leandro, 3 times and also emailed you as well.


leandrothomas said:


> Just post as a comment on my site again. Double-check the spelling so I can ensure my email gets to you.


----------



## tdlokesh

Hey guys , 

I read all your conversations, you were all hunting jobs for a long period. In your job search can you tell me how is the job offers for IT industry. I am looking for Network Admin/ Network Security or any Network related jobs with 9 years of experience. I have planned to come to dubai for job hunt by Jan 22nd 2015. need your comments pls.


----------



## jcbf

*n/a*

@Mina Miller (and others)
I can really relate to what's happened. I'm almost in your league.
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science
- Quality Assurance Analyst 3 years - Call Center
- Customer Service Training Lead - 7 years - Call Center

In my desperation too, i've applied for lower positions like: assistant, or plain old representative - and still nothing to show for it.

Mina you are in a better situation compared to mine. I only came to Dubai to be with my wife but if I don't find a job soon, I'm going to be deported. That's the sad reality.

My primary goal was just to be with my family, and now it's all crumbling.

LinkedIn, Bayt, Gulftalent, Hays, Dubizzle - you name it. Been there, done that.
Approached some friends who are already employed. Nada.
Approached "strangers" who also come from my native country in the hopes that just "maybe" they could help a fellow national. Zip.
Even my wife's family is also helping me by finding potential leads....

I sincerely hope that we both find a job soon. Not just any job, but at least something that can suffice our needs.

Sincerely,
JCBF


----------



## sconnelly56

Well I feel better that there are others in the same boat as me. I am not degree educated but i have nearly 10 years work experience. Back home I was a bar, restaurant & nightclub manager but I can't seem to get into it here. Because most bars & clubs are in or on the grounds of the posh hotels and resorts I am often told I do not have enough luxury experience to be working there or even that I need a degree in Hotel Management. I've been looking for nearly 6 months now and still nothing. It's looking like I will have to go back to the UK at the end of the month and reassess my options.


----------



## dubdub

I relocated with my wife a month ago to Dubai who is teaching, I hadn't appreciated how tough the job market would be here.

I'm a qualified accountant, I have met face to face with 3 agencies and spoken to a couple more via phone, my CV has been submitted to companies but I've had no success in securing so much as an interview. I have started to build up a network on Linked In but I'm not sure how successful that will be in gaining employment. I know the market is saturated with people from east of here in my field but i really thought something would crop up by now. With something like over 2,000 applicants for one accounting job on linked in jobs, i'm wondering has anyone tried any other methods of gaining employment which has been successful other than agencies and applying on websites? 

I feel for Mina being out of work for so long, I've found being out of work for just a month so depressing and i feel like i should be applying for jobs below my qualifications as i really just want to work and unfortunately I'm getting desparate!


----------



## The Rascal

The best way dubdub is face to face networking, apply for jobs on a morning and put yourself out there, talk to people in coffee shops/bars/malls.

It seems alien to you I know, but that's how it's done here.


----------



## tahir29

I've nearly been in Dubai for a year and still no job. it's depressing but just keep being positive and hopefully something will happen but it's coming to a point where I need to ask myself how long I can stay unemployed, finding a job in the UK is not a problem but my dream is to work in the UAE especially as my wife loves her school job. 

I'll just keep prodding along for another couple months but it's essential obtaining a job before Ramadan otherwise couple months of nothing happening in the UAE.


----------



## dubdub

Thanks for the advice The Rascal, I'm beginning to appreciate the job market is more about who you know than what you know! i will keep an eye out for networking events in my profession, its a shame career fairs are few and far between as it would be good meeting employers. I might even contemplate taking up a sport to network! haha

Tahir, I heard about it going quiet for Ramadan, i don't really want to get to the summer without a job, my wife seems to think i have got it easy not working but coming out of continuous employment for 7 years its something i wouldn't wish on anyone! you must be going crazy over a year, what profession are you in?

I think i'm gonna have to change tact and go for direct contact with HR departments, i get the feeling that pestering agencies here wouldn't be too well received. i suppose getting a job is a bit like the taxi's here. The ones that beep as they drive past are likely to get the custom, the ones that drive past waiting for you to stick your arm out fail. Guess I'm gonna have to shout a little louder here!


----------



## The Rascal

Career fairs and networking events are rubbish, all you get there is massively qualified (ie MBAs and more) sub contis pushing their cvs into anyone's hand that they think will take it. You need to rise above that, if I was you I'd be talking to CFOs (they're usually on LinkedIn) and differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack.

Basically if you don't get a job by June you can forget getting anything before October.


----------



## tahir29

dubdub - As rascal has stated if we don't get a job before June then we aint achieving anything until October. 
I work as an Analyst, my previous job working at DHL in UK. 
I've tried career fairs, linkedin, HR consultants, websites just so much competition it's very difficult, networking is the key, like rascal and many other ppl have highlighted approaching ppl and asking them for advice or even providing them your resume. 

What work are you looking for? maybe I can give you some of the contacts I have in your line of work.


----------



## The Rascal

Oh, get a business card made up to - they're cheap - just name, expected job title and contact details on. It looks more professional.


----------



## okla

Where does one network in Dubai, which events do we join? TBH I've never even heard of networking events in Dubai. maybe we should start our own event. 

Tahir29, I work for a Logistics company that always have vacancies, I can pass your Cv but I really dont know if that would help. But we can share our job searching results and keep a look out


----------



## twowheelsgood

The problem if you are a spreadsheet jockey is that people won't want to network with you as you have nothing to offer them. 

I get half a dozen LinkedIn requests every day pretty much and I can see what I could do for them, but rarely do I see what they can do for me - other than filling a vacancy which is already advertised and for which there is an established process. 

Sometimes there simply isn't s job for people with particular skills at a salary they like in Dubai, like snowplough drivers. 

It's not that the person isn't any good, it's just that their skills are easily replicable, cheap, In volume and sometimes being a Western background works against you because they want someone who is happy with that role and will do it for years rather than be looking for the next step up continually.


----------



## tahir29

Hey, 

I accepted a job offer yesterday finally after nearly a year, I've always wanted to work in the automotive industry and yesterday I heard the words which I've been waiting for " .....will like to offer you the position", absolutely great feeling. 

For all those who are searching for work, keeping trying, building contacts and networking, Like I've stated above nearly took me a year but never gave up, I left a very good job in the UK to come to Dubai and finally my hard work has paid off, so don;t give up keep trying, I'm aware how irritating it can be not having any phones calls or nobody responding to you for weeks and months. 

I found these tools very useful:

- Linkedin - add and email CEOs and HR consultants
- Networking at football or other events
- Michael Page - ring and make a consultant(s) your friend
- Mckenzie Jone - ring and make a consultant(s) your friend
- Robert Half - ring and make a consultant(s) your friend

Never give up and keep trying.


----------



## okla

Tahir29, 

Congratulations! and thanks for the tips.


----------



## tahir29

Okla - are you working and if not, what line of work are you in?


----------



## okla

Tahir29, I'm working in a specialised area in Logistics / Shipping. 

is there a way to personal message each other?


----------



## twowheelsgood

Well done Tahir and good luck.


----------



## omrano

tahir29 said:


> Hey,
> 
> I accepted a job offer yesterday finally after nearly a year, I've always wanted to work in the automotive industry and yesterday I heard the words which I've been waiting for " .....will like to offer you the position", absolutely great feeling.
> 
> For all those who are searching for work, keeping trying, building contacts and networking, Like I've stated above nearly took me a year but never gave up, I left a very good job in the UK to come to Dubai and finally my hard work has paid off, so don;t give up keep trying, I'm aware how irritating it can be not having any phones calls or nobody responding to you for weeks and months.
> 
> I found these tools very useful:
> 
> - Linkedin - add and email CEOs and HR consultants
> - Networking at football or other events
> - Michael Page - ring and make a consultant(s) your friend
> - Mckenzie Jone - ring and make a consultant(s) your friend
> - Robert Half - ring and make a consultant(s) your friend
> 
> Never give up and keep trying.


Congratulations man, your patience and hardwork finally paid off, good luck.


----------



## BedouGirl

tahir29 said:


> Hey, I accepted a job offer yesterday finally after nearly a year, I've always wanted to work in the automotive industry and yesterday I heard the words which I've been waiting for " .....will like to offer you the position", absolutely great feeling. For all those who are searching for work, keeping trying, building contacts and networking, Like I've stated above nearly took me a year but never gave up, I left a very good job in the UK to come to Dubai and finally my hard work has paid off, so don;t give up keep trying, I'm aware how irritating it can be not having any phones calls or nobody responding to you for weeks and months. I found these tools very useful: - Linkedin - add and email CEOs and HR consultants - Networking at football or other events - Michael Page - ring and make a consultant(s) your friend - Mckenzie Jone - ring and make a consultant(s) your friend - Robert Half - ring and make a consultant(s) your friend Never give up and keep trying.


Congratulations!


----------



## tahir29

Thanks Bedougirl


----------



## heinrich84

Sorry to intrude on this thread but I am desperate for a job in Dubai. At first I thought about a tourist visa to come and search. But 2 of my relatives just did that and they are back now in India. It seems without at least an interview call, it is pointless mostly to take a tourist visa and come. 

I am a masters degree holder in finance and I have some years of experience previously in finance operations. I am looking for a start to my career in Dubai. At least if I can get some interviews lined up, I can come confidently to try. 

Please advice.


----------



## Stevesolar

Hi,
On Thursday, I put an advert on Dubizzle for a new member of staff. Within the first few hours, I had received 20 CV's and up until a few minutes ago the total is more than 50.
A few things I noticed from the CVs that I received:-
More than half state that the applicant is on a visit visa from dates x to y (normally 1 month).
Half the applicants are male - despite the job being specifically for a female (this is necessary as many of the companies clients are ladies salons that men cannot enter.)
The amount of corporate speak BS in the CVs is just incredible!!
Most of the job history and qualifications of the applicants do not meet the specific job requirements that were clearly spelt out in the job advert.
Summary - many people simply send out their CV in an unplanned scatter gun approach (and would need to be real lucky to secure an interview - let alone a job!!).
Interestingly - a few weeks back we also advertised a different job and the ideal candidate was actually the first applicant - they already started their new job.
One guy put his CV in for this job (despite it also being advertised as being for a female - due to the reasons stated above.)
His CV, career and qualifications were strong - so I rang him up to give him some advice about tidying up (shortening) and removing a lot of corporate BS from his CV.
I also had a joke with him that his CV listed "good observation skills" as one of his attributes - yet he is an Indian male applying for a job that required a Filapino female.
He thanked me for my advice and assured me that he would amend his CV immediately.
Fast forward two days and bu**er me - his unaltered CV has turned up in my inbox as an applicant for the new job - what a total muppet!!
Cheers
Steve


----------



## BedouGirl

Stevesolar said:


> Hi, On Thursday, I put an advert on Dubizzle for a new member of staff. Within the first few hours, I had received 20 CV's and up until a few minutes ago the total is more than 50. A few things I noticed from the CVs that I received:- More than half state that the applicant is on a visit visa from dates x to y (normally 1 month). Half the applicants are male - despite the job being specifically for a female (this is necessary as many of the companies clients are ladies salons that men cannot enter.) The amount of corporate speak BS in the CVs is just incredible!! Most of the job history and qualifications of the applicants do not meet the specific job requirements that were clearly spelt out in the job advert. Summary - many people simply send out their CV in an unplanned scatter gun approach (and would need to be real lucky to secure an interview - let alone a job!!). Interestingly - a few weeks back we also advertised a different job and the ideal candidate was actually the first applicant - they already started their new job. One guy put his CV in for this job (despite it also being advertised as being for a female - due to the reasons stated above.) His CV, career and qualifications were strong - so I rang him up to give him some advice about tidying up (shortening) and removing a lot of corporate BS from his CV. I also had a joke with him that his CV listed "good observation skills" as one of his attributes - yet he is an Indian male applying for a job that required a Filapino female. He thanked me for my advice and assured me that he would amend his CV immediately. Fast forward two days and bu**er me - his unaltered CV has turned up in my inbox as an applicant for the new job - what a total muppet!! Cheers Steve


I'm sure many people are using agents to send out their CVs. You pay a fee and they commit to sending out x number over a given period. My guess is the agents don't filter, it's just a numbers game to them.


----------



## Stevesolar

BedouGirl said:


> I'm sure many people are using agents to send out their CVs. You pay a fee and they commit to sending out x number over a given period. My guess is the agents don't filter, it's just a numbers game to them.


Hi,
Really - well that's going to get results.........................not!

Cheers
Steve


----------



## BedouGirl

Stevesolar said:


> Hi, Really - well that's going to get results.........................not! Cheers Steve


I guess, if you are desperate enough, not on a visa on arrival and, therefore, have a time limit, everything is worth a go.


----------



## nite

tahir29 said:


> Hey,
> 
> I accepted a job offer yesterday finally after nearly a year, I've always wanted to work in the automotive industry and yesterday I heard the words which I've been waiting for " .....will like to offer you the position", absolutely great feeling.
> 
> For all those who are searching for work, keeping trying, building contacts and networking, Like I've stated above nearly took me a year but never gave up, I left a very good job in the UK to come to Dubai and finally my hard work has paid off, so don;t give up keep trying, I'm aware how irritating it can be not having any phones calls or nobody responding to you for weeks and months.
> 
> I found these tools very useful:
> 
> - Linkedin - add and email CEOs and HR consultants
> - Networking at football or other events
> - Michael Page - ring and make a consultant(s) your friend
> - Mckenzie Jone - ring and make a consultant(s) your friend
> - Robert Half - ring and make a consultant(s) your friend
> 
> Never give up and keep trying.


Grats!!!!!


----------



## nite

lol, your so right about the corporate speak BS, I see some of the 5 page CV's that come into my place or work and they are 90% business jargon, buzzwords, BS, etc


----------



## T'challa_Udaku

nite said:


> lol, your so right about the corporate speak BS, I see some of the 5 page CV's that come into my place or work and they are 90% business jargon, buzzwords, BS, etc


Come on we do love a cv filled with corporate bs lol. Makes for fun reading.


----------



## Fat Bhoy Tim

Stevesolar said:


> Hi,
> Interestingly - a few weeks back we also advertised a different job and the ideal candidate was actually the first applicant - they already started their new job.
> One guy put his CV in for this job (despite it also being advertised as being for a female - due to the reasons stated above.)
> 
> His CV, career and qualifications were strong - so I rang him up to give him some advice about tidying up (shortening) and removing a lot of corporate BS from his CV.
> I also had a joke with him that his CV listed "good observation skills" as one of his attributes - yet he is an Indian male applying for a job that required a Filapino female.
> He thanked me for my advice and assured me that he would amend his CV immediately.
> 
> Fast forward two days and bu**er me - his unaltered CV has turned up in my inbox as an applicant for the new job - what a total muppet!!
> Cheers
> Steve


Choking on my lunch here.


----------



## incuboi

*Hello*



Minamiller said:


> I'm so glad to find this site here. I've posted this same question at expatwomen forum without much success so I would like to give this forum a try!
> I've been here in Dubai for 6 months now and have been actively looking for work with no success. I came here as my husbands work was transferred here and made me no choice but to leave a highly paid and competetive career behind. However, have been sitting at home not being able to find anything. I have a degree in computer science, have over 16 years in management and leadership in customer service and support for many major companies such as IBM, Nokia, etc..I'm from Vancouver Canada. I have my residency visa and UAE drivers license but somehow I'm not able to land even one single interview. I've applied through dubizzle, gulf talent, linkedin and every other agency and all the head hunters I could find. What am I doing wrong? I have worked my whole life since I was 14 and just can't sit at home as I feel useless and depressed. Please help me shed some lights? Out of boredom I took a Real Estate course (passed my RERA exam in 3 days). What am I doing wrong? I will not give up obviously! I know I will find a good role if I could just get to some interviews!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading my post!


How are you? Any updates on your job hunting in Dubai? I have been here for almost three months now and still havent landed any jobs yet, though I have been to a few phone interviews already. I have worked for call centers in the past as well, and recently just resigned from an IT Helpdesk job from where I come from and took the risk to get a job here.

Care to share?


----------



## incuboi

Same here! I went to an interview last week - interviewer was: 15mins late, was busy typing away chatting with someone on his laptop while interviewing me, was talking 90% of the time talking about non-work related stuff mostly (life with family and kids in UAE, upcoming BBQ weekend, etc etc). 

Also had another interview where the interviewer was more than 30minutes late, showed frustration when he cannot connect to video conference using Lync (he's from IT Helpdesk), etc etc. 

I mean is this the norm here?


----------



## incuboi

I've seen these too! Saddening!


----------



## incuboi

Hi, Minamiller! 

I am female and am on the same job hunting journey as yours. Been here for almost three months now, been to some interviews, but haven't gotten any offer yet. We have the same background though your experience is more of senior as opposed to mine. I was wondering if you can also send me a copy of your spreadsheet? Thank you so much!


----------



## incuboi

*Is this role still open?*



INFAMOUS said:


> Can you please post some more so you can PM. I am curious to know your experience and expectations as a Document Controller. I may have something for you.


Hello!

Is this role still open? Thanks!


----------



## incuboi

Hi, Rascal

I am interested with networking here in Dubai. Can you give me examples on how I can possibly do that? Just got here less than 3months ago and would love to know what my other options are aside from applying online. I tried dropping CVs in Dubai Internet City, but security no longer allows applicant to go up to even just talk to the receptionists. I was told to apply online, I did so but still to no avail.


----------



## incuboi

So happy for you! I read this thread from the start and it felt like reading a book. Love the happy ending!

Wishing you all the best, tahir, and I hope I find a job soon! 

Also, wondering if anyone heard how minamiller is doing now?


----------



## Mr Rossi

incuboi said:


> Can you give me examples on how I can possibly do that?


Tips for a great LinkedIn profile -

Photograph should be approachable but professional, smiles are fine. Don't use your 1000 yard stare passport photo but don't use a FB photo with your BFF's either. You don't need a professional photograph and standing side on with arms folded is a cliche.

The experience section should reflect your CV. 1-2 paragraphs max on each position and then a minimum 8 bullet points on your direct achievements within that position. 

LinkedIn now allows 5 photographs for each position. Use these for your top two. If you are in a clerical job, upload the company logo, photograph of the offices from company website, stock photography of product or general work the company does. Put in a small caption with each photograph

The summary section is everything. Think of it like the initial ice-breaker / "stand up and tell us about yourself" bit at a training day or conference. Keep it fairly chatty and try to express what you've done, what excites you, what you personally want out of your career. 

When hiring, employers are evaluating 2 things, can they do the job and do I like this person? Use this space to make yourself sound like someone who someone else would want to spend 40 hours a week with. 

Keep it 100% positive, don't mention things that annoyed you about your last job or frustrations about the industry you are in.

After this use LinkedIn to apply to jobs direct but also to reach out to both peers and managers. DO NOT approach them asking for jobs if there are none advertised and DO NOT start with can I send you my CV.

Think of it like approaching a stranger at a gathering - "Hi there, I see you are in IT support, I am too and I'd like to make contact to swap ideas, articles and further my reach"

If people in your network post items, engage with them. Writing "good point" or "I agree" isn't engagement. Also you don't have to agree with people, if you don't raise it but in a professional way. 

Post items yourself. DO NOT post b*^$dy photographs of Richard Branson or Steve Jobs with motivational quotes on them. Post stuff that is relevant to your industry and that you'd genuinely want to talk about - "Has anyone see the new ACME Patch Bay? This really could be a huge benefit to support desk efficiency if it takes off"

For IT support think beyond Internet City, most businesses - retail, oil & gas, aerospace, logistics have IT departments.

Best of luck


----------



## sm105

Mr Rossi said:


> If you are in a clerical job, upload the company logo, photograph of the offices from company website, stock photography of product or general work the company does. Put in a small caption with each photograph


Wouldn't this be copyright violation?


----------



## Mr Rossi

sm105 said:


> Wouldn't this be copyright violation?


Probably, however I doubt anyone will be issuing a cease and desist order in such an instance.

The key element is to use the feature that LinkedIn is providing. A bit of colour and imagery, used appropiately like this, decreases the chances of a viewer immediatly closing your profile, whether conciously or sub-conciously. 

It also brings your profile to life, shows ingenuity and sets you ahead of the 90% of people who are not doing it. 

If you're a creative then it's easy to showcase work, if you're a clerk in a plumbing merchants, how do you overcome this? Look at your supplier list and if your bosses supplied the u-bends to Burj Khalifa, then a stock image from Google with the caption "ZYX merchants, supplier to Burj Khalifa" will do it.

Obviously, you shouldn't make untrue claims and the most basic of information is needed. It's just a visual hook to keep someone on your page once they've landed on it.


----------



## FlyingD

dhan1111 said:


> I am a sr. SW/HW/systems engineer with 12 yrs experience in the US but an Indian national. I have MS degree from US and currently live and work in US but want to move to Dubai for personal reasons. I applied for 200+ jobs through Dubizzle/Bayt/LinkedIn and company career websites (MSFT/Cisco/HP/IBM/Emirates/Etisalat/Etihad/Du) in the last 2 months but received 0 responses.
> 
> Is it because:
> 
> (1) UAE/Dubai is a consumption Geo (as in its a big market just to consume tech. products hence sales tech. engineers/managers are in higher demand than the ones who develop/architect products and solutions) and almost all the jobs I applied to had a sales prerequisite (while I have none of it) OR
> 
> (2) Is it because I am far away in the US and employers readily get people locally so why would they source someone from so far paying for my travel/hotel, etc.? In this case, I might consider traveling to Dubai for a month to apply for jobs, in person -but would it help?
> 
> I am getting very good offers from MSFT/Amazon (Seattle WA and Bay Area) in the US and planning to apply to Apple (Cupertino CA) next month too. Why am I not getting a single response for my applications from Dubai?
> 
> Getting a bit restless and little frustrated
> 
> Please help!


If you really are getting offers from companies such as Microsoft or Amazon, which both will look great on your resume, why would you want to come here?


----------



## dhan1111

FlyingD said:


> If you really are getting offers from companies such as Microsoft or Amazon, which both will look great on your resume, why would you want to come here?


For serious personal reasons. I am an arms length away from getting my GC but my mom can't live with me beyond 6 months in 1 year on B-2 visitor visa till I get my US citizenship which is 5 yrs beyond getting GC. She's alone, old and totally dependent on me. I just lost my dad and have to quickly make an arrangement where I earn well too and can have my mom live with me on UAE residence visa for all 12 months of the year.


----------



## FlyingD

dhan1111 said:


> For serious personal reasons. I am an arms length away from getting my GC but my mom can't live with me beyond 6 months in 1 year on B-2 visitor visa till I get my US citizenship which is 5 yrs beyond getting GC. She's alone, old and totally dependent on me. I just lost my dad and have to quickly make an arrangement where I earn well too and can have my mom live with me on UAE residence visa for all 12 months of the year.


Fair enough.

If you really applied for 200 jobs (which I doubt, that is a ridiculous amount) then surely you're doing something wrong. Motivation letter must be ****? Resume? No spelling errors?


----------



## dhan1111

FlyingD said:


> Fair enough.
> 
> If you really applied for 200 jobs (which I doubt, that is a ridiculous amount) then surely you're doing something wrong. Motivation letter must be ****? Resume? No spelling errors?


CV is American standard. I already work in a great company in the US. Cover letter is also fine. No spelling errors at all. But all experience is very technical in nature, I've also applied to a couple of jobs in my own company that were based out of Dubai and also spoke to the senior managers for those 2 job openings -they replied since Dubai is a consumption Geo, we need sales exp. to engage with business customers of Dubai to sell our solutions/products. Since I am in product development/architecting solutions, I wouldn't be suitable for convincing businesses in Dubai on how our products and solutions can solve their problems. Also one of them mentioned he already has 80 applicants for that particular job, many of which are locals based out of Dubai and many have the relevant sales/account experience needed for that job.

I''ve applied, since Jan '15 to Mar '15 to dozens of companies (mostly MNCs but many local IT companies in Dubai) and the total # of job openings come to about 200. I am amazed why companies like Emirates/Etisalat who need IT architects/IT managers have also not bothered to reply. 

As of now, I am focusing to continue in the US, once I get my GC, I can always move on within the US itself. Have dropped Dubai plans for now. Pretty much convinced that my skill-set and knowledge would find few takers in Dubai due to the very nature of business environment of Dubai in particular and ME in general.


----------



## omrano

dhan1111 said:


> I''ve applied, since Jan '15 to Mar '15 to dozens of companies (mostly MNCs but many local IT companies in Dubai) and the total # of job openings come to about 200. I am amazed why companies like Emirates/Etisalat who need IT architects/IT managers have also not bothered to reply.


I was in the same position as you are, i used to work in multinational telecom company back in Egypt, and i applied to many IT technical postions in Dubai, at the end i was interviewed by Etisalat and offered a job, Just a few month ago my manager told me that before they interviewed me, they interviewed from 35-40 south east asians , with same skills as me as per their CV, but once they are interviewed they found out they know almost nothing.

I know that with the salary that i have asked for, they coud hire 2-3 south east asians, but they had to hire me because they could not find someone else with same set of skills.

Since you are from US, people will think that you will ask for a very high salary to match your westerner lifestyle, that is why you will get very very few interviews, if none at all, mainly because you are competing with others who will ask for a much smaller salary, this is the case in the technical IT positions in UAE.

you should target other position, like presales and solution architect, and modify you CV to reflect why you would be the perfect match for this positions.

Good Luck.


----------



## jcbf

Imagine a bringing a 5-year old kid to a huge toy store and telling them "I will give you ANY TOY you want inside this store, but you can pick ONLY 1 TOY so you have to pick carefully."

I know people who have been jobless for 1 month to over a year. Most employers would want to hire Westerners or European educated/experienced people for their know-how, but they frown at the hefty price tag. They can opt for Asians for a lower price tag but there's still a trade off. I'm asian and I've come to accept the "equality" of nationality here.

Don't forget that even if you get hired, private companies are sometimes known for being "slave drivers in this part of the globe. Only a few are able to find kind and goodhearted bosses and receive a monthly amount enough to fit their lifestyle.

With my employer's small company , we receive dozens of CV's a day. But due to nationality alone, we end up with a handful for interview. During the interview, a few get cut off the list. Next, they have to literally "impress" the bosses. No matter how powerful the candidate, they just keep failing the interview or they ask for too much (well both the company and the applicant ask for too much IMO hehehe). I sound like i'm complaining because i'm helping HR in recruitment and it's so darn hard to find worthy candidates to throw at the bosses, let alone those who can even pass the interviews. 

Same old, 
"I want high caliber applicants but at a low price."
"Too expensive."
"Too jolly."
"Too loud."

IT'S INSANE I TELL YOU.



Back to the kid....

"I love cars! I want a red one!"

"Oh wow! A dinosaur!"

"Oh, i'll just take this robot."

"A PS4!"


----------



## manpreet89

Whew Such a long journey of this thread for finding a good job in dubai. Seems like road to nowhere because i have planned my visit to Abu dhabi / uae in coming month for hunting of job. Anyway thats all planned . If i am lucky enough to get a job tht would be worthful.


----------



## dizzyizzy

manpreet89 said:


> Whew Such a long journey of this thread for finding a good job in dubai. Seems like road to nowhere because i have planned my visit to Abu dhabi / uae in coming month for hunting of job. Anyway thats all planned . If i am lucky enough to get a job tht would be worthful.


There is literally no worse time than Ramadan to come here looking for a job.


----------



## manpreet89

dizzyizzy said:


> There is literally no worse time than Ramadan to come here looking for a job.


I am planning my visit for 30 days somewhere between july to november. Can you suggest the best time?

Thanks


----------



## dizzyizzy

manpreet89 said:


> I am planning my visit for 30 days somewhere between july to november. Can you suggest the best time?
> 
> Thanks


If it was me, unless I already had some confirmed interviews lined up, I'd avoid the Ramadan and Summer months and wait until September.


----------



## A.Abbass

Best time is after Al Adha Eid, that would be after 26th of September.


----------



## manpreet89

thanks for your valuable response. hope my visit will be worth for getting job.


----------



## Markadda

Great advice here, thanks for sharing.


----------



## Navaron

omrano said:


> I was in the same position as you are, i used to work in multinational telecom company back in Egypt, and i applied to many IT technical postions in Dubai, at the end i was interviewed by Etisalat and offered a job, Just a few month ago my manager told me that before they interviewed me, they interviewed from 35-40 south east asians , with same skills as me as per their CV, but once they are interviewed they found out they know almost nothing.
> 
> I know that with the salary that i have asked for, they coud hire 2-3 south east asians, but they had to hire me because they could not find someone else with same set of skills.
> 
> Since you are from US, people will think that you will ask for a very high salary to match your westerner lifestyle, that is why you will get very very few interviews, if none at all, mainly because you are competing with others who will ask for a much smaller salary, this is the case in the technical IT positions in UAE.
> 
> you should target other position, like presales and solution architect, and modify you CV to reflect why you would be the perfect match for this positions.
> 
> Good Luck.


Have to agree with this assessment. Dubai is flooded with Indians/Pakistanis and South East Asians who are basically role fillers. In my role as technical head of department we had nearly 200 applicants applying for 2 jobs.... 4 were worthy of interview..... many were just incompetent or unsuitable for the role and many were to put it mildly lying on their CVs. This is the culture it seems


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## manpreet89

Navaron said:


> Have to agree with this assessment. Dubai is flooded with Indians/Pakistanis and South East Asians who are basically role fillers. In my role as technical head of department we had nearly 200 applicants applying for 2 jobs.... 4 were worthy of interview..... many were just incompetent or unsuitable for the role and many were to put it mildly lying on their CVs. This is the culture it seems


I am a mechnical engineer working in combined cycle power plant operations and energy management with more than 4 years of experience. Also i am pursuing energy manager and energy auditor certification exam. What are the chances of getting hired of this kind of profile?

thanks in advance


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## naresh.bhatia

Minamiller said:


> I'm so glad to find this site here. I've posted this same question at expatwomen forum without much success so I would like to give this forum a try!
> I've been here in Dubai for 6 months now and have been actively looking for work with no success. I came here as my husbands work was transferred here and made me no choice but to leave a highly paid and competetive career behind. However, have been sitting at home not being able to find anything. I have a degree in computer science, have over 16 years in management and leadership in customer service and support for many major companies such as IBM, Nokia, etc..I'm from Vancouver Canada. I have my residency visa and UAE drivers license but somehow I'm not able to land even one single interview. I've applied through dubizzle, gulf talent, linkedin and every other agency and all the head hunters I could find. What am I doing wrong? I have worked my whole life since I was 14 and just can't sit at home as I feel useless and depressed. Please help me shed some lights? Out of boredom I took a Real Estate course (passed my RERA exam in 3 days). What am I doing wrong? I will not give up obviously! I know I will find a good role if I could just get to some interviews!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading my post!


all these agencies bayt ,gulftalent are useless..they will call you and ask money to bring ypur profile forward to get notices. don't fall for it . secondly in Dubai it doesn't matter what you know about the job, what matters is whom you know.


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## naresh.bhatia

FlyingD said:


> If you really are getting offers from companies such as Microsoft or Amazon, which both will look great on your resume, why would you want to come here?


stay in US bro.. if you want to come to dubai try getting in emirates airline they are pretty fair in recruitment process.
Applying on all these sites bayt etc wont help. Even if you apply for next 5 years it doesnt help at all.


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## kanchan korani

Hello All,

I am sailing in the same boat. I still regret the day I left my job last Feb in search of a good opportunity because I was working as a BDO at a low pay and since the day I joined, I knew it wasn't the job for me. However, I was good at what I did but frankly I got a Finance degree to do some back office brain storming and not for relationship management.

However, today I regret all my decision. I have been jobless for more than an year now even after having around 2 years of UAE experience in Banking and in insurance I did not receive a single interview call . 

Similarly, I have tired all job sites out there, but had no luck. I feel like this is the lowest point of my life. 

I need some miracle badly


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## cyrusonyx

tahir29 said:


> Hey,
> 
> I accepted a job offer yesterday finally after nearly a year, I've always wanted to work in the automotive industry and yesterday I heard the words which I've been waiting for " .....will like to offer you the position", absolutely great feeling.
> 
> For all those who are searching for work, keeping trying, building contacts and networking, Like I've stated above nearly took me a year but never gave up, I left a very good job in the UK to come to Dubai and finally my hard work has paid off, so don;t give up keep trying, I'm aware how irritating it can be not having any phones calls or nobody responding to you for weeks and months.
> 
> I found these tools very useful:
> 
> - Linkedin - add and email CEOs and HR consultants
> - Networking at football or other events
> - Michael Page - ring and make a consultant(s) your friend
> - Mckenzie Jone - ring and make a consultant(s) your friend
> - Robert Half - ring and make a consultant(s) your friend
> 
> Never give up and keep trying.



Hey Tahir,
I've been reading through these posts and seen this one. I've come here from the UK too and with just over 10 months job hunting myself, it's good to see there's positive stories. I hope the job is going well! Fingers crossed I get something soon.


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## mungret

Anyone know if the original poster actually got a job offer that she took. I've been reading it like a drama series except it says "to be continued" at the final episode.

The only way I know of getting a job in Dubai is through contacts. Companies prefer to hire through recommendations by employees, so start hounding people you already know here and get involved in social activities. Networking is massive here, it doesn't really matter how good your CV stands out.


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## Mkashef

Hi Mina,

Did you finally find a job! I am so curious although I am just starting my journey in job hunting.


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## monicagupta3

Minamiller said:


> I'm so glad to find this site here. I've posted this same question at expatwomen forum without much success so I would like to give this forum a try!
> I've been here in Dubai for 6 months now and have been actively looking for work with no success. I came here as my husbands work was transferred here and made me no choice but to leave a highly paid and competetive career behind. However, have been sitting at home not being able to find anything. I have a degree in computer science, have over 16 years in management and leadership in customer service and support for many major companies such as IBM, Nokia, etc..I'm from Vancouver Canada. I have my residency visa and UAE drivers license but somehow I'm not able to land even one single interview. I've applied through dubizzle, gulf talent, linkedin and every other agency and all the head hunters I could find. What am I doing wrong? I have worked my whole life since I was 14 and just can't sit at home as I feel useless and depressed. Please help me shed some lights? Out of boredom I took a Real Estate course (passed my RERA exam in 3 days). What am I doing wrong? I will not give up obviously! I know I will find a good role if I could just get to some interviews!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading my post!


Hi , I was searching something regarding jobs in dubai...when i came across your post...just curious ...did you get job...and what clicked for you as I am also facing the same situation for last six months


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## UKMS

monicagupta3 said:


> Hi , I was searching something regarding jobs in dubai...when i came across your post...just curious ...did you get job...and what clicked for you as I am also facing the same situation for last six months


The post was 3 years ago.


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