Four tried-and-tested tips to land a job in Dubai

Create ‘Job Wanted’ ads on job sites like www.dubizzle.com and share the same on LinkedIn. PHOTO: REUTERS

Most of us, if not all, go to the UAE on a visit visa in order to search for a job. And the majority of us have no guarantee of finding a satisfying job. It takes time to research and locate your ideal job post in UAE. If you are unemployed, make this task your full-time job; if you’re employed, set aside some time every day after work for your job search, after all, we’re all looking for the next best opportunity.

Speaking from experience, here are a few suggestions and tips I would like to share with you for a successful job hunting experience that helped me land a job in Dubai.

1. Know your market

UAE has a highly competitive job market, where the number of expatriates reached up to 83.5%. Due to the Emiratisation policy, first preference is given to local candidates followed by western and Arab citizens and lastly, western-educated candidates.

Asians are high in supply and low in demand, thus receiving comparatively lesser salaries. Therefore, it is strongly suggested to develop a competitive advantage, create strong linkages, and take calculated risks and informed decisions on the basis of market realities in order to qualify for any well-paid job in the UAE.

It is strongly recommended that one should secure employment before travelling to the UAE. Speculative visits are occasionally successful and rarely lead to an offer of employment unless you are extremely lucky or have good networks and contacts in preferred sector.

Therefore, it is highly suggested you start your job search from your own country, that too, at least one to three months before your planned visit. Most of the jobs, especially white collar jobs in the UAE, advertise at least 20 to 30 days before starting their screening, shortlisting, and interviewing process.

This way, you will be able to gauge your market potential. If you receive any kind of positive response, then it is suggested you move ahead otherwise do not take any risks. If you start applying after entering the UAE, you will be wasting at least 20 to 30 days out of your 30 to 90-days visit visa.

Narrow down your search with reference to sectors and potential positions that you want to apply for, which means look for those opportunities that match your core competencies, career goals, personal priorities, and experience to secure your targeted job within limited time and resources.

Research job opportunities and potential employers and create forward linkages besides continuously updating your knowledge, skills, and expertise. According to my observation and findings, it is highly likely to find a job in the education, healthcare, tourism, hospitality, logistics, export, construction, and retail sectors as these sectors are booming in the UAE.

While production, manufacturing and automotive sectors are showing sluggish sentiments, petroleum and petrochemicals, fishing, aluminium, cement, fertilisers, banking, commercial ship repair, construction materials, boat building, handicrafts and textiles are the major industries in the UAE. Therefore, pertinent professionals are suggested to take informed decisions accordingly.

2. How to apply

Prepare multiple impressive résumés and cover letters. Chronological, functional and combined résumé formats are acceptable in the UAE. It is suggested that you state your name, contact number, email and postal address (in case of being in the UAE) along with your passport-sized picture at the top of your résumé. Your personal information, for instance, nationality, date of birth, passport number, visa status and if you own a driving license, should be included at the bottom of your résumé.

While applying from your home country, mention your UAE-based friend’s or relative’s contact numbers with their due consent so that the employer can contact you via this number. When you reach the UAE, buy your own SIM and update your contact information accordingly.

Make sure the recruitment agency and HR personnel you’re dealing with are legitimate and not demanding any kind of fee for giving you a job. Many of these hiring companies and HR personnel are a scam, promising to submit your résumé to prospective employers or give you a job, thus fleecing the job hunter. They are well aware that visitors will leave the country within a short span of time and will not be able to claim a refund or report any malpractice. Therefore, please be cautious.

Before applying for a visa, confirm whether it is extendable or not. Since January 1, 2015, the UAE government has scraped the visit visa extension policy. One can get a non-expendable visit visa for one month to three months at the cost of AED800 and AED2,100 respectively.

3. What you need to apply

Initially, it is very difficult to land a job in the UAE. Therefore, it is suggested not to expect high salaries. If one receives an offer which matches up to their current salary along with accommodation and transportation, then he/she should accept the offer as it is easy to jump from one opportunity to another after getting experience in the local market, especially for well-qualified and competent individuals who have a better chance. There is no ban for skipping from job to job before the end of a contract according to the Free Zones or government organisations in the UAE.

If you are visiting the UAE on a visit visa, it is suggested one keeps around AED2,000 with themselves to show the airport authorities that you have enough money to finance your visit. A lot of people have said they were not allowed to depart from Pakistan if they had less than the mentioned amount, though the authorities do not ask for financial proof all the time. At least I myself have not been asked by authorities at the airport, the only question I was asked by the immigration officers was why I was visiting the country.

My suggestion is to dress smartly, keep the specified amount with yourself and definitely not mention the fact you are going to look for a job. Instead, tell them you are visiting for recreational purposes.

According to the latest survey by Jobs Portal and Bayt.com, 41.5% of responding companies in the Middle East and North African region always research new hires online before hiring. In some of the online job application forms, a considerable number of organisations seek web addresses of your social networks and LinkedIn profile to assess your candidacy with reference to the given job and their corporate culture. Therefore, increase your online visibility, manage your online reputation and try to build your unique online brand and put forth a positive image.

Read up on the living and working conditions in Dubai and make arrangements accordingly. On an average, it costs approximately AED500 to 800 for housing, AED300 to 600 for food and AED400 to 700 for transportation and communication for one month. Due to such steep costs, it’s important to learn about benefits offered by employers, whether accommodation, transportation, and return tickets are included in the package. These things can eat up a large part of your salary if you have to pay for them yourself.

In today’s job market, one’s references and network determines your net worth, as you can tap into the ‘hidden’ job market by maximising your existing network along with developing a list of contacts through friends, family, former co-workers and your social institutions or alumni.

4. Social media should be your new best friend

Create a profile on LinkedIn and update its status regularly. Create ‘Job Wanted’ ads on job sites like www.dubizzle.com and share the same on LinkedIn and other social media forums and professional circles. Reach out to the people in your network and speak to them, ask them for advice, helpful information regarding jobs, and job leads. Prepare your own pitch by describing who you are, your background, and what you are specifically looking for from the person you are contacting.

The most effective and recommended tools for job hunting in the UAE are network and references, followed by online job sites like www.byte.com, www.dubizzle.com,www.gulftalent.com, www.naukrigulf.com, www.nadia-me.com, www.jnjobs4u.com, www.catererglobal.com,Gulf News Classifieds, Khaleej Times, and LinkedIn besides official websites of potential companies in the UAE.

One can also apply by visiting offices of all the potential employers and companies. Jebel Ali Free Zone, Sharjah industrial area, Dubai Financial Centre, Dubai Textile City, Education City etc. are suggested for dropping your resume by hand for low cadre positions only.

The most time-tested and effective technique for job hunting in the UAE is to apply for matching positions through online job portals, Google search and company websites and then follow-up through phone calls. One call after submitting the application is enough in order to let the hiring manager know that you have applied for the given position and to tell him/her that you are perfectly competent and eligible for the position. If they don’t give you a chance to discuss this at that point in time, then wait for the closing date of the job advertisement and follow-up just after the closing date and request them to give you the chance on the basis of your competence.

Through this, you will maximise your opportunity to appear for an interview. Therefore, the most important point is to be prepared and stay updated on your core competencies and skills in order to pass the test or interview.

Always keep a record of all the jobs you have applied for, including Terms of References of vacancies where you have the most chances of being shortlisted for your easy reference, tracking progress, and further follow-up.

Keep up to date with the news in your chosen industry, keep reviewing and fine-tuning your resume and keep on trying without losing heart. Eventually, opportunities come to those who dare to take risks and constantly prepare to avail them when they arise.

Hope these tips help and good luck to all the job hunters out there!

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ALSO PUBLISHED IN:

1. Express Tribune

ایران : مشرق وسطیٰ میں ابرتا ھوا طاقت کا نیا علاقائی مرکز

اگرچہ ویانا میں مذاکرات کا فوری مقصد ایران کے ساتھ جوہری معاہدے کو حتمی شکل دینا تھا، لیکن یہ مذاکرات ایک 
لحاظ سے اس بات کا اعتراف بھی تھے کہ ایران ایک علاقائی طاقت ہے اور جدید مشرق وسطیٰ میں ایران کی شمولیت کے بغیر کچھ طے نہیں کیا جا سکتا۔

آپ جو بھی کہہ لیں لیکن اس بات میں کوئی شک نہیں کہ شام میں بشارالاسد کی ڈگمگاتی حکومت کو بچانے میں سب سے بڑا کردار ایران کا ہے اور یہ ایران ہی ہے جس نے لبنان میں حزب اللہ کو بنایا اور اسے اتنی امداد دی کہ وہ خطے میں جنگ لڑ سکے۔

دوسری جانب عراق میں ایران کی حمایت یافتہ شیعہ ملیشیا وہاں پر موجود سُنّی شدت پسندوں سے لڑ رہی ہے اور اکثر اوقات جہاں عراقی فوج ناکام ہو کر پسا ہو جاتی ہے وہاں یہ خلاء یہی شیعہ مسلیشیا پُر کرتی ہے۔

خطے میں ایران کے اثر و رسوخ کی ایک اور مثال یمن میں مرکزی حکومت کے خلاف برسر پیکار حوثی باغی ہیں۔

شیعہ اسلام کی دنیا میں ایران ایک عظیم طاقت ہے، بالکل اسی طرح جیسے سعودی عرب خود کو سُنّی مسلمانوں کا رہنما سمجھتا ہے۔

بڑی جنگوں کے علاوہ ایران اور سعودی عرب کے پروردہ گروہ کئی ایسی چھوٹی جنگوں میں بھی ایک دوسرے کے خلاف لڑ رہے ہیں جنھیں دیکھ کر کبھی کبھی لگتا ہے کہ خطے پر دینی پیروی کی بنیاد پر کسی بڑے تنازعے کے بادل گہرے ہوتے جا رہے ہیں۔

بلاشبہہ امریکہ اب بھی مشرق وسطیٰ میں ایک بڑی طاقت ہے، لیکن اس کی وہ طاقت نہیں رہی جو کبھی ہوا کرتی تھی۔

لیکن اس میں بھی کوئی شک نہیں کہ آج کل کا دور عجیب دور ہے۔

اس کا اندازہ آپ اس سے لگا سکتے ہیں کہ امریکہ شام میں جس قسم کی تبدیلی کا خواہاں ہے، ایران تُلا بیٹھا ہے کہ وہ کسی قیمت پر یہ تبدیلی نہیں آنے دے گا، لیکن دوسری جانب عراق میں امریکہ اور ایران دونوں دولتِ اسلامیہ کے وحشی جنگجوؤں کے خلاف جنگ میں مصروف ہیں۔

مشرق وسطیٰ کا مسئلہ یہ ہے کہ یہاں اس بات میں کوئی عار نہیں سمجھی جاتی کہ ’جو میرے دشمن کا دشمن ہے وہ میرا بھی دشمن ہے۔‘

لیکن گذشتہ ہفتہ مشرق وسطیٰ میں تبدیلی کا ہفتہ تھا۔

ایک وہ وقت تھا جب امریکہ اور ایران ایک دوسرے کو گُھورا کرتے تھے۔ ایران خود کو شیعہ برادریوں کے حقوق کا

 چیمپیئن اور انقلاب کا داعی سمجھتا تھا اور امریکہ ایران کو صرف دہشتگردی کا معاون ملک کہتا تھا۔

ہو سکتا ہے کہ اب اس سوچ میں تبدیلی آ جائے، تاہم ہم نہیں جانتے کہ یہ تبدیلی کتنی جلدی آئے گی اور اس کی عمر کیا ہوگی۔

صحرا میں چل رہے موجودہ جھکّڑوں میں یہ بتانا مشکل ہے کہ طوفان تھمنے کے بعد کس قسم کا مشرق وسطیٰ سامنے آئے گا، لیکن اس میں شک نہیں کہ ان دنوں سب سے تیز جھکڑ ایران سے سے ہی چل رہا ہے۔

What you need to know about Iran's landmark nuclear deal

THE negotiations that led to a historic deal between Iran and six world powers, known as the P5+1 (America, France, Britain, China, Russia, plus Germany) to curb Iran's nuclear programme have constituted a marathon endeavour. What does the deal involve and will it hold?

When and how did these talks begin? 

The UN Security Council has passed a series of resolutions imposing sanctions on Iran since 2006. The sanctions followed reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency (the IAEA, the UN's nuclear-energy forum) about Iran's non-compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In February of 2013 multinational talks began, which culminated in a breakthrough interim agreement, reached in November of that year. Two things gave the process momentum. The first was a back channel to Iran opened up by the American administration in March 2013 that led to several secret bilateral meetings in Oman. The second was the election in June 2013 of Hassan Rohani, Iran's president, who 10 years before had served as Iran’s nuclear negotiator. Mr Rohani was elected on a platform promising constructive engagement with the international community aimed at lifting harsh economic sanctions and ending Iran's international isolation.

The negotiations which led to the deal kicked off in March 2014. Several deadlines for a comprehensive agreement were extended. A final deadline was set for July 1st, 2015. But the White House needed a detailed framework agreement in place well before the return of Congress from its Easter break, in order to head off an attempt by Republican critics of any deal with Iran to legislate for new sanctions and thus kill off the talks. That was concluded in Lausanne on April 2nd; it formed the basis of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed on July 14th.

If nearly everything had been agreed in April, why did it take so long to get the final deal done? 

While what became known as the Lausanne accord was very detailed on matters such as the number of centrifuges Iran would be allowed to keep and the size of the low-enriched uranium stockpile it could hold, several sensitive details still needed nailing down. The final round of talks began on June 26th and went through three deadlines before the deal was done. John Kerry, America’s secretary of state, spent 19 days on the negotiation—the longest period of time a secretary of state has been away from home since the second world war.

The potential stumbling blocks related to the access required by the IAEA’s inspectors to confirm that Iran is living up to its undertakings and ensure its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful; the need for Iran to give a full account of any “possible military dimensions” (IAEA jargon for work on weaponisation) relating to its nuclear programme; the penalties for violation of the agreement, including a mechanism for the re-imposition of sanctions; whether the arms embargo would be lifted along with other UN nuclear-related sanctions; and how much research and development on advanced centrifuges Iran would be allowed to do during the first 10 years of the agreement.

What did the P5+1 nations hope to get out of the deal? 

In short, to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, or at least to stop it from being able to get one very quickly. To that end the negotiators have compromised over allowing Iran to continue to enrich uranium, concluding that complete dismantling of its huge infrastructure was unrealistic. However, they sought strict limits on Iran’s enrichment programme, the redesign of a plutonium-producing heavy water reactor under construction and a highly-intrusive inspection regime to prevent cheating. Their aim has been to extend Iran’s “breakout capability”—the key yardstick of the time needed to produce enough fissile material for one nuclear weapon—from the current estimate of a couple of months to at least a year, and to maintain it there for a decade. In years 10-15, the breakout period is expected to reduce to six months and less thereafter as limitations fall away. But the new inspections regime, based on what is known as the Additional Protocol of the nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), will continue in perpetuity making all Iran’s future nuclear activities much more transparent and tightly monitored than before.

What does Iran get in return? 

For Iran, the pressing need is to gain relief from sanctions that are having a crippling effect on its resource-dependent economy. In particular, restrictions on its oil and gas exports, its ability to import technology to exploit its energy resources, and being cut off from SWIFT, the financial-messaging system used to transfer money between the world’s banks, have taken an increasing toll. Iran would have liked all sanctions to end from the moment of a deal being signed. But relief will be staged on the basis of good faith implementation of the deal. Sanctions related to other aspects of Iran’s behaviour, such as human-rights issues, support of terrorism and its ballistic-missile programme will not be affected. Furthermore Barack Obama, the American president, can only suspend sanctions that Congress has legislated.

What are the new details of the deal?

The agreement announced on July 14th was more detailed than most expected. Under its statement of intent Iran will reduce its installed enrichment centrifuges from 19,500 to 6,100, only 5,000 of which will be spinning. All of them will be first-generation centrifuges: none of its more advanced models can be used for at least 10 years, and R&D into more efficient designs will have to be based on a plan submitted to the IAEA. Fordow, Iran’s second enrichment facility (its main one is at Natanz) which is buried deep within a mountain and thought to be impregnable to conventional air strikes, will cease all enrichment and be turned into a physics research centre. It will not produce or house any fissile material for at least 15 years. Iran will reduce its stockpile of low-enriched uranium (which can be spun further into weapons-grade material) from 9,000kg to 300kg for the next 15 years. The country’s alternative plutonium path to a bomb also appears to have been satisfactorily dealt with. The heavy-water reactor at Arak will be redesigned and its original core, which would have produced significant quantities of weapons-grade plutonium, will be removed and destroyed. No other heavy-water reactor will be built for 15 years.

All these undertakings hinge on the assurance that Iran will abide by them. Without an intrusive inspection and verification regime, sceptics would still be right to question their worth given Iran’s past history of lying and cheating over its nuclear programme. Under the terms of the agreement, inspectors from the IAEA will be able to inspect any facility, declared or otherwise, as long as it is deemed to be “suspicious”. If Iran refuses access to a military site the inspectors want to get into, a joint commission made up of representatives of the parties to the agreement will quickly rule on whether it must open the facility up. If it still refuses, Iran would then be in violation of the agreement and might face the re-imposition of sanctions. A mechanism has been created to allow sanctions to “snap back” if Iran is caught cheating. The IAEA will also have access to every part of Iran’s nuclear supply chain to ensure that nothing is being channelled to a clandestine facility. Such powers for the IAEA, which will remain in place indefinitely, are more sweeping than those it had under the normal safeguard agreements that had previously applied to Iran under the NPT. The agreement also states that Iran will address the IAEA’s concerns about what it calls the Possible Military Dimensions (PMDs) of its nuclear programme—a polite way to describe work on weaponisation.

Will it hold? 

The deal has many strenuous critics. The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has described it in almost apocalyptic terms (although much of Israel’s security establishment is more sanguine about it); Republican hawks in Congress (and even some Democrats) hate the idea of any deal with Iran that does nothing to address its behaviour as a troublemaker in the Middle East and as a sponsor of designated terrorist outfits, such as Hizbullah in Lebanon. Congress now has 60 days to review the deal and the Senate is likely to vote against it. However, Mr Obama expects that there will be enough Democrats willing to back him. The deal is also opposed by some hardliners in Tehran who were hoping to win over the enigmatic but ailing supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, to their point of view. Elements of the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who control military sites which the IAEA will have to gain access to if it is to address the vital PMD issues, may be quite happy to find a way of sabotaging the deal. The IRGC may even have wished to see sanctions remain in place, as they have provided money-making opportunities for many of its leaders.

However, the problem faced by those on both sides who would like to see the deal collapse is that they have been unable to offer any attractive or plausible alternatives. Ordinary Iranians are desperate to get back to a normal economy, while American voters have little appetite for going to war with Iran to prevent it getting a nuclear weapon. According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted just before the framework agreement on April 2nd was announced, Americans support the notion of striking a deal with Iran that restricts the nation’s nuclear program in exchange for loosening sanctions, by a nearly two to one margin. Republicans will be doing everything they can to get those numbers to shift their way, but they face an uphill battle. 

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ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AT:

1. The Economist

Historic' Iran Nuclear Deal Sealed After Marathon Talks with World Powers

Before the talks: Wu Hailong, Chinese ambassador to the UN; Laurent Fabius, French foreign minister; Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German foreign minister; Federica Mogherini, EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy; Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iranian foreign minister; Alexey Karpov, Russian deputy political director; Philip Hammond, British foreign secretary and John Kerry, US secretary of state. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Historic' Iran Nuclear Deal Sealed After Marathon Talks with World Powers. The deal sealed in Vienna aims at ensuring Iran does not obtain the nuclear bomb, relieving sanctions against Tehran and ending decades of tension with the West.With the successful conclusion of the nuclear deal between Iran and the great powers known as the 5+1 group, it has once more proved that war is no solution to any problem and diplomacy is indeed the art of the possibilities. I still remember the days when a decade ago the former IAEA Director General Dr. Han Blix, U.S. President George W. Bush and U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair misused their authority and attacked on Iraq on the pretext of Near Weapons; thus made the world more insecure and unstable in the days to come.

Now that when the historic' Iran nuclear deal sealed after marathon talks with World Powers, my mind goes to a historic interview of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV in which he stated that "we are a long way from the democratization of nuclear energy. Maybe I’m naïve but I advocate another approach, which I call “positive proliferation.” The positive proliferation that I would dearly love to see happen is based on a simple principle: yes to energy, no to arms….Iran could even contribute to the worldwide removal of nuclear energy for military use. That is what I told the Iranians several years ago: “Your history is that of an intellectual nation several thousand years old which has brought to Islam all the richness of its culture and its philosophical thought. Keep following the path that is truly your own and the world will thank you for it.” 

World leaders have welcomed the “historic” nuclear accord between Iran and the great powers known as the 5+1 group. 

President Hassan Rouhani said that "the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed by Iran and the G5+1 on Tuesday, marks a victory and success for Islamic Iran's great nation". He further stated that “today is a new chapter to work towards growth and development of our dear Iran; a day for our youth to dream again for a brighter future. Many people prayed for the negotiating team during the holy month of Ramadan; I’m privileged to announce their prayers have been answered…This agreement goes both ways. The successful implements of Iran Deal can dismantle the wall of mistrust brick by brick.” 

“I am happy that with the 23-month nuclear talks of Iran with the world six major powers, we have today been able to reach a new point; of course the month of Ramadan has always been source of blessing and destiny making for the 11th Government…The 25th of the month of Ramadhan in the year 1392 [A.H.] was the year of taking presidential oath; the 26th of the month of Ramadhan that year was the swearing-in ceremony and today, it is the day of Iran’s success to bring the six world powers to the Comprehensive Joint Plan of Action.” 

UN chief Ban Ki-moon “warmly welcome the historic agreement in Vienna today and congratulate the P5+1 and Iran for reaching this agreement”. “This is testament to the value of dialogue,” Ban added. .NATO hailed the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday as a “historic breakthrough” that would strengthen global security, but urged Tehran to comply with the terms of the accord. 

It is indeed a right move in the right direction. It is the need of the hour to for the international community and Iran to work together to find solution of crisis in Middle East especially Yaman, Iraq and Sariya where Islamic State militants have threatened the stability and security of Middle East. Now it is expected that this agreement will herald a step-change in Iran’s relations with its neighbors and with the international community. It will also open new vistas in regional trade and development in the years ahead.

Advocates of the deal will argue that while past knowledge is important, it is what happens going forward that matters most.

Arms control experts believe that there is enough in this deal to make it useful as far as it goes. Critics might at best say that the agreement simply "kicks the can down the road" so to speak - leaving the future of Iran's nuclear programme uncertain and postponing any crisis for some 10 to 15 years.

Given the state of the Middle East, that postponement might seem like a good deal for now.

This agreement narrowly relates to Iran's nuclear programme. But the Iranian regime will not change overnight.

Its foreign policy entanglements in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Gaza - many of which are seen as unhelpful by the West - will continue.

Many wonder if in the wake of this deal there should be further talks on the wider security problems of the region in which Iran is now such a central player.