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5. Register with a recruitment company

If there were ten methods of finding and securing a job in Dubai then this method would in fact be number 10, but because job hunting options are limited then position 5 will have to do.

Recruitment companies in Dubai are notoriously useless.  They like to build up your hopes with fantastic offers of employment with dream companies but then push your CV aside to concentrate on more important affairs like….well…who knows??

However, in saying this, it doesn’t hurt to ring as many as possible and talk to a recruitment consultant.  You may just get someone who is actually eager to help you find a job and will at least ring you back with progress reports.  Take a look at this list of recruitment agencies in Dubai and abroad.

4.  Surf the net and scour the paper :  Online recruitment sites and the Gulf News.

While you’re sitting around waiting for the perfect job to fall into your lap, it doesn’t hurt to send your CV to the numerous websites out there dedicated to job seekers.

Recruitgulf.com is an excellent resource to try first.  They not only list job openings from recruitment companies but also jobs direct from the employer.

The Gulf News appointments and online section is a bit of a hit and miss affair.

Try and find jobs that are direct from the company advertising rather than a recruitment company who fill up pages and pages with jobs that don’t even exist, and/or jobs that wont actually start until 6 months later.

3.  Sign up with networking organisations in Dubai

Leaving the computer behind and mingling with like minded people is one of the best methods for finding a job in Dubai.

There are a number of networking organisations based in Dubai that you can attend to help give you the inside scoop on the job market and your particular field of expertise.

Here are just a few in Dubai but check out your local phone book for organisations in your home country.

• British Business Group
• Contact Networking Dubai
• AmeInfo
• International Business Women’s Group

2.  Approach companies that YOU want to work for.

If you’re an IT professional and you’re already in Dubai, why not knock on the door of Microsoft, CIsco, HP or one of the many different IT companies.  Find out the phone number of an HR person and set up a meeting.

This applies to all professions.  Dubai has opened it’s doors to some of the biggest companies in the world.

And these companies all need staff. So, why not poke your head in the door and let them all know that you are available and ready for work.

The best approach is to force your way in and talk to someone who hires face to face, but if you’re overseas or security is holding you back at the front door then seek out their website and call, call, call.

1.  Through family, friends, co workers, friends of friends etc etc…

This is hands down the best method for finding a job in Dubai and probably applies to most countries in the world.

You may know someone who is already working for a company who can then approach an HR person for you and slap them in the face with your CV, and also provide them with an excellent character reference.

It also gives you the ability to nag your friend or family member into nagging the HR person into hiring you.

Plus if anything else pops up in the company then you have a representative within in the firm working on your behalf.

It may cost you a dinner or flowers once you have your dream job, but it is small price to pay.  This method does not work with ex-wives or husbands.

If you are a sports nut and would love to work in a sporting environment then send your CV off to Dubai Sports City.

This 50 million sq.ft. development in DubaiLand will open soon and will offer state of the art sporting stadiums and sports facilities seen no where else in the world.

Sporting facilities and world academies include:

• a cricket stadium

• outdoor and indoor multipurpose stadiums

• Ernie Els’ first golf course

• Manchester United Soccer Schools

• ICC Global Cricket Academy

• The David Lloyd Tennis Academy

• Butch Harmon School of Golf

• World Hockey Academy

So maybe you fancy yourself as a bit of a cricket coach or would just be interested in any positions that may come up then email your CV and cover letter to info@sc.ae.  Make sure you clearly state Career Opportunities in the subject field of your email.

Get in quick because Dubai Sports City will start to host some of the largest sporting events in the world.  A bid for the hosting of the 2020 Olympic Games is on the cards.  So jobs will be a plenty.

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If you are looking for media jobs in Dubai then take a good look at Dubai Media City.  DMC provides a world class environment that specialises in media and publishing, advertising, music, film, new media, printing, leisure and entertainment, broadcasting and information agencies.

IQ recruitment advertise a number of media jobs in Dubai as well as positions in marketing and advertising,  but if you would rather just cut to the chase then take a peek at the Dubai Media City directory which lists all the major companies and their contact details

So, if you’ve got a ton of media and advertising experience or you just want to break into an industry that offers the “freedom to create” then head on over to Dubai Media City.

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Although the promise of a Dubai job and a high paying tax free salary may lure you over to Dubai, be aware that escalating rents and the rising cost of food may come as a huge shock to the system once you arrive and start settling in.

Costs such as setting up a new home, telecommunications – internet and phone, furnishings, car payments, school fees (if you have children), a live in nanny, and visa and health insurance may leave you cursing the recruitment company that set up your dream job package.

“The biggest problem is that expectations are not set properly before expatriates come here.” Colleen Robinson, a business development manager at a relocation company.

With a lack of decent public transport, expats are forced to buy or rent a car as soon as they arrive adding to their financial woes.

There is light at the end of the tunnel.  Rent prices will eventually drop once the large proportion of properties (especially villas) currently under construction hit the market.

So, if you’ve found a job in Dubai, make sure you look closely at the benefits package (especially factors like the transportation and housing allowances), and if a home has been offered make sure you find out the size of it and the location before packing your bags and jumping on a plane to a tax free lifestyle.

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Sick and tired of recruitment companies in Dubai not getting back to you?  Why not bypass them completely and go directly to a company’s website and click on their careers link. Have a look at the career page for Tatweer Dubai.

They not only have jobs in Dubai available at their own office but they also have openings for positions at some of the mega industries that they have created throughout Dubai. For instance:

Dubai Healthcare city
Dubai Industral City
The Tiger Woods Dubai
Universal Studios
DubaiLand
Global Villlage
and many more….

Are you a keen golfer and an IT professional?   If Yes, then check out Tiger Woods Dubai.  They have a number of IT Management and Networking positions available.  Work and improve your back swing!

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It can be a very difficult and frustrating process trying to obtain a job in Dubai. You’ve sent your CV out to a number of recruitment companies, you’ve made phone calls to consultants, you’ve contacted companies directly, but they all give you the same answer, “We’ll be in touch”.

What makes it worse is that the job you have applied for is advertised again and again online or in the newspaper with the bold heading of “Urgently needed”.

The lack of response to your application could just be due to the climate. In Dubai the summer months are from July to September. These months record unbearable temperatures of 40 degrees plus. And with these hot temperatures we see an exodus of expats heading back home to cooler climes.

So applying for jobs in Dubai during these hot months may not be such a good idea. It is highly likely that management will not even see your CV until they return back from their holiday which then means you have to wait another few weeks for them to go through every applicant.

If you are going to come over to Dubai or apply from abroad during these months then be prepared to work twice as hard to hunt down that person that makes the hiring decisions. It’s not impossible but it may just be the reason why you’re not getting any feedback for a job you applied for weeks ago.

Emirates airways just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and now with the expansion of their fleet to include the new Airbus A380 more and more jobs will be opening up.

Their Dubai jobs not only include air cabin crew, but also cargo agents, aircraft technicians, accounts supervisors, medical training specialists, IT personal, ticketing agents, drivers, and much, much more.

Working for Emirates is highly sought after, because they offer incredible benefits such as Concessional Air Travel privileges for employees and certain members of their family, individual Merit Pay based on individual performance and salary level, return air tickets back home, and educational allowances for kids school fees.

To find jobs in Dubai have a look at the Emirates Group Careers Centre which also includes job postings from around the world.

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Dubai Internet city is home to a host of multinational IT companies such as Microsoft, Cisco, IBM, HP, Dell, Siemens, Sun Microsystems, Computer Associates, PeopleSoft and Sony Ericsson.

Situated in lush surroundings, Dubai Internet City is the perfect place to boost your IT career.

You can search for new IT jobs (as well as jobs at Dubai Knowledge Village, Dubai Media City, the International Media Production zone, DuBiotech and Dubai Studio city) on their Career Website or go straight to each individual IT company for job openings

IBM Employment

Jobs at HP

Microsoft Gulf Careers

Dell Job Centre

Siemens Job Openings

or have a look through this listing of recruitment agencies in Dubai

Image by Okko Pyykko

Firstly you’ve come to the right place for unbiased information in looking for the right jobs in Dubai. This guide will give you a brief overview of where to start and you need to start now.

The speed at which recruitment companies handle CVs and respond back to potential candidates is slow. It’s not their fault either. The share volume of CVs a recruitment company receives puts recruitment consultants under enormous strain.

So we need to get our CV out there as quickly as possible.

With our CV in tip top shape we can now examine a number of the top recruitment companies which handle the best jobs in Dubai.

Recruitment Companies in Dubai

• Charterhouse.ae

• Grafton

• Hayes

• IQ Selection

• BAC Executive Recruitment

For a full listing of recruiters –>

Take a look at their websites, in particular their listings of jobs, note down contact details, and read through any information they might have on the recruitment process.

Tip: Have a look at some of the jobs listed that you would like to apply for and make sure your CV contains the keywords listed in the job description.

Some recruitment company websites require you to fill out an online form and upload your CV. This makes the process of applying for vacancies a lot easier in the long run.

Once you’ve applied for the appropriate jobs give it a day or two to ring the recruitment company. It’s highly unlikely the recruitment consultant would have had time to read your CV straight away.

However, in saying this, it may not be a bad idea to ring the front desk and ask to speak to a consultant. The receptionist may stop you from talking to someone and will suggest you have a look at their website, in which case you can still ask if your CV has been received.

The next time you ring, the receptionist may recognize your voice and let you speak to a recruitment consultant. If this fails you can say that you were left a message to ring a recruitment consultant and hopefully they’ll let you pass.

There are some recruitment agencies that let you speak directly to a consultant. Charterhouse and Hudson seem to be the best.

So, with day 1 over you should have at least checked out a few of the recruitment companies here in Dubai and submitted your CV to all of them.

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Another useful resource for searching for jobs in Dubai is the online recruitment portals.

These are basically online job websites that allow recruitment agencies and employers to post a job opening and scan through the talent that applies to it. This is a quick and easy way to post your CV, but because it’s open to the entire internet world every jobseeker on the planet can use it to submit their CV for various Dubai jobs.

This means your CV would have to stand out to get noticed. And if you’re applying for jobs in a highly saturated market like IT then you’ll need a few tricks up your sleeve for an employer to even contemplate looking at your CV.

Major Online Recruitment Portals

bayt.com

gulftalent.com

monstergulf.com

Another option worth trying is buying a Gulf News newspaper each morning (if you’re in the country), going directly to the Appointments section (ignore the sports news – you don’t have time), and circling all the Dubai jobs. There will be some from Qatar and other regions of the Gulf.

Once you’ve gone through all possible vacancies, jump onto a computer and before sending off your CV to them check out their website to see if it provides any more information about the job that you could work into your CV or covering letter.

Don’t forget to keep hold of the Appointments section as a record of who you have applied to. Eventually someone will ring you up and you will need the background information at hand so you know what they are talking about (check out our ways for keeping track of the jobs you’ve applied for in Dubai).

Recruitment companies and employers will sometimes use a gmail, yahoo or hotmail account to collect CVs rather than a company address so as to avoid any spammers. Plus it’s a good place to separate out the hundreds of CVs they must receive.

Right, we are at the end of this section. Think online portals and the Gulf News. Oh, by the way, you can also access the Gulf News job section on their website Jobs4u.