There is a lot of ex-Yu people here and the bulk of them works in hospitality or in aviation as cabin crew. That’s why UAE became so well-known back home and everyone seems to know someone who is here.
Personally, I came first here as a tourist for 10 days and I also used the opportunity to look around and try to imagine myself here. One year after, I decided to quit my job, pack my bags and try my luck with finding a job here. Now… It does sound adventurous and easy, but it took me almost 5 months to find a good offer. Bear in mind that I came with a master degree here, 4 years of international work experience in a global company and while I have no problems doing any job, I didn’t want to flush down the drain my experience so far.
Having said that, it is (a bit) easier to find a job in hospitality but bear in mind that the competition from the Philippine or Indian workers is massive and that they usually take minimum salaries, so it also takes time to get a decent offer.
Long story short, here are a few tips that I could share to people who are looking for ‘office’ jobs, or high-profile jobs:
– Try to schedule interviews prior to coming here – reach out to your current employer, network, ask your boss, your business partner, anyone. In general, recommendation is everything here! There are so many people here and if someone vouches for you, you are one step ahead.
– Have A LOT of money on disposal unless you have where to stay – I was lucky and immensely grateful to a friend of mine (Thanks J.) who allowed me to stay at their place, use their flat and borrow money when needed. For an illustration, food is not crazy expensive but you will easily pay for a room in a shared flat in Dubai around 4000AED or 1000 EUR pet month. It is very expensive place to stay in without money.
– LinkedIn – I guess it obvious but really do polish your Online profile. Also, if you are looking for a job here, try also these locally popular sites: Bayt or Gulf Talent. Cater global is for hospitality jobs. I would definitely recommend getting Premium LinkedInso you can reach out to a wider network. I can write a book on LinkedIn tips! But if you don’t have one, what are you waiting for?!
– Network, network… – Once you are here, use any opportunity to meet anyone. Coffees, gyms, walks, Education fairs, other fairs etc. You never know. I met on a few occasions a few people who were in the same shoes like myself. They couldn’t give me a job but we all were very grateful for a bit encouragement and tips where to look further.
– Visa – I came here on a tourist visa which expired, then I left and thought twice if I want to go back, then I did and eventually I got a good offer! The employment visa is solely responsibility of your employer – i.e. you should NEVER give any money to any person, agency, anyone. If you ever encounter any agency or person asking you for a deposit, or they ‘offer’ you a job and say that it will be paid back on arrival – it is a SCAM! Don’t do that!
– Be patient – I came thinking it would be a bit easier finding a job with all my experience. However, even for the job I got offer I had 5 rounds of interviews! For a few there were even more rounds and I didn’t get it in the end. I send over 500 applications, called people, walked into their offices, emailed and some time my inbox would stay empty for days. No even rejection letters. So… Be patient, learn to be at peace with yourself, avoid calls with people who think you are already super rich or discouraging you. Be focused.
In the end, I found my job with a combination of a bit of everything. I found on LinkedIn a Ukrainian girl who did her master studies at the same University in Hungary as I did. We haven’t met before, but had a lot of mutual friends. I reached out to her, told her I’m a bit stuck with my job hunt (bear in mind it’s been 4 months wandering around) and that I would appreciate any tip. She understood, gave me a lot of good tips and eventually mentioned that her company is also looking for some people! Although she did not know me, she recommended me and made sure I got invited for an interview. Five rounds later, I was in and that’s how my UAE story started.
In conclusion, be nice to people and people will be nice to you as well! You never know who of your acquaintances is living where, so you never know where you will find a helping hand!
Good luck!
I.G.
Re-published from Workism