The UAE was recognized as the top destination for international professionals seeking employment visas. According to the Annual Global Hiring Report by the Global HR platform Deel, industries like financial services, IT, computer software, marketing, advertising, and management consulting are leading in attracting international talent to the UAE. Additionally, the United Arab Emirates exhibited the highest labor market stability in the Arab region.
Dubai, as a cosmopolitan, sophisticated, and luxurious city, becomes a magnet not only for highly skilled talents but also for young professionals. This city offers unique opportunities for professional advancement, as it hosts major international corporations and continuously nurtures progressive startups.
HR specialists from Colife, a UAE-based rental and property management international proptech company, unveil the insights of the job market and share their experience and hacks for finding vacancies and landing jobs in Dubai.
Navigating the job search process in Dubai
“The job search process in Dubai can take some time. From applying to a job vacancy to the first day of work, it can range from a few weeks to several months. This is due to various stages of interviews, as well as formalities related to obtaining visas and work permits,” shared Ekaterina Kukushkina, an HR Manager at Colife Dubai.
Finding job openings in Dubai can be done through various channels. The most popular one — to search through social networks like LinkedIn and Indeed, or the leading job site in the Middle East, Bayt.
“LinkedIn and Indeed are professional social networks where employees can post their resumes and apply for vacancies, while employers can post advertisements seeking new talents. Speaking of LinkedIn, this platform is most popular for hiring management positions and is more suitable for business hiring, whereas Indeed is primarily used to search for employees in linear positions. Depending on the business specifics, this could be anyone: administrators, secretaries, cleaners, maintenance workers, and so on,” explained Ekaterina Kukushkina.
In Dubai, job seekers also actively use messenger chats, social networks, and offline events for job hunting.
“Offline methods can help find vacancies that don’t require high qualifications. Simply submitting your resume to companies/shops can suffice. Various offline events, exhibitions, networking are also popular — attending them, meeting people, creating a so-called network of acquaintances in your field, potentially can help with job hunting,” shared Karina Zabolotnaia, Head of Acquisition at Colife, who has been familiar with Dubai’s job market for over 7 years.
Preparing for Employment
“I would allocate about a week for employment after applying and being invited to an interview. However, the employment process greatly depends on the nature of the job,” said Ekaterina Kukushkina.
The classic workflow for employment consists of two mandatory stages and one optional:
1st Stage: HR Interview
This is an interview with an HR manager or recruiter. Typically, organizational matters are discussed during this meeting. The candidate learns about the company, the team, and other organizational matters such as employment format, payments, holidays, sick leave, and so on.
2nd Stage: Hiring Manager Interview
At the second stage, candidates can expect a more substantive dialogue regarding the functional responsibilities of the position and immediate work-related questions. At this stage, you can ask more specific questions about functionality and team interaction to the hiring manager, as this person usually serves as your potential supervisor.
The hiring manager, in turn, will tell you about the tasks you will be performing, the expectations of the candidate in the company, and how communication is built within the team.
3rd Stage (Optional): Meeting with the CEO
Usually, if you have already passed the first two interview stages, this constitutes 70% of success. If the company is interested in you, the CEO will motivate you to choose this job, share high-level business development plans, ultimately providing a final “yes” or “no” on hiring the candidate.
Test Assignments for Employment
Speaking of creative professions, the process of getting a job may also include a test assignment. The entire employment process in this case may look like this: HR interview, test assignment, then hiring manager interview and, optionally, a meeting with the CEO.
“I would recommend being loyal to the deadlines for completing the test assignment. If the company sets deadlines of 1-3 days, this is often reasonable, and other candidates are placed in similar conditions. The company has calculated the optimal time for completing the proposed test assignment. Therefore, I recommend accepting these deadlines and trying to find time to complete them.
However, during the job search, you may have to complete multiple test assignments, sometimes simultaneously. In this case, I advise you to have an honest dialogue with the company recruiter and inform them that you have several test assignments outstanding, as well as inquire about the possibility of extending the deadline. This is absolutely normal practice, but keep in mind that the company will likely give preference to the candidate who promptly and qualitatively completes the test assignment within the deadlines,” Ekaterina Kukushkina advises all specialists in creative professions.
In any case, if you’re having trouble finding a job — don’t despair. Karina Zabolotnaia, Head of Acquisition at Colife, with seven years of experience in job hunting in Dubai, knows for sure that a lot of things don’t depend on you:
“Job hunting itself is more like a lottery and a test of ‘luck’ — having a degree, experience, and language proficiency doesn’t guarantee finding a job quickly. There are many cases where specialists cannot find work for several months, while tourists find it in one day. It’s all very individual. The most common reasons for rejections here are being overqualified or having no local experience.”
Life hacks and tips from Colife Dubai specialists for job seekers
How to Ace a Job Interview
The key to success in any job selection process is thorough research about the company before the interview. Familiarize yourself with all the company’s social media pages, articles in the media, news, and so on.
Another important tip: prepare questions for the interview. This will show recruiters your interest in the vacancy and the company. Here are a few examples of good questions:
- What are the financial goals the company aims to achieve in the next quarter or three months?
- How is the hierarchy structured within the company?
- Who will I primarily report to in my position?
- What is the main communication channel within the team?
- And one last piece of advice — be confident and answer questions. Before the interview, think about how you will position yourself, how you will talk about your experience. It is important that the story about your experience is logical and goes in chronological order.
If it’s a sales position, talk about numbers, tangible results, and achievements. For example: in February 2024, I sold X apartments with an average check of X AED.
“Specifics are always encouraged, and for me, it’s a big plus when a candidate confidently talks about their results. To achieve this, you need to think in advance about what you will say,” says Ekaterina Kukushkina.
How to determine if you’ll be hired after the interview
There’s a life hack for that. If you haven’t been contacted on the day of the interview or the next day, there’s a 70-80% chance you won’t be invited further. If employers are interested in a candidate, they try to maintain communication with them, understanding that the candidate is also considering other offers.
However, if the recruiter or another representative of the company hasn’t reached out to you within a day or two after the interview, unfortunately, this endeavor is likely not successful.
What is the best way for foreigners to find a job in Dubai: remotely or locally
It greatly depends on the position, the company, and so on. Highly qualified specialists, so-called C-level professionals, are relocated from other countries, offering various bonuses not only in terms of flight, accommodation, transportation but also with relocating the employee’s family, as well as providing so-called “vacations” — prepaid leave for relocation. For other positions, companies usually hire those who are already in Dubai.
“To be honest, again, from the employer’s point of view, we give preference to those who are in Dubai, because we expect the person to start in a short time. Many companies are not willing to wait,” noted Ekaterina Kukushkina.
Colife Dubai recruiters advice to study the conditions offered by the company in advance. Even if you agree to collaborate, the employer may not necessarily provide you with a relocation package. As a result, the flight and accommodation for the first month will significantly impact your budget and time.
“If you are considering moving to Dubai or looking for a job, I would recommend having some safety cushion, studying the market, offers, preparing a resume, learn how in-demand your specialty is, how many job vacancies are open in your field, them move with financial “airbag”, and look for a job on the spot. After all, many companies immediately invite interesting candidates for offline interviews”.
Moreover, being in Dubai, you can create an environment around you that will help you find a job, which is harder to do remotely. Once you’ve moved, you can easily meet in this city with an entrepreneur, business owner, or employee of a company you’re interested in and ask for a recommendation. Recommendations and professional networking are very strong tools for job search.
“At Colife Dubai, we hired about 30% of high-caliber employees in this way,” noted Ekaterina Kukushkina.
All in all, navigating the job market in Dubai requires strategic planning, persistence, and adaptability. With the UAE’s recognition as the top destination for international professionals seeking employment visas, Dubai stands out as a hub of opportunity for professionals worldwide.
By learning insider tips and life hacks shared by specialists from Colife Dubai, job seekers can enhance their chances of success in securing employment.
