This article is for starters who wish to come to Dubai (and rest of UAE) for job hunting based on my personal experience and knowledge. It worked for most of my peers and it might work for you too. Good luck! Important tips: - Its ideal to take a 03 month visit visa instead of 01 month tourist visa for Job Hunt. One month is often not enough to find a suitable job. - Ensure that your ticket/visa is stamped ‘OK to Board’ before you reach the home country airport. - Make sure that you have enough cash to stay, eat and travel during your visit. - Don’t forget to bring a laptop along. - Ensure that you have arranged for your living before getting here. - If you plan to live in Dubai, make sure you reside somewhere near the metro stations. It makes local travel convenient and time saving. - Make sure that your living place is equipped with Internet. - Don’t forget to bring your educational documents and professional testimonials along. - If someone can get you a mobile number in UAE before your arrival, nothing is better than that. You can mention it on your CV and apply online prior to your arrival. You can also write it on your CV and take several print outs from your home country. - Keep in mind, printing in UAE is expensive. - Otherwise, one may mention a friend’s number on the CV and start applying online before coming to UAE. Upon reaching UAE, update the number on the CV. - Ensure your CV is up to date. - Ensure your CV is accompanied by a brief cover letter. - Manage your time wisely. Start applying from day one. - Be patient, it sometime takes more than 03 weeks to get response from employers. - It is recommended to get your educational documents attested from UAE Embassy in your home country before coming to UAE. There are several ways to look up for a suitable job in UAE. Some of them are as follows: - Personal Reference: The most credible (but very rare) way to get a job in UAE is personal reference. If you know anyone here, send them your CV and request them to look up an appropriate job for you if possible. They might be able to arrange some interviews for you or tell you about any vacant positions (in their company or some friend’s company). This situation is ideal but very exceptional. Don’t feel bad if someone could not help you get an interview. Most of the people I know have got their jobs by applying online, through HR consultants, walk in interviews or personal visits. - Apply Online – via Third Party Websites: A large number of people I know got hired by applying online through third party websites. There are a lot of job-hunting portals for UAE. Some of them are mentioned under this heading. However, following should be kept in mind while applying online: - Profile/CV: keep an update profile/CV on the job-hunting portal you are using. For tips on DO’s and DON’Ts of CV writing you can visit: http://linkd.in/15S2acm - Timing: Best timing to apply is early in the morning (before working hours start). Hundreds of emails flood the inbox of the employer as soon as he/she uploads a job online (personal experience). Applying early morning increases the probability of being displayed on 1st or 2nd of their inbox. - Cover Letter: Your CV/Resume must always be accompanied by a brief cover letter. Cover letter should mention why you are the right candidate for the job. Mention your skills and experience based on the JD (job description) provided in the Ad. www.dubizzle.com: For freshers, the best portal for job hunting is Dubizzle. This website is your ultimate online destination for job search, bedspace/apartment search. www.linkedIn.com: It is advisable to maintain an active (and updated) account on LinkedIn. Follow companies operating in UAE, befriend with people working for companies and join groups related to jobs in UAE. www.gncareers.com: Formerly known as GNJOBs, GNCareers is maintained by Gulf News. It is one of the best websites for job search as per my personal experience. www.bayt.com: It is good to have an updated account on Bayt. A lot of jobs are uploaded on Bayt on daily basis, however, I doubt its worth for the free users. I am hoping to try its paid account and will update this post based on my experience. www.monster.com: Yet another job-huntig portal for UAE. www.nokrigulf.com: Trying everything else? Why not NokriGulf too? www.akhtaboot.com: I am not impressed by the content on this portl, however, there is no harm in giving this a try too. www.indeed.ae: I heard its good too. Never tried though. It is good for finding Walk in Interviews. http://buzzon.khaleejtimes.com/: I came across this amazing website to find jobs very recently. It is by famous newspaper Khaleej Times. www.workingdubai.com - the best of all the above - Apply Online – Company Websites/Emails: Search for companies of your interest and go to their websites. Big companies have often openings on their websites. - HR Consultants: There are several HR consultants present across UAE. You can search the HR consultants and visit them personally (preferred) or send them your CV by email. You may google the HR consultants. NEVER GIVE ANY MONEY TO THE HR CONSULTANTS. - Walk in Interviews: Look up for walk in interviews on Dubizzle, Gulf News and Indeed. Also keep in touch with HR consultants to know about the Walk in Interviews in time. - Newspaper Advertisement: Advertisements in Gulf News can be found online at gncareers.com. So no need to spend money on buying newspaper. If you know Arabic, Al Waseet (an Arabic newspaper) is a good resource too. Give your personal Ad in the Gulf News mentioning your skills and experience. Do not forget to mention your contact details. A couple of people I know switched/found jobs by posting their Ads on Gulf News. - Personal Visits to different business towers: A lot of my peers disagree with me, but in my opinion a fresh graduate should visit important business towers for job search. You may print a lot of CVs and visit offices in business towers. There might be some vacancy in any office and they interview you at the spot. - Talk to the experts: A former colleague of mine made a website to help people looking for Jobs in UAE. You can also contact him to seek advice. His website address is https://www.howtofindajobinuae.com/. Disclaimer: This document is totally based on my personal experience.