If you are planning on visiting Dubai specifically to search for a job then you need to keep a lot of things in mind even before you land there. I have lived and worked in Dubai and have gone through this process first handalbeit with some help and assistance and can tell you, with guarantee, that it is going to be, if anything else,an eye opening experience.
First and foremost, don’t be stupid. Even if you are desperate, don’t be stupid. I have met quite a few people, in Dubai, who basically took wrong and hasty decisions out of desperation and ended up being on the streets. Don’t do that. Please.
Secondly, learn the geography of Dubai. Then learn about the different areas in Dubai and learn it with their proper names. I’ll tell you how to do this in a moment.Thirdly, buy a Dubai Metro Rail Card - If you’re going to stay in Dubai for a month, then it would be wise to buy a Dubai Metro Rail Card and recharge/top it up for a month. The metro card works in all public transport buses as well.
Now, to learn the geography of Dubai, look up the map of Dubai Metro online on their website. You will also find third party sites explaining how the Dubai Metro works. When you study this, you will understand all the names of the metro stations and also the areas it covers. Most Dubai Metro stations are named after the areas itserves. However, some metro station names have been changed recently as an effort to promote some companies/organisations. E.g. Al Karama is a popular area in Dubai. The metro station was called Karama for a long time until they changed it to ADCB i.e Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank.
Lastly, don’t go without a plan for every single day. If you don’t have a exact plan for the entire day for each day of your stay, don’t go. Do yourself a favour, please. Now, let’s see the things that you will have to keep in mind when you’re visiting Dubai with the intention of looking for a job.
> Job sites/Apps - Register/Download - and update your profile details on the below job sites.
Indeed, AspireWiki, Dubizzle, etc. It is time consuming but worth it. Make sure you are registered and have your updated resume on all these sites. Browsing through these sites/apps, will give a visibility of the kind of companies that are hiring currently, the kind of jobs that are currently open and most importantly, the kind of
salary they are offering. Please don’t skip this.
> Buy a local (travel) sim card - usually a prepaid one made specifically for tourists. You can find the information online or on the Du and Etisalat’s websites. These are the two major telecommunication service providers in Dubai.
> Make a budget - Not a rough budget, no. A near perfect budget. It is possible to this. Depending on the duration you are planning to stay in Dubai, calculate, keeping in mind the worst case scenarios, how much money you are going to need for; accommodation, food and travel. Cost of living in Dubai is very high. If you
plan on staying in hotel for the entire duration of your stay, a large percentage of your budget will go into that. So that’s not really a smart thing to do. I’ll put forward a few options which you should definitely consider before even landing in Dubai.
> Line up interviews - as many as you can. Target to have at least two interviews per day. Plan your itinerary and reach at the venues well before time.If you find it difficult to line up interviews, which you most likely will, you can do what I did. I couldn’t line up one interview till the day I was supposed to fly. So when I reached Dubai and settled down I sat down a night before and picked one area of Dubai and listed down all companies in that area with their addresses and literally walked in to their offices with a copy of my resume.
Most companies do not entertain walk-ins and will inform you so but some will definitely take your copy of the resume and keep it. That’s the least you can expect. Do this. This will give you a proper visibility of the city, it’s areas and of course, the companies where you want work. It is exhausting, time and money consuming and will most likely not even work. But the experience will be worth it and you will see a lot of Dubai first hand and learn a lot of things.
Network - If you have absolutely nobody that you know in Dubai and want to still go and search for a job, you will have to start networking in whatever way possible. The first person you speak to regarding a job, make sure you walk out with at least one if not a few, references (phone nos. especially) of other people who may have a job. That’s how you do it. Insist on giving at least one reference even if they have to think hard. Don’t irritate or pester of course, but try hard.The more people you meet or speak to, greater are the chances of you getting a job. When I was in Dubai, we used to say this quite often; “Out of sight, out of
mind.” It’s that simple.
Food - Eating out in Dubai is cheap. Food is available in abundance and will not cost you a lot of money. I believe a cup of chai at a Malbari’s roadside cafe will still be for 1 Dhs. Find out a good reasonably prices restaurant or a cafe that serves meals and stick to it everyday. Speak to people living in the area that you are
staying for recommendations. Most people will help you out.Stay alert - If you come across people telling you that they will help you in getting a job but that they will take a commission for the same, refuse and walk away. As I said in the beginning, don’t be stupid and pay anybody any amount of money who promises you a job. Seriously, don’t fall for that. If you feel they are genuine for whatever reasons, tell them you will pay the commission from your first salary. If they agree, you can go for it. If they don’t, you should walk away.
Climate - Dubai is an extremely hot city. And when I say extremely I mean that by the definition of the word extreme. No exaggeration. Literally every place that has four walls will be air conditioned. As such you will not feel the heat when you’re inside of any building. But trust me, you will have to walk a lot and it is then that you feel the heat badly. No matter when you visit the city, it is never too cold unless of course you come a place hotter than Dubai like the Death Valley in California or someplace in the North Africa. Point is, you must stay hydrated at all times. Carry an umbrella if you like. But stay safe from the heat.
Ramadan/Ramzan - Please avoid going in the month of Ramadan/Ramzan. Your objective of searching for a job will not be met as offices will usually have reduced working hours and most people will head home around 3:00 PM. Also, you will meet a lot less people during this time and therefore you will waste your time and money. So avoid going around this time. Plan your trip either before the holy month of Ramadan/Ramzan begins or after Eid.
I am not sure how far this is true, but it is said, that there was a time when around 500 people arrived in Dubai on visit/tourist visas to only look for jobs, DAILY. I can tell you that this is not the case now as I hear how bad the job market has become in Dubai. The house rents have plummeted beyond belief. People have left and migrated elsewhere.
Lastly, before you take the risk of going to Dubai to look for a job, you should ask yourself how much are you putting at stake. Consider your age, liabilities, family settings and more importantly your goal. If the answer to the question ‘why do you want to live and work in Dubai?’ is to earn some good money and have a better standard of living then let me give you a word of caution. Not only you will not earn a lot of money when you start out but you will also not have a better standard of living. It will take a minimum of 2, in some cases 3 years for you to see any tangible change in your lifestyle and income. Unless of course, you’re a highly skilled, qualified and get hired as a manager or designations above that. Then this does not apply for you. You’ll be better off in about six months to a year.
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