Dubai offers a lot of available job vacancies across the City, since there are a lot of new businesses opening up and investors investing in the City. However, despite the wide opening for vacancies, there are still people that are having a hard time landing a job, even more; failing to get one. There are lots of factors that are affecting this issue that many candidates are experiencing.

Below are the common struggles that job seekers are facing during their job hunting phase.

City’s Weather / Season

Middle East is known for it’s hot weather.  According to Met Office the hottest temperature that was recorded summer 2023 was 50 degrees Celsius. After summer, once the first week of October entered, Winter Season is starting. Having that said, there are specific businesses or jobs that are open only during the winter Season only, with a simple reason of that  summer is too hot and too uncomfortable for consumers, investors and more importantly, tourists to visit and explore the country. There are more jobs opening during winter both for regular and part time jobs. So if you opt to find new job, winter season would be the best time.

Limited Time

This applies to visitors who found Dubai a great place to live in and decided to settle in the country. As a jobseeker on a Visit Visa, you will find job seeking a lot harder and with more pressure because you are trying not just trying to land job for a purpose of earning but to chase the expiration date of your Visa. Tendency is you worry a lot and lose your focus. Every minute of your day counts.

Limited Experience of Freshers & Lack of Degree

The main challenge or the common question during the interview would be “Do you have UAE Experience?” And of course as a fresher you don’t have, thus job seeker is having a hard time to compete with other candidates. Together with this is having a lack of degree or diploma not being attested by UAE Ministry. Let’s be honest even though the work of certain person is not measured by the degree or highest education attained, as a fresher, it would be one’s edge. You will have better odds to get a job if you have a degree. However if you have a diploma from your original country, it can only be considered once it is attested by UAE Ministry. So, it would be better to arrange all the necessary documents first beforehand.

Language Barrier & Culture Differences

Dubai welcomes all nationalities and ethnicities and religions. Everywhere you will see different people, including locals, Arabs, Egyptians, Indians, Filipinos, Pakistanis, and so much more. Even though that the main language used in the city is English, it is undeniable that language barrier still exists. It would be hard for a candidate and employer to express their thoughts and sometimes, there will be misunderstandings that might affect the hiring process. Along with the language barriers are the culture differences. Some job seekers forget to adapt and blend in with the people in Dubai. It would be best to blend in their culture (without your own beliefs). This is not just a way to get the job but also showing respect to other people’s culture and beliefs.

Lack of Preparation

This part is not just exclusive for job hunting in Dubai but anywhere. It is always a challenge for jobseekers to land their jobs if they come unprepared. Always make sure that day before your interview, you have prepared the clothes you will wear, documents HR will need i.e resume, copy of visa, cover letter, passport copy, etc., you have reviewed the company’s profile.

Fraudulent Agencies

This is the hardest pill to swallow for both jobseekers and hiring agencies. Job hunting is already difficult and became even harder because of the fraudulent agencies that are asking for processing fees with an empty promise of having a job no matter what. Fraud agencies take not just money from candidates but also the energy, the time, and the hope of finally having at least a lead from all the CVs submitted to different platforms, to different emails and even to some friends.

Always make sure that you are confirming interviews with legal businesses only. You can always check for the website of the company. And always make sure that the invitation you are receiving are not a fake. Be more cautious!

There will always be challenges for every job hunting season, it won’t be easy. But always think that there is always rainbow after the rain. Always believe in yourself, trust your skills, be smart, and be more pro-active. The right position for you is just around the corner. Be patient and at the end of the day, all your hard work would pay off.