Decoding myths & realities about job search in Qatar
Expatriates looking for jobs in the international job market are often carried away by the myths of the international job search. Befuddled with what is right and what is wrong, an expat job seeker tends to commit mistakes in his job search.
So, if you are seeking a job opportunity in Qatar, the following post would be a guide for you to understand the international job search myths and their realities.
Myth 1: The only best way to search a job vacancy overseas is by using employment agencies and submitting your resume and cover letter on the company’s websites.
Reality: The fact is that these traditional tools are no more an effective option. This way you end up applying for employment opportunities only in the advertised job market.
It doesn’t work well in the international job market, which is a more personal employment market where all jobs are not advertised. Hence, to find a job abroad in the hidden job scenario is to use the benefits of career networking.
You can always update your resume and use it for letting the people in your network know about your job requirements. You never know, any one of your contacts can refer you a job in his our office abroad!
So, steal some quality time from the routine job search style and save it to build your network by connecting with old friends, colleagues, alumni, relatives, online groups, etc.
Myth 2: Creating an international resume is the only thing to get a good job abroad.
Reality: Yes, a resume is vital for your job search, however, this is not the only thing that can get you an international job. In fact, resumes don’t get you a job alone, they only help you to advertise you as a brand for recruiters.
Several factors play a role in landing you to a job interview, such as the quality of your content. The quality of your resume is one of the most important factors.
Make sure that the resume is well-drafted and includes relevant information only. Hiring managers have to go through numerous resumes on a daily basis, and various researches have confirmed that a recruiter never gives much time to a single resume.
Hence, it is vital to put all the important details in bullets to make it easy for the recruiters to extract the required information at a glance.
Keep it sweet and short. Remember, no one cares to go through an online resume that makes him or her to scroll down indefinitely.
Myth 3: International recruiters look for qualifications only.
Reality: Recruiters definitely seek candidates with high qualifications, but this is not the sole criteria for selection. Most often, people with top qualifications build a weak resume, or fail to communicate during job interviews.
Hence, the other key factors that one should work on include communication skills, a pleasant personality, industry knowledge, and other requisite traits demanded by the job role.
Myth 4: An International CV must run several pages.
Reality: Length of a resume doesn’t depend on job location. It majorly depends on various factors, such as number of years of experience, number of employers, position, and relevant information.
Usually a person with several years of work experience and employers should create a detailed, two-page resume. On the other hand, a new graduate, a job-seeker with less years of experience, or the one looking for a career change in another industry, a one-page resume is apt to include your relevant internship detail, extra-curricular activities, a summer job, and your career goal.
Selling your skills to an employer abroad becomes easier when all the job search myths are clear in your mind. Hence, break all the misconceptions and prepare well to hit the target- your dream job in Qatar!
Good Luck! For more job opportunities in Qatar, seach on Qatar Living's jobs section.
Contributed by Swati Srivastava
Author bio:
Swati Srivastava is an avid writer who loves to pen down her ideas and career tips for job seekers and professionals. Her blog posts, new stories, and articles are focused on the extensive domain of employment sector in the gulf. Currently she is writing for Naukrigulf.com. Follow her @Twitter | LinkedIn | Google+
i don't mind anything
Wild turkey: thanks for the input. Just revamped my cv. More like a makeunder!
You should also remember that an "International CV" doesn't carry any information about age, gender, and nationality! These criteria are considered discriminatory. And add a picture of yourself only if explicitly asked for.
Swati: This may hold true in most countries, but not the Gulf (in my opinion). Here , from my experience, HR and management is conditioned to look for qualifications first. Heck, they even put them in the job advert in most cases. In addition, the government bodies usually won't allow work visas without seeing a degree or higher qualification for many jobs.
Hi Britexpat, Thanks for sharing your valuable ideas. The Myth 3 does not deny that employers don't look for qualifications at all. However, it emphasises the fact that qualification is not the SOLE criteria for selecting a candidate as many expat job seekers believe.
Yogie, would you like to tell us where are you from actually? :)
Qatar has people from most countries in the world working here .
Dear britexpat. Thank you for your input. I'm not saying that I am being forced to go there. I am merely trying to get a bearing of reality vs my expectation. I would love to be in the UAE or Qatar for the prospect of better career development, challenge, money lifestyle and perks of living in the meltingpot of cultures.
But based on what I observed, it seems to tally with what acchabaccha and xtc commented earlier. I know what terms of employment would make me happy. I probably can come around to Lowering my expectations and settle for a mediocre package. But the question is, do I even stand a chance? Since it is decided based on nationality or religion (or both). Are employees willing to take a chance on other nationalities that are not from what I mentioned in my last comment.
I must take exception here. Not all Caucasians occupy managerial positions or have great perks. I know a few Indians earning big money.
The bottom line is that No One is forcing you to come here. We are all mercenaries . We come here for what we feel offers us value - Be it money , lifestyle or perks .
We all come here after agreeing terms of employment that we are happy with
Hi all,
I do agree with a lot that has been said regarding this article. I'm just wondering where do I go from here. Please note that I am currently residing and working in my home country in Asia.
I have been applying for jobs in the UAE & Qatar from various sites, and hundreds of direct emails ([email protected]). But to no avail. I have an offer in the UAE, but the offered salary and lack of benefits was very little to be desired.
Going through the thousands of ads, I see three types of employees that's highly sought after.
Caucasians would occupy managerial positions with amazing perks and benefits, whereas Indians, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankans and Filipinos would settle for mid/entry level positions with below par salary and in most cases, no benefits.
So where do I stand? Do I settle for a bad offer, work hard and hope to achieve the American dreams in the middle east? My fear is that potential employers are not willing to take on board people from countries that they're not familiar with.
Mr. acchabaccha, I fully agree with you. Even I have faced a similar reality.
Nationality may also a factor in deciding how big your remuneration package is.
ehem *wasta* ehem
Icapall: You will just need go through patiently at QL's "All Jobs" section for just a week and you will see for yourself the realities on the ground. If it is not stated in the ad the HR department is already decided in advance on which nationality they would be hiring. You may need to keep a glass of cold water nearby as some truths are bit difficult to swallow. If you would like to know how selections are done on the basis of religion, I will be happy to throw some light on this matter through first-hand experience. True, we are in 2015 but that has not made the slightest improvement in the thinking and outlook of people. We are worse now than before.
Yea i was never fond of employers putting the word "prefered so and so" i mean come on,this is 2015 for crying out loud.
Same with Business visas .. From what I have read in QL, it seems that people buy business visas to come here
"one should come on a visit / tourist / business visa".. this thing I never understood .. wouldn't it be illegal to come on visit visa and join a company.
There are two important facts the writer has missed out in her article. Nationality and religion are also important criteria looked at in getting a job here in the Middle East. From just Qatar Living alone, you can easily gauge this importance of nationality when you get to see job ads with the words "Filipinos only" or "Filipinos preferred." The same is true with people of Kerala in India. While the Keralites have recently stopped using the "preference" words in their ads, on the ground the reality exists. The groups have an underground job mafia present. Whenever, such HR managers are unable to find someone in the market of his own nationality, he comes down to selection based on religion. Sometimes, it is just the religion that is one of the main criteria that gains attention. I am making the last statement based on ground realities that I have seen and not through what I have read in text books or hearsay.
Myth3: the reality is that most employers DO look for qualifications as a starter to weed out resumes.
Another myth which causes hardships is that one should come on a visit / tourist / business visa to Qatar and then look for jobs. This can cause great distress and financial hardship.