A New Approach To Job Search In The Gulf

The traditional job search goes like this. You apply to the jobs advertised in the newspaper that are offered in your field of expertise and wait for a reply. Or send your resumes through friends working elsewhere so that it can be viewed by their HR departments. Or get tested and interviewed by job search firms before your resume is forwarded to prospective employers. The traditional job hunt takes months and may or may not be successful. At the very least it is tiresome and frustrating. As time goes by, it can take a toll on your health, your sanity and affect your bargaining power. That is why most people end up taking one dead end, low paying job after another. The truth is that either they don't have a choice or don't know better.

Consider the following approach towards getting a job, which might work out better for you:

First, it helps to create a vision of the job you plan to pursue. If you could create your own job, what would it entail? What gives you so much satisfaction that you would not consider it as work? Please remember that it must create economic value in order to be considered employment. Once you have determined this, consider whether such positions exist and where. Your passion and the benefits to your employer must be evident. Could you convince someone to create this position for you? If so, you are lucky because you will tend to stay longer in a job that you love, and in this case the job is tailor made for you.

Whether you choose to work in your own country or plan to go abroad, a job vision becomes a necessity. Job vision is nothing other than an individual's professional plans laid down on paper which depicts their career growth till date, coupled with their short term goals and long term plans. To complete this vision, you must also define your expectations clearly in terms of your achievements and growth related to a specific period of time.

Once you have completed a clear job vision, list down the companies that you want to work for, or destinations you want to be in. Then continue by researching for job profiles in different countries. Finally, choose a country that has the most jobs matching your work experience, education, salary requirements and lifestyle needs.

If you have on the other hand posted your resume on a jobsite or with job consultancy firms and are open to considering overseas jobs, you will find many suggestions for foreign jobs coming to your mailbox.

Jobs in the Gulf have been a hot choice for many years. Some of the favorite career choices in the Gulf relate to oil and gas, construction, banking, finance, I.T, hospitality, nursing and medical care. Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia are among the best paying Gulf States. They attract outside talent by providing lucrative offers in terms of money and lifestyle. Steady and rapid economic growth and liberal trade policies in all these regions have provided a favorable environment for job seekers. Many of these regions also have tourist and leisure destinations with natural or manmade beauty and delicious cuisine.

Once you have finally decided a suitable place to work, you should take up a career and a position there where you can fit in.  The last part of the process is to begin preparing for interviews and tests that may be needed to go to these destinations as a skilled worker. It also pays to look at how jobs are advertised and filled, what is the required profile of candidates and the age, qualification and other standards.

The UAE in 2010 is just recovering from the effects of the global recessionary trend felt across the world. While Dubai's construction industry was one of the worst hit, other sectors like banking and the hospitality industry were also affected. Those looking for job opportunities in UAE are well advised to consider job sites Abu Dhabi in comparison to job openings Dubai, as the former emirate is more conservative, has diversified growth sectors and has the oil resources to fuel its progress.