Emirati jobseekers need to better prepare for interviews, speak up for themselves and consider less conventional jobs, recruiters have said.
On the second day of Careers UAE, Dubai's largest jobs fair, hiring teams urged UAE nationals to look to multinational companies, and away from traditional public sector roles.
One recruiter even said some are thrown off by unfamiliar job titles that don't match the subject they studied at university.
“After studying international relations there are so many things that someone can end up doing - they are not told this in university," said Mieray Arotine, from online recruiters Oliv, which set up speed interviews at the fair.
"And a lot of times, even if the companies are willing to meet them, the candidates are not willing to apply."
She urged UAE nationals to "keep an open mind".
"You never know where you might end up and what opportunity might come your way. If you are constantly saying no you are missing out on experiences."
Another recruiter said they could not fill vacancies that involve finance and treasury skills. Many graduates at the fair said they have degrees such as international relations.
The government has stressed the need for more Emiratis to study engineering, science and technical subjects, as the country looks to develop a knowledge economy and research and development industry.
This week's fair gives jobseekers the chance to speak to government departments and companies in the public and private sector. As many as 18,000 are expected there over three days.
Louise Karim, managing director at Mums@Work, which helps mothers back into the workplace, said that applicants need to be more proactive on social media and market themselves better.
"They need to look outside of the usual companies they go for and look at multinationals," she said.
There are a lot of opportunities with private companies for flexible working
"It's good to see women working in information technology and the young generation are working in areas that used to be male-dominated."
She also said there is a misconception that only government jobs offer flexible hours.
"They need to be open to government and non-government companies because there are a lot of opportunities with private companies for flexible working."
Merve Kavrukoglu, talent manager at Siemens, Europe's largest manufacturer, said they have more than 50 vacancies in the UAE. She encouraged applicants to be confident and speak up.
"Every candidate should be more proactive and they need to ask employers questions," she said.
Eman Ahmed Al Bastaki, emiratisation manager at AW Rostamani, a private group of 14 companies that employs about 4,000 people, said it is difficult to hire Emiratis in treasury or finance - jobs she has only received two CVs for at the fair. The firm has hired recruiting agencies to search for more Emirati candidates.
"We have vacancies in sales, mechanical engineering and need people specialised in these.
“Applicants should be aware of how to apply and how to act in interviews and how to sell themselves to companies."
Noura Al Suwaidi, a 21-year-old Emirati, has graduated with a degree with international relations from American University of Sharjah, one of the country's top seats of learning, and is looking for a role in the public sector.
She believes recruiters don’t understand the wider applications of her subject.
"I find that my major is a little difficult to find jobs for. People don’t understand what international studies is. We take international business and economics but people think it's only restricted to politics and theory," she said.
The jobs fair continues on Thursday.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
The view from The National
A Dog's Journey
Directed by: Gail Mancuso
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Josh Gad, Marg Helgenberger, Betty Gilpin, Kathryn Prescott
3 out of 5 stars
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group C
Liverpool v Napoli, midnight
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
- US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
- Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
- Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
- Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
- Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
- The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
- Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
- Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
ABU DHABI T10: DAY TWO
Bangla Tigers v Deccan Gladiators (3.30pm)
Delhi Bulls v Karnataka Tuskers (5.45pm)
Northern Warriors v Qalandars (8.00pm)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Norwich City 0 Southampton 3 (Ings 49', Armstrong 54', Redmond 79')
MATCH INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
UAE v Oman - abandoned
Oman v Namibia - abandoned
Brief scores:
Everton 0
Leicester City 1
Vardy 58'
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
'Spies in Disguise'
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
