Finding the best Dubai recruitment agencies will make your job search easier. Dubai recruiters have access to the best companies and job vacancies in Dubai.
I'm going to outline how to find the right Dubai recruitment agency for you. I'll also show you exactly how to reach out to recruiters in Dubai, and how to convince them to work with you.
If you follow the steps in this article you'll be much more likely to land a job in Dubai!
Throughout this article I'll reference The Top 20 Recruitment Agencies in Dubai directory. You can download it here.
A Dubai recruitment agency, or consultancy, is a company that offers recruitment services. These services are are offered to organisations of all sizes that need to hire staff.
Some recruitment agencies in Dubai will focus on certain professionals or fields. For example; Taylor Root only hires Legal professionals.
You'll find that most Dubai recruitment companies recruit a wide range of professionals.
Recruitment agencies in Dubai work with companies to fill their job vacancies. It's important to understand that Dubai recruiters do not work for candidates.
Dubai recruitment companies work on behalf of their clients. These clients are the companies paying for their services.
Dubai recruiters search the international job market to find candidates for their clients. They use tools such as LinkedIn Recruiter, job boards and their own networks to do this.
Dubai recruiters can never guarantee to find you a job. A Dubai recruiter will represent more than one job seeker for a single job opportunity. It's up to the hiring company to decide which candidate to hire.
As a job seeker, you should never pay a recruiter or recruitment agency in Dubai. If they ask you to pay for their services it's likely to be a scam. Dubai recruitment companies get paid by the companies that they represent.
Sometimes Dubai recruitment agencies charge these companies an upfront fee. In this case they will be the only recruitment firm recruiting that position. This is 'retained' recruitment.
Most of the time recruitment agencies are only paid if the company hires their candidate.
This is why recruitment is so competitive. Oftentimes, more than one recruitment will be competing to find the best candidate.
Dubai recruitment agencies typically charge around 15 - 25% of the hired candidate's year 1 annual salary.
The individual recruitment agent earns a percentage of this fee as commission. This is why recruiters only what to represent the best candidates for a job.
There are a lot of recruitment agencies in Dubai. Some of them have great reputations. Unfortunately some of them do not. There are also fake agencies out there trying to scam Dubai job seekers.
To find the best agencies for your job search, target recruitment companies that tick these four boxes:
You should work with recruitment agencies that have expertise in your industry. This could be an agency like Food People, that only hires for the food and beverage industry. Or, it could be an agency that has a team or even one consultant dedicated to your job function.
One of the benefits of working with a Dubai recruiter is the wealth of knowledge they have. A Dubai recruiter that understands your industry is a source of invaluable advice.
Recruitment agencies in Dubai will have their own ‘sweet spot’ for the seniority of roles they work on. Make sure you approach the agencies that recruit for your level. Firms like Charterhouse will hire more junior to mid-level positions, whereas firms like Egon Zehnder only hire at the executive level.
The best agencies in Dubai are usually the ones that have been around for a while and have a track record of success. They are more likely to have a large client base and they will be working on more vacancies.
Work with the recruiters that take the time to meet you face-to-face or over a video call. A Dubai recruitment agent can only represent you well if they know you. They should understand your background, experience, skill-set and expectations. If they don't have a good grasp of these things, it is unlikely that they will place you into a role.
We have made this easy for you. Our directory contains 20 recruitment agencies that have great reputations in Dubai.
You can identify the Dubai recruiters that recruit for your industry. You'll get links to their websites and active job lists. Plus, telephone numbers and email addresses.
I recommend partnering with no more than two Dubai recruitment agents at a time. In Dubai more than one recruitment agency is often working on the same role. You should avoid having more than one agency sending your CV for the same job. This causes problems.
Working with no more than two agencies also allows you to build stronger relationships with Dubai recruiters. This is something that will benefit your Dubai career over the long term.
Many job seekers in Dubai get frustrated trying to contact recruitment agencies. I'm going to help you to avoid this frustration by showing you the best ways to make contact.
These are the best means of contacting recruiters in Dubai. We'll begin with the most direct approaches first.
Many people shy away from the telephone but this is the most direct and expedient way of making contact. Every recruitment agency in Dubai will have a direct telephone line that you can call.
You can get the telephone numbers of 20 Dubai recruitment agencies here.
Before you call the office, search LinkedIn or the website for the name of a recruiter in that company. This should be one that recruits your target roles. When you call the office, ask for this person by name.
Explain who you are, suggest a coffee chat, and follow-up with an email to thank them for their time on the phone. You should also attach an up-to date copy of your CV.
The next best approach is email. Although sending a message through LinkedIn is easier, recruiters get inundated with LinkedIn InMails.
Sending an email to their work email address can sometimes be a better approach. Once you have the person's first name, last name and company name, you should be able to work out their email address. There are also many websites where you can input this information to generate the most likely email address format.
I would recommend that you don't send your CV in this first email. Emails with attachments often get ignored. This is because recruiters get sent a lot of irrelevant CVs!
Instead, send an email that explains why they might want to meet you. Some of the reasons a recruiter might want to meet you are;
1. You work in their target industry, e.g. Oil and Gas
2. You have worked for some big companies e.g. Shell or BP
3. You are immediately available
4. You are the perfect fit for a role they are working on
Make sure you give them a good reason to take notice and then ask if they would like to see your CV.
You can download example email scripts here.
Every Dubai recruiter uses LinkedIn, and will be active on the platform on an almost daily basis. Using LinkedIn to connect with Dubai recruiters is a great strategy and this is how you should do it;
Send a connection request
Keep in mind that Dubai recruiters receive constant connection requests. If you want your connection request to stand out, you need to personalise it. Give the recruiter a reason to accept it.
Craft a personal message, use the recruiter’s name and make sure you use the correct name and spelling! Making a good first impression is very important.
Send a message
Once you’re connected send another, more specific message. This message should tell the recruiter a little about yourself. Explain why you think it would be beneficial for you both to meet.
Finish off with a call to action, such as ‘let’s meet for a coffee’ or ‘when would be a good time for us to connect?’
An alternative way to get on the radar of a Dubai recruiter is by applying for a job that they are advertising.
It’s important that you make a good first impression so make sure the role is a good fit for you.
If they like your profile, they will get in touch! You can also combine this approach with following up by phone, email or LinkedIn as outlined above.
Remember that Dubai recruiters don't work for you. Dubai recruiters work on behalf of their clients. It's the client that's going to pay their invoice, not the candidate.
Knowing what you can and cannot expect from a Dubai recruiter will help you to set your expectations.
Here are six things you can expect from a Dubai recruiter.
Any good recruiter will have worked to develop a deep insight into their chosen field.
They will be able to tell you which companies are good to work with and which are not so great. Which companies are hiring right now and which ones are laying people off. And how buoyant the market is and the current hiring trends.
A good recruiter will always have their ear to the ground and will be a great source of inside information.
If a Dubai recruiter knows your industry, they will know how easy or difficult it might be for you to find a job in Dubai.
They’ll know how in demand your skills are. Plus, how relevant your experience is and how competitive your target roles are.
It’s important to align your salary expectations upfront.
You need to understand the cost of living in Dubai, and what someone like you can expect to earn.
An experienced Dubai recruiter will give you a good idea of your potential earnings. They can also tell you what benefits to expect on top of your salary.
These benefits could include education allowances, transport allowances or family medical insurance.
A good Dubai recruiter should take the time to prepare you for your interview.
After all, it's in their interest for you to get the job!
The better the recruiter, the better interview preparation you’ll receive. This is one of the benefits of going through a recruiter.
After each interview, your recruiter should provide you with valuable feedback. You should expect to get this feedback soon after your interview has ended. However, the recruiter is relying on the hiring company to provide feedback to them first and so this is not always in their control.
It’s unlikely that you’ll get the top end of the available salary band first time you receive an offer.
So it’s always worth going back and asking for more. This is where a recruiter can help. They should be the ones to go back and negotiate on your behalf. The more you get paid, the greater their commission.
Mismatched expectations are often the source of frustrations. It’s important to know what you shouldn’t expect from a recruiter in Dubai. Here are three things you wont get from a recruitment agency.
Recruitment companies in Dubai work with lots of candidates. Each recruiter will be working on many roles at any one time.
You should give them space and time to come back to you with feedback. You should not chase them daily as they may find this frustrating.
A Dubai recruiter will usually submit 3 – 5 candidates to their client for each role they are working on.
They get paid by the company to fill the position. Their job is to provide the best service to their client, not to find you a job.
They may not be able to find you a role. Remember, this is not their job, their job is to fill roles with the best candidates available. No Dubai recruitment company can make you promises.
You will sour your relationship with a recruiter if you mislead them. Many candidates are very secretive or very unclear about what they are looking for. This is a mistake!
Neither of these approaches will get you very far when working with a recruiter in Dubai.
Most Dubai recruitment agencies get very specific briefs from their clients. These requirements are often more specific than in other parts of the world. Be open and honest with them, this is the best way to form a productive relationship.
Visa processes in Dubai demand that recruiters ask for more information than most.
You should expect them to ask you for the following;
• Current salary
• Salary expectations
• Family status
• Visa status
• County of origin
• Passport origin
Companies in Dubai often need to know upfront if they can process a visa for you or not and what family benefits you may require.
The right Dubai recruitment agency can make all the difference to your Dubai job search. It can shave months off the process and save you a lot of wasted time, effort, money and frustration.
Download our list of Dubai recruitment agencies. You'll also get a professional CV template, and Email and InMail scripts to help you make a great first impression!
