I have a cunning plan…

A few statistics to get you in the mood

• 7 billion U.S. dollars loss in global GDP
• Up to 195 million jobs will disappear, according to International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates
• 60% of people losing their jobs will be women – Institute for Women’s Policy Research
• A conservative estimate is that the expat working population will have fundamentally changed by September 2020

These few facts are frightening and in the middle of all of this, is you and me. How do you try and comprehend these figures and how does it affect you?

Well to be honest it affects everyone and we all know that the UAE has been hit hard and we all know people who have lost their jobs, had pay cuts and been furloughed. This was not a blog about making you relive all of this, it was about the after…

We all know it is bad but this will end. It could be a few months or longer but it will end. So, how do you prepare and get ready to take advantage of a job market that will once again want you, and in many cases, desperately need you?!

Get Prepared

Before you do anything, sit and think and reflect (let’s face it, this is the one time we are able to do this). What do you really want to do? What do you enjoy and what do you hate? A simple list will really help. Be honest and ask your partners, friends or colleagues’ advice.

Plan

This is always the tricky part. Most people put their CV together and then spray (a quirky recruitment term!) around the market so within two weeks everyone knows you for all the wrong reasons. Target the people you want to talk to and engage with.

Action

LinkedIn to them and start a dialogue. Now I must reiterate, don’t stalk them as this will get you nowhere. Connect and introduce yourself. Try and initiate a conversation that will add value to the person you are trying to engage with.

Start writing blogs or share (relevant) articles. This starts getting you know as a ‘thought leader’ with an opinion. This in term will get you noticed by the people you have connected with. Get in touch with people that have written articles you like and comment on them.

The key here is to have a relevant conversation with them. Mention the article and give them your opinion, ask them their view or that we tried this before in my company and this was the result. It is all about relevant engagement. This will build your profile and your reputation in the market.

DO NOT do what one recruitment consultant I know does and comment and like every single article on LinkedIn! Make sure what you are saying is relevant and of value rather than for the sake of getting on LinkedIn.

Connect

Pick the right recruiters and don’t work with everyone (we can come to that later). They are great sources of information and advice but do remember they get between 80 – 100 messages per day so you need to be relevant to them.

Apply for jobs directly using the company sites, LinkedIn plus the usual job sites. Often, the companies’ sites are better as they get fewer applications.

The video CV… not really the norm but put together a 5 mins intro of you. Rather than attach a CV, put the video CV instead, and see if you get a good response (I have not tried this so it’s up to you)!

Be Resilient

This is not easy and will be a slog at the best of times. Don’t blame the recruiter, clients or the job sites for you not getting a job. Channel it productively and do all the above.

Let me know how it goes and remember it will get better and you will get the right job but it will take time. The UAE is fundamentally a great place to work with amazing opportunities.  You just need to find the right one…