Saudi Arabia has remained one of the top choices for professionals from across the globe for jobs in various sectors since decades due to its promising job market with a high need of workforce for projects of different scales. With a solid economy of this oil rich country, people have enjoyed great perks and excellent salary packages. Despite global recessions and oil price fluctuations affecting the economy of the country, Saudi Arabia still remains among some of the top choices for expatriates to earn their livings. Many people are curious to know how to get a job in Saudi Arabia and they want to know in details about all available ways to get hired in Saudi Arabia. In this post, I will write about some tips on how to get a job in Saudi Arabia.
How to Find a Job in Saudi Arabia?
Whether you are a high-tech professional with many years of experience in some specific industry (e.g. IT, Engineering, Finance), or you are just a labor trying to earn some decent livings for your family, Saudi Arabia’s job market is there to accommodate you. Tons of small, medium and large sized companies in various sectors including construction, IT, banking, retail, medical etc. are in search of workforce to fulfil the needs of the market. Local workforce is obviously preferred choice for these organizations to meet the legal requirements of Saudization and also to get the resources acquired with less hassle; expatriate workers are still a need as it becomes necessary to fill the positions by employing workers from other countries when local pool of resources is not sufficient enough or skilled enough to serve the purpose. Now, coming back to the main topic–how to Find a Job in Saudi Arabia?
Applying Online for Jobs in Saudi Arabia:
With growing trends of online recruiting, many companies in Saudi Arabia are advertising their open positions online through their own websites, LinkedIn or through Job portals to attract potential employees. This trend of enabling online applications is true in general for jobs in different sectors but IT industry has been seen mostly active in this regard. Software engineers, computer programmers, Database administrators, Graphics designers, IT Consultants and many other IT related positions are regularly advertised online by various tech giants in Saudi Arabia.
For applying a job online, if you are interested in some specific company, you may keep an eye on any openings in that company by regularly visiting their site and apply directly for any position you are interested in.
Second and the most popular option to seek for jobs in Saudi Arabia is through job portals. There are many job portals advertising job opportunities in Saudi Arabia. Some of these job portals worth considering are Bayt, GulfTalent, Mihnati.
For applying to a job in Saudi Arabia through Job Portal:
* You should have an account created in these portals.
* Keep your profile up-to-date to receive job recommendations.
Third option for applying for jobs in Saudi Arabia online is through LinkedIn. Many companies float their jobs online through LinkedIn where you can apply directly. Make sure that you have a professionally drafted LinkedIn profile and it is regularly updated as employer will get the first impression about you by looking into your LinkedIn profile in this case.
Getting a Job in Saudi Arabia through References
Networking always plays a significant role in getting hired as employers often seek for the references from their employees when any new opportunities arise. If you have any ex colleague or friend working in an organization in Saudi Arabia, he can be the best medium for you to get your CV reached to the interview table. Keep yourself in regular interaction with such friends and inform them to consider you for any such opportunities. Some good words about you and your professional skills by your friend can really make a big difference and can help you reaching to your dream job position in Saudi Arabia.
Getting a Job in Saudi Arabia through Agents or Recruiters
For many professions, recruitment agents in different countries take the responsibility on behalf of the actual employers to find the required resources from their respective countries, conduct interviews and to perform all other formalities in on-boarding the resources. You should also check directly with any such recruitment agencies available in your home country and drop your CV with them for potential opportunities. You should also keep an eye on local newspapers in your country as such recruiters and agents advertise such jobs through those newspapers.
Just a word of caution–beware of any fraud agents and choose the agents very smartly so that you don’t lose any valuable money and time with any scam agents.