Find a Job in Saudi Arabia and Change Your Life

“Work in Saudi Arabia as an Expat | Find a Job in Saudi Arabia and Change Your Life!”

Welcome back to SoftDoze everyone and thanks for tuning in to this Post.

In this Post, I will explain how YOU can find a job and have a life-changing experience there. I have a lot of information to cover, so we’ll get right into it, but before we do that, just hit the subscribe button down below to keep getting informative post on expat life, intercultural skills, and working abroad.

• Read More: Cost of Living in Saudi Arabia in Details
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I’ve divided this Post into five points to help YOU find your dream job in Saudi: 1) The best job websites 2) Using LinkedIn alerts and groups to find jobs 3) Approaching recruiters in the Middle East 4) Typical job interview questions, and stick around until the end to find out the 5) Employers offering the highest salaries in Saudi Arabia and also how to get my 15-page Jobs in Saudi Arabia packet.

Now before we get started, it’s important to know that recently Saudi has been going through a process of Saudization. This means many types of jobs are now reserved for Saudis only. Expats cannot get a visa for certain positions, and, if already living there, they cannot have their iqama or residence permit renewed for those types of roles. These include all entry-level positions like clerks, cashiers, and receptionists, but now goes all the way up to positions like Training Managers, Sales Supervisors, and even some Directors, for example, Human Resources Director. To see the full list of Saudized professions, check out the link down below in the description, and stick around to the end to find out which employers in Saudi are NOT subject to Saudization rules.

Read More: 5 Investment options for expats in Saudi Arabia

Now, let’s get started with topic #1: The best job websites for finding a job in Saudi. You should register on the following job search websites. Browse available positions in your field and apply. Set up email alerts for the types of jobs you want to apply for. The most popular job search websites are the following: www.GulfTalent.com, www.Bayt.com, www.Naukrigulf.com, www.Monstergulf.com, and www.sa.indeed.com. There are more job websites, and you can get a full list in my Jobs in Saudi Arabia packet.

Now, on to topic #2: Using LinkedIn alerts and groups to find jobs. First of all, let me emphasize that if you don’t have an updated LinkedIn profile, please do that at the earliest. Many recruiters in Saudi Arabia do use LinkedIn to search for and headhunt candidates. Also, many job postings are listed in the jobs section on LinkedIn, so if you’re not active on LinkedIn, you could potentially miss out on a lot of opportunities. Setting up alerts is extremely easy and you can set up to 10 job alerts on LinkedIn, and choose whether to receive the emails daily or weekly.

Now there is another advantage to using LinkedIn that you should know about. There are many groups that post jobs. Just a few of these groups are the following: Jobs in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Jobs, Saudi Arabia Hot Jobs & Business Opportunities, Saudi Arabia HOT JOBS, Jobs in Saudi Arabia | Recruitment for Saudi Arabia | Jobs In Gulf | GCC Jobs. These are the actual names of the groups, so if you just put these names into the LinkedIn search bar, the group should come up and you can click on it to join. You can also perform a search in the search window of LinkedIn to find more job groups, and there is a full list of them in my “Jobs in Saudi Arabia” packet.

Now for topic #3: approaching recruiters about jobs in Saudi Arabia. You can find a lot of recruiters specialized in hiring for positions in Saudi. They may be sitting in the Kingdom, but often they work from other places like Dubai or London. Once I was even contacted by a recruiter in South Africa for a job in Saudi Arabia. The important thing to know about recruiters is that oftentimes they are specialized in recruiting for certain fields. So you want to find recruiters working for Saudi jobs, and specialized in your field. Recruiters don’t always specify the fields that they recruit for, but you can ask them if they are recruiting for jobs in your field. If not, they will usually refer you to someone who does. Also, there are recruiting agencies AND independent recruiters. You can find a list of Middle East recruiters and recruiting agencies down below in the description of this Post. Also, you can do your own search, both on Google and on LinkedIn, to find recruiters and agencies doing recruiting for the Saudi market.

• Read More: Cost of Living in Saudi Arabia in Details
• Read More: 5 Investment options for expats in Saudi Arabia

Now on to topic #4: typical questions you may be asked in an interview for a Saudi position. These are all questions that I have been asked in different Saudi interviews over the years. Question Number 1: Have you ever been to the Middle East (Gulf)? Now here’s a possible answer, if the answer is yes: “Yes, I have been to (Dubai/Bahrain/Doha) and I had a very positive experience. The culture of that area was fascinating and I would welcome the opportunity to live in the Middle East for a longer period.” So you want to say something positive and emphasize that it had a good impression on you. If the answer is no, don’t worry, just try to think of something from your experience that shows you have some degree of familiarity with the region. For example: “No, but I have been working with clients from the Middle East for quite some time and find them to be wonderful. OR “No, but I do have some friends from that region, and they told me all about it, which really piqued my interest.”

Moving on to question topic number 2. Now let me preface this by saying that Saudi potential employers normally do ask questions like are you married, and do you have children, and the reason is obvious: it’s because they need to know if they would have to include relocation benefits for your family in the package that they offer you. And if they don’t provide family relocation benefits, they will usually mention that at some point in the interview stage. So I have grouped these together as question topic number 2 which is about family: Are you married? Do you have kids? Then… Would you relocate with your family?

Question topic #3 is about salary. They will normally ask you two questions related to salary: What is your current salary? And: What is your expected salary? And the reasons for that, again, are obvious; they want to offer you something more, to tempt you to come to Saudi, so please be prepared to answer these questions. Also keep in mind that typically Saudi salaries will be anywhere from 3-5 times higher than what you’re earning in your home country. Beyond these questions, of course they will ask you all the other typical interview questions regarding your experience and qualifications. One time I was asked in a Saudi interview what makes me angry, which is an important question because it’s culturally inappropriate to show anger in a Saudi workplace. Things like shouting and arguing are not allowed, and these behaviors are even forbidden by Saudi Labor Law. Display of extreme negative emotions is never appreciated, and let’s face it: nobody wants an expat who stirs up drama, so it’s important to demonstrate in the interview that you have an even-tempered character.

• Read More: Cost of Living in Saudi Arabia in Details
• Read More: 5 Investment options for expats in Saudi Arabia

Now, that brings me almost to the end and to the long-awaited information. Thanks for sticking with me to this point, go ahead and click like on this Post if you haven’t already, and now I am going to tell you where to find the highest-paying jobs in Saudi Arabia. There is one more important detail about these employers: in most cases, the Saudization rules are flexible, so they have more freedom to employ expats.

Now who are these employers: These are none other than the Saudi giga-projects: NEOM, AMAALA, Red Sea Global, Al Ula, Diriyah, Roshn, Aseer, and New Murabba. Beyond the giga-projects, KAUST and Aramco are also among the top-paying jobs offering the best expat packages in Saudi Arabia. You can google each giga project, find the careers page, and look for the instructions for applying, OR you can find out all the links and email addresses for applying in my Jobs in Saudi Arabia packet. The link is down below in the description and in a pinned comment on this post.

If you’re interested in learning more about Saudi culture, I provide cross-cultural training for successful adaptation to Saudi Arabia for corporates and individuals. I also provide a personalized job search assistance service. That includes help with your Saudi job search, a CV review, and a mock interview. All the links for contacting me are down below, but in case we don’t meet, I would like to wish you all the best of luck in your job search for Saudi Arabia. Massalama

• Read More: Cost of Living in Saudi Arabia in Details
• Read More: 5 Investment options for expats in Saudi Arabia

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