Being a Time Efficient Employee in Abu Dhabi: Does it Work?

It’s a dream indeed. You took a decision, worked day and night and got through every screening process to lead a truly lavish professional life in Abu Dhabi. It has been a great experience, learning from the best in the business and working in corporations that foster growth at a global level. The money’s good and you’ve got every modicum of happiness to make your work life in Abu Dhabi an experience worth cherishing.

However, is money the only thing you care about?

As in, an emirate that invites work cultures and business practices from every corner of the globe surely gives you a chance to inculcate habits that prove lucrative in the long run. Time efficiency is one such thing which stands as a litmus test for employers here to segregate candidates. Here are a few tips for you to be a time efficient employee in Abu Dhabi. Drop a glance and better your chances to ace that job.

Start Prioritizing Your Work

Obviously, working in leading Emirati Corporation, multitasking is the life-blood to exist in a place as competitive as Abu Dhabi. Well, this does stand as the golden rule of time management at work, be it any corner of the world. Each day, spot 3-4 tasks that are the most crucial to complete. Once you’re done with them, you can always move on to work that came as a request maybe, or that wasn’t as significant as the one you just did.

This also calls for the need to say a simple ‘no’ to make some space in time. Making a plethora of commitments might force you to juggle between engagements, hence increasing the load on your head. 

Delegation Helps Too

It’s agreeable that being under the pressure of being constantly noticed by your boss, who controls your tenure in the company and your stay in Abu Dhabi as well, you want to come up as the most efficient employee, every time. But, taking all the load on your head would probably fester things, if not better your chances for a promotion.

You did all that hard work in securing a lucrative job offer, but it’s time to play a wee bit smart. Unless, you are at the bottom of the totem pole, try splitting up repetitive task and delegating them to your team members and subordinates. However, you should always remember to be active in following up with each of your colleagues and checking the progress at every step possible.

Start Eliminating Distractions

Whatever may happen, you should always hold on to the fact that it’s your employer who sponsors your stay in the emirate. It’s not your friend you chat on Facebook with or the girls you’re stalking on Twitter, it’s your hiring manager who brought you to the country and made arrangements for your accommodation.

If time wasters like web-browsing breaks and chit-chatting with your co-workers is what annoys him, cut-off for a small period would be highly preferable. Don’t be afraid to intercept or draw the line, wherever you feel the need of it.

Get Organized with Technology

Who said it’s only about getting done with your work, technology can efficiently be used to organize the same as well. It often happens that we lose ample time in stacking up all the work we did. There’s so much you can save here, organizing systems aren’t that complicated to implement.

Create filing systems for documents and streamline all tasks assigned within a specific time-frame. It’s really easy!

It’s your chance to learn, to grow and to witness the best working environment in Abu Dhabi. Make the most out of it and be judicious in whatever time you spend in this exotic destination. 

Author Bio: Anshuman Kukreti is a professional writer and a keen follower of the global job market. An engineer by qualification and an artist at heart, he writes on various topics related to employment across the Gulf. Reach him @ LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+.

Employee Engagement at workplace: A Task made easy!

It’s been years ensuring an optimum level of productivity in your team. Right from the best kind of team building exercises to the best working environment, there’s so much you want to try your hands at.

However, for favorable results to step in the work arena, a thing that stands indispensable is a great deal of employee engagement in your organization. Allegiance is something that will only happen once your team feels involved with the company and the business objectives it seeks to attain. The astonishing fact is that the number of engaged employees in the global job market are dropping down by the day.

The difference to understand over here is that disengaged employees pose a greater threat to the motivation level and work productivity of the entire team. Hence, mentioned below are a few such hacks which might help you to make employee involvement in the company increase a notch higher.

Communicate as much as you can

It often happens that your employees lose the feeling of connect, once they’re only involved with the work and don’t even have the bleakest of idea about the way their daily tasks are affecting the company. Of course, they want to be a part of a compelling future with the organization, but is that possible without the proper flow of information?

For targets to remain meaningful and to motivate employees, they should be essentially tied to the vision of the organization. Let them know how does their job contribute to the big picture. Plus, don’t ever keep yourself from sharing a bad news. It might just happen that this makes them realize their worth and pushes the team further to nip targets in the bud.

Engagement Should Happen at Local and Organizational Level

Goes without saying that any change that is to happen will begin at the local work level first. However, as an employer it’s your duty to set the right tone from the top and trickle down the same amongst the workers. Try and weave maximum share of employee engagement into key responsibility areas and performance expectations.

Work with the managers in your company to identify the key barriers that hinder the same process. They are specialists in their fields and might be having the right idea about the most significant elements to work on. This way business innovation and maximization of performance delivery can also be ensured.

Foster a Supportive Work Environment

In reality all the technicalities go down the drain, if an employee cannot derive the necessary support from the surroundings he works in. However, this is a factor that cannot be easily accomplished through a single person taking initiative. Rather, it proliferates through the course of time.

You need to start with clarifying the objectives of each employee, be it any post he’s working on. Provide an insight regarding the future with the company and set objectives with all managers, making it clear that they can no longer avoid staff contact.

You can also go for one-on-one meetings with random workers to get things at a personal level. This will also help to improve the relationship between the local management and every employee.

Give Them the Flexibility They Need

It often happens that when leaders provide the flexibility to wear multiple hats and let the employees set their own path for career progression, workers come up with better deliverables. Help them with the two most urgent aspects that need some consideration, the constant alteration of professional qualifications in the field and the soft skills they need to hone. This way having the freedom to move ahead taking their own approach, they’ll feel all the more accountable for the profile they hold.

The hacks are endless to state, but the it all juices down to ensuring that the basics are right. Once you give them the right reason to stay, there’s no denying the fact that even the most disengaged of employees turn up with favorable results.

Author Bio: Anshuman Kukreti is a professional writer and a keen follower of the global job market. An engineer by qualification and an artist at heart, he writes on various topics related to employment across the globe. Reach him @ LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+.

Breaking Into The Aviation Industry: What Does the Employer Expect?

Since childhood you’ve dreamt about making your dreams fly high and securing employment in one of the most happening industry, true that!

With the world having reduced to the size of a mere modicum, globalization has flapped its wings in every corner of the world. So is the case with the industry indicated above- the aviation industry. Apart from getting yourself trained and certified from the best institute, there still are ample things you need to heed to, to get employed.

Yes, securing an aviation job in any corner of the world will become a cakewalk, if you start considering the things that an employer expects from you. Hence, mentioned below are a few tips that will help you regarding the same and make the process simpler.

·         You Need To Be An Initiator

No employer in the aviation sphere wants to list down things you have to do. They want to hire someone, who is a ‘self-starter’ and takes up things at his own initiative. For instance, if there are no customers to serve at a moment, an ideal candidate should utilize the time in catching up with other chores like emptying the trash cans, refilling the printer with paper, cleaning the equipment and catching up on some residual paperwork. Inculcating this habit over a period of time would surely boost your chances of getting shortlisted in any corner of the world.

·         Having High Ethical Standards With The Ability to Communicate

You will be in a business, wherein customers have to be dealt with on a regular basis. So, the most essential thing is for the recruiter to trust you with the customers. There might be instances during a purchase when it’s just you and the customer. The employer needs to believe that there’ll be no discrepancy on your part to harm the reputation of the company or put forth a negative image.

In addition to this, having secured a worthwhile offer in the aviation industry, it is also expected for you to be impeccable with your communication skills. Just to clear the air, communication here majorly comprises of you to listen willingly. Shutting up your boss and speaking up incessantly, might actually put things off. So, watch your steps carefully!

·         Being Docile Might Just Help

Aviation jobs all around the globe majorly entail the ability to obey and follow instructions accurately. Obeying all norms in this sector is crucial for the customers’ and your safety as well. Instead of ‘going around the boss’, you need to be an assistant to him. Recognize orders and execute them within the assigned time-frame.

·         Realize The Importance of ‘Team-Effort’

There’s nothing in the aviation field that can be achieved without the synchronized efforts of a team. Employers hunt candidates who work well with others for higher customer satisfaction and increased level of performance efficiency. Checking ego at the door, is the first thing to be ensured!

·         Impeccable Analytical Skills

Spotting and solving problems is a dire essential that every aviation professional deals with on a daily basis. Having critical thinking capabilities shows that you have a state of mind to map problems and are willing to design a solution for the same. Situations in the field arise out of suddenness, hence efficient reflexes are indispensable. 

·         Staying Within The Confines

A multitude of aviation jobs require a ‘scope of expertise’ or ‘special licensing requirements’. This entails the specific tasks that a person within a particular space in aviation industry can perform. Hence, it’s imperative for you to know your scope and perform all actions within the legal boundations. In case there’s a doubt, consulting the applicable FAR's might be a worthwhile idea.

To summarize-it’s just the above tips you need to keep in mind and scoring a job would become a child’s play. Patience and hard work sure do pay-off!

Author Bio: Anshuman Kukreti is a professional writer and a keen follower of the emirates job market. An engineer by qualification and an artist at heart, he writes on various topics related to employment across the globe. Reach him @ LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+.

12 Resume Bloopers That'll Make You Look Dumb

Job search is a hard, hard thing indeed!

Right from the tedious process of hunting down recruiters to the zillion preparations you've to undergo before getting an interview scheduled. Seriously, job-search does take a lot out of you by the end. However, humor finds a place everywhere in this world

 

Yes, it sure does ring a bell somewhere. With a playback triggered, you might have reminded yourself of the mispronunciation you committed during a telephonic conversation with the recruiter or the uneasy stance you took, while sitting for an interview. But, the one that appears most conspicuous and everlasting is the amount of funny-errors you commit while building your resume. Be it the typos or spilling some irrelevant info on your CV, thing are numerous to be listed. Hence, mentioned below are a few bloopers that will keep you off, from any such mistakes and make you chuckle at the same time.

1) I took a career break in 1999 to renovate my horse.
I believe it may now win the race!


2)  Career Objective: To make a name on the information super highway.
He sure won't worry about his meals then.

3) According to an article by careerbuilder.com, a candidate called himself a genius and invited the recruiter to interview him at his apartment.
Sounds like one of those situations, when you don't need anything in this world. Not even the consent of the chap hiring you.

4) A resume printed on the back of a candidate's current employer's letterhead. 
If not the job, the person surely deserves due recognition for showing insane amount of guts and half-wit.

5) One creative job-applicant tried to entice the hiring manager by using three different fonts, four different ink colors and a spectrum of highlighting options. 
However, the only thing she missed out on was the correct use of grammar. Alas! her every modicum of creativity went down in vain.

6) Job skills: Revolved customer grievances and problems.
The guy must've been great at spinning around and making things go in circles. Doesn't appear like a problem solver to me.

7) A CV listed a skill as 'being bi-lingual in three languages.'
Wonderful! and I'm a left-handed guy who writes using both hands.

8) 'I'll call myself a wedge, with a sponge taped to it. Hence, my objective is to wedge myself at someone’s door and absorb as much as I can.'
Hard to decipher and impossible to comprehend with! 
Still the person seems overwhelmingly metaphorical while writing his resume. But, would it fetch him the job or a hiring manager's attention, at least? 

9) 'Hope to see you shorty'
A typo of the purest form. Still, it would certainly make the recruiter conscious regarding his height. Getting personal would surely have been the foremost applicant trait he listed.

10) A resume without the candidate's name. 
Seems like a ghost applicant. Seriously, this has got to be the most basic mistake ever committed by a job-seeker. 

11) Under the section- 'Have you ever been convicted of a felony?':  'Yes, kind of. Will explain in the interview'
If nothing, explanations like this would only cause apprehensions in the mind of the employer. Before the person could put forth his side of the story, he was presumed for someone controversial.

12) Under the section- Salary desired: 'Starting over due to recent bankruptcies. Need a huge bonus at the time of joining.'
Obviously, good remuneration is the prime motivation behind any employment opportunity. But, there's a way to put it forth without sounding unreasonable, right?

It's human to make mistakes. But, to learn from the other person's mistake is what keeps you a step ahead in finding a job. So, don't just giggle, but keep these in mind for better results in your professional life ahead.

-Anshuman Kukreti 

Author Bio: Anshuman Kukreti is a professional writer and a keen follower of the global job market. An engineer by qualification and an artist at heart, he writes on various topics relating to employment across the gulf. He is presently working as a content writer for Naukrigulf.com.Reach him @LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+.

How to Get a Pay-Hike in the UAE?

The UAE has been buzzing lately, either due to the career opportunities, which seem to be brimful or the booming sectors, which are pushing the economy’s growth beyond its limits. Of course, any aspiring professional would vouch for a career in this country happily.

But have you ever given the remuneration prospects some serious consideration?

Obviously, a country where an accountant earns AED 69,284 and a marketing manager earns AED 203,277 (as on 10^th Dec 2014), salary is not that big a problem. Plus, there sure are factors like the current talent-crunch and increased job vacancies that indicate towards a hefty pay hike during 2015.

However, a reputed gulf-based website suggests that an average salary increase of 4.8% is expected in 2015.

Yes, these facts might seem contradicting, but UAE is always known to harbor uncertainties that transform into results favoring a people inclusive growth.

Hence, the discussion to follow will talk about certain common yet overlooked aspects that need a fair share of your focus. Heeding to these, you can easily gain a pay hike, while working in this exotic Arab land.

Dart sufficient glances and arm yourself to success!

What makes up your basic salary/ compensation package in the UAE?

Before we progress towards the right way to go about it, it’s quite imperative to consider the chunks that add on to form the basic salary or your overall package in the country.

·         Basic Remuneration

·         Paid annual leave for 30 days (21 days during the first year of employment)

·         Medical insurance by the government (some employers provide private medical insurance post the probation period)

·         The costs associated with the recruitment process and getting the visa processed

·         Gratuity Amount

·         Travelling allowance for the flight back to your country, after the expiry of your work contract

How to Go About It?

You Need to Do Your Homework

Before you put your case forth, you need to undergo some research. It’s quite significant to know what someone with the same position and the years of experience typically gets paid in the UAE. This will help you draw a much accurate comparison. Websites like PayScale and Hays might prove handy during this step.

The salary might also vary from emirate to emirate. For instance, a civil engineer earning AED 115,274 in Dubai might make AED 123,147 (as on 10^th Dec 2014), while working in Abu Dhabi.

In addition to this, the company structure in many of the companies includes a family hierarchy. Try to find the one associated with your employer. Who knows, nepotism might just work!

Get Your Objectives in Line

Walking into a negotiation without a clean set of justified goals might make the whole process futile. Define the raise you’re aiming for and don’t be afraid to quote a figure that’s high, unless it’s unrealistic. Validate the figure by drawing a clear picture of your efforts and the expenses you bear, while workingin the UAE.

Go for a Contract Compliant Negotiation

Before you start haggling, remember that the increase you expect might not be more than the stipulated salary rate in your employment contract. This generally holds valid throughout the term of your work contract in the UAE. For example, minimum wage laws exist in a lot of countries except for Dubai, where the employers aren’t bound to give 13^th month cheques or any annual hike.

Consider Other Perks too!

While a pay-hike might not be guaranteed, it’s a worthwhile idea to consider other perks associated with your job. Some of them include:

·         Relocation assistance

·         Private medical insurance

·         Accommodation and transportation allowances

·         Vehicular allowance

·         Food allowance

·         Furnishing allowance

·         Mobile phone allowance

Heed to the Social Conventions in the Country

Working in the country, by now you must be accustomed to the social norms practiced. Keeping the fact that the decision taking authority would probably be a local senior official, in mind, there are certain subtleties that need your attention. For instance, scheduling the meeting on Friday (the prayer day) might not be a worthwhile idea. Moreover, things like avoiding pointing your soles towards the counterparties and passing all documents with your right hand are other things to keep in mind.

The UAE stands today with a plethora of opportunities for one to explore a highly lucrative career, in whatever field you desire. Salary is just a single aspect, which can be taken care of, keeping the above tips in mind. All you need is to hang in there, your best is yet to be witnessed!


- Anshuman Kukreti

Author Bio: Anshuman Kukreti is a professional writer and a keen follower of the global job market. An engineer by qualification and an artist at heart, he writes on various topics related to employment across the gulf. 
Reach him @ LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+.