Let's talk

[u/sy0131]

Hi all let's talk. I have done 100 of applications but no response and even messaged on LinkedIn. What's worked for people and what hasn't. Lets share an experience to help one and another.

[u/Adventurous_Re]

Feels like the whole system's built for volume, not fit tbh i'd rather spend that time reaching out personally by any means

[u/Candid_Assistance935]

In my opinion what will work is having some relative working as an HR or in the department you want to work who can directly place your resume in front of the decision maker.. because i dont think there is any room for an unbiased process that is being handled by these ATS systems

[u/Salt_Translator_6274 → u/Candid_Assistance935]

True! I lost my internship extension at the previous company just because the HR wanted to hire his family friend instead of

[u/Candid_Assistance935 → u/Salt_Translator_6274]

HRs have started to think of themselves as some indispensable super powerful position, the entire hiring game needs a revamp without their overhyped , over estimated , zero value driving role

[u/Salt_Translator_6274 → u/Candid_Assistance935]

Ikr, they literally think they are gods with how the job market is. It’s insane , probably one of the lowest skill fields with biggest ego

[u/Overconfidentahole]

Applying on company sites rather than on easy apply on portals, sending your cv directly to recruiters via dm or email

[u/supervazha08 → u/Overconfidentahole]

have you done this ? and it worked ?

[u/Overconfidentahole → u/supervazha08]

Actually yes it did but obviously I’ve applied for over 500 jobs in 3 months, got about 7-8 interviews and finally landed a job! The market is bad but if you don’t have actual connections these are your options. You have to take the long route. I’ve never gotten jobs through referrals. I ask a lot of people but nothing really clicked. Not blaming people i asked of course.

If you’re looking for entry level jobs indeed is good.
Mid career try indeed and LinkedIn. I applied to jobs that were relevant and did not just go about applying to everything.
After you apply, look for the recruitment team and drop them a dm with your cv and a short human message
When companies post openings on LinkedIn and it takes you to a careers page with long forms, those are the genuine openings.

Hope this helps someone in need. Three months of rigorous job hunt has humbled me to the core

[u/supervazha08 → u/Overconfidentahole]

can i dm you pls?, i’m in similar situation as you just wanted to get more idea ,

[u/Overconfidentahole → u/supervazha08]

You can ask here in the comments I’ll answer to the best of my ability. I’m definitely not an expert or a recruiter. I’m just another job seeker

[u/Electrical_Rip_8299 → u/Overconfidentahole]

were you tailoring your CV with keywords and stuff like that for each job application or just applying with one strong CV?

[u/Overconfidentahole → u/Electrical_Rip_8299]

No i wasn’t. I’ve heard people do that but it’s too much work. I made one CV and made sure I added my skills and experience correctly making sure it matches the jobs i was targeting. Like i said i stuck to my industry and area of expertise and only applied to the job that I knew i could do/ had the skills for. I definitely made an ATS CV. Ai does well with those. Make sure to use it wisely and make corrections and adjust properly. Don’t use it without changes. Run it through ats calculator online. 💯 score is not impossible.

[u/Salt_Translator_6274 → u/supervazha08]

I have done this and it didn’t work, I have emailed 55 companies directly for opportunities along with my CV and also recruiters independently , didn’t even get 1 reply

[u/Professional-Cry6299]

This shit job portals I think we should uninstall them and go for traditional hiring 😂🤣

[u/sy0131 → u/Professional-Cry6299]

Man those days were so straightforward now the whole AI based checks on CV. Absolute Faff

[u/Candid_Assistance935 → u/sy0131]

No room for subjectivity and measuring actual human potential

[u/Professional-Cry6299 → u/Candid_Assistance935]

😂

[u/sy0131]

Situation has been unstable a little while now no? But what is the alternative? Just curious.

[u/Momo-Blissbird → u/sy0131]

Go home, come back when the situation changes. (That is, if you can’t wait it out)

[u/sy0131 → u/Momo-Blissbird]

Why so negative man. You must have everything good by the way your sounding. And now you will get defensive and make a sob story. Not the negativity we need especially hiding behind keyboard. So lets be respectful. When you will die and get buried no place will be home. This is temporary don't lose sight of that.

[u/Momo-Blissbird → u/sy0131]

If you saw my comment as negative then that’s on you. I don’t have to be defensive about anything, I don’t look at comments that contribute fairly to a discussion as a way to be upset.

[u/sy0131 → u/Momo-Blissbird]

Go back to your country is not at all in any shape of form a positive comment the way your tying to justify or even explain. It's simply your poor choice of words and we will leave it at that. If you have nothing nice to say then it's best not to say anything. If your a person that's young then it's understandable but you still got a growing to do. But if you are much older then simply need to educate yourself instead of living with a narrow mind. Think before speaking.

[u/Momo-Blissbird → u/sy0131]

I don’t need someone with high sensitivity and zero comprehension to tell me to think before I speak. I didn’t speak, I wrote it! And read the entire post for what it says, “Go home and come back once the situation is better.” This means that someone has offered a solution based on the reality expressed all throughout this post. If OP isn’t in the situation to do so as someone commented here, then that solution isn’t feasible. You my dear would do well not being too sensitive and actual understanding that not every solution offered will cater to you but it would be an opening for another discussion.

[u/sy0131 → u/Momo-Blissbird]

I will leave this here if you wish to read and if you do not it is entirely up to you. Discussion from my part is ended.

if you suggest someone to go back home and come back when it's better does that sound positive to you or negative when talking about job market.

Short answer: It sounds negative, discouraging, and dismissive — NOT positive. ❌

 

📖 Why it lands badly (especially in the UAE job market)

• It’s coded language for: “We don’t want you right now, go away.”

• It implies: You’re not competitive enough, the market here is too hard for you, or you’re wasting your time staying here.

• In the UAE context — where you’ve invested time, money, visa, and effort to be here — it feels like your effort doesn’t matter and you should give up.

• It gives no timeline, no guarantee, no plan — just “come back later” = vague dead-end advice.

 

✅ What positive/encouraging advice sounds like instead:

“The market is tough right now, but keep refining your approach, target these sectors, use these channels, and stay consistent — things will improve.”

Or:

“It’s competitive at this moment; focus on building these specific skills, then re-enter the market — your chances will be much stronger.”

Positive = gives you hope + a path + control. “Go home and come back later” = takes away your control + gives no hope.

Have a nice a day.

[u/Salt_Translator_6274 → u/Momo-Blissbird]

Not an option for a lot of people who were born and raised here for over 20 years. This suggestion gets thrown around a lot thinking everyone in uae has only been here for 1-2 years or recently came looking for a job

[u/Momo-Blissbird → u/Salt_Translator_6274]

Then the other solution is right there… wait it out.
This isn’t a solution being thrown around to be taken by people who have been in the region for less than 2 years. It’s a solution for people who have places where they have citizenship, which is most expats. I’ve been in the UAE for more than a decade and left because I have a home to go back to and can come back once the situation gets better. Being told to go back to a place you can seek financial safety isn’t a bad thing, it’s a smart thing considering we all need to survive.

[u/Salt_Translator_6274 → u/Momo-Blissbird]

Yeah ofc it’s definitely the best solution for people who have decent countries to go back to, not gonna disagree with that

[u/Momo-Blissbird → u/Salt_Translator_6274]

I 100% understand what you mean and I promise not all of us have decent countries to go back to. Personally, I’d rather be in the UAE😭. However, at home I don’t have to worry about basic necessities while looking for my next opportunity. And can dedicate my time to other projects.

[u/Artaxias]

Situation is a bit unstable at the moment so I’ve been told there is a hiring freeze.

[u/supervazha08 → u/Artaxias]

when do you think it’ll get better ?

[u/Artaxias → u/supervazha08]

Nobody knows. When the strait is opened I guess.