RecruiterME - UAE Recruiter Magazine

The Middle East Recruiter 

JAN 2016 - UAE/QATAR 

INSIDE THE UAE 

RECRUITER 

RECRUITER AWARDS 

UAE 2016 

We are delighted to announce the FIRST 

annual Middle East Recruiter Awards 

RECRUITERS IN DUBAI, UAE 

We will be taking a look into the 

world of the UAE Recruitment 

Consultant. Looking at what 

challenges they face when moving 

over to Dubai and giving advice 

for this life changing decision. 

CONTRACTING IN UAE 

Taking a look into the world of 

contracting / manpower licensing 

and partnering companies. Perm 

recruitment is leading the way 

with contracting fast becoming an 

industry standard for 2016 onwards. 

FIRST UAE RECRUITER AWARDS 

November 2016, we are co-hosting 

the much anticipated UAE / Qatar 

Recruiter Awards. With a celebrity 

host this is going to be the biggest 

black-tie gala event in Middle East 

recruitment history. Do not miss this!

UAE no.1 FOR 

Recruitment to Recruitment 

“Recruit-me were given a project to 

head-hunt the very best Banking & 

FS, Legal and Contracting billing 

managers and a director. They 

really excelled and found the very 

best in the market within Dubai, we 

interviewed 1 for each role and 

took them on immediately. Never 

worked that fast with any R2R. It 

really helps that they meet their 

Recruiters face to face, These guys 

are the only serious name in the R2R 

sector in the Middle East.” 

Country Manager 

International Recruitment Agency 

Dubai 

DIVISIONAL MANAGER 

RESOURCER 

RECRUITER 

RECRUITMENT BILLING MANAGER 

TEAM LEADER MANAGING DIRECTOR 

SENIOR RECRUITMENT CONSULTANT 

RECRUITMENT CONSULTANT 

We have successfully placed the following positions in Middle East 

Trainee Recruitment Consultants Recruitment Consultants Senior Recruitment Consultants 

Recruitment Managers Associate Directors Directors / Managing Directors CEOs 

Mergers and Acquisitions Start ups New Agencies to Middle East 

RECRUITME - +971 55 89 67459 r2r@recruitme.ae www.recruitme.ae


Page 2 

Firsty let’s welcome RecruiterME 

magazine to the UAE and Middle 

East. We are the only specialist 

magazine to the recruitment 

industry providing insights, updates, 

latest news and reviews about our 

industry. These coming editions will 

provide our readers with a portal into 

the Middle East recruitment world. 

We will be starting the new edition off 

with insights into what agencies are in 

the region, newcomers to the region, 

interviews with CEOs, directors and 

recruiters reviewing the 2016 market. 

The first issue to the recruitment magazine 

has been greeted with incredible 

enthusiasm. Thank you to everyone who 

took part in this ongoing publication 

and we look forward to giving you the 

best up-to-date news and reviews. 

Q2 we would like to hear from all 

executive search companies, internal 

/ inhouse recruitment teams and we 

will be doing a big section on Qatar 

recruitment world. Read up on some 

useful tips and advice along with social 

ideas for the UAE recruiter’s spare time. 

Please register and contact our team to 

make sure your company is in the next 

issue as we have already started work 

on the Q2 edition. 

For further information, 

contact our team: 

register@recruiterme.ae 

A look at what’s inside 

- Robert Half 

We will be talking with the Director of 

the Robert Half Dubai office. 

Robert Half are one of the leading 

agencies in contingency and 

retained recruitment with a very 

impressive billing team in their DIFC 

offices. 

Sectors from Banking & FS, Legal, IT, 

Accountancy, HR. 

- Recruiter Awards 2016 for UAE 

We would like to welcome the long 

awaited and well deserved FIRST 

Recruitment Awards for the UAE. 

This is very exciting and rewarding 

news for the whole of the Recruitment 

Industry for UAE and Qatar. 

- Q&A with Spencer Ogden 

We had the pleasure to meet and 

interview the new Spencer Ogden 

Country Manager. 

Find out why Spencer Ogden are a 

leader in Oil & Gas / Power & Energy 

Sector. 

- Welcome Core Atlantic to Dubai 

We welcome Core Atlantic to the 

region. Taking a look at how they 

have been so successful in the south 

of the UK with very impressive growth 

within 4 years. 

Phil Ridgwell, Managing Director, 

talks about plans for the UAE branch 

and their core sectors, Construction, 

Rail & M&E. 

www.recruiterme.ae 

www.recruiterawards.ae 


UAE 2016


Page 3 

Five key recruitment 

trends in the UAE region 

Gareth El Mettouri, Associate Director 

The speed of change sweeping across the 

UAE region is having a profound impact 

on the business environment. Companies 

can’t afford to avoid hiring and retaining 

the talent they need to maximise 

efficiencies to stay competitive. 

“ 

80% of HR directors 

find it challenging 

to secure skilled 

professional 

employees 

” 

Businesses are focussed on improving operations 

and maintaining their position in the market. 

Although the regional economy has plateaued in 

recent months, attributed in part to the reduction in 

oil and gas activity, UAE employers continue to fill 

open vacancies and backfill permanent positions. 

As a result, 80% of HR directors in the region find it 

challenging to secure skilled, professional level 

employees today. Almost half (48%) say that the 

primary reason for this is the lack of niche, technical 

experts. 

International impact 

The region’s successful bid for Expo 2020 continues 

As the international economy improves it is becoming 

important for companies in the UAE to prioritise 

retaining key performers while attracting skilled 

professionals with a comprehensive recruitment 

strategy. Competition for the best candidates with 

in-demand skills is increasing and will continue to 

rise particularly in the sectors experiencing growth. 

Strong cultural fit required 

UAE employers are not just looking for finance, 

technology, human resources, legal and 

administration candidates with proven skills, but 

also those with the right cultural fit who can work 

with the rest of the team and mirror the values of 

the organisation. To attract and secure those 

professionals in a tighter skills market, companies 

need to ensure they are offering a competitive 

remuneration and benefits package. 

to drive up optimism for business growth over the 

coming years and this in turn is creating a shortage 

of the best candidates to help take organisations 

forward. 

As international economies, particularly in the United 

Kingdom, Europe and the United States of America 

return to pre-recessionary levels, UAE companies 

are now having to compete on an international 

scale to attract top performing candidates as the 

perceived benefits of relocating to the region for 

these candidates have diminished. 






Page 4 

With the decline in offering of all-inclusive 

relocation incentives combined with rising living 

costs, businesses are implementing training and 

development and career progression opportunities 

of existing staff. This is reflected by the increased 

demand for talent development human resources 

professionals. The resulting supply and demand 

imbalance is seeing starting salaries for learning 

and development managers rise by 7.6% in 2016 

according to the Robert Half 2016 Salary Guide. 

higher remuneration, with 29% citing this as the top 

motivator. Further reasons to leave the company 

include further career advancement (27%), better 

work-life balance (24%), better location (13%) and 

better corporate culture (7%). 

The majority (75%) of finance leaders are offering 

career development opportunities as their main 

attraction strategy for international talent. In an 

attempt to increase efficiencies and facilitate 

growth, it is becoming more important for businesses 

to upskill and develop their current workforce than 

offer all-inclusive relocation packages to new 

foreign finance professionals. 

The rise of M&A activity 

Market observers including PwC believe that 

the Middle East and Africa are on the brink of a 

significant increase in merger and acquisition (M&A) 

deal flow, despite regulatory and cultural barriers 

that will continue to limit activity in some areas. 

M&A activity is predicted to take off the most quickly 

in the education, healthcare, retail and consumer 

sectors, sparking a rise in demand for accounting 

and finance professionals in those markets. 

Market diversification 

The UAE region continues to benefit from its longstanding 

policy of diversification away from oil 

production. 

The construction sector topped a recent list of 

major employers, followed by the business sector. 

The region’s Ministry of Labour commented that 

the business sector made up a quarter of total 

employment and that the UAE’s labour market is 

“heading towards attracting talent and expertise in 

specialised and technical professions”. 

Retention concerns 

As skills shortages continue to bite, HR directors are 

becoming more concerned about losing talented 

professionals to the competition, locally and 

internationally. Almost three quarters (72%) say that 

they are worried about top performers leaving to 

take up other job opportunities in the year ahead. 

HR directors believe that the main reason for 

employees to leave the company is the offer of 

Bearing all of this in mind, it’s more important 

than ever for companies to benchmark existing 

employees’ remuneration packages against current 

industry standards in order to avoid employees 

leaving for new pastures. Additionally, businesses 

should partner with specialist recruitment agencies 

like Robert Half to help improve their recruitment 

strategy in order to build a talented workforce. 

72% of HR Directors are concerned 

about losing employees to other 

job opportunities 

Gareth El Mettouri is the Associate Director of 

Robert Half UAE, the world’s first and largest specialised 

recruitment consultancy. Gareth initially joined Robert 

Half’s United Kingdom offices in 2004 before moving to 

the Middle East in 2009. 

Since setting up operations in Dubai, Gareth has 

lead the team to success having worked with 

local and international organisations from small 

start-up businesses to global FTSE100 and Fortune 500 

corporations. Gareth has built a renowned reputation 

as an expert in local recruiting and market trends 

across the EMEA. 

Founded in the 1949, Robert Half has over 340 

offices worldwide, providing recruitment solutions 

for accounting and finance, financial services, 






Page 22 






Page 6 

An interview with 

Andrew Hesketh 

Country Manager 

Spener Ogden, Dubai. 

I would say now it takes a 

very talented person to do ‘‘ 

a good job in our market 

’’ 

How did you get into recruitment? 

I first worked in construction in the UK and then moved into recruitment covering the same sector I worked within. 

I was approached by an agency we used at the time on site, it was freezing cold, the usual North West UK weather 

in winter and I thought what could be better than working in a warm office. It turned out to be a good career move. 

What made you move to the Middle East? 

I actually moved to the Middle East by chance, I originally planned to move to Perth in Australia as the market 

was booming over there back in 2008. Delivering that news to my parents didn’t go down too well and moving 

somewhere closer was more suited to my family. Dubai was a second choice but turned out to be a much better 

one considering how the economy hasn’t bounced back so well in Australia. 

You have been very successful during your time in Dubai, what’s your secret? 

It’s not very complicated, I made sure I invested my time into things would be more likely to pay off than not. 

Do research before committing to too much work and be persistent. The consultants who have been very successful 

and have a great client base are also the consultants who have worked with a lot of bad companies in the process. 

You always need to test the waters, ensure you know where the cutt-off mark is and when to invest more time. 

a view from the Spencer Ogden offices 

How did the Oil price affect business in 2015? 

The oil prices dropping affected a lot of things, the 

best economists couldn’t tell you what exactly with 

accuracy. It’s complicated Geo-politics. In general 

I think the companies which always diversified 

and didn’t put all their eggs in the Oil basket have 

managed to take the impact. From a recruitment 

perspective, it has affected a lot of people. I 

would say now it takes a very talented person to 

do a good job in our market. Maybe a year ago 

you would expect the same results from someone 

with little experience or enthusiasm. The people who 

work hard and do the right things always come 

out on top no matter how bad the market is. 





Page 7 

What sectors does SO operate in the region? 

We work in a lot of different sectors to stay diversified. Different 

types of energy, infrastructure, Oil & Gas and construction. 

We focus on niches within these markets to ensure we 

have a unique angle when approaching clients. 

What sectors do you see spike in the next few years? 

The next few years is a long time. I imagine the 

upstream sector would bounce back within this 

time. In general I think everything will spike within 

the UAE during this time, this is a great country to 

recruit in. There are many new projects within 

the Oil & Gas space, infrastructure, build etc. so 

I believe in general we will see a lot of good 

things happening within the next few years. 

I hear SO have very quirky offices? 

Our offices are incredible, they are a fantastic 

place to work. The positivity we have and 

enthusiasm from our staff is brilliant. We have a 

view over the Palm Jumeirah, a putting green, 

scooters, bicycles, an Arabic cafe as a board 

room. A great environment for people to work in. 

Happy people work well and I think giving the right 

people a fun and energetic environment leads to 

great things. 

What’s your views on team building events? 

SO do a lot of team building events and we like to celebrate 

success a lot. We have trips to Vegas, Shanghai, boat parties, 

buffet days in the office, office dinners, a lunch club for our top 

performers and this is just to mention a few. 

When people do a good job with SO they are really rewarded 

for it. This all adds to a positive environment where people 

want to exceed expectations. 

Any tips for new recruiters coming to the region? 

I would say choose a business carefully, there are a lot of 

businesses here that don’t give the support and training 

needed. Pick a business with top performers, people to work 

with who will motivate you. 

Choose a company that has core values which match your 

own and pick a place which is fun to work. You will have to put 

in a lot of hours when you first arrive here so the environment is 

really important, it will either make you miserable or inspire you. 

‘‘ 

We have a 

view over 

the Palm 

Jumeirah, a 

putting green, 

scooters, 

bicycles, an 

Arabic cafe 

as a board 

room. A great 

environment 

for people to 

work in. 

’’ 







Page 8 

WE WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME 

TO DUBAI, UAE 

Phil Ridwell 

Managing Director 

In a move that reflects the continuing need for specialist niche recruitment 

agencies and in particular, construction and rail recruitment in Dubai. 

There are multinational agencies covering all sectors but these are not core 

specialists in a given sector. WELCOME CORE ATALNTIC TO DUBAI. 

Core Atlantic Resourcing are a specialist consultancy, offering a wide range of 

services to the Construction, M&E and Rail industries. 

Contact RecruitME - r2r@recruitme.ae - +971 55 896 7459 for further info on these roles 

“Having only started trading in February of 2011, Core Atlantic have quickly established ourselves as the 

supplier of choice for many of the biggest clients in our chosen fields. Our dedicated team of consultants 

focus on both temporary and permanent roles in the UK to provide our clients with solutions to any staffing 

requirements they may have. The vast majority of our consultants at Core Atlantic have worked in their 

respective backgrounds, and so have a wealth of industry knowledge, vital in the application of the right 

person for the right role. Our proven success so early on has come from not only a passion for what we 

do, but also an unrivalled expertise in what we do” 

CONSTRUCTION FM M&E 






Page 9 

With the blueprint of our thriving 

UK business as our guide, our new 

Dubai, UAE office has started with 

the same momentum 

“ 

” 

Ten years ago, Mark Palmer and James Sanders established PSR Solutions Ltd. with the 

grand aim of becoming the UK’s most trusted construction recruitment agency. With 

offices in the Midlands and London, the company is going from strength to strength and 

we’re now seen as a leading agency in the UK having picked up a Recruiter HOT 100 

award and Investors in People accreditation in the last 4 months alone. 

Our aims continue to be as high as our standards 

of professionalism and with the blueprint of our 

thriving UK business as our guide, we are delighted 

to announce the launch of our Dubai, UAE office. 

With the new ‘Taqdeer Award’ launched in 

October 2015 by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed 

bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and 

chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, which 

ranks construction companies by how well they 

treat their staff, now has never been a better time 

to join the construction workforce of Dubai. 

At PSR Solutions we have solid relationships with 

industry-leading construction firms based in the UK 

with operations in the Middle East and also UAE firms 

looking to employ construction professionals ahead 

of the mega infrastructure and tourism investments 

scheduled over the coming years. Projects might 

include building the next UAE super-structure for 

example. 

With Expo 2020 Dubai just around the corner 

closely followed by the country’s Golden Jubilee 

celebrations, there are over 25 million visitors 

expected, 70% of whom will be from overseas, 

to share in the themes of Mobility, Sustainability 

and Opportunity. The global event launches 

a sustainable vision for decades to come and 

highlights the progressive aspirations of the country. 

There has been AED30bn invested in the hotel 

and tourism industries, the drivers behind major 

construction investment, and analysts project a 

Compound Annual Growth Rate of 9.5% to 2016. 

We recognise that our candidates are the enablers 

for our clients. Without them, our clients would not 

be able to win business, meet targets and go on 

to grow into the industry-leading organisations that 

they are today. I firmly believe that recruitment 

agencies must take a sincere and committed 

interest in their candidates’ careers if they are to 

succeed. In the same way as I value every team 

member in our own organisation, I also understand 

that without the right team of construction 

professionals our clients’ businesses will not be in a 

position to take the lead ahead of their competition. 

PSR Solutions have always invested heavily in our 

highly specialised consultants arming them with the 

very best recruitment tools in the industry as well as 

unrivalled training in time-established techniques. 

Mark Palmer 

International Director, MENA Region, PSR Solutions Ltd. 






UK leaders in construction recruitment 

opened its doors at the new Gold Tower offices 

Page 10 

Award-winning UK based construction recruitment company PSR Solutions, opened its doors at the new 

Gold Tower offices in Dubai at the beginning of the New Year, heralding the start of an exciting new 

phase of success for the business. 

Mark Palmer, International Director, MENA Region, has established a robust team of consultants to provide 

comprehensive recruitment services to the construction industry in the Middle Eastern region. With over 15 

years’ experience and an unrivalled network of industry contacts, Mark’s vision is to lead the Dubai office to 

equal levels of success seen in the UK operation. 

Helping him achieve this, are internationally experienced senior recruitment consultant Paisley Julienne, 

specialising in the interior design and fit-out industry and Saeed Deria, who brings over a decade of experience 

to PSR Solutions. Having forged a high-calibre career path en-route, Saeed recruits to some of the region’s 

most prestigious projects and has exceptional expertise within the Middle Eastern contracting market. 

Mark Palmer sees the next 5 years in Dubai as a turning point that 

will place the city at the forefront of global business spearheaded 

by Expo 2020. Mark says, “PSR Solutions offers a unique combination 

of recruitment methodology and expertise that is proven to help 

both clients and candidates succeed beyond expectation”. 

The foundations of PSR Solutions’ success are deeply embedded in 

its ability to offer clients a full range of services, from a proven mix of 

recruitment techniques to an ongoing aftercare program. Its goal is 

to go beyond customer expectation and never deliver anything less 

than the highest levels of satisfaction. 

Mark Palmer 

Email: mpalmer@psrsolutions.com 

Mobile: +971 52 974 9553 

www.psrsolutions.com 

www.psrsolutions.com 

Construction recruitment specialists, PSR 

Solutions’ Gold Tower office, DMCC 






Page 11 

TAKING A LOOK INTO THE 

CONSTRUCTION 

WORLD IN THE MIDDLE EAST 

TOP 10 BIGGEST PROJECTS RUNNING 

IN THE UAE / MIDDLE EAST 

IN AT NUMBER 10 - Dubai Frame 

The project comprises a 150m-high, 93m-wide structure 

being built which will be a huge picture frame. 

The Dubai Frame is located near the Star Gate games and 

rides area of Zabeel Park, the frame will boast panoramic 

views of Old Dubai from one view and the skyline of New 

Dubai from the other view point. 

The $43.5 million project is reported to be completed early 

2016. 

IN AT NUMBER 9 - Museum of the Future 

Launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al 

Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and 

Ruler of Dubai, Museum of the Future, will house some of 

the world’s latest inventions and will be a cornerstone of the 

emirate’s focus on innovation. 

An expcted cost of around $200m, due to be completed 

2017. 

The circular-shaped building will be located next to the 

Jumeirah Emirates Towers near Dubai International Financial 

Centre (DIFC). 

IN AT NUMBER 8 - Dubai Islands 

A 15.3 square km waterfront city, Deira Islands paves the 

way for hundreds of new hotels, serviced apartments, 

mixed-use buildings and marinas. 

Featuring four islands, the project’s host of attractions will 

include a large shopping mall; an Arabic souk-style night 

market, an amphitheatre for 30,000 people and a marina 

that can accommodate large yachts. 

While, three hectares of the project – which is scheduled to 

be completed by Q3 2018 at a cost of $150 million – will be 

dedicated to hotels and resorts. 

IN AT NUMBER 7 - Aladdin City 

Dubai Municipality has started the implementation of the 

New Aladdin City project in the middle of Dubai Creek. 

The project, which is inspired by the well-known tales of 

Aladdin and Sinbad, will feature three towers, comprising 

commercial and hotel space, spread over a distance of 

450 metres, air-conditioned bridges with moving floor to 

connect the towers, driveways and parking lots. 

So far there are not costs published for the project. 

IN AT NUMBER 6 - Dubai Water Canal Project 

The $545 million Dubai Water Canal Project will transform Business 

Bay and connect the area with the Arabian Gulf over three phases 

that are set to complete October 2016. 

The project will boast a shopping centre, four hotels and 450 

restaurants as well as luxury housing. 

It is expected to provide new areas measuring 80,000 square metres 

for public places and facilities – as well as private marinas for boats 

and a new trade centre at the entrance of the canal. 

The canal itself will measure six metres deep, while bridges will be 

built eight metres high to allow the passing of yachts and marine 

craft. 

IN AT NUMBER 5 - Dubai Theme Parks 

Dubai Parks and Resorts remains on track for an October 2016 

completion date with $1.03 billion cumulative project expenditure 

at the end of June 2015. 

The resort will feature three theme parks including Motiongate Dubai, 

Bollywood Parks and Legoland Dubai – as well as a 60,000sq ft stage 

that will hold Bollywood-themed performances. 

Rides and other main attractions have started arriving at the park 

over the course of this year. 






Page 12 

IN AT NUMBER 4 - Al Mamzar Beachfront 

Emaar Properties and Dubai Municipality’s mixed-use beachfront 

development in Dubai’s Al Mamzar district is expected to be 

completed by Q4 2018. 

The project, which stretches over 9,000,000 square feet, will have 

4,000 residential units, 300 hotel rooms, 250,000 square metres of retail 

amenities and 3.5km of walking tracks covered with plantations. 

Planned around the 53 hectare Al Mamzar Lake, the beachfront 

project is expected to have a preliminary cost of $2.72 billion. 

IN AT NUMBER 3 - Al Habtoor City 

The $3 billion Habtoor City, scheduled for completion in 2016, will 

feature three top-rated hotels – managed by Starwood Hotels and 

Resorts Worldwide (St. Regis, Westin Dubai and W Dubai Sheikh 

Zayed Road) – as well as three luxury residential towers. 

This mega-development, which will be situated on a 10 million 

square foot plot on Sheikh Zayed Road, will comprise dining venues, 

a French-inspired garden, an iconic Las Vegas style aqua theatre 

and the world’s first Bentley café. 

IN AT NUMBER 2 - Bluewaters Island 

The AED6 billion Bluewater Island, located near Jumeirah Beach 

Residence, is set to be one of the largest tourist hotspots in the world. 

Set to attract an estimated three million visitors per annum, the island 

will have the Dubai Eye – the world’s tallest Ferris Wheel. 

The project will also comprise retail, residential, hospitality and 

entertainment zones – as well as housing a boutique five-star hotel. 

IN AT NUMBER 1 - MBR City - District One 

The $10 billion Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (MBR) City – 

District One, will handover the first and second phase of villas in mid- 

2016 and mid-2017. 

Reaching 1,110 acres, MBR City – District One includes a 7km stretch 

of Crystal Lagoons, the world’s largest artificial beach and a 14km 

boardwalk. 

Located within minutes of the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall, the ‘super 

luxury’ District One project is spread over 440 hectares, with more 

than 60 percent of the total area being allocated to green and 

open spaces. The low-density project boasts a 7km-long ‘Crystal 

Lagoon’ for swimming, kayaking and other activities. The project will 

also feature 14km of artificial beach walk and 8.8km of cycling and 

jogging track on the periphery. 

District One, which is scheduled to be completed by 2018-2019, will 

also feature entertainment, retail and hospitality offerings. 






Page 13 

Vishal Patel 

Divisional Manager 

MENA Region 

2015 brought rapid shifts in business. From volatility in the Chinese markets to precipitous 

drops in the price of oil, businesses faced uncertainty. 2016 promises to continue advances 

in cloud computing that have helped a variety of organisations better correlate data within 

ERP, BI, and CRM. 

Interpro People has a unique perspective on the continued expansion of enterprise apps 

across the world, as a multi-national niche recruitment business, specialising in Enterprise Apps 

(EntApp), digital, and technology categories. Operating for 25 years, with over 100 specialist 

recruiters in 8 offices across 4 continents. Interpro’s EntApp division looks after SAP, Salesforce, 

Oracle, MS Dynamics, and others. 

The development of enterprise apps has been evident in the Middle East. Interpro Dubai’s Vishal Patel, 

an enterprise apps specialist who has worked in a variety of markets including London and Dubai, says 

the growth is coming, “as senior stakeholders involve themselves in the decision-making process on 

applications like SAP, Oracle & Dynamics.” 

Enterprise applications are a key recruitment point 

for many large, global organisations. The uniformity 

of the software means that there is a large potential 

pool of specialists who can help adapt the complex 

packages to the needs of a business. The challenge, 

says Interpro’s Oracle specialist Jamie King, is that not 

all of the talent can be locally sourced. “Sometimes the 

skillsets required for niche positions do not exist locally 

and I will have to extend my search abroad into more 

mature markets.” The sentiment is seconded by Petar 

Manakovski, who says “Two-thirds of hiring managers 

say they have struggled to attract candidates with the 

right hard skills, technical knowledge or experience.” 

“The development 

of enterprise apps 

has been evident in 

the Middle East. 

Growth is coming” 

Lacking access to that talent can cause some significant 

issues. Manakovski says, “A lack of appropriate specialist 

staff could hamper efforts to increase productivity, turnover and profitability, preventing the company 

from reaching its full potential.” The problem is not limited to the UAE, and the solution is one Interpro 

has been employing globally for over 25 years. Explains Manakovski, “It’s not about the availability of 

talent as much as it is about finding the right person for the job. Many employers are only considering 

‘active’ job seekers, when they should be tapping in to the wider candidate pool where the passive 

candidates are.” 






Page 14 

A passive candidate is someone who has all of 

the skills required for a position, however they are 

not actively looking. Manakovski says, “From the 

candidate side, the major difference is the fact 

that there are a lot of active candidates that will 

take on any role regardless of the organisation, 

location, carrier progression if the salary is right.” 

This creates a risk for employers because they 

don’t know if they’re making an investment in a 

person who will move on in a few months if an 

increased salary is offered elsewhere. By focusing 

on passive candidates, you are using a wider 

pool to find candidates who may be more stable. 

Dubai was a maturing market in 2015, something 

all three consultants agreed would continue in 

2016 as more mid-to-large organisations build 

internal enterprise application teams. Some 

of the growth is due to increased adoption of 

cloud-based technologies and new releases in to 

the market. Says King, “This will be a busy year as 

more organisations are increasing their budgets 

to develop bigger and better Oracle centres 

of excellence.” Manakovski says, however, that 

new releases will encourage development. 

“New versions of CRM 2016 and especially AX 

7 are going to be released this year. AX 7, with 

the new cloud services, have huge potential 

and have already attracted a lot of interest from 

large, well-known conglomerates within UAE and 

Middle East.” 

Ultimately, Patel thinks that growth will be limited 

by the people to run the platforms. “Within the 

SAP space more and more organisations are 

looking for skilled professionals who are able to 

turn-around failing transformation, optimize ERP 

environments, and are able to drive change 

management.” 

Hiring departments are increasingly challenged 

to determine if a person is able to do a difficult, 

highly-specialised position. Interpro specialises 

in finding niche candidates, says King, and 

that’s useful in a constantly-changing world 

of enterprise apps. “Being niche allows us to 

understand the market to a degree where we 

can dig in to candidate experience to ensure 

that they have a good understanding of the 

technology. The candidate, of course, has more 

nuanced technical expertise however a high 

percentage of my candidates are found through 

referrals. The technical aspects are generally 

backed by the referees.” 

There are many areas that are still developing 

and required in the market. Vishal Patel says that 

job seekers should brush up on, “SAP, Oracle and 

Dynamics as three key markets, and job seekers 

should look to understand the business, the 

processes, and engage stakeholders. These can 

contribute extensively to the candidate’s success 

in gaining a new and rewarding position.” 

A need for technical expertise is something 

echoed by Petar Manakovski. “The market is 

good, there is a lot of demand, and it is crucial 

that job seekers are always up to date with 

the latest versions and certifications as this is a 

moving market. Every year, new versions are 

being released from Microsoft so, to be on the 

top of the game, you have to keep up with the 

technology progression.” 

Clients are telling Jamie King that they want 

a strong communicator as well. “Any large 

company in the UAE is likely to have a high number 

of different nationalities and cultures. The diversity 

is great, however tailoring your approach based 

on the stakeholder and audience is something 

that should be taken in to account more often.” 

Cloud-based ERP, BI, and CRM systems are going 

to continue to be developed in the UAE. The 

technology is helping businesses better use the 

data they’re collecting. Because the platforms 

are emerging and constantly updating, finding 

people who are well-versed can be difficult. 2016 

and beyond will offer a great deal of opportunity 

for both businesses and specialists. 

To find out more about Interpro, our methodologies, and the work we’re 

doing across the globe, check us out at http://InterproPeople.com 







We are delighted to announce the FIRST 

annual Middle East Recruiter Awards 

NOVEMBER 2016 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR TO BECOME A SPONSOR PLEASE CONTACT 

register@recruiterawards.ae

We would like to welcome the long anticipated and well deserved 

UAE / Middle East Recruiter Awards, partnered with RecruiterME the 

UAE / Qatar Recruitment Magazine. 

This very exciting black-tie gala is something that has been missing for so many years 

in Dubai. Many of us have attended numerous awards in Dubai over the years via 

client invites. Now finally it’s the recruiters turn. We work extremely hard winning 

new clients, pulling vacancies and resourcing month after month, now we have 

something to shout about, now we have recognition for all our individual and team 

efforts. 

SO, WHO CAN ENTER: 

You will be a Recruitment Agency, RPO, Contracting Manpower Agency, external 

In-House Recruitment team in UAE and Qatar. 

WHY ENTER YOU MAY ASK: 

• Have your agency on the map in the region and promote your brand 

• Have your agency awarded for excellence in front of all peers 

• UAE Recruiter Awards branding to promote achievement 

• To be an integral part of raising the Middle East Recruitment standard 

CATEGORIES 

We have a vast exciting range of categories which will include: 

• Best new agency of 2016 

• Best boutique agency 

• SME agency of the year 

• Multinational agency of the year 

• RPO agency of the year 

• Best construction & engineering 

• Best banking agency 

• Best executive search firm 

• Plus many more exciting awards..... 

We will be bringing in only the best C level Judging Panel who 

are proven career professionals, CEOs, business leaders and 

financial experts in the Middle East region. 

name to be confirmed 

CELEBRITY 

H O S T 

NOVEMBER 2016 

register@recruiterawards.ae


Page 17 

ANPOWERSUPPLY 

LUE&WHITE COLLAR 

ONTRACT 

ECRUITMENT 

APABILITIES 

Epic Recruitment Services 

(ERS) is a UAE Governmentregistered 

recruiting and 

manpower supply service 

company focussed on support 

to the Oil & Gas industry. 

ERS is part of the Abu Dhabi 

Supplies & Commercial Services 

(ASCS) and Gulf Supplies & 

Commercial Services (GSCS) 

group of companies and is 

based out of Abu Dhabi City. 

Abu Dhabi Supplies & Commercial Services 

(ASCS) and its sister company Gulf Supplies 

& Commercial Services (GSCS) are regional 

construction, sponsorship and service providers 

to local GCC Government, United States (US) 

Government and major prime contractors and 

local commercial companies throughout the Gulf 

States and in Iraq and Kyrgyzstan. Founded in 1991, 

ASCS/GSCS had 2012 sales of over US$100M. 

The company provides construction work and 

support for the government customers at Al Dhafra, 

UAE, Al Udeid, Qatar and Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar. 

ASCS/GSCS also sponsors foreign companies 

working in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, 

Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq and Kyrgyzstan. A leader in 

the technical services and manpower business, 

ASCS/GSCS Third Country, Western and Local 

national employees provide the skilled workforce 

requirements for GCC Government agencies/ 

ministries and for major defence and services 

companies operating throughout the Middle East. 

ASCS/GSCS fleet management is a large and 

growing performance segment of the company with 

over 3000 vehicles under active lease throughout 

Southwest Asia. 

With headquarters in Abu Dhabi, UAE the company 

has over 2,000 employees operating out of 

registered offices in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, 

Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Oman and Qatar. Most work 

in the Middle East is performed under the name 

of GSCS; however, work performed in the UAE is 

accomplished under Abu Dhabi Supplies and 

Commercial Services (ASCS). Recruitment services 

are now addressed under manpower supply 

services as now provided by Epic Recruitment 

Services. 






Page 18 

RECRUITMENT SERVICES 

OIL & GAS INDUSTRY EMPHASIS 

To address the rapidly expanding requirements of the 

oil & gas industry in the United Arab Emirates, Epic 

Recruitment Services (ERS) is one of a select group of 

UAE government registered and licensed recruitment 

companies. ERS is charged with supporting crucial 

mission requirements for labourer, semiskilled, skilled 

and specialist workers. 

CLIENTS 

ASCS/GSCS and Epic Recruitment Services 

customers include the following recognized 

industry and Government clients: 

From inception, Epic Recruitment Services has the 

experience, management systems and processes and 

corporate expertise to recruit; provide sponsorship, life 

support and transport for any mix of skills and any 

size of workforce needed throughout the Emirates. 

EXPERIENCE 

ERS is equipped with two years of direct and 22 

years of acquired experience recruiting, training, 

supporting and providing specialist work forces to 

commercial and government clients throughout the 

Gulf. Current seconded work forces are comprised of 

a wide variety of functional and trade skill areas to 

include: 

Barge Construction Crew 

Diving & Subsea Crew 

Offshore Engineering 

Barge Crew 

Draftspersons 

Power Plant Operations 

Building Maintenance 

Emergency Medical 

And Maintenance Techs 

Technicians 

Technicians 

Supply & Logistics 

Carpenters 

Engineering Staff 

Technicians 

CE Engineers 

Fire Fighters 

Technical Qualified 

Civil Engineering 

Grounds Keepers 

Personnel 

Technicians 

HVAC Technicians 

Transportation Workers 

Construction Workers 

Licensed Electricians 

Waiters 

Culinary And Food 

Light, Medium And Heavy 

Welders 

Services Personnel 

Equipment Drivers 

Custodial Personnel 

Marine Crew 






Page 19 

WORLDWIDE CAPABILITIES 

Epic Recruitment Services operations capabilities span the oil & gas industry; technical services and 

operations and maintenance; vehicles and fleet management services; catering and food services, 

warehousing & logistics, fire department services, ambulance/EMT operations and prime and 

supplementary power generation. 

Principle areas of operations are throughout the Middle East; Iraq, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan. We are 

connected to a broad network of trusted supplementary labor providers throughout the Indian 

subcontinent and in the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Myanmar. 

MISSION 

Satisfy current and future oil & gas industry workforce requirements and vet, select and provide the 

right people for the job at competitive prices. Commit to continuous improvement in all facets of operations 

Provide full customer satisfaction not just as a goal but as an essential requirement for all ERS operations. 

VISION 

Be the preeminent supplier of customer focused workforces for the Oil & Gas Industry throughout the 

United Arab Emirates and beyond. 

Epic Recruitment 

Services 22 years of 

recruitment and 

manpower supply 

performance 

history in the UAE 

and throughout 

the Arabian Gulf 

serving local and 

International 

Government and 

Commercial 

RECRUITMENT SERVICES 

Tyler Ensign - Key Account Manager 

Tel: +971 2 644 6822 

tyler.e@ascsgulf.com 

www.ascsgulf.com 






Page 20 

TECH, F&A RECRUITMENT SPECIALISTS 

JCA Associates main 

focus has always been 

around technology 

recruitment, which has 

been complimented by 

Engineering and Finance 

+ Accounting Divisions in 

the last 2 years. Currently 

working with both Multi- 

National and Regional 

organizations, we hire Mid 

to Senior level professionals 

across EMEA from offices in 

Dubai and Johannesburg. 

John Armstrong is the Founder 

and Managing Director of 

JCA Associates with over 15 

years of Technology recruitment 

experience in EMEA. Prior to 

JCA, John headed up the 

Telecom recruitment division 

of Greythorn in the UK before 

moving to Dubai to set up their 

office in 2007 where he has 

lived ever since. 

Over the last 8 years of living and working in the UAE I have 

noticed that the recruitment sector has come come a long 

way - in 2007 some companies were hiring from abroad on 

the strength of one telephone interview with very mixed results but 

after the downturn of 2009 a lot of these candidates were going 

back to their home countries. Since then, HR departments and 

Hiring Managers have become much more sophisticated in their 

recruitment processes with Psychometric testing, multiple interviews 

and reference checks becoming part of the hiring process. 

As an ISO certified company this is something that we actively 

encourage, with human capital at the heart of all businesses hiring 

the right people is essential. 

2015 has seen its challenges across all industries in the Middle East 

with a falling Oil price and regional tensions in certain countries, 

but as a whole we are still seeing growth and investment in this 

part of the world. What has changed this year is a higher sense 

of uncertainty which has in some cases resulted in a much longer 

recruitment process due to additional approval processes etc, 

but we have had a very busy Q4 and have made a number of 

placements right up until the final days of December. The Energy, 

Banking and Construction industries seem to have faced the 

most challenges this year but this hasn’t had a huge effect on our 

business. We have had some very positive growth in our company 

this year, with some highlights being around the people we have 

hired and the clients we are working with. As well as welcoming 

Grant Tarbet back to our business as a Regional Director for Africa, 

we have recruited James Barber; an Ex-accountant to head up 

our F+A division and Michael Toms to our Tech team who have 

all been great additions to the team. We have also made our first 

On-Site Recruiter placement with local telecom Operator Du with 

whom we are working very closely with. 

Going into to 2016 and beyond, we anticipate continued and 

steady growth in most sectors with a number of new clients looking 

to set up operations in the region – we are currently working with a 

number of tech companies right now with aggressive growth plans. 

JCA Associates are looking to grow its’ business in Africa and APAC 

as well as continued expansion of our client base in the GCC. 

A number of our customers have had their Middle East operations 

merged with either Europe or APAC, and with experience in both 

we are able to support growth in these regions. More locally, Saudi 

Arabia is a country that is facing huge challenges with budgets 

being put on hold across a number of projects, but one hopes that 

business there will pick up in H2. Iran is a country which is seeing 

vast opportunities for foreign investors thanks to recent legislation 

and we are already seeing a demand for talented professionals 

there. Here in the UAE there is clearly a lot of optimism around the 

upcoming Expo and 2020 vision which is bringing with it a large 

demand for new talent, so as we get closer to the event this will 

clearly intensify and we hope that this growth is sustainable. 






Page 21 

The Buzz around Talent in the UAE Never Stops 

ARTICLE BY Ali Matar - Head of LinkedIn MENA, LTS - Jan 2016 

The UAE is often seen as the most active 

labour market in the MENA region, and 

it has topped LinkedIn’s rankings of the 

countries that attract the most talent for 

two years in a row. While this year’s rankings have 

yet to be announced, we have been looking 

at our data and have found some interesting 

insights into where people are coming from 

and where they’re going to, and which industry 

sectors are gaining and losing the most talent. 

There has been a huge cultural shift in the 

average longevity of talent in the UAE. Years 

before, expatriates from Arab countries, South 

East Asia and the West moved here for the long 

haul, often spending their entire careers in the 

region, until retirement saw them move back 

home. Today, many professionals move to the 

UAE for a short career stint, as a way to build 

their international experience and expertise, 

or as a stepping stone to a more permanent 

expat life. 

So where are these professionals coming 

from? Asia continues to be the strongest 

supplier of talent for the UAE, with nearly half 

of all professionals coming from this continent. 

People from other Arab states moving to the 

UAE for their career account for less than a fifth 

of all incoming talent. 

And if they aren’t building 30-year careers 

in the UAE, where is this talent moving on to? 

Down under, apparently. The percentage of 

talent migrating to Australia from the UAE, by 

percentage of net movement, stands at a 

staggering 94.83 per cent! 






Page 22 

All these professionals updating their LinkedIn profiles can also help 

spotlight the industry sectors that are attracting the most talent. In 

the last quarter, the sector that gained the most talent was the 

Oil and Energy sector, accommodating nearly a quarter of all 

incoming talent. This was followed by the aeronautical, automotive 

and transportation sector, which closely follows the increased 

investments in these areas that we are seeing in the UAE. 

The law of nature says that where there is gain, there must also 

be loss, and we have found that some extremely competitive 

fields are hiring less talent than previously. This could be due to 

migration, new job opportunities, or even due to organizational 

restructuring. Industries that are hiring less than this time last year 

include telecommunications, technology (software), government, 

education, and the not-for-profit organisations. 

The rankings of source and destination countries and of the industry 

sectors are by no means a statement on the effectiveness or 

success of these sectors, but they are an accurate reflection of the 

ebbs and flows in these sectors. 

Our exploration into the movement of talent on the LinkedIn 

platform shows that the UAE is a mature and dynamic labour market. 

There have been a number of policy-level and organizational 

decisions that have helped establish the nation as a premier talent 

destination, not just in the region, but across the world. 

Ali Matar 

Head of LinkedIn MENA - LTS 






Page 23 

‘‘ 

Respect that an 

HR Manager has 

more than just 

recruitment going 

’’ 

on in their day 

We speak with a senior HR Manager on their recruitment consultants & agencies 

“Hi, it’s (uae based recruiter) from ‘X’ Recruitment Company in Dubai. I just wanted to 

tell you why we are the best agency in Dubai and why we can help you with ALL 

your recruitment vacancies”........ 

I hang up after my brief introduction to the fourth ‘best recruitment firm in Dubai’ that morning, fully expecting 

another 3 or 4 that afternoon all proclaiming that the world would be a better place should I choose to give 

all my vacancies to that recruitment agency on exclusivity. 

Back in the UK I had heard the same sales techniques day in and day out – the difference there though...... 

Recruiters were as grey and bland as the rainy day outside. So bleak, lifeless (especially on a Monday 

morning!). Now in Dubai there is usually a cheery soul on the end of the phone, more often than not a 

fellow Brit so we can have a good chat about our home towns and life in Dubai. From my experience with 

recruiters here in sunny Dubai most seem to enjoy their jobs, want to be calling, looking to converse and 

eager to assist, some actually do deliver very quickly. They get the repeat business. 

Over the course of my years here I have been assisted by various recruitment firms and unlike back home 

I can honestly say that I don’t have issues with many – we are all in the same boat here as expats after all. 

As an HR Manager I regularly call upon the services of a select 2 or 3 recruitment consultants and it becomes 

a friendship based on delivery & easing my duties and stresses. Well planned work allows recruitment 

consultants to do what they do best and earn some excellent commission for their hard sourcing. 

SO HERE ARE SOME DOs AND DON’TS FOR RECRUITERS IN THE UAE: 

HR LIKES 

Be positive on the phone 

Send a follow up email with your details 

Respect that an HR Manager has more than just recruitment 

going on in their day – wait for feedback, don’t follow up 5 

minutes after the interview 

Establish how the HR Manager prefers to communicate. As 

Gen Y we use text / email / even whatsapp occasionally – not 

everyone has time for regular phone calls throughout the day 

HR DISLIKES 

Have candidate bias – push the candidate that’s best for the 

job not the one who mean a higher invoice/comms to you! 

Make false promises 

Be pushy or create false urgency to meet your monthly target 

Read from a script on your intro phone call 

Not knowing your sector/industry inside and out. If you are 

going to call yourself a SPECIALIST. Make sure you are! 






Page 24 

15 Important Factors to Success 

in Recruitment and Outsourcing 

It is not easy to stay in the same company for 

a period of fifteen years “neither to get started 

from scratch as an administrative employee to 

become an Executive Manager nor to increase 

the number of employees throughout fifteen 

years from 5 to over four thousand.” 

I have lived through all this as a reality, “As a success 

story with Reach Company for Employment 

Services through fifteen years.” 

I will try to brief some of the important factors 

behind this success that have made this dream 

come true within fifteen years. Reach Employment 

Services has become one of the largest and most 

reputed companies in the United Arab Emirates. 

In short: 

Dedication: The success of the first group which was 

handled by our founder devoted himself to work hard. 

Working hard to build and develop the company and 

increase its projects is the main objective of all the 

employees. 

Building trust, loyalty and dedication among the employees 

which made them feel as stakeholders of the company. 

Sense of belonging, not only to the company, but also to 

UAE that gave us the opportunity to work on its home soil, 

land of good and giving. The company’s management 

have never thought to make a good fortune and leave. On 

the contrary, we have and still strive to provide excellent 

services to do our duty as a private sector company and 

to be part of the success story of the United Arab Emirates, 

which has become a magnet for the world’s business. 

The government sector – focusing on this sector gave us 

more exposure to stabilize and expand our portfolios. 

Client – by understanding the nature of each institution 

and their role in UAE we strive to give a personalised service 

while maintaining high levels of professional performance. 

Transparency – we developed a clear vision among the 

customers through contracts and job offers. 

Compliance with the law as the laws of the Ministry of Labour 

and the UAE are the constitution ruling our company. We 

abide by these laws in our relationship with our employees 

and clients, which made Reach Employment Services one 

of the leading companies abiding by laws in the UAE. 

Creating a professional teamwork. We have developed the 

concept of “More than a work place environment”. In order 

to give our employees a feel of home/family atmosphere. 

Managing the relationship with the outsourcing employees 

with full transparency. By informing the details of the 

outsourced employee’s contracts and our clients which 

has reinforced their confidence. We have also considered 

our outsourcing staff as our employees and clients. At the 

same time (the employee is treated as a client), making 

them as our best representatives. 

Humanitarian dealings with the needs and requirements of 

our permanent or outsourcing employees. 

Caring for customers while understanding their needs and 

work nature. Establish our strategic partnerships with them 

on the concept of permanent partnership not profit and 

loss. 

Within Reach Employment Services, we have adopted to 

take responsibility for the mistakes made by managers and 

management, and try not to make them the responsibility 

of our young employees derived from our believe in the 

partnership in decision making and responsibility. 

Granting administrative and financial support operations a 

special interest among directors, management and follow 

all of which enhancing the company’s ability to overcome 

the administrative and financial challengers that hinder 

development. 

Development of a special concept to deal with (lowincome) 

outsourcing employees because they are (the 

most important) employees in our company. Due to their 

inability to deal with work-life difficulties, we decided to 

open all the doors to meet with them and follow up their 

affairs as this made us able to deal with employees of 

different salaries ranging from 2000 AED up to 250,000 AED. 

“Within Reach Employment Services, our development is the 

result of our own concepts of excellence in providing services 

for our employees, clients and our staff who work overseas. This 

is how we achieved our success, and we will continue to strive 

towards further success” 

Maher Hussain 

Executive Manager 

Reach Employment Services – Dubai 






Page 25 

WE TALKED TO SIX 

RECRUITERSNEWTOMIDDLEEAST 

Like all of us here in Dubai, we all were newbies to the Middle East 

recruitment region at one stage. One of the most important pieces of 

advice given was “keep your head down and work very hard for the first 

6 months, Dubai is not what you know, it’s WHO you know”. That could 

not be a truer statement. 

Moving to Dubai from another region (in most cases the UK) is very hard 

professionally and also personally. We have spent years building our business 

networks and work within the safety net of our career to date. But moving to 

Dubai / Middle East all that hard work is gone and you have to now start a 

brand new life, new clients, new candidates along with new work colleagues. 

You need to actually work harder than ever. 

Now having seen many recruiters come and go, recruiters getting out of 

recruitment once they get to Dubai. To make an impact from day one you 

need to be confident and pick up that phone. Call, Call, Call. Dubai is a softer 

sell, not as cut-throat as UK / London. No gatekeepers really here. 

Remember that there are another 50 recruiters doing your sector so you need 

to stand out, work faster, work smarter, be PROACTIVE. You cannot afford to 

be reactive or you will find you only get the vacancies that the Tier 1 agencies 

could not fill and clients have been trying to fill for over 3-5 months. They are not 

clients or roles you want to be working on. 

LinkedIn is your best friend from day one in your new recruiter role. You want 

to be adding like crazy. HR Admin, HR Managers, HR Directors for your client 

side contacts then all your relevant industry sector connections for candidates. 

‘‘ 

Don’t 

become 

an email 

recruiter 

Pick up 

the phone, 

make the 

calls 

Work 

Smarter, 

Faster 

’’ 

Generalist Recruiter 

Banking Recruiter 

Oil & Gas Recruiter 

FMCG Recruiter 






Page 26 

Once you have connected with at least 2,500 

UAE connections you have started to build a 

good network. REMEMBER DON’T BE AN EMAIL 

RECRUITER. Reverse engineer your client contacts, 

pull the leads off LinkedIn and make the calls, a 

LinkedIn message is far too easy to delete, you want 

the new client to remember your name, hear your 

voice, arrange a face to face. Granted LinkedIn 

messages are professional in their capacity but 

you need to become a faster, smarter recruiter as 

50 other recruiters will be emailing or LI messaging 

that client, so be different. 

Set up LI groups also to increase your visibility. 

Make sure once you know your market, write 

regular factual, informative and to-the-point 

blogs / articles. 

TOP 5 CHALLANGES YOU 

MAY COME UP AGAINST 

WHEN STARTING YOUR NEW 

RECRUITMENT ROLE 

The agency may not have a database, or 

very old data. The likes of Huxley, Progressive, 

Robert Half are all exceptional examples of 

strong up to date databases due to their KPIs 

and targets. 

No PSLs signed up with major players or PSLs 

out of date with zero billing history with clients. 

Lack of recruitment job boards. 

Weak brand name in the market. 

Broken client relationships with agency. 

Getting on PSLs can take time so don’t be 

disheartened. In the Banking, Legal, Oil and 

Gas sectors it could take up to 8 months to get 

onto the PSL as you need to get sign off from the 

procurement departments NOT line managers. So 

in some cases there will be no quick wins. In this 

period you need good spot business as you don’t 

want to be a cost to the business after month 4. 

Rule of thumb is 6 months bedding in period for 

new recruiters into the region as any Director 

who actually knows the Recruitment World here 

in Middle East will have factored that into your 

development. In very rare cases an agency may 

give you 3 months to bill or ....... 

BILLINGS 

Your first year of contingency recruitment in Dubai 

you should be looking at achieving 500,000 AED 

to 700,000 AED in Year 1, thats if you are an 

experienced recruiter AND if you are working 

for a strong brand in the region. The latter would 

denote a very good start to your UAE recruitment 

career. 

Year 2 - 600,000 AED 800,000 AED 

Year 3 - 800,000 AED 1.2M AED 

Year 4 - 1.2M AED 

1.5m AED 

If you are billing over 1 Million AED per year you are 

regarded a strong billing recruiter and really this is 

the industry standard. Billings under this is deemed 

below par. In Executive Search sectors you would 

be looking to double these figures with some Exec 

Search professionals billing in the region of 3M 

AED - 5M AED. This has been done yes! 

BIG BROTHER TALKING... 

A combined word of advice to all newbies, work 

comes first. Socialising comes at the weekends. 

Dubai recruitment world is all about networking 

but try NOT to make your networking on TUESDAY 

(ladies’ nights) This is a huge common factor to 

why recruiters fail and simply do not bill. 

Construction Recruiter 

Oil & Gas Recruiter 

Keep focussed on why you came to Dubai - TO 

PROGRESS YOUR CAREER, TO LEARN AND TO MAKE 

MONEY. 

Keep true to these values and you will find yourself 

Manager even in Director positions within 3 or 4 

years. 






Page 27 

Expected trends within 

recruitment in 2016 

James Collin, Head of Cobalt’s Dubai 

office, gives us his insight into the 

key trends for the financial services 

recruitment market in 2016. 

Financial markets fuelled by confidence 

There is a lot of talk around oil prices being 

low, property prices falling, a slow down 

in China, interest rate rises by the Fed and 

saturated debt markets. However, the key 

thing to remember is that markets have 

always been cyclical and everything has 

a tendency to be exaggerated in Dubai. 

Too much confidence was poured into 

market sentiment last year and the end of 

2014 and, conversely, too few are taking 

a balanced view right now. I believe that 

the end of 2016 will bring good news for 

investors who will take advantage of lower 

asset values and higher interest rates to 

get a higher rate of return by the end of 

the year. 

Candidate driven markets will continue to 

thrive for specialist recruiters 

At Cobalt, we have deliberately built a 

specialist recruitment business in all of our 

global offices that centre on notoriously 

candidate short markets and key areas for 

specialist skill sets. In 2016, the demand for 

these types of candidates from our clients 

across Banking, Finance, Procurement, 

IT, Construction and Professional Services 

shows no signs of slowing down in any of 

our core markets. In fact competition for 

global talent remains stiff and we spend an 

increased proportion of our time on new 

and innovative candidate attraction and 

management strategies that help us to 

attract the best candidates for our clients. 

Quality is paramount 

As in 2010, when market conditions 

were more challenging in financial and 

recruitment markets, only good quality 

firms and recruiters flourish. At Cobalt, we 

have focused more and more effort on 

maintaining the quality and integrity of 

our business in recent years and, despite 

the challenges, Cobalt has doubled in size 

in the past 5 years. This year sees our 15th 

birthday. From the beginning, our core 

values have always centred on delivering 

high quality results for our clients and 

candidates. 

The 4th Industrial Revolution 

The Digital age is upon us! Clients, 

candidates and the recruitment industry 

generally have embraced the move 

towards digital with social media and 

online advertising used by all. An 

understanding of exactly how to maximise 

digital tools in recruitment is a must for 

recruiters. In addition, companies are 

striving to maximise their brand and service 

opportunity within the digital landscape to 

align brand, marketing and operations. 

The acquisition of talented individuals 

within this space has been a priority for 

Cobalt’s IT division in the UAE in the past 

year. 

Looking ahead, I anticipate that the 

majority of 2016 will be a challenging year 

for those recruitment firms, and businesses 

generally, that do not have the quality 

to survive in a tougher market. However, 

there will still be great opportunities for 

smart companies and individuals. 

About Cobalt 

Cobalt is a leading international search 

and recruitment provider to the Financial 

Services & Accounting and Property, 

Construction & Engineering sectors. It 

has offices in the UK, Europe, Middle East, 

Asia and New Zealand and recruits at all 

levels from recently qualified professionals 

to Board Directors on a permanent and 

interim basis. 

James Collin 

Head of Cobalt - Dubai 

T: +971 47 046 106 

E: jcollin@cobaltrecruitment.com 






Page 28 

Senior Project Manager 

Sector: Construction 

Location: Dubai 

Salary & Package: 45,000 AED p/m plus package 

A vacancy for a Senior Project Manager with global established main contractor based in Dubai, 

managing luxury complex construction projects within the building and commercial build sector. 

Applicant must have extensive project management experience with contract management, planning, 

cost and delivery management. Excellent salary and package. 

Operations Manager 

Sector: Oil & Gas 

Location: UAE 

Salary & Package: Negotiable 

Responsible for planning, organizing, directing and managing all shop related activities and functions. 

Ensures that all customer manufacturing and repair requirements are met. Ensures that contract specific 

manpower / tooling costs are maintained within acceptable levels, that product quality is maintained 

and agreed delivery schedules are met. Ensures compliance of safety rules as well as company policies 

and procedures. The position has 10 to 15 direct reports (circa 160 indirect). This position reports to the 

General Manager. The Manager interacts with various other departmental managers within the facility 

to ensure the effective functioning of all workshops. 

Casting Specialist (Beam Plant) 

Sector: Metals 

Location: Abu Dhabi 

Salary & Package: 42,000 AED p/m + Schooling + Medical 

Steel Casting Expert with strong exposure in Beam Blank Casting Process and production improvements. 

The Casting Specialist is responsible for all aspects of Casting Operations. This includes the functioning of the 

combine caster and overseeing of all the semi product solidification process. The Casting Specialist is also 

responsible for maintenance, production and coordinating the consumables and trials management. 

Project Manager 

Sector: Power Generation 

Location: Saudi Arabia 

Salary & Package: $20,000 - $25,000 p/m + Flights + Medical 

Short Description: Representing the owner on engineering and constructed related matters associated with the 

construction of a large, $bn+, multi-disciplinary EPC project. You will be accountable for the planning, execution 

and commissioning of the project. This will involve directly leading and managing a team of Lead and Senior 

Engineers. You will be the focal point for the client on all matters related to the project. Candidates must have a 

Bachelors Engineering Degree and 20 years’ experience in the construction and/or operations of power plants. 

Previous experience in the Middle East will be a distinct advantage. 






Page 29 

Recruitment Vacancies 

CURRENT RECRUITER VACANCIES - UAE & QATAR 

IT RECRUITMENT SENIOR RECRUITMENT CONSULTANT 

We are looking for a very experienced IT Recruitment senior who has 

minimum 3 years UK or UAE and IT Recruitment Agency experience. 

Working for one of the strongest and biggest billing agencies in Dubai. 

BASIC PACKAGE: 

22,000 AED - 30,000 AED 

MORE INFO 

OIL & GAS SENIOR RECRUITMENT CONSULTANT 


20,000 AED - 28,000 AED 

We are working with one of the strongest Multinational Recruitment Agencies in Dubai. 

My client is looking for strong proven UAE exp Oil and Gas Recruiters. Can be outside UAE ie. UK, Australia, Asia. 

The role comes with a very strong Basic & Comm’s plus a huge name in the market... 

MORE INFO 


CONSTRUCTION BILLING TEAM LEADER / BILLING COUNTRY MANAGER 22,000 AED - 35,000 AED 

This is a very rare role working for a new agency to the region. The agency head office is based in South of 

the UK. Already over a 20 million sterling business and growing extremely fast due to amazing success. 

We are looking for a Team Leader or Manager, you MUST be billing from 800,000 - 2M AED 

last year and prove billings. In return full support, equity and exceptional package. 

MORE INFO 


IT & TELCO SENIOR RECRUITMENT CONSULTANT 

20,000 AED - 24,000 AED 

We are looking for an experienced IT Recruiter or Team Leader (but you MUST be a biller). 

minimum 12 months UAE and IT Recruitment Agency experience. 

My clients will consider IT Recruiters outside the Middle East. But MUST have IT Rec exp. 

MORE INFO 


Construction Senior Recruitment Consultant 

18,000 AED - 25,000 AED 

Fit Out, Build, Civils, Architectural & Design RECRUITERS urgently required for Multinational and SME 

Recruitment agencies in Dubai. 

Will consider Recruiters from UAE, Qatar, UK or Australian markets. MUST be proven billers! 

MORE INFO 


Facilities Management (FM) Recruitment Consultant 

18,000 AED - 23,000 AED 

We are looking for a very experienced Construction Recruitment / Senior Consultant. 

This is working for a massive name in Dubai and across the globe. 

You MUST be based in Middle East and have worked on the Consultancy side in Construction. 

MORE INFO 


Legal Senior Recruiters / Team Leader & Billing Managers 

22,000 AED - 32,000 AED 

Are you a Recruiter with minimum 2 years LEGAL RECRUITMENT BACKGROUND. Ideally you would be based 

in Dubai with UAE billings behind you but we realise this is hard to come across so will expand our search. 

Will consider Recruiters from UAE, Qatar, UK or Australian markets. Middle East is preferred. 

MORE INFO 


Banking & FS Senior Recruitment Consultants 

22,000 AED - 28,000 AED 

My client is based in DIFC, Dubai. Exceptional offices and team here in Dubai. We are looking for experienced 

Recruiters who have Banking and or Financial Services Recruitment Background. Ideally billing over 800,00 AED 

last year. This role is willing to paying a very good basic starting package with again strong 

Comm’s. My client is signed up with huge PSL’s so able to get running & billing quickly. 

MORE INFO 


Banking & FS RESOURCER / RESEARCHER 

12,000 AED - 14,000 AED 

My client is based in DIFC, Dubai. Exceptional offices and team here in Dubai. We are looking for experienced 

Recruiters who have Banking and or Financial Services Resourcer/Researcher Background. Ideally you would have 

been working under a Banking and FS Recruiter. Knowledge or sourcing into this sector is very 

important. MUST have some sort of Banking or FS Resourcing background within Recruitment. MORE INFO 

r2r@recruitme.ae www.recruitme.ae +971 55 896 7459 






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