Project Saj: Update

Name Saj Ahmad
Age 29
Occupation Insurance sales for Royal Bank of Scotland
Relationship Single
Goals To live and work in Dubai and to cope with the emotional transition of moving abroad

At what stage am I?

With the help of my career coach, I have put together a CV, which I now feel represents me, my career history and core skills. The process with the career coach has been great in helping me to work out what I really want in terms of a career. It has made me think about what I actually find rewarding in my work and I now have a much clearer picture of the types of jobs I will be going for. This has taken quite a lot of time, but the process has been invaluable as it has given me clarity and the confidence to move forward and look for the kind of jobs I really want to do.

The Plan

So, the plan is to make a trip out to Dubai in April. I’m hoping to spend two weeks out there, mostly having interviews/meetings, which I should have lined up before I go and to spend a few days in the sun getting to know the place to see if it is somewhere I can call home. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and research to learn more about the local culture and brushing up on my basic Arabic, so that I can really make the most of this trip.

Job-hunting

As I am happy with the company I currently work for, it would be great to get a job in Dubai with them. There are opportunities out there with my existing employers, so I am working on getting myself into a strong position to make some speculative inquiries. This, for me would be the ideal result as it would give me stability at a time when my life is being turned upside down. It would also mean that I could keep working for a company that I am happy with.

In addition to this I am looking at making speculative applications to businesses in Dubai, both through recruitment agencies and directly to the companies themselves. These applications will form the main part of my job search. I am currently looking at companies I want to work for and seeking out individuals to make applications to. I am researching recruitment agencies on the internet; there are so many and it’s hard to know which ones to trust, so if anyone out there has any advice it would be welcome.

I also have a few tenuous contacts, friends of friends of friends kind of thing. So this will form another part of getting a foot in; hopefully I will get some meetings through these people too.

I want to be as busy as possible, meeting people, learning about industry, business and Dubai itself when I make my trip in April.

Friends and family

It’s great that so many people have been so supportive (if slightly shocked) that I’m embarking on this path as I don’t think that I could do it without them. I’m really excited about what the future might hold for me, and they are too.

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