Vista Cards
From time to time we promote products on QatarVisitorJobs.com, and we particularly like products which are free.
Bayt.com, for example, and Monster.com both offer free services to job seekers – they make their money from employers.
One we noticed recently was Vistacards.
Vistacards offer free business cards and even a free business card holder. Business cards are a great way to promote yourself if you are already in Qatar. However, when we checked out the reviews of Vistacard not everyone was happy with them.
Some users have complained about a high shipping charge, but even worse other users claimed they have been scammed – with money being taken out of their bank every month.
Not everyone is unhappy, but you will have to make your own mind up! To see the reviews check out Vistaprint reviews on Ciao.
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Tags: vistacards
Best time to look for work in Qatar
During the summer months, Qatar goes a little bit dead.
As the heat soars (it was 50 degrees when I left for my holidays!) everybody who can leaves the country.
This year the summer months have been combined with Ramadan. Ramadan means a shorter working day for many businesses, and many non-essential jobs get put off until after the Eid holiday.
When are the busy times? We’ve noticed two in the past.
One after Eid, and one in September after the holidays. With Eid taking palce this month, the second half of September should be a great time to look for work!
Getting ready
Here’s a few things you can do to get ready:
Brush up your CV and application letters – or get professional help with your CV.
Make a checklist of employers to approach – you can use our Qatar employers list to help you.
Upload your CV – here are few places you can start:
QatarVisitor Jobs
Bayt.com
Monster Jobs
Brush up your interview skills!
Good luck!
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Keeping your job in Qatar
As the summer holidays come to an end, we focus on how to keep your job in Qatar once you have got it.
Over the years we have seen many people lose their job – and not all because of incompetence. Very often, how you act outside work can affect whether you keep your job, and indeed whether you are allowed to remain in the country.
For the full article, see How to Keep Your Job in Qatar.
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Comments competition
The winner of last weeks’ competition is Dave McDade.
Here is his translation of what the job seeker said:
“I want to find an rich idiot employer with room for one more greedy, lazy employee!”
He won because he made us laugh.
The answer we were looking for was that the job seeker was entirely focussed on himself – when he should be entirely focussed on the employer.
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Win a free t-shirt…
A terrible jobs statement…
Here’s a paragraph that I spotted on a jobs board.
Can you spot what’s wrong with it?
I want a job that will not pressure me. A job that can provide me a salary that is enough to support my needs. A part time job that will not collect any fees.
Best comment gets a free QatarVisitor.com t-shirt!
(You’ll need to either leave your email address or monitor this post for the announced winner so we can contact you if you win!)
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Tags: free t-shirt, job statement
The Perfect CV
Picture this.
I am sitting at a desk with 250 CVs in front of me.
I am bored out of my mind, but I have to choose the best CV.
I go through them one by one. On each CV I spend seconds. Suddenly I stop.
One CV stands out. One CV is different. One CV is outstanding.
Is that CV yours?
If your CV is getting you interviews you can stop reading now.
And if your CV can compete against others which are professionally rewritten, you probably don’t need any advice!
But if your CV is not getting you interviews, then it is not good enough.
And if you can’t make it good enough, you should consider getting a professional rewrite.
The CV Centre
Many of our readers have asked us to provide a CV rewriting service.
They know that the cost of having a CV rewritten is a tiny fraction of what they can earn in Qatar.
That’s why we teamed up with the CV Centre to provide a professional review service.
Tricks of the trade
The secret of The CV Centre service lies in knowing how to make your CV standout.
Standout so that when an employer goes through 250 cvs, spending seconds on each one, yours is the one he will choose.
CVCL will write and rewrite your CV until you are 100% happy with that CV.
The service is risk free – because if you are not happy, you get all your money back.
Visit the CV Centre to learn more about their services – because you need your CV to be the best.
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Tags: CV, cv centre, CV Rewrite
How long do employers spend on your CV?
Not long ago we spoke to Sharon Gardener of Nexus, hoping to glean information from a lady who has over 30 years of experience in recruitment.
One of the issues we explored with her was CVs.
And Sharon told us with hundreds of applications per post she would spend an average of two minutes per CV.
Of those that applied with their CVs, only 5% would get to an interview.
To catch an employers interest, your CV has to stand out.
And to get you an interview, it has to match the requirements of the job.
Does your CV stand out?
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Tags: CV
What can you earn in Qatar?
How much can you earn in Qatar?
This is a question we get asked all the time.
We have written before about the general salaries you can get in Qatar, in terms of the lowest and the highest.
However, when it comes to a specific person we just can’t say.
Salary depends on factors such as:
- your industry
- your qualifications
- your experience
- your nationality (we know this shouldn’t matter, but it does)
- the company employing you
However, if you would like to get some idea of the salary you might expect, check out payscale.com.
(Warning – it’s quite a long, detailed process, but they will be able to guestimate your likely salary better than we could!)
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Tags: tools
Tough Interview Question
You’ve been in an interview for twenty minutes and it seems to have been going well.
Suddenly the interviewer stops and asks you:
“What if I were to tell you that so far the interview has gone terribly?”
Stay calm
The question does not reflect reality.
The interviewer is testing your ability to think – and to think quickly.
(Of course, if you are like us you cheat by swatting up on interview questions prior to your interview!)
Chance to gain bonus points!
At the same time, this is a chance to gain bonus points.
Most people will struggle with this question (I know I would, if I hadn’t prepared for it!)
By coming up with a calm, quick and measured response you can really impress your interviewer.
Response
Your response would probably depend on your personality.
If you were brave and good at carrying a joke (like Charlotte, who runs our jobs board), you might want to reassure your interviewer.
“I would disagree. I think you have done an excellent job so far.”
I would go for a straighter answer.
“Well, I would suggest that you are testing my ability to respond to a difficult question under pressure.
“And I would tell you that I liked the question, because I like a challenge and I like the chance to show that I can respond under pressure.”
Over to you
How would you answer this questions? And what difficult questions have you been asked in the past?
Also see:
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Tags: interview question
Four more ways to improve your application letter
My friend is looking for a new job and asked for my help in writing his covering letter.
I thought it was worth sharing the experience with you. Here’s how my friend benefited from working with a colleague:
1. Getting a second opinion
Although my friend has years of experience in his work, and is a native English speaker, working together we still found grammatical errors, and numerous areas where phrasing and vocabulary could be improved.
I think it is really important to spend time with another person working on your application letter – you will almost always find errors which can be corrected.
2. Being specific
My friend mentioned in his application letter that he used ICT.
“Anyone can say that,” I pointed out. “But you have actually used ICT in a specific way. Tell them exactly what you have done.”
So we changed it from a general but meaningless statement to a specific use of ICT which demonstrated his skills – which would help him stand out from the crowd.
3. Focusing on the company
The huge advantage for my friend is that I used to work in the company he is applying to.
Of course, we used that to personalise the application. We mentioned that my friend knew regular workshops that took place, and he feels this would be valuable to him.
You may not always have a friend who has worked there (although sometimes with a little bit of research you can find someone who has worked there) but you can always personalise your application to the place you are applying for.
Look at their mission statements, annual reports and details on their website – what are they proud of? What do they think they do differently to everyone else? Tell them what you think makes them stand out from the crowd of similar employers.
4. What you can give
After we had re-read his application letter, we realised that it was too focused on him and not enough on what he could give.
Employers care more about what a person they have never met can give their company than about the person.
By focusing on their needs rather than yours you can quickly score bonus points.
We rewrote several paragraphs to express what my friend could offer to the company, rather than why the company would be right for him.
Over to you…
Have you got any application tips you can share?
And how do you think you could improve your application letters?
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Tags: application letter
