Qatar is known to be one of the richest countries in the world, being one among the countries having the highest GDP per capita globally. It has also become one of the most sought-after destinations for career growth among the Gulf countries. The reason being, the job market of this country relies heavily on expats or foreign workers for the growth of the economy. It has been reported that 94% of the workforce and 86% of the population is composed of expats or migrant workers. The most important industries for jobs in Qatar for the expats are education, energy, construction, media, recruitment, finance, tourism and hospitality.
Let us discuss below how expats can design their CV and cover letter to apply for jobs in Qatar
Rule #1 Resumes are not accepted in Qatar
An important requirement for any job search is your resume or your CV. However, to apply for jobs in Qatar, you should use a CV and not a resume. While a resume gives an overview of work experience and educational qualification, in brief, a CV gives a detailed and more in-depth profile of your work, experience, and qualification. While a resume is usually designed in a single page and is popular in the US, a CV is designed in 2-3 pages and popular in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Rule #2 Format the CV in the same way as used in the UK and European countries
You CV to apply for jobs in Qatar should include the following:
- Contact Information which includes your name, phone number, address, and email address.
- Next comes your professional experience arranged in chronological order with your present experience at the top. This should include the job title, company name, date of joining and your job profile and achievements.
- After your professional work experience, mention your educational qualification, with your recent education at the top. If you are Fresher or still in your college or a junior executive with just 2-3 years of experience, then your education should come before your work experience.
- Don’t forget to give brief information about certificates and diplomas, any special honors and achievements received during the course of your education and work.
- When you apply for jobs in Qatar, it is very important to mention the languages that you know to read and write. For an expat, this becomes all the more important because most companies in Qatar will prefer to hire employees who know both the local language and English.
- Indicate your expertise in computer skills if you have any
- Lastly, mention your personal interests, your hobbies, sports, and other activities.
Also read: Avoid the top 10 interview mistakes
Some important tips
- Your CV should be concise with all the relevant points as mentioned above
- Use a simple font, like as Times New Roman (12 font) or Arial (10) font on a standard paper size
- Print copies on high-quality paper, and send original copies and not photocopies.
- Your CV should look neat and clean with appropriate spaces in between
- Be careful of the spellings and grammar
- Highlight sections of importance with underlines or make them bold
- Do not sign or mention the date on your CV
- This should be a base CV for you. Tweak the content as per the requirement of jobs in Qatar that you have applied for.
Rule #3 A cover letter is a must to apply for jobs in Qatar
Once you streamline or shortlist the jobs that you want to apply in Qatar, it is necessary to have a cover letter accompanied with your CV. Your cover letter should be of 1 standard page size. Your cover letter to apply for jobs in Qatar should include the following:
- The header which should include the sender’s address, the recipient’s address, and the date followed by a salutation
- Next, state the position of the job applied for to catch the company’s attention.
- Highlight the main points (skills, experience, qualifications etc.) of your CV in brief in the body part of your cover letter. Make sure it includes some points that are as per the job role applied for and why you feel you are suitable for the role.
- Lastly, sum up the cover letter with a thanking note with your signature on it.
Once you have prepared your CV and cover letter in a professional manner, start your job search in Qatar. Apply for jobs in Qatar as per your interest, qualification, and experience.
