Dubai Employment Tips

Job Description:

Primarily positions in the customer service industry, banking and finance jobs in Dubai include this position in their list because in most cases, banks and financial services companies here do not outsource these positions to the customer service industry. Many financial companies choose to build an in-house team of telemarketers to handle their sales activities.

Duties:

• Sales-calling. This is primarily the task performed by telemarketers. Often, they call prospects who do not have account with the bank yet and encourage them to use their services. Often, if they are selling to employees of various companies, they push for Checking/Savings Accounts (CASAs), credit cards or loan products.

• Information Handling. Often, as telemarketers go about doing their sales calls, prospects would bombard them with questions pertaining to various aspects of business. As they handle their phone calls, telemarketers act like human FAQ specialists, explaining options, policies and other related information to clients.

• Documentation and Recording. As they go about their sales calls, telemarketers update their CRM databases and write reports on each phone call. When they succeed in making a sale, i.e., when clients agree to open an account with the bank, telemarketers collect relevant client information to effect such account openings and forward these to account managers for follow up.

Qualifications:

• Education- Some college is a common requirement, although experience in customer relations or client services is given more weight in the selection process.

• Technical Skills. Experience in the customer service industry is often a requirement, along with familiarity with any Client Relationship Management (CRM) applications. Excellent English communication skills is a must. Unless specified as a primary qualification, spoken Arabic is a core advantage.

• Other Requirements – Patience, professionalism and forbearance are necessary attributes required of most telemarketers. Stress-management skills would also be helpful as the job would generally be stressful. The Dubai market does not like telemarketers any less than the American or European market does.

Salary Range:

AED 3,500-8,000, often on salary plus commission basis.

Employers’ Description:

Banks and other financial services companies, including real estate and mortgage firms requiring telemarketers are generally developing business in the Dubai market. Often, these are Middle East branches of foreign financial services firms who are looking to penetrate the Dubai market. In established banks, telemarketers are required to generate sales and expand the bank’s market by offering additional financial products to existing clients.

Job Description:

This position is not unique to the banking industry even if banks are the only firms offering daily mercantile services that bring about a huge daily transaction volume. Other financial services firms offering quasi-banking functions such as Western Union for money transfers, also hire tellers.

Duties:

• Deposit/Payment Processing. Typically, bank tellers accept deposits, pay checks, receive associated payments and claims either for the specific client account or for third parties.

• Over-the-Counter Transactions. Exchanging foreign currencies, issuing of traveler’s checks, receipt and recording of loan payments on a per-transaction basis is also part of a teller’s job description.

• Specialized Tasks. Recordkeeping, tracking and reporting may also be required of tellers at the end of each day, depending on the type of transactions they process.

Qualifications:

• Education – At least a high school diploma is required but banks would prefer applicants with some college or graduates of associated courses looking for entry-level positions. In most cases, banks will offer training courses for new tellers as part of orientations to have them be familiar with internal control systems. Credit units earned in training on related fields would be a huge advantage.

• Technical Skills. Proficiency with computers and office machines is a requirement as tellers work with these on a daily basis.

• Other Requirements. Attention to detail is a must. Excellent organizational skills is also important.

Salary Range:

AED 3,000-4,500

Employers’ Description:

Banks are the primary employers of tellers. Depending on the size, a bank may hire one teller for specific functions or could hire one to do multiple teller functions. In larger banks, it’s not uncommon to have one teller attending to deposit accounts and other processing payroll checks and still another, taking care of third-party payments. In any case, vault tellers perform specialized functions and the position is often given to more experienced tellers.

Job Description:

This position is often with financial services companies. In many cases, these job titles are for several vacancies because the financial services industry in the Middle East is targeting the young professionals who man workforce. Especially in Dubai where the workforce is largely foreign, companies do not, as a rule, offer 401Ks and retirement plans. Financial Advisors’ jobs in Dubai are basically that – helping the working population with their personal financial goals and creating personal wealth.

Duties:

• Business Development. Financial advisors are responsible for account origination, whether that be loan or investments. This type of business development does not involve cold selling as there will be no pushing for any services. Advisors basically explain client options under specific circumstances, and may, in most cases, give an opinion as to the best option.

• Communication and Coordination. As clients make their financial and investment decisions, the financial advisor make sure client instructions are carried out effectively. They coordinate with brokers and communicate client loan and or investment decisions, monitor market conditions and communicate these with clients.

• Trend Monitoring. Financial advisers work closely with various market elements. As such they play a vital role in monitoring the market and play large roles in the financial decisions of their clients. Banks and financial services companies rely on their team of financial advisors to define organizational goals in strategic planning sessions

Qualifications:

• Education – Financial Advisors in Dubai are required to at least have a Bachelor’s degree – a Master’s if they’re screening for a senior position – in a finance-related field, e.g. Banking and Finance, Accounting, Finance Management). In specific industries, such as the mortgage industry, there may also be specific additional educational requirements pertaining to state laws and regulations and industry practices.

• Technical Requirements. – Unlike Wall Street, this position in the Dubai job market does not necessarily require special licenses, although professional licenses such as a CPA (US) or a chartered accountants (UK) professional license is a definite advantage. Experience in the financial services, banking, mortgage and other related industries are a key factor in this position.

• Other Requirements. – Familiarity with accounting and investment systems is a given. Experience in the customer service industry is an excellent advantage.

Salary Range:

AED 5,000-25,000

Employers’ Description:

Banks and other financial institutions in the financial services industry build a team of professionals with varying degrees of talent, expertise and experience to suit the range of client needs they attend to. These companies serve the entire spectrum of the market from middle class expats to wealthy UAE nationals to domestic and foreign businesses.

Job Description:

Client relationship management requires excellent people skills, on top of familiarity with the banking and financial services industry. The job is basically fostering and maintaining a solid business relationship with commercial businesses and individuals with very high net worth. This also requires a high degree of adaptability, willingness to do research and understand the peculiar needs of clients in short amounts of time.

Duties:

Client Management. Client Relationship Mangers are charged with developing and fostering long-term relationships with the bank’s existing commercial and individual clients. They’re the point person for specific client accounts, working closely with clients’ account managers, finance directors and financial decision-makers. This function generally calls for making sure client demands are met.

Account Management. CRMs manage and expand client portfolios, making sure the clients’ needs are met and attended to right away. The goal in this function is mainly to help the bank’s senior managers supervise client activities as they generate more income for both the client’s and the bank’s accounts, balancing the risk-return trade-off, as the client uses more of the bank’s services. Also, Relationship Managers provide expert support to self-trading clients.

Internal Administrative Functions. CRMs collaborate with other branches to analyze and assess client business practices and participate in planning customized client services. This function serves the bank more as it gears toward providing a total range of services to meet the demands and needs of their biggest clients.

Qualifications:

Education – CRMs are required to have at least a Bachelor’s degree relating to business management, but preferably in the Finance and Accounting fields. This educational requirement is a must as the banking and financial services industry is a highly-specialized field; education is a primary requirement for understanding the industry.

Technical skills – Basic MS Office applications is a given. Experience with finance software and database is an excellent advantage. Those with experience in the Customer Service industry will also have a huge advantage.

Other Requirements – Aside from being tech savvy and intelligent, CRMs are flexible individuals who are highly adaptive and possess excellent communications skills. They’re caring professionals who are patient and go through the extra mile to explain a client’s options and guide them through the intricacies of financial decision-making.

Salary Range:

AED 4,000-20,000 monthly, the range due to varying levels of experience and competence.

Employers’ Description:

Both banks and financial services companies have a team of relationship managers to develop further business with existing clients. In the Dubai job market, this position is often thought of as part of their sales team. Often, CRMs are out in client premises, effectively bringing the bank and its services right at the client’s doorstep. This position is often created to provide total convenience to clients.

Job Description:

PA jobs in Dubai that would specifically or alternatively be called HR assistants are support positions to the Human Resources Director’s office. Depending on the HRD’s delegation preferences, HR assistants provide support services for a specific employee group/type (e.g., laborers in a construction firm), or for a specific HR function (e.g., recruitment and hiring). HR assistants would largely perform professional functions but may be required by the HR director, their direct supervisor, to carry out tasks of a personal nature.

Duties:

• Typing and translation of HR-related documents, usually appointment contracts for staff. In the Dubai and UAE job markets, the person holding this position would be working closely with the company PRO for paperwork relating to Employment & Residency visa sponsorships for employees.
• Sourcing and sorting of CVs and applications filed with the company. HR assistants normally handle company CV-receiving emails or online databases for CV submissions. They would also be collating those CVs and applications they receive from walk-in applicants or those sent in through mails and faxes. Especially in industries with very high turnovers such as the Customer Service industry, HR assistants classify and tag each CV for a specific department and makes sure the active file is appropriately trimmed and pruned.
• Coordination and Scheduling. HR assistants book applicants for interviews and tests, informs them of the schedule and briefs the candidate for what to expect when they arrive for an appointment. Because many jobseekers in Dubai are non-residents, HR assistants are responsible for making sure applicants are given a clear set of directions on how to get to company locations. If located in restrictive or exclusive buildings or areas like Free Zones, HR assistants are also the responsible for paperwork relating to requirements for receiving guests to the zone.
• Receiving official correspondences from employees. When employees have complaints or suggestions or any issues that need to go through the formal communication process, HR assistants are in charge of receiving such communications. In this function, a basic knowledge of labour laws and company policies relating to employees would come handy. Often, employees would not know which form to fill out or how to file a certain type of request. HR Assistants help them resolve these questions.

Qualifications:

• Education – A Bachelor’s degree is a basic requirement; one with concentration in Human Resources Management or Accounting is often an edge.
• Language Skills – Excellent oral and written communication skills is vital in this position. Often, companies would prefer a bi-lingual individual for this position; that’s not necessarily Arabic-English. Depending on the nature of the business, some companies would hire Mandarin-English speakers, or even those who speak Urdu or any other Asian language. Obviously, English skills is a must.
• Technical Skills – HR Assistants are also expected to be proficient in MS Office applications – Word, Excel, Powerpoint. In the Dubai job market however, familiarity with online CV or resume portals or basic internet skills would give you an advantage. As you may be assisting in the management of an HR database, familiarity with an HR-specific information system would also be very attractive to employers.
• Other requirements – Experience is often required. Basic familiarity with Dubai and UAE labor laws is a competitive advantage. Familiarity with the recruitment, hiring and retention process may also be required along with an understanding of compensations and salary schemes.

Salary Range:

AED 3,000-5,000

Employers’ Description:

Companies with separate HR departments are the employers of HR assistants. These are multi-national corporations, usually with regional Middle East and Africa operations or a global presence in all five continents. Besides these large businesses, construction companies importing labor from India, China and other Third World countries would need HR assistants for coordinating issues and paperwork with this foreign workforce.

Job Description:

The administrative assistant position is very similar to an Office Assistant; the difference is only in the emphasis of administrative support services required of Admin Assistants. Much like Office Assistants, Admin Assistants are required to have a general knowledge and understanding of office management. Admin Assistants primarily report to Office Managers or Administrative Coordinators in a firm.

Duties:

• Sales, Accounting and Administrative support. Administrative assistants in Dubai often provide office support to Sales and Marketing teams who are often out on business. Often, it is an admin assistant’s job to generate leads, handle phone, fax or email queries and set up meetings for onsite visits. Admin Assistants also take care of the backend – follow up calls, minutes of meetings with clients, drafting and screening of contracts, forwarding and receiving of invoice, including releasing of checks to various suppliers.
• Documentation and filing. Administrative Assistants are basically in-charge of documenting company and staff activities especially relating to clients and suppliers. In addition to the logs, documents and filing similarly required of Office Assistants, Admin Assistants manage supplier, customer and prospect database systems.
• Technical support. Administrative assistants help with the preparation of presentations, quotes and all other documents for internal and external purposes. Although the Office Manager or Administrative Coordinator is their direct supervisor, administrative assistants are lent to various teams as the need arises.

Qualifications:

At the very least, top-notch Administrative Assistants would have the education and technical skills of an Office Assistant and the flexibility of an executive-level PA.

Salary Range:

AED 2,500-4,500

Employer’s Description:

Most Dubai businesses, regardless of size hire an administrative assistant. In small enterprises, you’d often encounter the terms, secretary cum receptionist, or accountant cum secretary and similar combo titles to denote an administrative assistant’s position. For medium to large businesses, the job title is pretty straightforward. In any case, these businesses look for someone with excellent multi-tasking skills.