Dubai Salaries, Salaries, Salary Guide, UAE jobs, UAE salaries

Offshoring operations overseas combined with an increasingly competitive jobs market, has left many professionals considering opportunities abroad. So what value is gained from international experience?

Stand out from the crowd. CVs with international work experience stand out. Employers appreciate the independence, personal resourcefulness and problem-solving skills necessary to work abroad. Particularly if you have sought the opportunity yourself.

Understand new business cultures. Working in a country that has a strong connection with your industry can add an incredible amount of value to your CV. Working abroad can also give you an understanding of other cultures, values and different ways of doing business. Surrounding yourself in a foreign work setting is very different from dealing with colleagues from other countries on the telephone. Even a relatively short period of time spent abroad can be very valuable to your career. In the case of the Middle East you might be expected to operate in an Arabic speaking environment and also a more profoundly Islamic business community.

Acquire new skills. Learning a new skill or developing an existing skill is often easier in a new environment. Picking up a new language or learning new processes can be an invaluable benefit of working overseas and are often skills that can be used back in the UK.

Gain new contacts. An assignment abroad can quickly help build your professional network. Nurture relationships with colleagues, you never know where a contact may lead and who they might be able to refer you to for future jobs. The blue chip multinational job market in particular has become increasingly globalised and a diverse network can provide short cuts to career development.

Earn money. UAE is tax-free. This means that in the top earning bracket you can take home up to 50% more than you would at home. If you are coming to the stage of your life when saving is more important than spending, the Middle East could be an even more attractive proposition.

Lifestyle change. Working abroad can often offer a different lifestyle, and sometimes a greater work-life balance. In addition, it can give you the chance to explore new interests. It may even take you on to another contract or permanent role there or in another country. In the UAE, the average annual rainfall is 4.7 inches, on par with just one wet afternoon in Manchester, so if you are a SAD sufferer it could be your gateway to a sunnier disposition and an outdoor lifestyle.

Choosing to uproot and work abroad can be a big decision, plenty of research is essential before taking the leap. If the timing is right it can really develop your career opportunities.

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Unsurprisingly, our roundtable event also led us to discuss how to be sure when you think you’ve found great talent. I was curious to see how this question would be answered by each of the Creative Directors amongst their peers. Any junior out there trying to impress at their next interview should read on:

Peter Bidenko of Leo Burnett got the ball rolling on this one, indicating that at the junior level he’s more focused on enthusiasm. “The more senior they are the more I want to probe into how strategic they are and what they have actually done.”

Mark Bamfield former long termer at TBWA and new ECD of Y&R Jordan had this to offer, “Can they think? Take them out of their comfort zones and challenge them to think and articulate new ideas.”

Similarly, Ben Knight ECD OgilvyAction Dubai is also looking for people who can demonstrate their own creativity; “People that can talk comfortably about a good piece of work lets you know they came up with it.”

Mark Bamfield continued with the same theme, “I like to just hear people talk about their work. Putting the website and portfolio aside – we need to revert to getting them to describe an idea as well as show it.”

Adding to these views, Ryan Reed of Y&R went a step further to talk about the type of individual he looks for; “It’s about the personal side as much as about what’s in their portfolio. I want to know what inspires their creativity. Without personal there’s no passion. In some ways I like to see potential over achievement.”

Tim Styles the new ECD at The Agency, Doha and former CD at M&C Saatchi London confirmed the importance of personality, concluding “It’s about two things: energy and curiosity. I want to see people show a burning interest in something. It’s about character – an unwritten rule for creatives. People that creep up on you with hidden depth are preferable to those who are trained and overt. I prefer people who are like truffles-it ain’t obvious.”

I hope that has given the next Frank Lowe amongst you a few tips…

Creative, creative director, ECD, Executive Creative Director, Leo Burnett, M&C Saatchi, Ogilvy, TBWA, Y&R

Welcome to the first of a series of three posts taken from a recent roundtable dinner event that we held with a number of our clients in the creative industry. Our first topic for discussion was opportunities for women in advertising.

Noticing the gender imbalance around the table over dinner, Ryan Reed, ECD at Y&R Dubai noted that gender prejudice in advertising is a “non-issue” citing Nadine Ghoussoub, current Y&R General Manager as evidence of this.

In addition, Ms. Komal Bedi Sohal, a Creative Director at Y&R Dubai is one of the regions most awarded and innovative creatives. She won a Gold Lion at Cannes this year thus proving that Middle Eastern women are receiving the highest accolades on advertising’s biggest,  global stage. Check out her work! http://komalbedisohal.com/”

However, Adam Obeid, Regional Creative Director of JWT Dubai pointed out; “The demands of the region dictate the gender bias.  The biggest market in the Gulf is KSA and we all know the challenges of hiring females in that part of the world.”

A German senior creative living in the Gulf commented from her experience working in Cape Town, London and Dubai: “Women have to work harder in this region to achieve recognition.”  As a recruiter specialising in this market, it is undeniable that there are few women in the market, particularly in senior roles but that raises another interesting point  voiced by Peter Bidenko, Executive Creative Director, Leo Burnett Dubai, “The work-life balance in advertising makes is difficult for some mothers to stay in the industry.”

After recruiting solely for advertising roles in the Gulf, I have never worked with a company that would prefer a male candidate over a female candidate.  The only time gender has been relevant is within KSA where this is a cultural issue for women nationally when it comes to work rather than an industry specific problem.  I firmly believe that advertising provides equal career opportunities for men and women.  Regarding countries where women’s rights are less advanced, Morgan McKinley works with creative professionals from different backgrounds and locations to help them find opportunities across the UAE.  We work with a number of industry ‘heavy weights’ and are always interested to hear from those interested in a move in advertising.

creative director, JWT, Leo Burnett, Y&R