057025

Hi people,

I am at the beginning of my career and I have the ability to choose whatever function I want within one of the biggest companies of the world.

The thing is that I want to emigrate within a few years to Saudi Arabia, but I'am wondering which jobs are very popular over there. If I know this by now, I can allready start with specialising myself in that particular field.

I was thinking about IT functions like SAP specialist, but I don't have an IT background. I finished a Masters degree in Business Administration which is pretty general. I therefore was thinking about functions like Business Analyst, Commercial Analyst or Data Analyst. I can also choose to specialise in logististics as I am working for one the biggest logististics companies. But I'am really hesitating.

So can you all please provide me with advice. I really want to know which jobs are very hot over there.

Thanks in advance you all!

Greetings,

057025

P.s. by the way, I am pretty good with figures, numbers and I have a pretty good visual-spatial ability.

Bahtatboy

You've got to sort of do this arse about face: all expatriate jobs are at risk of the Saudisation programme, whereby foreign firms must employ a certain percentage of Saudis, and not just in menial or fake positions. So look at the subjects which Saudis are training in, and then go for something else.

My company has a wholly-owned subsidiary in Saudi, and before we put up the "Sorry, No Vacancies" sign on the door every day we'd have extremely well-presented and articulate Saudis knocking on the door asking for jobs--ranging from media people to chiropracters (really useful when you manufacture industrial machinery).

In general, though--and not taking into account my first point--Oil & Gas, Petrochem and Environmental Engineering are hot industries, but you'll need to do more research to find which careers are hottest in those industries.

Good luck!

The Dean

Most HR depts are full of useless idiots..............

057025

Thanks for the advice.. the thing is that I indeed sort this things out, but finding help is very difficult these days. Through linkedin i contacted several recruiters to ask them these type of questions, but almost no one respronds.. Also if you look at sites like bayt.com, you see that almost al types of functions are needed, but i would really like to have some advice from someone who lives over there (or in a country like Qatar) and who can tell me which functions are very difficult to full. If you look at Holland, where I live, you see that many accountants and IT people are needed. So this type of info, but based on the abovementioned countries, is really appreciated!

057025

Yoooo mister the Dean. I saw that you made a wiki for living in the KSA? Can you maybe help me with choosing the right function?

Millhouse

I have a few points...

1) Why Saudi Arabia? What attracts you to this place?

2) Do something you enjoy, I would never do something that I didn't enjoy just because it was in demand. If you are good what you do (which is generally a function of enjoying it) you will always find work

3) Build up a large network of contacts. If you are good those contacts will carry you for life.

4) Do something where you can set yourself apart from the pack or requires a physical presence. IT/ SAP is a very easy to replicate and outsource to low cost centres but it's not possible to do the same with (for instance) a marketing and sales function or a contract negotiator/ advisor (e.g you have to be there).

5) The problem with IT as I see it is that you constantly have to retrain and compete with brighter harder working graduates. Do something where a set of core skills carry you for life and you spend your career perfecting those skills and not retraining (e.g. negotiation)

The only professions I can think of that is always in demand, anywhere in the world, are doctors and prostitutes.

057025

1) Why Saudi arabia? Because I'am a practising muslim and I really feel at ease in Islamic countries. I want to combine a big career with my religious duties.

2) The problem about this, is that i do not know which functions i like. I recently graduated and I'am in a special graduate programme. I am therefore given the opportunity to specialise in where ever and whatever i want.

As I'am really good with numbers I'am wondering whether to become an analyst. But I don't see many vacancies over there which are focused on analyst functions.

Do you maybe know some functions which are involved with numbers and visual spatial ability?

Sorry for the incoherent text. I had to write this in a small amount of time.

Thanks for the advice and hope to get a lot more of this.

Millhouse

Fair enough on the Saudi answer... is it just saudi or the GCC in general?

057025

Well, I wouldn't mind if I could find some work in Qatar or UAE, but my preference goes to KSA as they are very strict. I like this strictness as it gives me a safe feeling. Besides that, it gives me also the opportunity to concentrate on my religion and on me becoming a much better person.