You're going to require an ATS-friendly CV for your Dubai job search. There isn't any way around it. If you want your CV to be found and read by hiring managers and recruiters in Dubai, it needs to be ATS-friendly. Thankfully, making your CV ATS-friendly isn't as complicated as you might think.
So, is it true? Is ATS rejecting your CV and preventing recruitment agents in Dubai from even seeing it? Is finding a job in Dubai that complicated?
Well, the good news is, not everything you've heard about ATS is true. ATS is an important recruitment tool, and you need to understand it. But the purpose of ATS is not to stop you finding a job in Dubai.
ATS stands for Applicant Tracking System. These are software systems used by recruitment agencies in Dubai to manage workflows.
There are many different types of ATS. Some recruitment agencies in Dubai use their own bespoke ATS. But many use off the shelf ATS solutions.
Every ATS has its own unique set of functionalities, but in essence they all serve the same purpose. That purpose is to track applications and CVs through the recruitment cycle, hence the name 'Applicant Tracking System'.
Some ATS have additional functionality that allows recruiters to rank or filter applicants based on relevance or other criteria. Many recruiters will also use search functions to find the most suitable candidates amongst a pool of applicants.
Making your CV 'ATS friendly' will help ensure all relevant data is searchable and will make sure you are ranking correctly and showing in relevant searches.
However, your CV will only be rejected if you answer a knock out question incorrectly. i.e. if the application asks if you speak Arabic and you answer 'no'.
These knock out questions can lead to an instant rejection in cases where you do not meet the basic job criteria.
There is nothing suspicious or nefarious about ATS. An Applicant Tracking System is nothing more than a piece of software designed to help recruiters stay organised. In fact, an ATS helps recruiters to store CVs more effectively. This means you're more likely to get called about suitable roles in the future.
Many people conflate ATS with AI. Most ATS do not have any AI functionality and the ATS does not make a decision on your suitability as a candidate. However, we should note that the world of recruitment is forever changing and there are companies working on integrating AI that effectively does the job of a recruiter and shortlists candidates. We're skeptical about how successful these AI recruiters will be but it might be something we see more of in the future.
ATS is not designed to make the final decision on your CV or job applications. Dubai recruiters are the people who decide who to shortlist and who to reject. This is the reason that I recommend you write your CV for the human reader and not for an ATS.
ATS are not there to screen out your CV. The goal of ATS is to help a recruitment agency manage their workflow.
Yes, there are tricks you can use to ‘get past the ATS’ and rank as a higher percentage match against a job description. But, if the recruiter reviewing your CV doesn’t like what they see, they won't shortlist you.
Your Dubai CV should be a one-column template with a simple structure. It should flow from top to bottom and use a consistent format. Like a human reader, most computer software reads left to right and top to bottom. This means your CV should be formatted with this in mind.
Have you ever uploaded your CV for an application only to find the some information is missing? This issue is common and is likely due to inconsistent formatting on your CV template.
ATS takes information from your CV and assigns it to certain fields in the application. For example, your DOB, education or career history. Inconsistent formatting confuses this process.
Consistent formatting helps this information parse correctly. You should use the same format for dates, company names and job titles throughout your CV.
ATS can only understand what you have typed out as words. It cannot interpret images or infographics. If you use company logos for your career history or images to show your skills, you should change this to text.
It's common in Dubai for recruiters to encounter CVs that include a lot of graphic images. This is one of the mistakes that many Dubai job seekers make when creating a CV for the Dubai job market. As a general rule, do not include any images on your CV if you want it to be ATS-friendly.
Always upload your CV as a Word or PDF document, not a jpeg or png file. If you upload it as a PDF, you should ensure that all information will be picked up. You can do this by selecting all the text and copy and pasting it to a plain text document. If everything is picked up and still makes sense, you’re good.
ATS isn't the problem that many people like to pretend that it is. Your Dubai CV will have no issues with ATS if you follow the four simple steps above. If you follow these steps closely, you'll be ready to apply for Dubai job vacancies in no time!
Don’t get sucked in by out-of-date advice that you have to use a certain font or font size. This isn't the case. You can also include hyperlinks, shading and horizontal lines.
Download an ATS-friendly CV template for Dubai from our template store.
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