Making a Career Move to Riyadh: What You Need to Know.

Author

Denis Popov

Of Saudi Arabia's population of 34 million, nearly one-third are migrant workers. The most popular city for a career move is Riyadh. It is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia, with a population of over seven million. 

Riyadh's startup ecosystem creates a lot of opportunities for foreigners. As trade developed, Riyadh became a bustling metropolis.

Understanding the Job Market in Riyadh

Experts believe Saudi Arabia's kafala reforms will increase flexibility in the kingdom's foreign labor market, but achieving Saudi Vision 2030 impact will require making the Saudi workforce more efficient through broader reforms and workforce skills development programs, which make career advancement in Riyadh possible. That will create more employment opportunities in Riyadh. By changing current practices that often force foreign workers to leave the country before they can be rehired, Saudi officials aim to support local companies trying to employ foreign workers in the kingdom who are laid off because of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Previous restrictions on foreign labor gave Saudi employers social and legal leverage over foreign workers, denying them residency while curtailing their rights with little protection from adverse working conditions. But these restrictions have also undermined Saudi Arabia's attractiveness to foreign workers, especially when compared to the more liberal labor markets of neighboring Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Key Industries and Sectors in Riyadh

The main industry is oil and gas, which produces the largest share of Saudi Arabia's GDP. It is controlled by the state through state-authorized organizations and companies. The metallurgical industry is represented by the production of reinforcing steel, steel bars, and some types of shaped products. Riyadh's tech industry jobs are very popular among foreign workers. Several enterprises have been built. Important industries are seawater desalination and energy. The linear industry is mainly represented by enterprises of handicraft type. Retail trade is one of the traditional sectors of Saudi economic activity. It imports mainly industrial and consumer goods.

Job Market Trends in Riyadh

The distinguishing feature of the economically active population in Arab countries is that men make up the bulk of it. Women's participation in Arab public production is still hindered by various obstacles, such as religious traditions, lack of development of productive forces, the assignment of certain types of work to women, and wage discrimination.

The concentration of the majority of the population in the services sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a continuation of previous policies, where for many years the state provided its citizens with "easy" work. 

Physical labor has never been respected by the inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula, and the natives prefer to work in commerce because of the opportunity to receive relatively steady, if modest, wages for their work.

Job Market Trends in Riyadh

Preparing for the Job Search in Riyadh

Let's look at several stages of preparation for the job search:

Gathering information about the job market. It is necessary to define clearly your goals and desires, and what you want to get as a result. Identify potential employers and the location of the future job, matching your salary expectations in Riyadh. You can communicate with the expatriate community in Riyadh, identify possible difficulties, and define your relevance and value as a specialist. 

Preparing for the job search. The most important and primary thing is to compose your resume, it should comply with generally accepted standards. The resume should contain the following information: name, age, education, additional knowledge, skills, abilities, if there is a previous place of work, the desired position, salary, how to contact you, etc., after filling the resume should be sent to potential employers. After that, you can send job applications in Riyadh.

Communication with the employer. The interview is the most important part of the job search because this is where you decide if the employer wants to hire you. You can use job interview tips for Riyadh to pass the interview successfully. Your task is to make a good impression and get all the necessary information about the working conditions. That’s the first step to your professional growth in Riyadh.

The new job. This includes such stages as drawing up all the necessary documentation about employment, transportation, adaptation and getting used to the new place of work, new country and your housing, and successfully passing the probationary period.

Building an Effective Resume for Riyadh Employers

In today's world, everyone values their time. Recruiters and employers do not want to waste their time clarifying information and meeting with unpromising candidates. So if your resume doesn't "hook" the reader right away, you're unlikely to get into the selection funnel. To be able to choose from several employers and get an interesting and well-paid job, it makes sense to prepare your resume consciously and carefully, showing skills in demand in Riyadh.

A good resume should be:

  • Informative.

  • Selling.

  • Memorable.

Successful Job Hunting Strategies in Riyadh

The essence of a successful job search is not only that you have found a new job, it is important for you to feel happy in your workplace, you should be able to develop professionally, and the company, in turn, should acquire a valuable employee. That's what your success is all about. The period of a job search life is always perceived as a challenge, so you have to use job hunting strategies. 

The state of uncertainty can contribute to stress. Approach your job search with interest. You have an opportunity to learn something useful, to show yourself, and to meet new and necessary people. Take this period with joy, as new horizons are opening in front of you. Discipline yourself, and take time to look for a job during the day, about 2-3 hours a day.

Business Etiquette in Riyadh

Getting to Know the Work Culture in Riyadh

The lifestyle in Saudi Arabia is shaped by the strict laws of Islamic law, Shariah. Work culture is connected to the basic laws of Shariah that must be considered when you’re dealing with the inhabitants of Saudi Arabia concerning standards of behavior, clothing, and food. 

The canons of Islam prohibit Saudis from excessive frankness in their dress. Islam forbids the consumption of pork and alcohol. Culture also defines Saudi labor law.

Navigating Business Etiquette in Riyadh

You have to match a professional and language skills in Riyadh. In Saudi Arabia, it is customary for people who do not know each other to shake hands in the traditional European way. 

In Riyadh's business environment it is not necessary to look into the interlocutor's eyes when shaking hands, to keep the other hand in the pocket, or to wave it in the air intensively. Arabs have a complicated gesture system and a gesture that is quite decent for us can mean something offensive here, so refrain from complicated gestures. Social customs in Riyadh forbid touching the opposite sex. The youngest is always the first to greet the eldest. Shoes should be removed when entering mosques and homes. In Saudi Arabia, punctuality is the main point of their business etiquette, that is expected of business partners, although tardiness is more the norm for the residents themselves. Networking in Riyadh is very important, so you may learn a lot about their etiquette.

Work and Life in Riyadh

You also need to respect corporate culture in Riyadh.

Balancing Work and Life in Riyadh

Sometimes in the pursuit of a career and a good salary, we have to sacrifice other aspects of life - free time, communication with family, and even health. Explore different time-management techniques and find the one that works for you to organize your workday. Sometimes recycling happens because of a seeming excess of free time. To prevent this from happening and keep your work life balance, make plans for personal time, too.

Practical Aspects of Moving to Riyadh for Work

You cannot go to Saudi Arabia on a tourist visa and look for a job on the spot. A Saudi Arabian work visa is issued only after an employment contract has been concluded. After that, you need to collect and properly execute the documents for submission to the visa center. 

Understanding the Work Permit Process in Saudi Arabia

The employer will process the documents for you. What they have to do:

1. Verify the original contract at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of KSA.

2. Issue invitation to work or electronic visa. 

3. Send you the original contract and a scan of the invitation.

After that, you should start your work permit process almost finished. You have to prepare the rest of your visa documents. Get health insurance from covid, fill out the visa application form and receipt, and take photos. Submit the documents to the visa center.

Lifestyle Considerations in Riyadh

Housing, Transportation, and Lifestyle Considerations in Riyadh

It is a modern young city where 40% of the population is under 30. There are no factories and harmful industries, but there are many educational institutions, museums, architectural monuments, shopping centers, restaurants, and coffee shops. Riyadh's cost of living varies, so you can find cheaper apartments.

If you dream about the relocation to Riyadh, you have to know that Riyadh is considered one of the hottest cities in the world, the average July here is +37 ° C, and the absolute maximum in the month of +52 ° C, even in January the thermometer rarely falls below +15 ° C. The climate is very dry, there is almost no precipitation in summer, and the annual rainfall is only about 100 mm - all in winter or early spring.

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My colleague's friend recently flew back from Saudi Arabia. She works there as a flight attendant on domestic flights and has flown internationally several times. She likes it there and makes good money. The company rents them a two-story house where the three of them live. They’re all foreigners and they like to work there.
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Do the companies provide housing and transportation as needed, for example, if I need to go to the shopping center? And can I find a job in the healthcare sector? I know that Saudi women can only work in education and medicine. And other jobs are held by foreigners.
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Very useful article! I'm very interested, and I'm not afraid of some difficulties, even for living in other customs, but I want to be prepared and know what I'm getting into. Is this true that a woman cannot appear with a man unless they are married or he is a relative?
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Working in Riyadh was one of the best decisions! Gasoline is cheaper than water here. Half a liter of water costs the same as a liter of 95: you can fill a full tank with the change from buying groceries. Food prices are lower and incomes are incomparable to ours.
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In fact, I think there are a lot of different nuances that need to be studied in detail before making a decision about the job, weighing the pros and cons. But maybe not everything is as scary as some people describe. I'm a timid person, I would hardly dare to change my life so drastically.
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Good morning I'm driver can you help me with the works Visa Canada
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I'm security manager. I have 8 years experience in special force branch Punjab police Pakistan. Can you help me in getting job in UAE.
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