How to Write a CV for Dubai: What Nobody in HR Will Tell You
How to Write a CV for Dubai
The Dubai CV Is Different
Include: professional photo, nationality, visa status, date of birth, driving licence. Standard in UAE recruitment.
Format
Two pages maximum. ATS-friendly: no tables, columns, graphics. Standard fonts and headings. Save as PDF.
Professional Summary
Four to five lines. Years of experience, industry, key skills, Gulf relevance. Example: HR Director with 15 years across multi-property hospitality in the GCC. Expertise in talent strategy, Emiratisation compliance, workforce planning for 1,000+ employees.
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Experience
Reverse chronological. Three to five achievement bullets per role with numbers. Wrong: Responsible for recruitment. Right: Reduced time-to-hire by 20% managing 150+ hires annually.
ATS Keywords
Mirror exact phrases from job description. Stakeholder management not relationship building. This is speaking the employer’s language.
Common Mistakes
No photo. Three+ pages. Responsibilities instead of achievements. No UAE context. Typos.
I write about the decisions that actually shape careers, not the ones that look good on paper.
