How to create a CV for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, & Riyadh 💻

Before we jump in, I just want to throw in a quick preface guys -

Your CV has ONE purpose, to land you interviews.

If it's not doing that, it's broken.

Let's get into it...

If you’ve been applying for roles in Dubai, Riyadh, or across the GCC and not hearing anything back, you’re not alone. Every day, senior professionals submit applications only to be met with silence.

The main reason is simple. Your CV isn’t doing its job.

In this region, where competition for roles is fierce and 1,000s of applicants can be lined up for the same position, even a small misstep in your CV can mean automatic rejection.

Let’s go through why most CVs get rejected here, and what you can do to fix yours.

Why most CVs face automated rejection in the GCC

There are three mistakes that consistently kill applications.

Free CV templates

Those “stylish” online templates might look nice (and some might look ridiculous), but they break ATS systems and frustrate recruiters. They’re the fastest way to get filtered out. Your CV isn't there to look nice, it's there to get you interviews.

Updating your CV for every role

It seems logical, but what it creates is inconsistency. Hiring managers can spot a CV that’s been chopped and changed too often. It ends up looking sloppy and AI generated.

Using AI to write the CV

It’s obvious when someone has used ChatGPT or a similar tool. The result is generic, robotic, and forgettable. Recruiters can tell immediately, and more importantly, so can the hiring tools that are built to filter out unsuitable applicants.

Here's how to bypass automated rejection...

Length and size

👉 One page if you have under ten years of experience.

👉 Two pages if you have ten years or more.

👉 File size must be under 1MB, ideally below 0.5MB.

👉 Save only as Word or PDF.

Essential sections

Keep it simple. The only sections that should be on your CV are:

✅ Information (name, contact details, LinkedIn, and a professional photo if you have one).

✅ Summary (a short overview that shows your value clearly, not a list of clichés).

✅ Experience (with full dates, locations, & achievements that can be measured).

✅ Education (highest qualifications first, no highschool please).

✅ Projects (optional, but useful for consultants and technical professionals).

✅ Certifications (relevant and credible, your major ones like PMP can be very useful).

✅ Skills (only relevant, hard, advanced skills).

Fonts and layout

✔ Stick to Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman.

✔ Keep the formatting clean.

✔ Avoid graphics, charts, or creative designs. They look out of place and they don’t work.

Content That Gets Interviews

Your CV should highlight measurable achievements, not vague responsibilities.

What works

👉 Increased regional sales revenue by 600k aed p/m, equating to 27% in 12 months.

👉 Reduced annual operational costs by 146k aed by doing x, leading to x.

👉 Delivered a 15M sar project 3 months ahead of schedule for x client., leading to x.

What doesn’t work

❌ Improved efficiency.

❌ Responsible for managing teams.

❌ Strong communication skills.

Before and after example

❌ Weak: Led a team to improve operations efficiency.

✅ Strong: Led teams of 15-30 heads to deliver on 4 complex long term, large-scale 50m+ aed projects in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha.

Is your CV made for this part of the world?

One of the biggest mistakes candidates make is sending in the same CV they used back home.

A CV that worked in London, Toronto, or Mumbai won’t work in Dubai or Riyadh. The market here is saturated. Recruiters see 100s of CVs a day, and the standards are different.

There is no such thing as a UK CV or a US CV in this market. There is only a GCC CV. If you’re not presenting one, your application will almost always be ignored.

Aligning With LinkedIn

Your CV and LinkedIn don’t need to match word for word, but they should tell the same story. Recruiters will often check your LinkedIn profile for extra detail or convenience. If there are big differences, it creates doubt. Ideally, your CV is tight and focused, while your LinkedIn can expand a little further.

The Top 3 CV Problems

Poor quality control

Typos, messy formatting, inconsistent spacing. Small errors that give a big impression about your attention to detail.

Basic compliance mistakes

Wrong file type, oversized files, or CVs designed like brochures. These either get blocked by ATS or are dismissed immediately by recruiters.

AI Usage

A CV written by a bot reads like a bot. If you don’t put in the effort to craft your own story, it suggests you’re not serious - not only that, but modern ATS will look for ChatGPT usage, and they'll insta-reject you if they find it.

The GCC CV Checklist

✔ One or two pages, depending on experience.

✔ File size under 1MB.

✔ Word Doc or PDF only.

✔ Clean font: Arial, Calibri, or Times.

✔ Every achievement backed by measurable results.

✔ No graphics, charts, or creative layouts.

✔ Only the essential sections included.

✔ CV and LinkedIn aligned.

Beyond your CV...

Accessing the hidden job market... How can you do it?

Fixing your CV is critical, but it’s not the whole story. In the GCC, many of the best opportunities never make it onto job boards. Senior roles especially are often filled quietly through referrals, internal networks, or recruiters reaching out directly.

This is the hidden job market. If you’re not tapping into it, you’re only competing for a fraction of available roles.

Breaking into it requires more than a polished CV. You need to build the right visibility, position yourself properly on LinkedIn, and use networking in a way that feels authentic and effective.

I've made a guide for you to show you exactly how to access these opportunities

🔗 Read our guide on how to access the hidden job market here

So here's the deal -

Your CV is the key that either opens doors or keeps them shut. In a region where senior roles attract hundreds of applications, the smallest details can decide whether you move forward or get rejected.

Follow the blueprint above and you’ll immediately put yourself ahead of most candidates. Your CV will pass through ATS systems, recruiters will take you seriously, and hiring managers will see the impact you can bring.

But a strong CV is just the first step. The professionals who succeed in this market are the ones who treat their job search like a strategy. They don’t just fix their CV, they align their LinkedIn, apply with purpose, and use networking the right way.

What now?

If you want to fast-track your job search, and start landing interviews in the shortest time-frame possible, we can conduct a free job search audit on not only your CV, but your profile as a whole...

This is a full review of:

✅ Your CV

✅ Your LinkedIn

✅ Your approach

What we'll find out from this is -

⚠️ Why you're not landing interviews

⚠️ What you need to do to start landing interviews

🔍 Want us to audit your search & see what's going wrong? Click here

Before you go...

Don't be disheartened - landing a job here isn't easy, it'll take hard work, but if you're running an effective search, you WILL land interviews, and you WILL land an offer.

Remember, your job search should take 2-4 weeks..

Good luck guys!