Dubai — the City of Gold, where tradition, glamour, and modernity combine to provide a life full of vigour and opportunities. However, that was until the Coronavirus came along and struck a powerful blow to the global economy. And Dubai has been no exception. Many natives, as well as expatriates, have gotten retrenched in Dubai. If you’re wondering what to do in case of a layoff, your primary goal should be to find another job.
You also need to mentally prepare yourself to answer tricky questions about why you were retrenched. A positive and realistic attitude will help you survive the unemployment period and make sure that you land a new job!
From getting unemployment benefits to figuring out how to get job interviews after getting retrenched in Dubai, here’s everything you should know.
What Can I Expect After Getting Retrenched In Dubai?
Look into Unemployment Benefits
If talks about downsizing are in the air, you should get in touch with HR as soon as possible. Depending on the type and status of your job, your company may have a set of unemployment benefits that you’ll be able to use.
You have to spend time researching your company’s layoff and unemployment policy. This way, you’ll be able to get the maximum unemployment benefits possible. With some help from HR, you may also be able to craft an unemployment plan to help decide what to do about getting retrenched in Dubai.
Below, we’ve listed some common unemployment benefits provided by companies:
Severance Pay
Severance pay is a financial package that employers provide to workers that are laid off from the organisation. Severance pay can be paid in a lump sum, or it can be paid in reimbursements that are spread over a certain length of time.
The law states that a worker in employment for at least one year shall be entitled to severance pay at the end of their employment. Days of absence from work without pay aren’t part of the calculation done for severance.
Articles 132 through 141 explain the working of severance pay in the UAE in detail, so you can figure out how much pay you may be eligible for.
Other Compensations:
You may also be entitled to additional compensation if you:
- Often worked extra hours at the office
- Get a certain number of days off from work which usually counts as vacation
- Have settled on a retirement plan with the company
- Signed up for unemployment insurance at the organisation
Ask the Company for Departing Favors
When leaving, you’re probably thinking about what to do about getting retrenched in Dubai. After all, job hunting isn’t easy.
If your employer has to lay you off, you might want to ask them for a couple of favours in order to make the layoff period smoother for you. For instance, you can ask them to:
Write You a Letter of Recommendation
Before you begin your job hunt, you should ask your employer to write you a letter of recommendation for the services you’ve delivered. Besides the actual work you were hired for, an in-depth letter of appreciation will also talk about:
- Your general conduct at the organization
- How you deal with teams
- How you handle ethical problems
- Your ability to assist other employees at the workplace
This way, you can increase your chances of getting a new job after getting retrenched in Dubai!
Provide Referrals and Outplacement Services
Another task that your company might do for laid-off employees is to help them find leads to new jobs. While it’s important to find job leads on your own, your company can also play a part in helping you settle elsewhere.
Referrals are when companies refer their ex-employees to other organisations. Outplacement services allow your company to transfer you to a job in another organization.
This way, finding a new job after retrenched in Dubai is made easier and may even get hired at a good position.
How Should I Find a New Job after Getting Retrenched in Dubai?
How To Find a New Job
You can try to find a new job in Dubai in three ways:
- Finding job leads from your previous organization, your friends, or your family.
- Registering on job searching platforms online. These are platforms that connect organizations with candidates.
- Searching offline for job vacancies. Newspapers, brochures, and television ads may advertise vacancies and give details on how to apply.
Building a strong network of sources like these is pretty vital in making your hunt shorter and more fruitful.
Know What To Expect
Now, a few words about the type of job interviews we usually see in Dubai. When applying for jobs, you usually have to send a detailed email or fill a comprehensive form, submit your resume, and then wait for a call from the company.
However, walk-in interviews are also a common trend amongst companies in Dubai. This is because Dubai is home to a diverse range of workers, including both natives and migrants. In order to lessen the load of pre-interview formalities, companies arrange open interviews.
Candidates can simply walk in with the required documents and give a brief interview for the position. This way, there are quite a lot of candidates for each job. This also means that employees have little time to allot to a single interviewee.
Ergo, you have to give off your best impression as soon as you walk into the interview room! You should also be ready for interview questions about being laid off. More on that later.
What To Do While Searching For A New Job
Expenses and Budget
After getting retrenched in Dubai, you may be able to survive on severance pay for a while. However, there are many community-based and government-based welfare programs that you can benefit from. These include:
- Food stamps: Free or discounted food items
- Government healthcare: Discounted or free-of-cost healthcare facilities
- Public libraries: Places you can go to search online for jobs and prepare your resume
Other than external aid, you need to reassess your expenditure as well. Since money is tight, it would be wise to cut down on some luxury expenses, such as outdoor dining and entertainment, water, gas, or electricity expenses.
If you live in a rented place, you may negotiate with the landowner for a delay in rent payments or find a place that has lesser rent.
Savings
Savings are the evergreen mantra of both the employed and the unemployed. Use a savings account, invest in stocks or bonds, or even have a safe at home.
Make sure you always have some savings available so that getting laid off doesn’t have a major impact on your life.
Temporary Jobs
Temporary, daily wage jobs are another option you can go for if you’re running short of money. From freelancing your soft skills to working as a cashier, you won’t ever really run out of options in Dubai. The goal here is to stay dedicated to whatever job you’re doing!
How To Prepare For Job Interviews After Getting Retrenched In Dubai
Whether you’re looking for a job online or are going for walk-in interviews, there are some things you need to do before the interview. Here’s a checklist to tell you how to prepare for job interviews after getting retrenched in Dubai:
Revise Your Resume
After getting laid off, you should revise your resume. You can include details about your latest work experience, such as the duration of employment, skills you learned and polished, any achievements you got. The more enticing your resume is, the more your interviewer will be inclined to offer you the job.
Be Alert for Updates
During the entire job hunt, you need to be vigilant about alerts and updates regarding the places you have applied to or want to apply to. Applications and interview invitations usually have strict deadlines, and there are scores of other candidates eyeing the job.
Needless to say, always keep your notifications on and check them as soon as you can. Keep an eye on your email and your cellphone for a response from potential employers!
Follow a Professional Conduct
Make sure you’ve dressed appropriately for your interview. Ensure that you’re punctual and well-informed of any developments regarding the job you’ve applied for!
Adopt an Optimistic Mindset
Getting retrenched in Dubai can be quite a bummer, especially if you had high hopes regarding your future. This pitfall can be pretty unpleasant. For this reason, you’ll need to be extra careful about how you answer questions during job interviews after getting laid off in Dubai. Being optimistic will also help you answer interview questions about being laid off.
How Do I Answer Questions About Getting Laid off in Dubai?
Fast forward to the interview room. You’re dressed in your best attire, but under all that, you’re sweating out of nervousness. It’s okay to feel jumpy at interviews.
The fact that you’ve been laid off may intrigue your interviewer. They may ask questions to judge why you were fired. Here’s how to answer these questions:
Why Did You Get Retrenched?
For instance, your interviewer may ask you how you feel about your old employer’s decision to lay you off.
The truth is that neither companies nor employees are at fault when it comes to layoffs. Retrenchments are a circumstantial burden that sometimes becomes inevitable.
How Have You Survived the Layoff Life?
Be smart when telling your interviewer about what you’ve done after getting fired.
If you’re applying for a different position than the one you previously had, you may structure this answer differently. You can explain how the layoff gave you time to reassess your skills and how you’re now willing to grow your portfolio by applying for a different job.
Conclusion
Layoffs in Dubai can be soul-crushing. However, there are tons of opportunities and ways to get your life back on track and help you find another job. In this guide, we discussed:
- What to consider when filing for unemployment benefits
- Keeping your finances intact during the layoff period
- Looking out for jobs
- Dodging tricky questions during interviews
We hope this resource guides you through this difficult time. Wishing you all the best ahead.
Why not check out some job vacancies with GrabJobs while you’re at it? 😉
