How Can You As a Gulf Candidate Expedite The Joining Process
So you think you are ready to be employed by a Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) employer? You have prepared as much as you can, however, there is more that you can do.
- Experience Certificates (ECs) are often requested by GCC employers. This is basically a letter on company letter head provided by your previous employers that states your name, the title you held, dates of employment, and a person to contact should more information be required. Get your ECs ready and ordered to provide them if requested by an employer.
- Attestation of Education, Marriage and Birth Certificates. For professional positions, often, the employer will require the originals and accept an attested copy of the mentioned documents. There are agents that provide this service for a fee. The attestaion of documents can take one month or longer in some cases, so if you are serious about working in the GCC, get this done as soon as possible.
- Have your employment references ready and informed so that you can provide them to the employer as soon as they are requested. It’s always better to have written employment references and also the option for the employer to contact them directly and get a more detailed reference by phone.
- Be prepared to do a medical examination. Some employers may ask for a pre-employment medical examination to ensure you are fit to work. If they do, ensure that your Doctor completes all the required tests. Remember that what your Doctor might think is not necessary might be required by the employer to ensure compliance and completeness of the medical examination.
- Have a home country exit plan. If you own your home, what is your plan? Will you sell the home or rent the home while you work abroad?. What about your car and other assets? What about income tax and pension implications? Talk to your accountant about how you can reduce or eliminate income tax payments. What about your spouse and children, will they come with you or join you at a later date? The more prepared you are, the faster you can implement the plan and exit your country.
- Your notice period to your present employer. What is your notice period, do you know? Can you reduce the notice period? The faster you can join your new employer, the more attractive you will be once they have decided to hire you.
- Passport should be valid for at least 6 months from date of travel. If your passport will expire in less than 6 months from your travel date, you may not be able to travel. So, ensure that your passport is valid for at least 6 months from your travel date. If you are going to renew your passport, let your Gulf employer know, because they may be applying for government formalities such as your visa and if you renew the passport, that employment visa may no longer be valid, resulting in having to reapply with your new passport which will delay your joining date.
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