ABU DHABI // Highly qualified Filipinos in the UAE should learn to be more competitive, a training specialist said.
"We feel that a lot of Filipinos are highly qualified and educated but they don't really compete well," said Ellen Samano, the managing director of Dubai-based training consultancy firm Sparks of the World.
“They are qualified to land in good company positions but need to create a good professional impression with their prospective employers.”
Help is on hand for those who need to brush up their CVs, communication and presentation skills, and prepare for important interviews .
The firm, which offers professional and personal development programmes, has partnered with the Philippine consulate in Dubai to organise an employment seminar for Filipinos on Friday.
The aim is to educate and motivate qualified overseas workers to become competent and marketable professionals.
“We would like to support our fellow Filipinos in getting good jobs by providing useful knowledge, tools and techniques to excel in the job application process,” she said.
Ms Samano, who has lived in the UAE for five years, said the majority of the Filipinos are complacent about their careers and personal situations.
Better and bigger opportunities await Filipinos, but they need to be armed with the right skills and attitude, she said.
“We came here for better job opportunities and security for the future,” Ms Samano said. “But the name of the game is not about merely landing the job, any job that comes our way.”
Sixty per cent of the UAE’s 700,000 Filipinos are professional workers, more than a quarter are in the skilled sector and 10 per cent are household workers.
“We’re talking about Filipinos working alongside other expatriates so definitely they need to be competitive,” said Frank Cimafranca, the Philippines’ consul-general in Dubai. “A seminar to hone job interview skills will help those who are new to the country.”
Two three-hour sessions on CV writing, job interview management and communication and personality development skills will be held on Friday at the Philippine overseas labour office in Dubai.
Each session can accommodate up to 100 participants and registration is free.
For more information, email admin@sparksoftheworld.com.
rruiz@thenational.ae