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Job Ad Template

What should a job ad in the UAE or Saudi Arabia say to get the right applicants?

Fill in the role, salary, visa terms and duties to get a Gulf-format job ad in English and Arabic — ready to copy onto any job board, or to post it free on MenaJobs — we pre-fill the form.

How the job ad template is laid out

The template follows the order Gulf candidates scan in: the job title with city and country, the company and contract type, two lines about the company, the role in one sentence, duties, must-haves, nice-to-haves, salary and benefits, visa and location, and how to apply. The country you pick sets the currency, the nationalisation wording and the Arabic country and city names. Duties, requirements and benefits are one bullet per line. Anything you leave empty stays as a highlighted [placeholder], so nothing goes out half-finished by accident — and the salary placeholder is a reminder that ads with a number get more relevant applicants.

Visa terms: Whether you provide the employment visa, prefer candidates already living in the country, or prefer nationals.
Allowances: Fixed monthly payments on top of basic pay, such as housing or transport. List them next to the salary.
Hybrid: Part of the week in the office and part from home. Say which city the office is in.
Nationalisation: Emiratisation, Saudization and the other GCC programmes that set targets for hiring citizens.

What the template changes by country

Pick the country in step 1 and the salary currency, nationals wording and Arabic place names follow it.

Country	Salary currency	'Nationals preferred' wording	Arabic city example
UAE	AED	UAE nationals preferred (Emiratisation)	Dubai → دبي
Saudi Arabia	SAR	Saudi nationals preferred (Saudization)	Riyadh → الرياض
Qatar	QAR	Qatari nationals preferred (Qatarization)	Doha → الدوحة
Kuwait	KWD	Kuwaiti nationals preferred (Kuwaitization)	Kuwait City → مدينة الكويت
Bahrain	BHD	Bahraini nationals preferred (Bahrainisation)	Manama → المنامة
Oman	OMR	Omani nationals preferred (Omanisation)	Muscat → مسقط

Salary figures are always shown per month, the way Gulf candidates compare offers.

Before you post it

Replace every [highlighted placeholder] — especially the salary range and the Arabic job title.
Keep must-haves to the 3–8 things you would never waive; move the rest to 'Nice to have'.
Make sure the salary, visa and benefits match the offer letter you'll send — candidates notice.
Have a native speaker check the Arabic before it goes on official channels.

Make the ad stronger

Not sure what to call the role? Use the job title generator. Check your pay against the market with the salary range checker, then score the finished ad with the job ad grader and the inclusive job ad checker. Hiring remotely, graduates or interns? Start from the remote, graduate or internship versions instead. Want a ready-made starting point for a specific role? Browse our Job ad templates by role.

Frequently asked questions

What should a job ad in the UAE or Saudi Arabia include?

The job title on its own line, the city and whether the role is on-site, hybrid or remote, a monthly salary range in local currency with the main allowances, visa terms (you provide the visa, you prefer people already in the country, or nationals are preferred), 5–8 duties, 3–8 real must-haves, the benefits Gulf candidates compare (medical insurance, flights, housing or transport allowance) and how to apply. This template has a section for each, in that order.

Should I put the salary in the job ad?

Yes, if you can. Gulf candidates compare packages line by line, and 'competitive salary' tells them nothing, so many skip ads without a number. A monthly range such as 'AED 14,000–18,000 a month + housing allowance' filters out people who would turn the offer down. If you're unsure what range to post, check it with our salary range checker first.

Can a job ad say 'UAE nationals preferred' or 'Saudi nationals only'?

Yes. Preferring nationals supports Emiratisation, Saudization and the other GCC nationalisation programmes, and some Saudi professions are restricted to Saudis. Choose 'Nationals preferred' under visa and the ad words it for the country you pick. What you should leave out are limits on gender, age, marital status, appearance or a specific foreign passport — UAE labour law prohibits discrimination on grounds such as sex, race, colour, religion and national origin, and those phrases put good candidates off.

Do I need an Arabic version of the job ad?

It isn't required for a private-sector ad, but posting both versions widens your reach: nationals and Arabic-first candidates often search in Arabic, and Arabic job boards index the Arabic title. The template writes the Arabic headings, visa wording, salary line and city names for you, and fills in the Arabic job title from our glossary when it knows your title. Your own bullet points stay as you typed them — write them in Arabic too, or have a native speaker translate them.

How long should a job ad be?

Roughly 250–700 words. Under 200 words candidates can't judge the role; over 800 they stop reading, especially on a phone, which is where most Gulf job seekers apply. Keep duties and requirements to bullet points and cut company history to two sentences.

Is the job ad saved anywhere?

The ad is built in your browser and a draft is kept in this browser only, so you can come back to it. Nothing is sent to our server unless you email yourself the ad or click 'Post it free', which copies it into the MenaJobs post-a-job form for you to review.

Every week this role stays open costs you. Post it free today.

Post the job on MenaJobs free in about 2 minutes. We review every post, and once approved it reaches job seekers across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.

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