Working in Beirut, the Banking Capital of the Arab World
Beirut has a great job market for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers from within and outside the city. Even as tourism and banking remain the major employment sectors, jobs in Beirut are also available in sales, manufacturing and warehousing units. It is the largest city of the country that encompasses almost all the Ministries, public administrations, embassies and consulates. It is seen as a tourist, cultural and intellectual center in the Middle East as well as an important hub of commerce, fashion, and media. There are, thus, plenty of job opportunities available in Beirut across various industries and management levels.Being a commercial center, the number of jobs in Beirut is huge. From hotel industry to banking division to tourism sector to agriculture zone to manufacturing field, there is a plethora of career options to choose from in the city. The candidates with the right set of qualification, skills and expertise can apply for Beirut jobs through newspapers or online. It is even better if you have personal contacts that can refer you to the employer as it bolsters the preference weight age given to you for the particular job. It is important to remember that before moving out of your native land and relocating to a country following different set of beliefs and customs, you must explore it. Go through an extensive research that helps you know the lifestyle, code of conduct, customs, culture and other such things of the country you are migrating to. Doing this will familiarize you with the other part of the world, eluding the sudden culture shock that you may face on going without prior knowledge.
Let"s take a quick look at the general and business etiquette followed in Beirut or Lebanon for that matter. Lebanon is characterized by its ethnic and religious diversity with a population comprising of around 60% Muslims and 40% Christians. Even though Arabic is the official language of the country, French and English are also spoken widely. Beirut has more of a cosmopolitan culture as compared to other countries or even within Lebanon. Women are allowed to participate actively in business affairs unlike in other regions of Arabian Peninsula. Dress codes are quite liberal with women allowed to wear skirts and shorts and not necessarily required to cover their arms and legs. Clearly, gender divisions are unbiased in Beirut with women being given much more freedom than other countries. Formal wear is advisable for professionals both men and women although it is not a mandate. Family remains central to the idea of living and working as it is intertwined with the business world. Creating contacts and building personal relations are important as it helps establishing presence in business world- distributor, agent or partner.
The crime rate in Beirut is very low and the place is quite safe for women. It is a Westernized city that follows Western cultural and professional conducts to a lot of extent. Expatriates are generally able to settle down easily with their jobs in Beirut. It offers a welcoming environment to the outsiders making them comfortable almost immediately. So, if you possess the right combination of academic & business skills and make for an ideal employee for a company, recruiters and headhunters in Beirut are surely waiting for you.