As more graduates enter the UAE job market with similar qualifications, employers are looking for something a transcript cannot show. Leaders at Amazon and United Arab Bank explain what that is.
A degree gets a candidate into the room. It rarely decides who gets the job.
A university qualification remains an important starting point, providing the knowledge and credentials needed to clear the first stage of recruitment. But when several candidates arrive with equally strong academic records, employers start asking a different question: what else does this person bring?
In the UAE, that question carries particular weight. The labour market is evolving alongside national priorities around Emiratisation, private-sector participation and the development of a future-ready workforce. For young Emiratis entering the workforce, the right qualifications are increasingly just the beginning. Many employers now want to see how candidates apply what they have learned, solve problems, respond to change and keep developing once they are in the role.
The data shows why. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 estimates that 39 per cent of workers’ current skill sets will be transformed or become outdated between 2025 and 2030. While AI and technological literacy are growing in importance, the report also points to creative thinking, resilience, flexibility, curiosity and lifelong learning as increasingly valuable capabilities.
Curiosity Keeps Capability Relevant
Academic qualifications provide the foundation. In many fields, they offer the specialist knowledge and technical grounding needed to begin a career. But expertise cannot stand still in industries where technologies, expectations and business models keep shifting.
Employers already feel the gap. LinkedIn’s 2025 Workplace Learning Report found that 49 per cent of learning and talent development professionals say their executives are concerned that employees do not have the skills needed to deliver business strategy. The report highlights learning and career development, including leadership training, coaching and internal mobility, as important ways of accelerating critical skills.
For emerging talent, curiosity is how that challenge becomes an advantage. In practice, it looks like asking better questions, actively seeking feedback, exploring sectors beyond one’s immediate experience and learning how organisations actually work.
That mindset matters even more as AI changes the way work is done.
Bikram Walia, Director of Human Resources for MEA and Emerging Central Markets at Amazon, said:
“At Amazon, we place great importance on hiring and developing some of the best talent in the world, to move Amazon in the right direction. People who succeed at Amazon are leaders and innovators, who remain focused on the customer. As AI reshapes the way we work, it is that deep sense of customer obsession, paired with agility and a real appetite for continuous learning, that turns potential into lasting impact. That is exactly the kind of talent we are investing in across the UAE.”
The signal for young professionals is clear. A strong academic record may open the door, but long-term potential depends on the willingness to learn, adapt and turn knowledge into impact.
Commercial Awareness: The Skill a CV Rarely Shows
Networking is often reduced to collecting contacts or asking for jobs. For young people at the start of their careers, its real value is learning. Conversations with professionals offer insight into industries, roles and career paths, and build commercial awareness: an understanding of how businesses make decisions, respond to customers, adopt new technologies and create value.
It is the difference between knowing what a job involves and understanding why the work matters.
Hind Al Attar, Chief Human Capital Officer at United Arab Bank, said:
“Building strong professional relationships and staying curious prepare graduates for the workplace, while commercial awareness gives them the strategic advantage to succeed.”
Building that perspective does not require years of corporate experience. It can start with a conversation, a student project, an internship or a day spent at an industry event.
Practical Exposure Bridges Education and Employment
A degree provides knowledge. Practical exposure shows how that knowledge is used.
Internships, volunteering, student projects, career exhibitions, industry events and professional communities help young professionals build confidence before their first full-time role, and identify the sectors and environments that suit their strengths and interests.
In the UAE, platforms that bring young Emiratis and employers together play an important role in bridging this gap. Career exhibitions and employer-led engagement give students and graduates the chance to understand what organisations are looking for, ask questions directly, and gain a clearer picture of the skills and career pathways available to them.
Ru’ya Careers UAE is a strong example. It creates an environment where Emirati students and graduates connect directly with employers across a range of industries. Through employer engagement, career guidance and exposure to different career routes, participants begin to connect their strengths and interests with potential professional directions.
The value runs both ways. Young Emiratis gain a clearer view of employers and career pathways, while organisations engage directly with emerging talent and better understand the aspirations, strengths and expectations of the next generation of the UAE workforce. In doing so, Ru’ya shows how career platforms can help young Emiratis move from academic preparation to workplace readiness.
Building a Career Starts Before the First Job
Career preparation does not mean knowing exactly where you will be five years from now. For students and graduates, it is more useful to develop an informed view of where industries are heading and where their own strengths can contribute. For young Emiratis in particular, understanding the needs of the UAE’s evolving private sector and actively seeking opportunities to engage with employers can help turn qualifications into meaningful career opportunities.
Over time, these experiences add up. A graduate who has worked on real projects, sought feedback, attended industry events and explored different sectors can tell a far richer story than a CV built on qualifications alone.
The strongest candidates may not be those with the longest list of qualifications, but those who can demonstrate curiosity, adaptability, communication, problem-solving and a willingness to keep learning. As the UAE continues to build a future-ready workforce, these qualities will help young professionals stand out while giving employers the talent they need to grow.
A CV shows what you have studied. Your experiences show what you can do.
This feature is developed in connection with Ru’ya 2026. StrongYes is the official online media partner for Ru’ya 2026
