Post by canfin21 on Jun 7, 2022 14:54:18 GMT
I recently went though the interview process with ARAMCO for a finance role and did quiet a bit of background research on the company and spoke to former and current employees to understand their view on things. After all this, I will summarize for you the key takeaways that I have come to understand. Again, this is just my opinion (even though I like to believe that I am fairly perceptive of people, situations and environments) and I am not saying any of this is good or bad; just how it is. It is irrelevant which specific role I applied for as this advice applies to all finance roles. Here goes:
1. DO NOT apply for roles unless you think you have an intermediate to expert knowledge of the subject matter. You may be able to sweet talk your way through the interview but ARAMCO is looking for people who can do the work accurately with minimal guidance. I say DO the work because you will actually DO the work; not just be a deadweight part of the team that'll be carrying you or a "manager" that only has to manage people issues and the work will get done by others. ARAMCO is not a place to "learn", it is a place to execute on your expertise. This is the expectation out of expats that they will DO the work without any handholding. Remember, your goal is not to just pass the interview, but make sure that you stay employed with ARAMCO and for that you need to be proficient at your role from day 1. So there is no point in boasting about your technical abilities (the ones you don't have) at the interview because they will figure it out within a few months of you being in Saudi and that won't be good.
2. If you are currently employed full time and actually just work 4 hours a day or stroll in at 8:45am each morning even though the start time is at 8:30am or take hour and a half lunches, this cannot continue at ARAMCO. They will make sure you are working at least 8 hours a day, maybe more. There will always be work for you to do. Remember the person in each group that carries the weight of the group, you're that person now, expat.
3. You're going to receive the culture shock of your life in Saudi. Not only will you be in a totally different country with different culture, set of values, people's atudes towards you and a work environment which you have probably never experienced before (see 1. and 2. above), you will likely be doing the same task over and over for your time there and/or whatever they assign you (you won't have much say) with limited growth or movement opportunities while at the same time training your "potential replacement"; new Saudis. I am not saying that they'll get rid of you as soon as the replacement is out of the oven but just know that' training newbies on your role is part of your job.
4. Your spouse will not find a job there (very unlikely he/she will), make sure you have a plan to keep him/her "entertained" or life inside compound (or Saudi in general) can become quiet lonely for non-working people. You may come home after a hard day's work to a bored spouse.
Should you leave a $100k US job for a $150-170k ARAMCO job? The answer depends on your personal circumstances (are you married? Do you have kids? Are you currently employed/laid off? Are you close to retiring?) but I just want everyone to give a lot of thought to what I wrote above. We tend to get tunnel vision when it comes to money so I wanted to present the non-monetary considerations as well.
It may feel like I am saying all negative things about working at ARAMCO but I am simply pointing out what I found to be different about their environment to North America in general which we take for granted here that could be a shock to people of this region. At the end, its an individual choice to pursue opportunities at ARAMCO.
1. DO NOT apply for roles unless you think you have an intermediate to expert knowledge of the subject matter. You may be able to sweet talk your way through the interview but ARAMCO is looking for people who can do the work accurately with minimal guidance. I say DO the work because you will actually DO the work; not just be a deadweight part of the team that'll be carrying you or a "manager" that only has to manage people issues and the work will get done by others. ARAMCO is not a place to "learn", it is a place to execute on your expertise. This is the expectation out of expats that they will DO the work without any handholding. Remember, your goal is not to just pass the interview, but make sure that you stay employed with ARAMCO and for that you need to be proficient at your role from day 1. So there is no point in boasting about your technical abilities (the ones you don't have) at the interview because they will figure it out within a few months of you being in Saudi and that won't be good.
2. If you are currently employed full time and actually just work 4 hours a day or stroll in at 8:45am each morning even though the start time is at 8:30am or take hour and a half lunches, this cannot continue at ARAMCO. They will make sure you are working at least 8 hours a day, maybe more. There will always be work for you to do. Remember the person in each group that carries the weight of the group, you're that person now, expat.
3. You're going to receive the culture shock of your life in Saudi. Not only will you be in a totally different country with different culture, set of values, people's atudes towards you and a work environment which you have probably never experienced before (see 1. and 2. above), you will likely be doing the same task over and over for your time there and/or whatever they assign you (you won't have much say) with limited growth or movement opportunities while at the same time training your "potential replacement"; new Saudis. I am not saying that they'll get rid of you as soon as the replacement is out of the oven but just know that' training newbies on your role is part of your job.
4. Your spouse will not find a job there (very unlikely he/she will), make sure you have a plan to keep him/her "entertained" or life inside compound (or Saudi in general) can become quiet lonely for non-working people. You may come home after a hard day's work to a bored spouse.
Should you leave a $100k US job for a $150-170k ARAMCO job? The answer depends on your personal circumstances (are you married? Do you have kids? Are you currently employed/laid off? Are you close to retiring?) but I just want everyone to give a lot of thought to what I wrote above. We tend to get tunnel vision when it comes to money so I wanted to present the non-monetary considerations as well.
It may feel like I am saying all negative things about working at ARAMCO but I am simply pointing out what I found to be different about their environment to North America in general which we take for granted here that could be a shock to people of this region. At the end, its an individual choice to pursue opportunities at ARAMCO.
