Dan Chadwick · Dubai recruiter since 2007 · The 48-Hour CV
For 20 years I decidedwho got hired in the Gulf.Now that is working for you.
The first thing I fix is the first thing every recruiter here sees. Give me the CV you have, and 48 hours after you answer my questions the finished one is back, rebuilt in my executive format with my notes on what changed and why.
Not sure yours needs it? Check your CV score: 10 questions, 2 minutes, free.
Late? You pay nothing and keep it. Would not send it? Tell me within 7 days and I rework it until you would. One CV for every application, built by someone who screens a hundred a day. CV writers in Dubai charge AED 1,500 to 3,000 for one nobody on the hiring side has read.
As heard on Dubai Eye 103.8 · 120K+ followers across the GCC
Senior manager level or above?
If your next package is AED 40,000 a month or more, hiring works differently. Roles are filled before they are advertised, and I build the campaign that puts you in those conversations.
Date of Birth: 14/03/1984 · Marital Status: Married · Religion: Christian · Driving Licence: Yes
Career Objective
A highly motivated, results-driven and dynamic professional with excellent communication skills, seeking a challenging position in a reputable organisation where I can utilise my skills and experience for the growth of the company and my own career development.
Key Skills
Team player · Hard working · Excellent communication · Time management · Leadership · MS Office · Problem solving · Negotiation
Work Experience
Sales Manager, Interiors Company LLC, Dubai (March 2019 to Present)
Responsible for all sales activities of the company
Responsible for managing the sales team
Responsible for client meetings and maintaining relationships
Attending weekly meetings with management
Preparing reports for management
Coordinating with the estimation and projects departments
Business Development Executive, Fit-Out Contractor, Dubai (June 2014 to February 2019)
Responsible for finding new clients
Preparing quotations and following up with clients
Attending site visits when required
Any other duties as assigned by the manager
Sales Executive, Furniture Trading LLC, Sharjah (2010 to 2014)
Responsible for showroom sales and customer service
Education
Bachelor of Commerce, 2006
Languages
English, Tagalog
Hobbies and Interests
Reading, travelling, basketball, cooking, spending time with family
Commercial leader in UAE fit-out and interiors, with sixteen years in sales and business development, twelve of them in Dubai. Sales Manager at Interiors Company LLC, a 40-person fit-out contractor: grew revenue from AED 60 million to AED 145 million in five years, moved the business from open tenders to negotiated hospitality and workplace work, and lifted gross margin from 11% to 16%.
Seeking a Commercial Director or Head of Business Development role with a fit-out or interiors contractor in the UAE or Saudi Arabia.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2019 to date: Grew revenue from AED 60m to AED 145m in five years, with gross margin up from 11% to 16%.
2019 to date: Won the business's first AED 30m+ project, a 400-key hotel in Dubai Hills.
2019 to date: Moved 60% of new work from open tenders to negotiated contracts.
2014 to 2019: Opened 18 new developer and operator accounts, worth AED 70m over four years.
CORE STRENGTHS
Hospitality and workplace fit-out | Negotiated contracting | Key account management | Estimation and pre-construction | Developer and operator relationships | Team leadership
CAREER SUMMARY
Sales Manager2019 to present
Interiors Company LLC | Dubai, UAE
Fit-out and joinery contractor, hospitality, workplace and retail. AED 145m revenue, 40 office staff and 300 on site. Reports to the Managing Director.
Grew revenue from AED 60m to AED 145m while gross margin rose 5 points.
Built and led a team of nine across sales, estimation and pre-construction.
Won a 400-key hotel in Dubai Hills, the company's first AED 30m+ project.
70% of revenue is repeat business from developers and hotel operators.
Business Development Executive2014 to 2019
Fit-Out Contractor | Dubai, UAE
Opened 18 new accounts worth AED 70m over four years.
Took the tender win rate from 1 in 9 to 1 in 4 by qualifying out early.
Earlier career2010 to 2014
Sales Executive, Furniture Trading LLC, Sharjah.
EDUCATION AND PERSONAL
Bachelor of Commerce, 2006 | Nationality: Filipino | UAE resident | English (fluent) | Notice period: 1 month
BEFORE
AFTER
Michael is a fictional example. Every CV is rebuilt from your own numbers, through my questions.
Same recruiter behind all four. What changes is how much of me you get.
Door 01 · “My CV is the problem”
The 48‑Hour CV
AED 695 ($189)one payment · back in 48 hours or free · reworked if you would not send itDubai CV writers charge AED 1,500 to 3,000 for one nobody on the hiring side has read
Best if you want
Your CV rebuilt in the format recruiters here actually read, with my notes on what changed and why. Questions within the hour, finished CV within 48 hours of your answers.
Word and PDF, ATS-safe, in my executive format
Recruiter's notes on photo, visa, gaps and what to do next
Late? You pay nothing. Would not send it? I rework it
Door 02 · “I want the whole system, until I am hired”
Middle East Career Accelerator
$129/month (AED 475)cancel anytime · Premium year $990
Best if you want
The full job-search system, with me live twice a week until you are hired. CV teardowns every Wednesday, a jobs feed every day, and a room full of people landing offers around you.
Take the free GCC CV template. Two ATS-ready templates and a LinkedIn cheat sheet, built from twenty years of screening CVs here. Or get a $79 (AED 290) video audit of your actual CV, credited against The 48-Hour CV within 30 days.
Twelve years ago, I tried to break into the UAE market and failed. This time, Dan's program provided the exact structure I was missing. Within six weeks of joining, I accepted a job offer in Dubai.
Meet your coach
Other coaches teach theory. I made the hiring decisions.
I'm Dan Chadwick. Since 2007 I've recruited across the GCC from Dubai: screening thousands of CVs, building shortlists and sitting in the rooms where offers get decided.
I have watched brilliant candidates lose out to average ones who just understood how it works here. Who to speak to, when, and how to come across. Nobody teaches you that from the outside, because the people who know are the ones doing the hiring. I was one of them. Now I am on your side of the table.
57KLinkedIn
41KTikTok
28KInstagram
On airDubai Eye 103.8
15+Public recommendations
All of these are public
The wins wall.
Every quote here is a LinkedIn recommendation you can check, or a message from inside the community, unedited.
Hired in 2 months
Dan's mentorship gave me clear direction: specific guidance, no fluff. My job search lasted roughly two months. Although I found a job, I will stay in the chat for a bit longer :)
Liudmila DicusarExecutive & Personal Assistant · Dubai · MECA member
LinkedIn recommendation
Senior PM · Signed
One of the most grounding and transformative experiences of my career. MECA works because Dan works. The cadence, the accountability, the shared wins, the momentum.
Ganesh SubramanianSigned as Senior Project Manager · after 18 yrs at a major IOC
Unedited message · Wins! channel
The room itself
The community he has built within the Middle East Career Accelerator is highly engaged and supportive. A network of like-minded professionals who are serious about progression.
Karl HaynesSenior FM Leader · IWFM UAE Committee · MECA member
LinkedIn recommendation
Saudi offer secured
My dream move started with a decision. I got my offer today in Saudi. I joined with no clear direction and was facing constant rejection. The structure, accountability, and mindset developed within MECA made the difference.
MECA memberUnedited message · Wins! channel
Shared with permission
First UAE role
Every session left me with clear steps to improve, and the results spoke for themselves. I secured my first role in the UAE shortly after implementing what I learned.
Emmet JonesProject Manager · MECA member
LinkedIn recommendation
Offer after redundancy
After 11 years in Dubai and redundancy, I reached out to Dan. Fast forward to several interviews and a job offer. Persistence and advice from Dan really made a massive difference.
Ajay ShahBrand & Retail Operations Manager
LinkedIn recommendation
Tier-1 interviews
In the last two weeks I secured three interviews with Tier 1 companies, received 2 offers so far, and have a 3rd pending. I'll continue to apply everything I've learnt.
MECA memberUnedited message · Wins! channel
Shared with permission
Moved to Saudi
Dan provided me with a strong CV template during a short paid session. It gave me clear direction, removed the guesswork. That guidance supported my move to Saudi Arabia.
Johan BakSenior Project Manager · MRICS, PMP
LinkedIn recommendation
Senior-level positioning
Dan combines insight with a pragmatic approach, providing feedback that is both actionable and aligned with the realities of a competitive, international market.
Naoise (Nisha) KingStrategic Communications · former FIFA & Formula 1
LinkedIn recommendation
All LinkedIn recommendations are public on Dan's profile. Community messages shared with permission.
Straight answers
Before you ask.
Which option is right for me?
Start with The 48-Hour CV. It is the cheapest way to get my work on your search, it is back in two days, and it counts towards everything else: AED 695 comes off the Executive Direct Approach System within 90 days, and the MECA Premium year includes it. If you want live coaching every week and a room of people until you are hired, join MECA. If you are senior manager level or above and want it done with you privately, start with the Executive Direct Approach System.
What if the CV is not right?
Two promises. It is back within 48 hours of your answers or you pay nothing and keep it. And if you would not send it, tell me within 7 days and I rework it until you would. Factual corrections are included for 14 days.
I'm completely new to the GCC market. Will this work for me?
That is most people I work with. The market works differently here, and that is exactly what I build around: the Gulf basics on the CV (photo, nationality, visa, notice period), who to approach and how, and what recruiters here read first.
How fast do clients see results?
It depends on your level, market and effort, but the public record above includes an offer six weeks after joining MECA, two offers from one strategy call, and interviews within days of a CV rework. The CV is back in 48 hours. The search still takes work.
Whichever door you choose, you get the same recruiter
Every week you wait, the role goes to someone who applied smarter.
Twenty years of hiring decisions, now on your side. The CV is the place to start. Give me the one you have and it is back in 48 hours.
Answer 10 quick questions and get a score out of 100, plus the exact fixes to make, in the order that matters most. Free, 2 minutes, no CV upload needed.
