Quantity Surveyor CV for Dubai

A complete quantity surveyor CV example for UAE employers, the terms their job ads use, the credentials that count here, and how to make every line specific. The median reported salary for the role in the UAE is AED 4,950 a month ($1,349) — see the full salary page.

Keywords UAE quantity surveyor ads ask for

Applicant tracking systems in the UAE shortlist on these terms, and recruiters scan for them in the first seconds. Use each one only where it is true for you — you will be asked about every one in the interview.

• BOQ
• Cost estimation
• Tendering
• Variations
• Interim valuations
• Final accounts
• FIDIC
• CostX
• POMI
• Subcontract administration

Credentials that carry weight in the UAE

• RICS (MRICS or working towards APC). The credential UAE QS ads ask for most often.

• Attested degree in quantity surveying. Needed for the QS title on the work permit.

A complete quantity surveyor CV example

The structure UAE recruiters expect: the GCC details in the header, a two-line summary, then experience with a result in every bullet. Replace every fact and number with your own.

Make every line specific

Most quantity surveyor CVs describe duties. The ones that get shortlisted describe results. The rewrite adds detail you already know — numbers, scale, tools — never experience you don't have.

Junior or senior: what to put first

Common mistakes on quantity surveyor CVs

• Not stating contractor-side or consultant-side experience.

• Leaving out contract values.

• No mention of FIDIC or the edition you know.

• Hiding RICS progress at the bottom of the CV.

What is specific to the UAE

Like every CV for a UAE employer, yours should also show these details near the top — a generic Western CV leaves them out, and recruiters here filter on them:

• Visa status — e.g. "Employment visa", "Visit visa until 12 March", "Golden visa" — or "Requires sponsorship".
• Notice period — How soon you can start. Recruiters here shortlist on it.
• Nationality — Customary on UAE CVs, and some roles and visas depend on it.
• UAE driving licence — Only if you hold one — required for many field roles.
• Languages — With a level for each. Arabic only if you can work in it.

Opening your cover letter

Two sentences that say which role, why you fit it, and one piece of proof. Recruiters decide whether to keep reading here.

I am applying for the Quantity Surveyor role. I have six years on the contractor side of residential and hospitality projects, from tender BOQs to final accounts under FIDIC, and I am working towards my RICS APC.

Interview questions to prepare

Questions UAE employers commonly ask quantity surveyor candidates. Prepare one real example for each — ideally one that is already on your CV.

1. 1

   How do you value a variation with no applicable rate in the BOQ?

2. 2

   Take us through an interim valuation from site measurement to certificate.

3. 3

   What is the difference between FIDIC 1999 and 2017 that affects your work most?

4. 4

   How do you handle a subcontractor’s inflated claim?

5. 5

   Which measurement standard have you used, and what trips people up?

The Hunter pack adds interview preparation built from the specific ad you applied to. See the packs.

One CV per application

Two quantity surveyor ads rarely ask for the same things in the same words. The CV that gets shortlisted is the one that mirrors the ad in front of the recruiter — which is why a single CV sent to twenty jobs does worse than twenty CVs each tailored to its ad. Paste the ad and dubaicv.app rewrites your real experience around it, shows which of its keywords you now cover and which you honestly don't, and writes the cover letter.

Quantity Surveyor CV: frequently asked questions

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