Hints on finding employment abroad
There are many reasons for working abroad – a love of travel, a skill for languages or perhaps you want to broaden your horizons with a couple of years of international work experience.
Whatever your reasons, be prepared: obtaining work abroad is as hard or perhaps even harder than finding work at home.
There are certain things you can do to help your cause though, and get you the job you've been dreaming of. Below are some handy hints to help you on your journey to international employment.
Develop a job search strategy – then stick to it!
Of course, the first thing to do is develop a practical job search strategy. Sit down with a pad and pencil and consider what kinds of work appeals to you and within that, what kinds of companies you would like to work for – consider the corporate culture and how it may differ from what you are used to at home. From there you can give yourself a list of methods that you plan to use to gather job leads – then all you need to do it stick to it.
You need to look into all the tools available to you. It would be good if you could use all of them all the time, but to be truthful you may be a fan of using the web, but hate cold calling. Therefore, use as many of the tools as you can, but use those you feel most comfortable with, as they'll give you the best results. Some tools to consider include:
Cold calling or e-mailing: Blindly contact companies by sending them your CV or calling to ask about openings
Web sites: Use company web sites regularly to find out about openings and also use job sites. Joining a professional expatriate organisation such as Expats Direct (www.expatsdirect.com) might help, who will e-mail you job alerts for every job that falls within your job category. As soon as the job is uploaded onto the web site you can then apply for them online.
Networking: Talk to industry contacts, colleagues and friends - a great tool in the job hunt field.
International job fairs: Find out where the next one is and get there – you'll make great contacts and can network like crazy, plus you'll be able to find out more about the companies that interest you and what they are looking for in new recruits.
Recruiters: Contact recruiters in the regions you have chosen and send them your CV with details on what you are looking for. You never know, they may have something in the works that is perfect for you!
Newspapers: Of course pick up copies of the countries’ newspapers and find out if there are any specialist magazines for your field. They may have some good job adverts in there that could lead to a position.
Work out what job is for you
Once you have got to that stage you need to start getting more specific. What places appeal, what kind of career are you looking for and other considerations you may have – do you have any dependants that you have to consider perhaps?
“Be realistic. You will find it almost impossible to find a job overseas if you restrict yourself to such things as Advertising Executive in the Cayman Islands,” explains Dave Smith,Managing Director and founder of Expats Direct.
“The vast majority of overseas jobs are for professionally qualified people within the engineering, petro-chemical, oil & gas, construction, and mining industries. Forklift drivers, unskilled workers etc., are always filled by nationals of the country where the job is vacant or else by nationals from the Indian Sub-Continent where wages and costs are much lower.”
Its time to focus; this is the problems that lets most international job seekers down. They have no real focus in their job hunt, they only know that they want to travel, to experience different cultures, to live somewhere sunny, etc!
Create a profile of suitable jobs by considering why you are interested in an overseas job and what qualifications you have. By mulling over those things you should be able to come up with a list of jobs that appeal to you, and that you are qualified to do.
Research potential jobs, companies, and countries
The next step is to research. By now you should have a short list of the countries that most appeal to you and some companies within them that might hold suitable posts. Now is the time to spend hours researching them, you will then be well prepared for interviews that may take place, you will also be prepared to ask questions to those companies, plus you may whittle down your list of options to perhaps one or two countries and companies.
“Just like the Boy (or Girl) Scouts - be prepared!” says Dave Smith, Managing Director and founder of Expats Direct. “Read up on the area and country before you apply so that you know what you are letting yourself in for. Know beforehand what the climate is like, dress restrictions if a lady (Muslim countries), political situation etc.”
Applying
When applying for any job, the quality of your CV and covering letter is of the utmost importance, and its even more important when applying internationally because of cultural differences. As you should already be doing, you need to tailor your correspondence specifically for each application where possible, taking into account these differences – you should have found them out during your research phase.
Also don't waste your time and theirs by applying for jobs you're not just suitable for. “If the job states ‘At least ten years previous experience in the Middle East ‘and you don't even know where this is let alone having worked there - forget it. Only apply if you have the relevant qualifications,” Smith says. If the job states that you must have a degree in xxx and you don't even have a college certificate in this - forget it.If they require someone under the age of 50 and you're over 60 - forget it.”
Also make sure you follow the directions they give you specifically. “If you do apply for a job, apply in the manner requested. i.e. by e mail with CV attached or in writing - send hard-copy of printed CV (no spelling mistakes and grammatically correct) with neat hand-written short covering letter,” Smith adds.
Follow up on your applications, and make sure you keep doing so until you know whether you have been successful in reaching the next stage. Err on the side of being annoying with your follow-ups but don't overdo it – you want to look eager rather than psycho!
“Compile a list of every job that you apply for with a column where you can write progress or other remarks,” notes Smith.
“Make a courtesy phone call a few days after applying for the job to ensure that the recruiter has received your application and to try and get any further info out them. Also try to ascertain in the recruiter is going to forward your application to the client (employer) or not.Make a further phone call a couple of weeks later to find out if the recruiter has any updates from the client. Continue to make phone calls every couple of weeks until you are satisfied that you have not been successful (or otherwise),” he adds.
Prepare for the global job interview
This is where things will get different from what you have been used to - depending on the company the global interview can be one of many things, an email interview; or perhaps an interview using an instant messenger programme, a video conference interview, a telephone interview. Perhaps even an old fashioned face to face interview will be called for, which means you getting on a plane and flying to you (hopefully) future home town to meet the (hopefully) future boss.
In most cases, initial interviews are often done via e mail or telephone as it is simpler for all parties involved, but if you reach the latter stages of the recruitment process prepare yourself for the obstacles these unconventional interviews offer. Things you take for granted such as body language or eye contact may have to go out the window, so practice other ways of communicating your enthusiasm and articulating your skills and accomplishments.
Follow up
If you want to succeed you need to do this. In countries like the US it is common courtesy for applicants to contact the interviewer after the interview and thank them for the opportunity – you then contact them a few days later to ask about the situation, has it been filled? Be assertive but don’t be aggressive – there’s a thin line you mustn’t cross. But whatever you do, always follow up on every opportunity, or you might be letting one get away.
And finally…
If you want an international job then you need to be strong, strict and be able to take things in your stride. Of course it is unlikely that you'll get the first job you apply for, but don't give up hope. If you keep trying and hone your application skills etc, eventually you will find that you will be off to start a new life in the land of your dreams.
“I believe to have any measure of success when working overseas one must have a good sense of humour, be resourceful and resilient. If you have these qualities you will probably return only half crackers rather than completely nuts,” Smith concludes.
By Keri Allan, Assistant Editor
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