5 of the Best Ways to Secure a Job Abroad
If you have been bitten by the wanderlust bug but don’t have the funds to take time off from work and travel, securing a job abroad can be the perfect resolution. If you love learning about other cultures and can communicate in another language you will be considered a valuable asset to a foreign country. Nations around the world are seeking highly skilled expats, including those who majored in international business or international studies. Granted, sometimes workers are relocated by their current employees. But, if this is not you, we have outlined the 5 best ways to find and land a job overseas.
Consider Your Job Options
For those who do not have a set career path in mind or have only recently entered the world of work due to studying, knowing where to focus a job search can be daunting. Knowing only that you want an international position is not enough. You will need to have a sense of job titles or requirements.
The best thing to do is asses the qualifications you have and make a list of skills you have mastered. Identifying where your expertise and strengths lie is a major part of the process. It is worth remembering that you are not pigeonholed by your experience as skills are often transferable; don’t fear if you want to stray away from what would be considered an ideal job for you. If there was ever an opportunity to make a change, it is now! After your analysis, you will be able to build a job profile.
Job-Search Strategy
Once you have an idea of the sort of jobs you would be most suitable for you will need to form a plan of how to seek them. You want to make sure you know how to find the jobs that best suit you and not miss out on any opportunities due to a poor search strategy.
Break your search down into a list of international companies you’d like to work for and a list of the methods you will use to track roles within these corporations down. Also compile a list of job role titles that you have seen to use as search criteria is browsing online.
Google searches and online job boards tend to be where people head to immediately to begin their search. Whilst this is a good place to start also consider the following:
- Networking
- Reaching out on LinkedIn
- Foreign newspapers
- Recruiters
- Government embassies
- International job fairs
Polish and Learn Skills
Nothing makes your more attractive to foreign employers than having an extensive back catalogue of qualifications, skills and experience. Furthermore, being fluent in a foreign language is highly desirable and will set you apart from the crowd. Recent studies have shown that global employees seek the following from job seekers:
- Cross-cultural adaptability
- Prior work experience
- Language fluency
- Technical knowledge in your field
If you feel like one or more of these areas is lacking it might be wise to stall your job hunt. Take some time to develop and polish your skills and, if needs be, learn a new language. You need to make sure you are as employable as possible and if you know you are lacking in a certain area you will not feel comfortable or confident going forward. It is better to take some time to focus upon yourself than rush the process and face rejection from lack of development.
Email, Telephone and Video Interviews
The majority of initial screening interviews will likely take place via email or the phone with potential overseas employers. It may seem very impersonal, but it is a quick and easy way of seeing whether you are suitable for the role you have applied for. Usually, your main or last interview will be a video conference. This will be exactly the same as a regular face-to-face interview but via your computer or tablet.
These mediums can present issues in themselves but you should conduct yourself as you would in any interview and be very confident in your language skills. As you will be, at most, viewed by a camera, make sure to articulate yourself well as the interviewer/s will not be able to pick up on body language or mannerisms.
The key to any job interviews is to be prepared and practice. You must ensure you have all of your skills, education and accomplishments logged in your mind and are able to apply them to the position appropriately. Remember to wise-up on the company too and they are likely to ask you questions.
Never Ignore a Job Lead
Whether you have had a response from an application or not, it is essential for success that you follow up every lead and opportunity. You may feel like you are being a nuisance but you have the right to know at what stage your application is at. More often than not, you will often job people’s memory of your name and get the balling rolling if things have become stagnant.
When following up, always sound assertive and be mindful of not coming across as aggressive. Researching the culture of the country the job is located in will help you make a decision in how to liaise appropriately. Just remember, it is best to come across as a smidge overly enthusiastic than not keen enough.
