Ten Essential Tips for Landing a Job Overseas
Randall S. Hansen, PhD, Provided by Quintessential Careers

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Do you love learning about other cultures? Can you communicate in multiple languages? Do you have a knack for seeing things from a broader, more global perspective? Did you major in international studies or international business? Looking to broaden your corporate experience with a stint working internationally? Do you want to work in a foreign country? If you answered yes to any and all of these questions, please continue reading this article—where you'll learn about the 10 most important tips for landing a job overseas.

1.Develop a Job-Search Strategy
The first thing you need to do is develop an overall job-search strategy. It's imperative that you develop a plan for finding employment because if you don't, your job-search experience will likely lead to frustrations and missed opportunities. What's involved in developing a job-search strategy? Sit down and determine the types of companies that interest you, as well as the different methods you'll use to track down job leads. In terms of the types of companies, determine whether you are interested in public or private firms; domestic, foreign, or international (global) firms. You should also consider what type of corporate culture you are seeking.

Tracking down job leads involves developing a strategy for how much you will use the various job-search tools:

> networking (with members of professional organizations, alumni, former supervisors and co-workers, family, friends, etc.)
> cold contact (direct mail campaign to selected companies)
> corporate Websites (using company career centers of selected firms to search for openings)
> job sites (including general job sites and international job sites)
> foreign newspapers and trade journals
> recruiters (both by discipline and by geographic location)
> government sources (including governmental agencies, embassies, trade offices)
> international job fairs

2. Determine What Jobs You Want to Pursue
One of the biggest problems we see with inexperienced job-seekers is having no real focus in their job-search. They know they want an "international" job that involves travel, excitement, and foreign cultures, but have no real sense of job titles or requirements.

If you know the job you are seeking, skip to the next section.

Where to begin? First, go back and examine why you are interested in an overseas job. Second, review the college courses you've completed and develop a list of skills you've mastered. Third, assess your accomplishments from various work and volunteer experiences. Fourth, analyze the results of the first three steps and see if you can develop a profile of the types of jobs that interest you and that you are qualified for. Be specific. If you're having trouble, consider using our Career Assessment or Career Exploration resources.

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