Working in a Foreign Country

Lately you may be looking around wondering exactly why you are still sitting in your job in the United States. With all of the madness of the  dwindling economy, the urge to get out of town is growing stronger every day. Besides, you may never have had the chance to travel and are at the point where it is now or never if you want to broaden your horizons beyond the fifty states. So you make up your mind to work abroad. Here are some ideas to point you in the right direction once you decide to run for the border to explore what the world has to offer.

Familiarize yourself with the culture of the country in which you are interested.

Never go into anything blind. The first thing you'll want to do is scope out the area in which you wish to move. There are several things to consider: What is the conversion on their currency? Are you familiar with the language? If not, it would be a good idea to either peruse a foreign language dictionary or listen to some instructional tapes to make sure that you know some key phrases before plunging into an entirely different culture. You'll also need to familiarize yourself with foreign entry requirements. Understand the cultural differences and language and use what you learn to assess which country will best suit your background and the life you want to pursue.

Know your options as an International Employee.

Common work arrangements include:

U.S. Contract — The ideal situation for you would be a contracted United States employee. The benefits of being a contracted employee are that the company that hires you will usually pay for airfare home for the holidays. Many companies will also offer latitude in agreeing to terms negotiated into expatriate contracts including rent payment, transportation, long distance calls to the States, household needs, foreign tax payment, and the organization of International working papers. The best thing you could negotiate for is to be paid the American dollars, so that you make sure that you are working for the same salary as you would be in the United States.

Working as a national in a foreign country means that you accept that you will be paid in local currency and your salary will be in alignment with those of jobs similar to yours. In countries that are underdeveloped, you can usually count on being paid much less to do the same job as you would in the United States; however, the cost of living is substantially lower. In more developed countries, you will find that the pay is very competitive with that of the States, but with that competition also comes a fiercer job market because of the competition between other nationals with comparable education. Visas for work can also be very challenging to obtain.

Be sure to show personal strengths on your resume or CV.

You might want to consider revising your resume before sending it abroad. You're going to be living in a different area, so adjust your resume to fit with your International lifestyle. Your resume is like American dollars — it should convert when it goes abroad to highlight the key things you possess that International companies are looking for in an employee.

Strong field background: Demonstrate the knowledge of your particular area of expertise on your resume. These days, it seems that job descriptions are becoming more specific and typical, so highlighting your unique talents will give you a competitive edge. When trying to obtain a job abroad, your proven flexibility and adaptability will showcase your attractiveness as an employee because if you are willing to move across the world to take this job, you obviously really are adaptable and flexible. Tell them about the time when your company merged with another, for example, totally changing the order of operations and about your instrumental ability to make positive contributions to the new environment.

Multi-cultural experience: Because United States citizens are less likely to be bilingual or to have been exposed to multicultural environments than citizens of other countries, it is up to you to show your capacity to operate in a more diverse environment. Highlight your ability to serve as a liaison between executive level and management. Show your ability to pull all facets of the workforce together.

How to get started.

Make your career search plan: Start your search within your current company. Does your company have an International location? International subsidiaries? International partners? Is it expanding internationally? Look for any available opportunities. By staying with your company, you can develop personal, accessible contacts. Often companies with international subsidiaries have special schools for children and offer programs to help your family and career transition into its new, international sphere more easily.

Think of people you know that have contacts in your country of interest. Contact your alumni and professional affiliations to find people that have done international work. Find out how they got it, opportunities they may know of, and how you can utilize their experience to expand upon your international interests.

To find some international job listings visit CareerBuilder.com and search their International Community. This will allow you to easily access opportunities abroad specifying your exact area of specialty.

If you want to maximize your chances abroad it is a good idea to seek out a service that can handle the work permit process. You may eliminate some stress that would be added to the already trying experience of finding a job in a different country and moving your entire family abroad.

Think Internationally when preparing for the interview.

Although you may still get some of typical interview questions, make sure to think outside of typical U.S. company questions.

First, research the cultural standard for negotiating within the particular country. Then think of questions outside of the standard U.S. interview. Some questions for you to ask in an international interview that you would not think to ask in an interview in the United States are:

• What is the current standard of living in the country?
• What is the healthcare system like?
• Does the company give language lessons?

Now that you have the resources you need to approach working abroad, think of all of the advantages to challenging yourself live in another country. Not only will you broaden your own horizons, your family will also have the chance to receive a multicultural education, bettering their chance to pursue their dreams as the job market becomes more focused on diversity in the workplace. These tips should make your decision to move abroad much easier.

Kerry Spivey is with e-resume.net, a national resume writing service. E-resume.net combines personalized attention with the speed of the Internet to deliver professional resumes, cover letters, and other documents essential to clients throughout their job search. For more information about www.e-resume.net, please visit their site at www.e-resume.net or call (888) 277-5550.