International Networking: Building the Life Abroad Foundation
Posted date: 20 May 2020
If you travel, research or work abroad, one thing can be said about all of them: it's extremely exciting. It's all exciting to experience a new culture, to learn a language, to meet people from every corner of the globe, to eat delicious food. And if you really love your time abroad, there's a chance you'll get a little bit off the international bug and decide to pursue your career after graduation abroad. If this is the case, then I'd recommend taking advantage of the potential offered by studying abroad for international networking.
When it comes to researching the local job market and future career prospects, being on the ground in the country you might choose to live in after college is a big benefit and how can you make the most of your time abroad and networking globally for future postgraduate opportunities? Here are a few tips I've learned to navigate the international job market the hard way.
Designing a personal brand is critical to successfully networking and finding job opportunities in today's job market, no matter where you are in the world. Whether you're posting on Medium, networking on Twitter or producing articles on LinkedIn, it 's crucial that you've got something more to show employers who you 're as a professional than a PDF of your CV.
Just living physically in the country you’d like to work in after college gives you a massive opportunity to network.Be specific about the industry and type of companies you might be interested in working for to ensure your time is well spent. It will help to narrow down your scope so you can do more in-depth work of interest on your businesses.
Once you identify a few companies that you may be interested in, start reading through their blog and social media accounts to get a better sense of what they are doing, their approach to the industry and their role in that. Remember, knowledge is strength, and particularly when networking and exploring employment opportunities.
Once you know the particular companies you 're interested in, it's time to get even more focused in your research, namely finding specific company employees (ideally expats) to reach out to. You may reach out and ask to talk with them and get information about a post you 're working on, or about life as an expatriate, or how their job takes them overseas, or other industry-specific issues. Yet having a clear reason for needing to talk with them is also a good idea.
You never did it! Not only have you completed your study abroad experience, but you've also networked effectively in your desired country and have a huge pool of contacts who have actually met you personally!
What are you doing now, then? Keep in touch with them!
Would you need someone in your industry to quote you for a class assignment? Ask one relation of yours. Have you been compensated, or certified? Make sure you let your network know, especially your close connections. Keep them updated on your plans, and share details on how to operate in your country! They'll definitely be able to help at this point in the game.
From here it's a game of numbers. Not everybody will come down to the floor and give you your dream work, but the more contacts you have, the greater the likelihood that someone-knows-someone-knows-someone who wants to recruit someone like you, and now you have contacts in the field to vouch for yourself. And if you're putting in the job and landing a job outside, you'll be reaping all the financial benefits that job abroad provides.
Posted By
GSP Admin
