Posted on April 28, 2010
Photo attribution to LeJyBy
Professional experience is always our main focus when determining the right international career trajectory. We emphasize international internships, co-ops, contract work, etc. Spending a good amount of time developing your professional experience is always a good strategy. Putting all your eggs in one basket…isn’t.
If your professional experience is your only strong asset (for example, only highlighting the jobs that you have held and no industry involvement in your resume), than you are not providing added value to your organization. Employers want to have a well-rounded employee, one that expands beyond their work experience by learning relevant skills and being actively involved in their specific industry and community.
Think of your career like a game. The more points (skills and leadership activities) that you amass, the more quickly you will be noticed by upper management for a promotion or more responsibility. The key is to make strategic moves about the activities that you add to your career repertoire.
This week focus on making yourself a more attractive candidate by exploring opportunities outside of work. Remember that your career starts in college and graduation into ‘the real world’ is simply a building block of your career. Even if you have not lined up an internship or job for the summer, you can still make advances in your career by capitalizing on these opportunities.
Below is a list of activities that you can incorporate to enhance your career this summer.
- Join an industry association
- Industry associations are a great way to get noticed by future employers and familiarize yourself with your industry. There are typically discounted dues for students or recent graduates. Choose an association based on their membership and their recognition within your sector.
- Volunteer at an industry event
- If joining an association is not feasible, try using your spare time to volunteer for industry related events. Not only will this demonstrate leadership and ambition, but it will also put you in front of potential employers.
- Become a member of an international club
- Start building your network of international professionals by joining an international club.
- Take a language class
- It is never too early or too late to strengthen your language aptitude. Knowing how to communicate cross-culturally is a huge asset in your career.
- Do 10 informational interviews with future potential employers
- Informational interviews are a job hunting secret. Find people in companies that you aspire to work in and take them out to talk about their career. A steak dinner is not necessary, just a simple cup of coffee will do.
- Start writing a blog about topics in your industry
- Writing is an excellent way for potential employers to see notice your thought process and insights.
What other “extra-curricular” activities do you recommend to enhance your career?
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Posted by: Olga at Going Global
Posted on April 13, 2010
Doing your research (Photo attribution to -Snugg-)
Being prepared before you move abroad for your internship, study or travel experience is a surefire way to have an experience that will enrich your career. Preparation involves obvious things like having the correct visa arrangements, knowing your accommodations, packing the right gear, etc. Under the radar, though, is having a cultural perspective about the country that you will be calling ‘home’ for the duration of your trip. This is just as important in preparation for your trip.
Over the next week, assess your country choices and narrow it down to your top 3 countries. Use this 3-day breakdown to help you to make the most informed choice. Educating yourself about the country is the best way to circumnavigate traveling to scope out your destination if that may not be an option.
Day 1 (Approximate time: 30 min) Choose your target countries
Think of why you want to live in that country and how it fits into your personal beliefs and likes. Consider the physical landscape, language, culture, business etiquette and any other factors that contribute to your overall experience. Sometimes we disregard the importance of these considerations and how they affect our adventures abroad. Check online resources like globalEDGE or Lonely Planet to help you research the specifics. Narrow your country choices down to 3 countries.
Day 2 (Approximate time: 30 min) Define the best cities based
Continue to narrow down your focus by choosing the cities best suited for the type of experience you are looking for. This is largely determined whether you are looking to work, study or travel and whether or not you need to be in a metropolitan area. There are pros and cons of living in a cities of different sizes. It all depends on the type of experience you are looking to have.
Day 3 (Approximate time: 1 hr) Calculate your cost-of-living
You need to know the amount of money needed to sustain yourself when moving abroad. Not only will this allow you to save accordingly, but also givse you the foresight of what to expect once you are there. The last thing you want to do is run out of money a month into your international experience. Your cost-of-living barometer incorporates the expenses you may incur while living abroad like housing, transportation, personal care, food and entertainment. Check on travel forums like Thorntree or websites local websites like Gumtree or Craigslist international to get a sense of what people your age are spending on food, housing and entertainment when traveling to those countries. If possible, calculate a per diem cost and multiply that by the days that you will spend in that country.
How do you do your country research? What other tips and resources can you suggest for someone looking to move abroad?
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Posted by: Olga at Going Global
Posted on April 7, 2010
Downtown Tokyo - Photo attribution to Stuck in Customs
Our instinctive associations about going abroad is to travel, study or work internationally for a company. What happens when none of those options seem to fill us with overwhelming joy? Is there any other way to live abroad? The answer is yes. It is possible to combine your love for traveling and the need to make money by setting up shop in a foreign country. This week we explore how Neil Payne set up his business, Kwintessentials, on a laptop in a studio flat in 2004. He now oversees a company with offices in the UK, USA, Argentina, South Africa, Germany and the UAE. Here are 10 tips on how he did it.
1. Marketing
“Marketing doesn’t need to be expensive anymore,” explains Neil. You don’t need a massive budget to get customers. A simple website, fully-optimised for the search engines and in the local language is probably one of the most effective means of entering a market at very little cost. If worse comes to worse you may lose a few hundred dollars.
2. Phone Bills
Using Skype, Google Chat or any other VOIP system dramatically reduces phone bills. With Skype you can call internationally for as little as £0.02 per minute which, compared to landlines, is peanuts. “Skype has helped us in many ways”, adds Neil. “Not only can all offices conference call for pennies, but in emergencies we can even have calls forwarded via Skype to one of the other offices ensuring we never let clients down.”
3. Virtual Working
If you fancy having a go at a market, it’s not always necessary to actually have staff on the ground there. “When we first started our operations in Germany we actually had a German speaker in the UK office handling calls and emails. We still had a German number and appeared to be in Berlin through using a virtual office,” comments Neil. “Once we knew the German market was for us, we only then invested in people there.”
4. Get Funding
Governments generally want to see businesses doing well abroad. It’s good for everyone. As a result there are usually pots of funding available for companies wanting to trade abroad. UK Trade & Investment (in the UK) offer numerous incentives including Market Research, Aid-Funding and one-to-one business advice. Check what other grants may be available through local governments, enterprise incentives and the like.
5. Watch Exchange Rates
Many a decent business as been caught out by exchange rate fluctuations. “I remember many years ago when the Euro suddenly shot up against the Pound. We were losing money hand over first to our Europe based suppliers, “ states Neil. “In the end we decided we had to fix rates against the Pound so that we were always paying the same amount regardless of exchange rates.”
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
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Posted by: Olga at Going Global
Posted on April 6, 2010
Find your key - Photo attribution to LunaDiRimmel on Flickr
The Must Do Monday series helps you to implement action throughout your week toward having an international experience. Pursuing an international opportunity will only take you half way. The important thing is always action.
Over the past several months, we have covered these action items like creating your international resume, writing your LinkedIn profile, building your network, planning an international internship system, finding a mentor and other topics.
These action items are laying the foundation for your career. Your career essentially begins in college and you keep adding experiences, skills and contacts, as you grow older. The essential elements of your career are your network, your personal brand, your pipeline for internship and job leads and your personal development/growth as a professional. Learning to ‘follow up’ on these foundation blocks will build a strong foundation for the rest of you career. This week focus on ‘following up’ in these core areas that will lead you to an international experience or career.
Day 1 (Approximate time: 20 min) Make a Google document with the 4 core areas
Having an organized career leads to a stress free environment. Create the habit of keeping track of your core career areas so that you know how you are advancing in each. This will allow you to see the progress you are making or the areas that need improvement. Having a Google document online provides you the advantage of editing anywhere and anytime you need to.
Example of how to organize your checklist
Day 2 (Approximate time: 45 min) Follow up on: Your Network
We have elaborated on the importance of building a network early in your career and even before you leave to go work, travel or study abroad. Building a network is like growing a garden. You have to ‘be there’ to keep it growing. Give that person a call, send them an email, DM them on Twitter, write on their wall on Facebook or connect with them on LinkedIn. Whatever medium works best for you, drop them a line. Sometimes it can be intimidating to reach out to them if you haven’t spoken in a while. Use this generic script to help open the channels of communication again.
“Dear (or Hi depending on your relationship with the person),
I hope that this email finds you well. We haven’t spoken in a while and I wanted to touch base with you. Thank you again for telling me/teaching me about (cite a piece of wisdom that you learned from them. Show them that you remember how they helped you). I have been (tell them a little bit about what you have been up to).
I wanted to reach back out to you and say hello (tell them what you want from them here. It could be to go to coffee, have a phone conversation, ask them a specific question. Here is your chance.)
I look forward to hearing from you.
Cheers!”
Day 3 (Approximate time: 1 hr) Follow up on: Your Personal Brand
We used to only think of brands as products or services of a company. Nowadays, everyone is his or her own brand. It is important to think of yourself as a brand so that you create value to your network and to your current or prospective employer. Elements to consider here are: Is your resume finished or does it need updating? Does your LinkedIn reflect the highlights of your resume? Is your Facebook and other social networks open to any prospective employer or do you need to reset the settings? Make sure that your online and offline are one and the same.
Day 4 (Approximate time: 1 hr) Follow up on: Your Job Pipeline
Applying to jobs and internships and receiving feedback is not out of your control. To an extent, you control your job destiny. Keep track of the jobs and internships that you are applying to, the date you applied, the people that you contacted about the position, and the status of the application. Companies want to know that you are truly passionate about working there. Persistence is a good thing.
Day 5 (Approximate time: 1hr) Follow up on: Your Personal Development
As a professional, it is always key to keep yourself fresh and innovative. Use the Apple marketing strategy. You are the product and all the features that you add are innovative and above the curve. Spend some time checking in on the latest industry news, reading about a new program, taking a class on how to make that program better. Whatever your industry calls for, jump in trenches.
What kinds of suggestions do you have for follow up? What has worked well for you?
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Posted by: Olga at Going Global
