Guest Post: Turning Employer Research into Potential Interviews

Jim Key - Director of Global Marketing at Intrax Internships Abroad

Today’s guest post is brought to you by Jim Key, Director of Global Marketing at Intrax Internships Abroad. So far, Jim has taken you through the international job searching  funnel of preparing for a job abroad and researching potential employers. In today’s feature, he teaches you how taken your employer research and turn that into actionable contacts for future interviews. Read on to learn about his top five steps to reach out to potential employers.

Taking the lessons from the last two features, you have prepared yourself to be your most hire-able and you have determined what companies to contact. Now it is time to reach out to the companies.

1) Who do you contact?
Start with the person who would become your boss. If you are looking to work for the Head of Design or the Director of Operations, start there. That individual will be the main beneficiary of your work, so they are most likely to see the merit of bringing you on board. Many people start with Human Resources. That is the orderly process and you will certainly end up with HR as the hiring process continues. The problem with starting there (unless you are looking for a job in HR) is that HR gets a lot of resumes from people who are more easily hired than you. In general, they respond to what departments ask for (internal customers, if you will). Since those internal customers rarely ask for a foreigner without work authorization, you may not fit what they are looking for. That’s why you need someone in the company to indicate that they are interested in you first, before you go to HR. As for finding the names, just be resourceful – articles, company web site, various databases, and even calling the company.

2) What do you say?
The message for each organization must specifically explain why you are a good fit. Think this part through – as a foreigner you are not the most convenient to hire so articulating what makes you interesting is essential. You have hopefully researched what the target company does, thought about what they might need, and can express how you fit into the equation. Write a concise e-mail. If you can point to your resume online (LinkedIn profile, VisualCV, or even a link to a document) you can avoid spam filters that will keep your message from going into the junk file (just think how it looks to the recipient – an unfamiliar, international e-mail with an attachment).

3) How do you contact them?
First, send an e-mail briefly highlighting your fit with the company, your contact info/ resume link, and promising to call them on a certain day and time (3 days out). Then call them as promised. Practice the “elevator pitch” of your unique value (in the target language) and have your e-mail with your fit with the company handy so you can refresh their memory about what makes you compelling. You may only reach one in ten contacts live, so you need to be ready to make a good impression. Note: A mailed letter (with your exotic-looking foreign stamps) can make a stronger impression, but timing the follow up call is more complex and some people you write to may have their letters opened for them (losing the effect). You can test both approaches to see which has the better impact.

4) How many people do I contact?
A common fallacy in job searching is to become “set” on your top choice. Naturally, this is about finding a mutual fit, so more is better (the number varies by industry and market, but more is better). For a larger company, you can try a couple people at the same time, for smaller ones, make sure one potential boss has definitely decided not to call back before you try the next one. Of course, the more effort you put into each one, the more you will find messaging and wording that carries over to others. It also takes the pressure off, as you are not desperate for each one to respond positively.

5) The Pep talk…
Be systematic and professional in your outreach. Be the upbeat, confident version of yourself without going overboard on either trait. Use each interaction to learn from the people you talk with and refine your message. You will get better as you go – this is not just a one-week campaign so continue to do research and outreach. I wish you well!