Career bucket list: prepare now for an expat experience!

Make your career goals a reality.

Act now on your expat goals.

As we begin the new year, the first thought for many of us is to just forget about the last one.  Understandably so, 2020 was just awful.  Even after surviving, what I hope is, the worst of the pandemic COVD-19, it’s still a worthwhile exercise to reflect on what we did in 2020 and where we want to be in 2021. For those of you who are thinking about pursuing an expat experience – congratulations!  So how do you cross the proverbial finish line – get that expat assignment?  Well, I’m here to help you with that!

While COVID-19 will still be with us for a good part of 2021, the promising news is that a vaccine will be available to a majority of people around the globe. While that doesn’t mean business as usual, it does mean that we can begin to develop our new ‘normal’.  I’m confident that in some shape or form we will travel and we will conduct business in person again.

Take steps toward an expat experience.

Step 1: Research expat life.

It all starts here.   What is expat life all about?  Are you sure it is for you? This is where you’ll need to do some extensive research.  Start online with helpful resources such as the following.

• HSBC Expat Explorer is an annual study of nearly 20,000 expat professionals. HSBC also provides other valuable resources such as expat country guides.

• InterNations is a community of around 4 million members present in 420 cities around the globe helping people meet, connect and exchange information.  InterNations helps expats feel at home around the world.

• Expat Insider City Ranking is an annual survey by InterNations.  The 2020 survey included responses from more than 15,000 expats living in 181 countries or territories providing various information about expat life. 

• Expatica provides expats the information they need to turn their new country into their new home.

• Transitions Abroad  has been around since 1977, and offers comprehensive information and resources on travel, work, study, and living abroad with a purpose. 

Step 2: Network to learn more.

If after conducting your initial research you are still interested in an expat experience, you’ll want to dig deeper.

• Informational interviews with colleagues, alumni, family, friends, members of professional associations where you are active, or anyone else in your network is a great way to get first-hand information on living and working abroad.  Be sure to prepare properly and remember that networking is a two-way street that should be maintained throughout your professional career.

Step 3: Look inside first.

The return to internal recruiting has been accelerated by COVID-19.  The uncertain business climate that started in 2020 and that we are living through today has forced many companies to freeze or stop altogether external hiring, substituting it for the preferred path of internal recruiting. 

If you work for a company with offices around the globe, you’ll want to explore what your options are through your current employer. Before you check out your company’s job board, try to understand if your company has formal or informal rotational programs.  Here are some ideas which might help you open doors to an expat assignment.

• In many companies, yearly reviews, bonus talks and career development planning are all going on now.  This is the perfect opportunity to speak with your boss or the recruiting team about the likelihood of an expat experience or any kind of rotational program.

• If the option to go abroad is available but no formal program exists, engage a mentor within your company who has completed a short-term project or an overseas assignment.  As I’ve stated in an earlier post, opportunities to work in a regional office can include an M&A project to onboard the latest acquired business; opening a new office, and training and/or hiring staff; rolling out a new product or service in new geographies; introducing new internal tools or a software platform across multiple locations; or onboarding a third-party vendor or strategic partner.

Step 4: Evaluate your skill set.

Aside from what you do functionally (e.g., strategic marketing, corporate finance, supply chain management, etc.), you’ll need to assess how you measure up when it comes to the following skills:

• Adaptability

• Communications

• Cultural awareness

• Emotional intelligence

• Problem solving

• Risk taking

• Self-motivation

• Teamwork

Depending on where you go, there will be a good chance that you will need to learn a foreign language as well.  While your time abroad will enhance the above referenced skills, you will need the basics to get off to a good start. 

Step 5: Test the waters.

While it is difficult to simulate the real scenario of working abroad, there are ways to try it out.  Join a project or committee at work that allows you to engage with colleagues from different regional offices. Take an online class with geographically dispersed students.  If you’re a risk taker and your company has decided that you will work remotely for an extended period of time or maybe you are a freelancer looking for a new environment, you’ll want to look into a new trend of working from anywhere. To stimulate local economies, many countries have developed special programs for remote workers.  Check out Insider’s 16 destinations welcoming remote workers to see how you can work from anywhere.  With just a little bit of paperwork and health insurance, you can find yourself in a dream location.

After the experience, ask yourself the following questions.  Did you like interacting with people from different backgrounds? Were you open to other peoples’ ideas and approaches to problem solving? Did you learn something new about yourself or have an aha moment? Are you more inspired and better at what you do as a result of the experience?  If you answered, “Yes,” to the questions above then an expat experience is worth pursuing. 

Step 6: Study abroad.

I was lucky enough to study abroad during college and business school.  My time abroad during business school opened the door to landing a job in Milan.  Today, there are so many choices.  As educational systems evolve as a result of COVID-19, you can explore hybrid programs that combine classroom and online learning, and in-person travel abroad.  Studying abroad requires a significant commitment in time and resources.  Do your research.  U.S. News has lots of information on a wide range of advanced-degree programs.

Step 7: Be persistent.

As I’ve written in an earlier article for Transitions Abroad, landing an expat job will take lots of work.  There isn’t a mapped-out path so you’ll need to be persistent and resourceful.  Competition locally and externally is fiercer than ever before. However, I’m still a firm believer that with the right amount of work, faith, and persistence you can go as far as you want to go.  Research, plan and take action.  Pursue every possible angle and always reward yourself when you achieve milestones in pursuit of your expat goals.

With all the lockdowns, limitation on travel and waiting for the rollout of vaccination programs, use your free time wisely and move forward with your dream of working abroad.

Photo by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels