Top Countries To Work In

Working abroad isn’t for everybody, but I doubt there would be many of us who haven’t thought about getting a job somewhere more exotic than our home countries.

Getting a job abroad can be one of the most fulfilling life experiences you ever take on. But it’s not quite as simple as packing a bag and heading off to the airport hopefully.

Here’s 10 tips on how you can make an international career move.

1.      PLAN! - It’s the only way to manage a successful move. If an internal secondment within your current employment isn’t an option, you are going to need a job hunt strategy to ensure you are not still dreaming of the challenge by the time your next vacation comes around. If you're planning of grabbing Dubai Jobs or Singapore jobs, think of all the search tools available to you (online, networking, personal contacts etc) and plan how you are going to utilise as many as possible to your best advantage.

2.      DRILL IT DOWN! – You need a very clear picture of the type of job you are actually looking for, or your search could prove disjointed. Do you want the same job, but somewhere else? A step up the ladder within your chosen profession or something completely different? A vague notion of simply ‘working abroad’ will be apparent to potential employers and won’t go down well.

3.      DO YOUR HOMEWORK! – Now is the time to research potential companies, countries and jobs. The best method would be going to work for your existing organisation in a foreign outpost, but if this is not possible, don’t forget to look into the logistics of necessary qualifications and Visa/residency or language issues that might discount particular roles or nations from your list.

4.      DEVELOP & CONQUER! – Maybe you don’t have the necessary language and or work experience to secure your dream career move abroad. That shouldn’t be a barrier into expanding your horizons and rectifying your lack of skills. Explore ways you can boost that CV to include the perfect criteria for you to go out and get what you want!

5.      SORT THAT CV! – Without being able to source that next career move face to face, your first impressions are going to be made via your resume (or CV) and covering letter. Your cover letter, needs to be concise, professional, culturally aligned with your country of choice and above all, spelt correctly! There are many online resources for help with CV’s, on how to make a resume and cover letters.

6.      WORK IT! – After all, sometimes of course, it’s as much ‘who’ you know as ‘what’ you know. There is no point being the quietest jobseeker in the room. Make sure EVERYONE knows what kind of a career move you are looking for and politely ask for ways in which they can help. Use online social networking such as LinkedIn to broaden your networking horizons – it works, believe me. People in your network can help with job leads.

7.      SCREEN IDOL – You could be asked to attend a video interview. Preparation for this is vital, as you will no longer be able to rely on your written language skills, which, of course can be checked and corrected. Prepare and practice!

8.      CHASE! – You MUST follow up all contacts and job leads. It might not be THE one, but who knows what it could lead on to, from a connection and contact perspective. This also shows that you are serious about taking a job abroad, and are not wasting people’s time. Remember to be assertive without being aggressive.

9.      JUST DO IT! – It may seem rather rash, but there is a lot to be said for upping sticks and moving to your country of choice and finding work whilst ‘on the ground’. You would of course, have gotten your visa requirements in order and organised your finances to live without a salary for, say, anything up to 3 months, but if this is viable for you, then it could be the right move. Make sure you have paper references and all the right documents with you to speed up the process, rather than going back and forth. If this isn’t viable, then, at least a ‘job search holiday’ might be a plan.

10.  GOOD LUCK! –Moving abroad is a big deal for anybody, it’s also, one of the most exciting, and fulfilling adventures you could ever make. Plan properly and take care, the world is literally your oyster!