Regardless of the personal reasons behind which some might seek working abroad, either because they like a certain country and they are fond of the lifestyle it can offer them, they want to upgrade their income, or simply because they are unable to find the appropriate job positions in their home countries. Many reasons and motives push a lot of us to explore the idea of working and building a life overseas, but before packing your bags and rushing into the unknown take a step back and let us enlighten your journey with the most important, useful and hush-hush tips for a better and much more enjoyable experience! Keep reading for more details!
1. Start your international job search through a good job-hunt strategy
The first thing to do after deciding in which country you would like to live, is to consider establishing a detailed research of the job market to know where you stand and estimate your chances of landing a good position! Think about investing your skills and competences somewhere needed and where there is less competition to ensure that you make the best out of your experience on both the financial and the professional aspects. If you do not develop a good employment search plan, your job search will likely end up with frustration and missed out opportunities. Consider applying for vacancies in small and medium sized companies, as they will be looking for unique and talented individuals who share their vision of foreign expansion. Whereas, multinational corporations are flooded with applications from international jobseekers all with the same skill sets. You should also determine whether you are interested in public or private sectors and either domestic or internationals firms. In doing so, you can use multiple online research websites, international job fairs, networking (through family members, friends, professional organisations, alumni, previous supervisors and co-workers, etc), corporate websites (using the companies’ websites) and government sources (such as governmental agencies, embassies, trade offices, ect).
2. Prepare for your job interview
One of the hardest challenges that job seekers go through while applying for an overseas job, is to convince the hiring manager that they are worth the process of bringing them from another country. Therefore, it would be smart to let them know your intentions of relocating to their country for the purpose of working in their company at your own expense and highlight everything that makes you the perfect candidate for the job! It is crucial to leave the best impression and convince them that you are willing to do whatever it takes to secure the job vacancy. Next, get ready to sit for the interview, whether it is through video conference, telephone, email or any other communication tool. You must be confident, show that your language skills will not be an issue, get ready to overcome any challenge that may come into your way by preparing and practicing, in addition to letting them know how your unique accomplishments, skills, knowledge and expertise make you the ideal candidate. Do not forget to make a meticulous research about the company itself and read reviews from other individuals who work there, this way if you have any questions on your mind you can ask them during the interview.
3. Follow-up all the job leads and grow your network
To make the best out of your job search experience it is essential not to let any potential opportunity slip through your hands. Make sure, to apply for each and every job vacancy that you think suits your skills and competences and will be a good opportunity for you then, do not hesitate to contact the companies for which you applied to see if there are any updates. You should also have a general understanding of your destination country’s culture and make sure that you leave a good impression and have memorable interviews. Not to mention the importance of networking and taking advantage of all the resources you have. Your contacts will not only help by alerting you of every potential job vacancy that you may have missed, but they will also help you expand your connections and provide key information and details about the economic and cultural standards of the country you are planning to reside in. These people can also be very helpful when it comes to finding a place to live. So do not let any opportunity slip away!
4. Learn about the visa process
Once you set up your mind on the country to which you want to relocate, and after successfully passing your job interview and securing the perfect position, the next step is to apply for your visa! Which, in itself is a complicated and often tiring process. You must apply for the right visa type and properly follow the legal procedures to make sure it results in a positive outcome. One of the most common and popular visas used to work overseas is the H1B visa which is a non-immigrant visa sought after by many foreigners who wish to work in the United States. However, navigating the requirements and conditions of obtaining and H1B visa, or any other type can be overwhelming.
Check the step-by-step guide to H1B visa requirements for more details. Therefore, considering getting the help of an experienced attorney, who is well versed in these matters, would be a smart move. You can check everything you should be looking for in a good immigration lawyer by taking a look at How to Find an Immigration Lawyer on the Internet!
Richard Herman is a nationally renowned immigration lawyer, author, and activist. He has dedicated his life to advocating for immigrants and helping change the conversation on immigration. He is the founder of the Herman Legal Group, an immigration law firm launched in 1995 and recognized in U.S. World News & Report’s “Best Law Firms in America.” He is the co-author of the acclaimed book, Immigrant, Inc. —Why Immigrant Entrepreneurs Are Driving the New Economy (John Wiley & Sons, 2009). Richard’s poignant commentary has been sought out by many national media outlets, including The New York Times, USA Today, BusinessWeek, Forbes, FOX News (The O’Reilly Factor), National Public Radio, Inc., National Lawyers Weekly, PC World, Computerworld, CIO, TechCrunch, Washington Times, San Francisco Chronicle and InformationWeek.
