Continental Shift

dangers you might not expect, Malawi

If you’re not moving countries because your company asked you to, and you’re not moving countries because you’re retired and want a holiday lifestyle in a new country, then you’ll most likely need to find a job.

It’s much easier to have your desired career in mind when selecting your new country in the first place. This is both in terms of work opportunities in your current career, and work opportunities in a new career, which might even be the primary driving force for the move in the first place.

If, for example, your skillset is in IT, a low-tech village in country France is more romantic than realistic (though telecommuting may soon change all that – your village might be perfect…if it has broadband capability).

Even if you are sticking with your current career and planning to move to a big city where general job opportunities will likely abound, it may be a wise move to check the overall availability of jobs in your particular line of work; that may be the deciding factor in choosing one city over another.

You can find a new job before you go, or after. It is easier to have something lined up before you go, as this can be very helpful in getting the appropriate visa; your new employer might help with the application or even agree to sponsor you in (when applicable; for example, Australia has a program where employers can bring in skilled workers from overseas).

Like house-hunting, remote job-hunting has been made much easier by the reach of the internet. Start your job hunt online with international job-search agencies such as http://www.workfinders.net/jobs/.

It’s also worthwhile checking national job hunting sites – for example, if you were coming to Australia, you could look at Seek. It may not be appropriate to apply for jobs through this arena, unless the job ad specifically says something like ‘migrants OK’ or at least doesn’t specify the need for citizenship. But it will give you an idea of the range of casual, part-time and full-time professional and other jobs available, and the various salaries on offer.

If conducting your job hunt after you’ve arrived, make sure you’ve got some money set aside in case it takes you a little time. Be prepared to take on some casual work in the first instance. You can network through other expats, or friendly locals, and use traditional job-hunting means like newspaper classifieds. Knowing the language will be a huge help in getting a job, though it may not be strictly necessary, especially (sadly) if your first language is English.

Casual English-language tutoring may even be a possibility for short-term employment while you find something in your main field of work. This depends on how common English is and whether you need some kind of qualification first. Don’t under-estimate how valuable similar ‘non-career’ skills can be in an isolated expat environment – being able to teach a musical instrument or run a yoga class can be a useful money earner and social outlet while looking for more permanent work. This will be discussed further in the next section, for your partner’s benefit.

In general, job hunting is the same the world over. Some tips, adapted from http://www.provenresumes.com/articles/12mistakes.html, include:

• Make sure your CV or résumé is clear, up-to-date, and tailored to make the potential employer want to bring you in for an interview. There are hundreds of resources on the internet for preparing an effective C.V., so don’t let yours let you down
• Maintain a good attitude and remember that it’s up to you to find a job, not your friends, family, or even recruiter; they can support and help you, but it’s up to you
• Plan what you want but be realistic about what you can get
• Prepare for interviews by thinking about the questions you might be asked and practicing the answers you might give, on videotape or in front of another person if possible. As with CVs, there’s loads of resources on the internet dealing with interview preparation.

One difference to note in job-hunting across borders, however, is that the employment culture is as sure to vary as any other aspect of culture. For example, the preferred format and content of CVs may change from country to country or region to region; that is, the type of CV you might send in to a prospective employer in the US may be different from the type in, say, Europe.

Similarly, the need for a covering letter, its length, and whether it should be handwritten or typed can also vary, as can the necessity of including a photograph, the use of personal contacts to get your foot in the door, and things like psychological testing as part of the selection process. This site is useful for describing the job hunt culture in a variety of European countries. You should try to find a similar resource for the country you are moving to, if it’s not on that list, or ask locals for advice.

Don’t assume you have to, or even should, get a job in your old profession; moving countries is sometimes a good impetus to make changes in your professional life as well as your personal life.

As mentioned above, a new career path may even be a major factor in your choice of new country. Perhaps you might also want to study or get some kind of apprenticeship. Be aware such options may be limited by your visa and language – try to make such decisions well in advance and plan accordingly.

You can also consider starting your own small business. Depending where you are, you may find it easier to partner with a local. For example, in Tripoli, an experienced real estate agent from Canada and her partner from Russia teamed up with a local Libyan who could handle things like paperwork, bureaucracy (ahem, bribes), recruiting house owners, various legalities (such as the requirement to employ local staff) and language.

A useful book, for Australians at least, may be Working overseas: a working holiday guide by Bryan Havenhand and Victoria Haywood. This book, published by Global Exchange, details the best working holiday opportunities for Australian and New Zealanders in over 20 countries. It might be slanted towards us Antipodeans, but should have information applicable to people from other countries; if not, look for your own versions.

CASE STUDY
No case study here, I’m afraid – my partner moved because of a job, and I gave up mine and switched to freelancing, so I didn’t need to look for a new one. However, in Tripoli, jobs for expat partners who wanted them generally become available by word of mouth through the expat community, and you got them via friends of friends.

Don’t underestimate the power of the expat community in the country you’re moving to either. Networking is a potent tool.

ACTIVITY
Before you start sending out resumes, think hard about whether you would want a career change as well as a scenery change. This may be the time that you suddenly realise that it’s not the country you want to leave, but your unfulfilling job.

RESOURCES

http://www.owh.com.au

http://www.graduatecareers.com.au/layout/set/print/content/view/print/893

www.job-hunting-tips.com/

jobsearch.about.com/

www.careerone.com.au/jobs/job-search/get-that-job/migrating_to_australia_sponsorship

www.workplace.gov.au/workplace/Individual/Jobseeker/Careers/CareerJobSearchTips/

http://www.eurograduate.com/plan2.php

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