How to Land a Job Abroad

If you love to travel and have that adventurist spirit, working abroad may be an exciting experience for you, which will not only broaden your cultural horizons and allow you to closely explore a new country, but it will also help you upgrade your resume with newly acquired knowledge and skills to improve your qualification prospects. Here's how to start your quest and land a job abroad:

Start searching and apply for jobs. If you want to get a job, you have to start searching for open positions and applying for those whose qualifications you meet, and this is same for the international jobs also. You can start your search on specialized websites like GoAbroad.com and TransitionsAbroad.com, with employment listings that range from international business internships, part-time and summer jobs, to teaching or nursing positions and other highly skilled professionals. You can narrow your job search selecting the type of work you are interested in and/or the location where you are willing to live. To broaden your access to interesting and challenging work opportunities you can also try some larger job directories like Indeed.com or CareerBuilder.com, or even find a job listings website from the specific country you want to live and work in.

Once you find a job that's interesting, don't wait – apply for it! As with any other resume your international application documents should also underline your best skills and qualities and the relevant education and experiences, but their style, tone and formatting should be adjusted to the requirements of that particular country. There usually aren't huge differences, but just to be certain "Google" the local job search practices.

Prepare well for the interview. After crossing the resume scanning and getting the recruiters interested in what else you have to say, it would be silly to let yourself blow the relatively easier step of going through the interview. To prepare for this moment you can practice your answers of the potential questions the company's HR representatives might ask you, along with getting yourself familiar with the company and your potential position there. When having an interview in a foreign country you should expect different questions than in the United States. For example, here it is illegal to be asked about personal matter such as religion or marital status, since to not hire a candidate because of religion or marital status is considered discriminatory, but in France such questions are acceptable so you'd want to prepare answers for them. The questions regarding the skills and qualifications, experiences and past jobs are almost universal, but it won't hurt if you research the country's interview policies and etiquette before going to the interview.

Find out the needed paperwork and get it. Each country is different regarding the documents, work permits and visas you need to acquire, how much time is needed for the procedures to pass, or if you must be vaccinated or take some medications before you go to your job location. That's why it is best for you to get informed and prepare ahead so you won't miss the opportunity when it arrives. The best places to go to for such information are the national government website of the country you plan to work in, the embassy, or if you've already passed the interview process, you can ask the company's human resources for detailed information on your next steps to getting there. It is needed to stress that the sooner you start obtaining the travel and medical documents, the more prepared and less stressed you'll be when your job abroad starts. In some countries you have to wait months before you actually get a working permit and visa, and full vaccination and medication may also take time before completed.

Prepare for an expat life. In the whole rush between the time of interviewing and getting the job abroad, preparing the documents and arranging flights, we often forget that we'll be living in, not just visiting a new country. In order to prepare for this experience you should research the country's culture and way of living, as well as the professional customs, connect with other people from your country who now live there through expat communities so you'll have someone who can understand what you are going through and maybe help you with an advise if needed, and also arrange with your friends and family how you'll communicate with each other while you are living and working abroad.