How To Get A Job Overseas

Of course, applying for and starting a job like this is quite different to applying for and starting a job in your home country, and there are some things to consider when you are starting to prepare.

What Job?

As with any job application, you will need to know what job you want. If you are vague about what you want to do, it will take you a long time to make any decision, and you might even talk yourself out of the big move altogether.

You need to know what you are looking for, but you also need to know what your personality, experience, and qualifications aren't going to suit. Make sure you speak to a professional or perhaps even friends and family about what is going to work for you, but of course the final decision must always be yours.

What Destination?

Once you know what it is you want to do, you'll need to decide where you want to do it. This can help to narrow down your job options somewhat too. There might be a country that you have always wanted to visit, or one that you have been to before and fallen in love with, for example. Or perhaps you have friends in another country and they are willing to give you somewhere to stay for a little while when you first arrive and get yourself settled.

Language is always going to be a big challenge. If you don't have a second language, moving to a country where English is not the primary tongue is going to be difficult, and getting a job there almost impossible (unless you are going to work in an English speaking company, for example). Your language skills are certainly going to have to be taken into account at this stage.

Write A CV

You now know what career you want and where you want to move to, so the next stage is going to be applying for jobs. Learn how to write a CV that will get you noticed. If it needs to be in a different language, then this is hugely important. Ideally, it will be a language that you already know, but if you are still learning then it is best to have someone check over what you have written to ensure it is correct.

Tailor your CV and your cover letter to each position and company rather than sending out a generic copy and paste applications. This shows that you have thought carefully about what you want to say and will also help you only apply to jobs that you are truly interested in since it will take longer to do each one.

Get Comfortable With Video Calls

As with any job, if you can impress with your CV, then the next stage is often an interview. If the company is based in another country, it is not always possible for you to go to them for the interview – costs and the time it would take could be prohibitive. Thankfully modern technology means that you can use video calling instead.

Not everyone is comfortable being interviewed in this way (or using video calling in general), but it is a great way to assess and be assessed, so you should practice to ensure you are confident in handling a video call.