Looking For A Job Abroad: Due Diligence

Posted on 06. Nov, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Relocation, Tools & Resources, Working Abroad
3 comments

You may not be able to get a job lined up before you relocate, and that’s OK. However, before you make the big leap into the unknown, you absolutely must check if your skills are in demand wherever you’re headed.

We’re not talking about a cursory, general Google search here. You have to investigate the local job market as thoroughly as possible.

I know it sounds obvious. Yet many international job seekers do such a superficial job of it that they might as well not even bother…

Be specific

Checking whether there are job openings, say, in the IT sector in Berlin is far too general.

If your dream is to work for a cool video game company downtown, and all the IT jobs are entry-level troubleshooting positions way out in the suburbs… you’re out of luck.

There could be ten million jobs available in your field, and that still wouldn’t do you much good if they’re not the jobs you want, or if they’re in the wrong location.

So you have to be really specific. Gauging the demand for “finance specialists in Spain” definitely won’t do! Don’t snicker – I get emails almost every month asking me if companies are hiring for marketing positions in Canada…

Why so vague?

Why do people ask such vague questions? It’s not that they’re stupid, of course. And I bet you it’s not because they’re lazy or careless either.

The real reason is that no one likes having their dreams shattered.  We’re afraid of bad news, afraid of being discouraged. So we keep it vague enough that it doesn’t get too scary and real…

… which brings us to the other part of your due diligence. Put on your detective hat and get ready to conduct a thorough, 3-part investigation:

1. Write down the type of job(s) you are interested in. Be as specific as you can. Job titles can vary depending on the country or the employer, so for each position, list the salary range and responsibilities you’re aiming for.

2. Do a search on job banks such as Indeed.com, SimplyHired.com, CareerJet.com, Recruit.net, Monster.com or Experteer.com – or any other job search engine that has international job listings. Get a feel for how many positions would be a good match for you. Check whether the compensation package you have in mind seems realistic.

3. Turn to your local connections. Ask them about trends in your industry – what sectors are in decline, what sectors are booming, where have there been massive layoffs in the past year, etc. Ask several people and cross-reference different sources.

Unlike job listings that are more like a snapshot, your contacts can give you actual perspective on the local job market. Don’t forget to ask “politically incorrect” questions (How hard is it for foreigners to get hired? Are foreign degrees recognized at all?), because you won’t find the answers through the official channels.

If things don’t look too rosy in your field, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to shelve your dreams of working overseas. As long as you a.) are willing to be flexible, and b.) have a contingency plan in place, there’s no reason why you couldn’t give it a go.

We’ll explore a few of your options in the next post.

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Emmanuelle

Images by sleepy terry (top) and the|G|™ (bottom), both via Flickr Creative Commons