JOBS
When looking for a job abroad, a job seeker should make sure first
to try and find out what his/her true personal goals and drivers are: who are
you, what does intrinsically drive you and what are your goals in both work
and life. Find out what kind of jobs and industries suit you based on your skills,
interests and experiences. Remember self-assessment is the starting point for
a successful job hunt. This means getting a clear picture of oneself: Your strengths,
weaknesses, talents, challenges, preferences, values, work habits and lifestyle.
With these things identified, one can then start job searching and find out
how to fit into the job market.
Interest
One too often overlooked aspect of the job hunting process is finding a career
to be passionate about. The first step in this process is to identify the activities
that one enjoys, disregarding compensation or job availability at this point.
Brainstorming and a process called mind mapping are both effective ways to uncover
buried passions. Once one has a list of activities that they enjoy the next
step is to identify potential jobs that incorporate those activities. Again
brainstorming or mind mapping can be used in this process.The key here is to
start with a desire and a passion then pursue positions that fulfill that desire
and passion, not the other way around.A worker very interested in work activity
is likely to be better than an indifferent worker or one who loathes the job.
An interested worker, likely a happier worker, should not need to job hunt as
frequently as someone who takes little care in assuring that the job is a "good
fit" for them.
Knowing
the Employers
It is expected the job seekers will have done a reasonable amount of research
into the employers. Some basic information about an employer should be collected
first before applying the organization's positions, including full name, locations,
web site, business description, year established, revenues, number of employees,
stock price if public, name of chief executive officer, major products or services,
major competitors, strength as well as challenges.With all of the resources
available on the Internet, expand the research into the employer to discover
if the employer's operation is healthy and likely to continue to prosper. If
an employer's financial situation is shaky, new employees are often the first
one out the door when a cut back occurs. Employers that are companies with publicly
traded equities are good subjects for pre-employment research and enable the
job hunter to avoid being the last one hired before the reductions and layoffs
begin.
Applying
One should note that working in a different country, requires a lot more that
just good will and a fine resume, one should realise that he/she is bound to
come across some unexpected differences. An example is what is called resume
in the U.S., is called CV - Curriculum Vitae - in Europe. And whereas resumes
are a reflection of your main accomplishments only, European CVs are detailed
accounts of your education and work experience to date.One can also go and hand
out résumés or Curriculum Vitae to prospective employers. Another
recommended method of job hunting is to use cold calling or emailing to companies
that one desires to work for and inquire to whether there are any job vacancies.After
finding a desirable job, they would then apply for the job by responding to
the advertisement. This may mean emailing or mailing in a hard copy of your
résumé to a prospective employer. There is no one correct way
to write a résumé but it is generally recommended that it be brief,
organized, concise, and targeted to the position being sought. With certain
occupations, such as graphic design or writing portfolios of a job seeker's
previous work are essential and are evaluated as much, if not more than the
person's résumé. With most other occupations, the résumé
should focus on past accomplishments, expressed in terms as concretely as possible
(e.g. number of people managed, amount of increased sales or improved customer
satisfaction).
Interviewing
Once an employer has received your résumé, they will make a short
list of potential employees to be interviewed based on the resume and any other
information contributed. During the interview process, interviewers generally
look for persons who they believe will be best for the job and work environment.
The interview may occur in several rounds until the interviewer is satisfied
and offers the job to the applicant of their choice.