When finding employment in a new foreign environment it’s important to be ‘employment ready.’
Review your previous work history, experience and training to identify your transferable skills and knowledge. Allow plenty to time to do this; it’s worth making the effort. What this will provide you with, is an overview of your strengths and weaknesses which will make it much easier to tailor later applications to emphasise your best ‘fit’ to job descriptions.
Research as thoroughly as possible your target industries. The best place to start is professional associations, corporate and government websites. Industry journals and publications can also be a good source of valuable information.
AM I QUALIFIED?
Taking the time to have your current qualifications assessed by a careers councillor in your host country can be helpful. You can often find that your home based qualifications may be worth more or less that you thought. If possible get them translated so that it’s easy for employers to understand them.
Some trades and professions have bridging courses for converting qualifications to the local standards. If you are required to take bridging qualifications you will need to research how long they take, how much they cost and what they will enable you to do in the future.
MANAGING EXPECTATIONS
One of the difficult issues faced by migrants is managing the host countries perception of their value. Many migrants relocate expecting to be able to arrive in their new country and be afforded the kind of warm welcome by the local job market that they would be used to at home. This rarely happens unless you are lucky enough to be involved in a profession or trade that is in particularly high demand.
If you accept that you are in a new environment and that there will be a period of change and uncertainly, things will be much easier to manage. Entering situations thinking that because you have 10 years experience in a particular field, you will walk into jobs will only lead to immense disappointment.
One of the first things that overseas employers tend to look for is local experience. This may seem ridiculous since you have just arrived in the country but to understand it, you have to approach it from their perspective.
As a newcomer to the market and an overseas one at that, regardless of your experience level you are perceived as a risk. Untried, untested, lacking a local reference and unlikely to be a permanent resident, who could leave at any moment due to a change in circumstances.
As a result you may have to prove your worth and desire to work more than the average employee. It’s been noted by many migrants that the best way to gain trust is to be prepared to work for a lower salary or at a lower level than you are used to. This will appeal to employers who will be able to make a judgement on your ability in a manner which will have a less marked effect in their business.
Remember, employers aren’t stupid. They will quickly see that you could, or should be deployed in a more demanding role but importantly for you, you will have made an impact and gained an employers trust. Trust will equate to a local reference, which should you decide to move on elsewhere will mean that it will be an awful lot easier to find work second time around.
GIVE & YOU SHALL RECEIVE
An option to consider that has been used successfully in the professional services industry, is to offer your services for a couple of weeks to an employer of your choice for free.
It may sound ridiculous, especially if you are a seasoned professional but what you are really offering is a sample of your work with a view to being hired if they like you. Even if you don’t get hired, you develop professional networks and your understanding of the local work culture, practice and laws. You also get local experience to mention on your CV and to talk about at interviews.
Finding employment in a new environment can be challenging and time consuming but being prepared, well researched and positive will ensure that your quest will be a short one.