Tips for landing a job overseas

If you desire it "body and soul" you will get it but first and foremost, you must do your "homework". This entails the following:

1) do the research on newspapers and on the internet for the "potential" employer. At first you may cast your net widely and you will downsize little by little. Depending on the industry you are interested in, the diverse engines will lead you to headhunters and/or specialized web sites and/or magazines (examples: for mining, finance, teaching overseas, summer student employment, internships, travel and/or humanitarian and development work there are several job "listings" on the internet).

2) Once you have made a list of potential employers you must read carefully read their history, achievements and goals to see if it fits your the type of job in the environment you are seeking. However, at the beginning of a career one can not be too "choosy" the importance is to get "related experience and up grade your skills" in your working field.

3) Post your resume "on line" (if the employer offers such facility). Ensure that you are tailor your resume to the job advertised (use their jargon and make it sharp and snappy).

4) If such facility do not exist, tailor your resume to the company`s goals. Once its done, call the Human resources officer so you may call her/him and ask to meet so you can hand-deliver your resume.

5) If all the above are "just impossible" and unless you can interview from your home-country, frankly, the best way to land a job overseas is to travel to the country you wish to work in.

Again, careful planning is required. Make a list of potential employers which are already established (example the big hotel chains and/or travel agencies) so you do not arrived unprepared. Only take a visitor`s visa - careful this is not feasible in a country like Ethiopia and/or China - and a return ticket so you do not encounter problems upon your arrival in the host country).

Do note that one trend observed nowadays is to hire more and more local staff of the given country (say India as its labor force is extremely skilled), hence be careful prior to set out.

This has worked for many of my friends in the humanitarian world. When a crisis "erupted" people showed up and landed jobs with the Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) but they had skills to sell for though...

Bonne chance!