College Knowledge

How to Land a Job Abroad After Graduation

Always dreamed of traveling the world? While this may seem like an unrealistic fantasy your senior year when faced with the immediate reality of low entry-level salaries and expensive college loans to repay, it could actually be a more attainable dream than you think. All it takes is a little creativity, some planning, and a lot of determination on your part. Working abroad right out of college has many advantages. It can put your career on the fast-track, it can teach you invaluable cultural nuances and give you the opportunity to become fluent in another language, it can overshadow lack of prior job experience or a less-than-stellar GPA on your resume, or it could be the perfect unique experience to make your application for the graduate school of your dreams stand out. Whatever your reason, you need to first consider the type of job you would like to do. Teach English? Do relief work for the locals? Jump right into your future career, but in another country? Your educational background and personal experiences will dictate the breadth of your options. Have you studied a language? If you are a freshman, sophomore, or even a junior, now could be the time to start! Having even a semester of language background in the country or area that interests you will help you reach your goal. Have you previously studied abroad? Unless you already in your senior year, you should definitely look into your school’s study abroad opportunities. Studying abroad allows you to network and seek out connections in other parts of the world, which will ultimately be one of the most powerful tools in your quest for a job. If your school does not have a program in the country of your choice, don’t forget you can always apply to study abroad through other colleges. National programs, such as CIEE or IEE Passport, are also non-university-affiliated options. If money is a factor, there are many loans and scholarships that exist to help students fund their time abroad. A simple search on the internet turns up thousands of relevant scholarships, so with some effort and determination, practically anyone can find a way to fund their studies in another country. Do you have any other unique skills or qualifications, such as TOEFL certification, a black-belt in karate, or a flair for bartending? Don’t forget to take all of your skills and background experiences into consideration when looking for a way to successfully transport yourself to another country, as many such skills are universally in demand and could be a way to at least get your foot in the door (or a plane ticket over). Now that you’ve thought about your goals, skills, and hopefully positioned yourself throughout college to maximize your chances at finding a career abroad, it’s time to look for a job. But where to begin? Most likely, your university has a career center who can guide you to global career search websites, such as www.jobsabroad.com. Another valuable, but often underused, resource is your university’s alumni network. A simple, polite, introductory email to as many alumni in your target region is possibly the most powerful tool to lead you to a job. Even if alumni themselves aren’t able to hire you, they will likely refer you to someone who might be interested. If you had the opportunity to study abroad or perhaps had an internship at an international company, use the connections you made to inquire into potential job opportunities. Finally, you can always research target companies or jobs on foreign job websites, and apply that way (but it always helps to contact an individual within the company via phone or personal email, rather than simply submitting your resume to a general applicant pool). Hopefully, if you think carefully and creatively about all your options and use the resources listed above, you will be able to attain your dream job abroad. Always remember that a positive attitude and determination will be the most important factors to achieve your goal. Best of luck!