Friday 6 March 2009

The Value of Working Overseas

I was recently asked three interesting questions by an American contact looking to work overseas.

They were:

How does working overseas increase one's resume to US employers?

How much $ increase?

What does it show a company if you work overseas?

I chose to answer these in two parts on the remuneration and the resume front:

How much $ increase?:

It is difficult to put a dollar amount or percentage on the value to a company of working overseas. I would turn this around and ask the companies themselves. You will get different answers; some may not value it at all, some may put some value on it, some a lot. It all depends on their needs and markets.

A company with markets overseas will place more value on someone with overseas experience, whereas a company with purely domestic markets and suppliers will probably place little/no value on it. Think about the sort of organisations that you want to work for and find out what THEY want/value. In my search I am targeting either overseas organisations with operations in the UK, or UK companies with international operations. These are more likely to value my international experience.

Don’t forget that what most organisations pay for are the technical know-how and experience needed for the job. Working abroad may form a greater or lesser part of this, so don’t make this the be-all and end-all of your enquiries. If they do value overseas experience, find out what in particular they would look for, e.g. networks, understanding of local regs, dealing with local regulators, ability to speak the language etc and MAKE SURE YOU COVER THIS OFF when working overseas. In the end, the fact that you have overseas experience is usually viewed positively.

Remember for your return to your home country that you have to show that you have RELEVANT and UP TO DATE experience. There is always a risk that employers may feel that you are out of touch when returning to the local market, so always keep your links open, make sure you keep abreast of the markets and their needs and let people know what you are doing. It can be a kind of Catch-22 situation, but bear this in mind.



What does it show a company if you work overseas?

Again, think ahead for when you get back and ask around yourself – the answers will help you determine which organisations you work for both back in the US and overseas. If you do not know enough organisations, do a straw poll amongst your friends, but I am sure that the HR departments of your target companies could answer the question quite quickly. In my experience, it shows (for starters) that:

· You have first-hand knowledge of a (number of) overseas markets;

. You are prepared to try/learn new things (i.e. move outside your “comfort zone”);

· You have broader horizons;

· You are adaptable;

· You are more culturally sensitive;

· You can see different points of view;

· You can handle stress (moving to a new country, however, “civilised” is still stressful);

· You can work with other cultures;

. You may speak another useful language;

· You have an international network.

If you have worked overseas in a market that the company is either in or wants to get into, you will have a network of valuable contacts there (this may prove to be a deciding factor in hiring and in the compensation you get!).

Personally, my view is that we live in an increasingly global market due to cheaper travel, better communications and information flows, and easier movement across national boundaries. Everyone needs SOME appreciation of what goes on outside their country. Many of the problems faced in certain countries are a direct result of a lack of understanding of other cultures.

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2 Comments:

At 7 March 2009 at 08:05 , Blogger Unknown said...

Hello! I am the American. My name is John McCabe you can learn more about me at:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnpmccabe08. I will have more to follow soon.

Regards,

JOHN

 
At 10 March 2009 at 19:36 , Blogger William Martin said...

I would also add that John has been a great help to me and has always gone the "extra mile". Do check him out!!

 

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