Archive for the 'Careers' Category
This is Part 2 in a series on “Working Abroad.” In this series, we’ll examine the possibility of jobs abroad and highlight some practical steps to aid an overseas career. Be sure to check out Part 1.
In the first part of this series, we discussed why you might consider an overseas job. Now, we’re going to talk about several interesting avenues you might pursue.
Telecommute around the world
Telecommuting is definitely not new to today’s society. Many employees work remotely with companies all around the world. With technology continually advancing, employees can commute from virtually anywhere.
If you’re lucky enough to be a telecommuter, you already have a global job in your hands. That’s right, you can take your job on the road.
Perhaps you’ve already done some work while on vacation. Why not pick up and work across the globe for six months?
Here are a couple of many things to consider:
- Permission - Be sure to clear the arrangement with your supervisor. You don’t want her to find out when you’re already in another country.
- Connectivity - You’ll need to work and communicate. A good solution might be wireless internet access (hotspots, net cafes, etc) and VoIP (like Skype).
- Backups - These are important at home, but essential on the road. Your equipment is at risk every day, so protect it with backups.
For more thoughts, check out this article at World Hum.
Be a freelance journalist
News happens all around the world. There’s work for journalists in many places. That’s a prime benefit to a journalism career.
Being a freelance journalist is similar to telecommuting in many ways. You’ll be working on the road and communicating remotely. Thus, many of the previous considerations apply.
However, freelance journalists also frequently end up in harm’s way. This especially applies to journalists seeking to cover war, disasters, and other turmoil.
For this reason, it’s important for journalists to have an extra eye on security and safety. This means knowing the region you’re in, planning ahead, and letting friends know these plans.
There are definitely other considerations for freelance journalists, so do your homework. Poynter Online has a great article to get you started.
Be sure to check back for Part 3, where we’ll cover a huge list of job boards with opportunities abroad. To easily read future updates in this series, subscribe to Job Tuition by email or RSS.
This is Part 1 in a series on “Working Abroad.” In this series, we’ll examine the possibility of jobs abroad and highlight some practical steps to aid an overseas career.
In today’s society, everything is global. We travel internationally. We instantly communicate around the world. Why shouldn’t your career be global as well?
Think globally
The first step in considering a job abroad is to think globally. You need to get out of the mindset that jobs and careers are limited to your own country, wherever that may be.
With today’s proliferation of global corporations, this mental shift might not be too difficult. Simply realize and understand that, regardless of your ultimate career path, you can find an overseas opportunity in your field.
Expand your horizons
The primary reason to seek a job abroad is to expand your overall experience. This type of experience will be on-the-job and cultural, so it will enhance your resume even more.
Your global cultural experience provides a great addition to other work experience, as well as your formal education. Employers definitely like to see candidates with knowledge of other cultures, given today’s global marketplace.
Enjoy yourself
Aside from these career benefits, many jobs abroad allow travel and personal enjoyment of the area in which you are working. If you play your cards right, you might be able to travel a signifiant amount on weekends or during short work vacations.
And this is not even considering the enjoyment you can get from immersing yourself in another culture, trying to learn the language, and understanding another way of life. Plus, the photos you will have contain a million memories!
Learn what to do
Now that you’ve got an overseas job in mind, it’s time to do your homework. Fortunately, you’re already reading a great resource: Job Tuition. This series will explain a few different job options overseas, as well as providing some information on work visas and other formalities.
In the meantime, there’s a great article at The New York Times on this subject. But don’t forget to come back, since we’ll have more details for you in the next installment of “Working Abroad.”
To easily read future updates in this series, subscribe to Job Tuition by email or RSS.
An older colleague of mine recently won a new position at a Federal Agency. That doesn’t sound remarkable except for the fact that she hadn’t been in an interview situation since 1993. There were three of us in our office that went for this job (there were 10 vacancies) and only two of us succeeded.
She had been thinking of changing career/job for over 12 months but wasn’t confident in her abilities to address job specifications, handle interviews and everything else relating to job hunting.
I advised her of the vacancy and what it entailed which piqued her interest. She took her time with answering the job specification ensuring that everything was covered adequately. She researched the Agency and tried to tailor her responses so they were relevant to the position. I looked at her application after she had submitted it and surprisingly it was quite good. Why surprisingly? As she was telling me how she had no idea what she was doing and thought she had completely messed it up.
When she was advised that she had made it through to the next stage she was totally amazed. Personally, I thought her application was a lot better than the one I submitted and yet I was expecting to go through to the next stage.
The day of the group session she was cool, calm and collected, she actually had a gastro virus which I think helped her nerves as she was more worried about not being sick than what they were putting in front of her. She didn’t think she did well in some of the testing but still passed to the next stage – interviews. Interview day she was a bundle of nerves as she hadn’t sat an interview for so long and wasn’t sure of what to expect. She answered the questions to the best of her ability, truthfully and honestly.
Obviously it was good enough as she was offered a position. What assisted her was the fact that she thoroughly researched the position, the agency and was extremely prepared. She wasn’t expecting to win a position and it was more for interview practice and building her confidence.
Sometimes, it is good just to apply for a job just to go through the process and reacquaint yourself with what to expect so you don’t go stale. I’m not saying you have to leave your current position just apply for a position at a higher level to gain experience and knowledge of what to expect if and when you do decide to leave.
Also, don’t think you can’t apply for a job or look at leaving your current job because of your age – just think of the wealth and knowledge that you have gained over the years and how that makes you an asset to a new position. It is also discriminatory to not employ someone because of their age.
You’ve landed the job. You’re working 40 hours a week at a company, and your plate is filling up fast. Pretty soon, you have more work than you can handle. What do you do? Clarify your job responsibilities!
If you clarify exactly what you are responsible for, you will do a better job. You can focus on the things your employer sees as vital. Your performance will increase, along with your salary and your advancement possibilities. But how do you accomplish this?
Find your supervisor
This may sound like an easy task. However, the chain of command might not be clear in some companies. Perhaps you are a general support staff member, and you get projects from several different people. Who is your central supervisor?
To find this out, simply talk with your higher ups in the company. Flat out ask them (in a nice way) who should be overseeing all of your work. If they don’t know, get them to find out. Someone should be your clear boss. They don’t have to give your daily commands, but someone should have ultimate responsibility for your work.
Ask for priorities
Once your company identifies your supervisor, it is your time for action. You must gather your current tasks and go talk to him.
Ask your supervisor to prioritize your work. Simply tell him that you have more work than your schedule can permit. Be clear that you are not being lazy, but that you want to make sure the important tasks get done first and are not delayed.
Work, based on priorities
Now that you know what tasks are most important, do those first. You might still have the exact same number of tasks on your plate, but you can feel free to let some things rest until you have time.
This doesn’t mean that you forget about tasks or let them die away. To the contrary, you should work on the lower priority tasks whenever you can. Maybe you have some downtime during an urgent project. Perhaps you can catch up a little on a weekend.
Supervisors, read this too!
Importantly, if you are someone’s supervisor, pay close attention to this article. You must understand that not all work can be done immediately. Your employees must prioritize. You can help this process by making your priorities clear.
Advance your career
Now that you know these basic priority communication skills, your career should benefit. There is no magic formula to this. You simply should communicate your time demands to your supervisor. Hopefully your supervisor will cooperate. This will result in better work product for her and a better career for you.
When I was in my last years of High School there was a lot of pressure on us to try and decide what our future career plans will be. I was of the belief, and still am, that a 16 year old with no life experience has no idea where their future lays and what they enjoy doing then is not what they will want to do 10+ years later.
Come my final year, I still had no idea what I wanted to do but was adamant that no more intensive study was for me. Luckily, I had supported parents and they encouraged me to look at my alternate options to University.
Fifteen years later, still with no clear concept of what I want to do as a career, besides earn an adequate income. However, I have had a variety of jobs, lived in various locations throughout the world and have lived a rich and fulfilling job.
A friend of mine from my school days was the total opposite. From the day we met at the age of 13 she had her life mapped out. She was going to study to become an Accountant, work to establish her own business and become self employed. All was going according to plan, she got into University, moved to Adelaide and last two weeks and had to move back to her home town. She just couldn’t handle living so far away from her family and city life. She then took on a job as a Sales Assistant, fell in love and now has a family, part time job and all thoughts of her own business have disappeared. The key thing is though; she’s happy and now believes that a career in Accounting wouldn’t be the right thing for her.
I’ve learnt that people don’t just judge you of what you do for a living, but also by what you have achieved. I’m going to be remembered as the congenial woman who was well travelled, well informed and well liked.
Moral of the story, don’t stress about the future – it takes care of itself. However, be prepared and make yourself employable. Enrol in courses, update your skills and be willing to travel to work.
Sponsored Links:
