There are several questions about the world of work abroad that I have been asked since I told about my experience in the Netherlands.
Of course, but this does not mean it is not necessary to say, that you can not make a single speech for all countries and what I can tell is always based on my experiences.
I recently interviewed a recruiter to find out more about job opportunities in the Netherlands, and also about advice that, in my opinion, applies everywhere from the moment you move to an other country than your home country.
As an expat, one of the first things to underline in the curriculum vitae is surely the knowledge of languages.
Which ones, at what level and above all which are the ones with which you feel most comfortable thinking of having to use them for work?!
Of course then you must add the information about your skills.
I suggest that we stop for a moment to reflect on the formative and working experiences made, and ask ourselves what hav we learned? How to use particular programs, if we have worked in contact with the audience and therefore have developed certain communicative and/or persuasive skills. Still organizational or managerial skills.
Just writing tasks, from my point of view, does not help.
Quoting Charlotte’s words in the interview, we often gamble everything in the first 20 seconds of reading the resume. Aldo remember that a recruiter or a hiring manager will decide wheter is whort or not to keep on reading yor cv in the firsdt 5-8 seconds. If you want to have more tips about writing a cv, check this video.
Once all these elements have been put down in black and white, it is time to compare them with the demands for work on the various channels. It makes little difference that they are Linkedin, websites of companies of interest, sites of agencies for work and whatever else we can consult to look for our future profession
It is obvious that we can never have 100% of the required skills or experience, but it is important that there is a good percentage, especially of what is understood as necessary. Also before submitting your application, let’s ask ourselves if we like what we read. Do we feel reassured by the tone of the offer? Reading the characteristics of the job we are clear what the company is looking for?
From experience I tell you, that every time I did not answer firmly to these questions I asked, the interview did not go well.
This last point is extremely connected with the next one.
Study, analyze the offer, if it is present the name of the company get informed about what hey do, since how long are they in the market, who are the competitors, and so on.
If the possibility comes from a recruiter agency, ask for as much information as possible and don’t feel that you have a problem doing so.
You are probably telling to yourself that these tips apply abroad as well as in our country. Yes! Because in the end every country is foreign for those who come from outside. The big difference is therefore the knowledge of the language that is spoken in the office, as I said at the beginning, regardless of whether or not it coincides with that of the country where you live. And the target market you know less about.
Especially in places like the Netherlands that are highly populated and have little chance of finding a home, another discriminating element is where you are at the time of your application.
Are you already in the country of the job vacncy, do you already have security where to go to live or you have no idea about the next step in this area? Not all companies, in fact offer a package for relocation, maybe they are more flexible with the start date or, nowadays, they will allow you to work for a while remotely, but present yourself clearly on your housing situation.
The keyword remains inform yourself!
I also mentioned some of these points in the article about the checklist to move abroad.
Another tip that I would give you and that also came out in some interviews for the playlist ¨Moving to…¨ is not to think you want to change country ( and consequently city, house, habit etc…) and drastically change also the type of job you do (except special cases), but think about finding a good job in your field and you will see that then any other changes will come.
Since I moved to Rotterdam, I’ve also realized how important it is to write lines about yourself in the resume.
Even before the experiences, the skills, etc… Talk about yourself, what you are passionate about in your work, what you have learned, what you still want to learn in that area and, why not, also mention other interests and curiosities that you have.
I found it very nice and interesting that all the answers to my question ¨what is the secret to a good job interview?¨ have emphasized spontaneity and honesty. This underlines, in my opinion, the importance of presenting yourself for who you are professionally but also giving space to a brief description of yourself..
It comes to mind how we worry about writing the right words in the bio of Instagram or other social media, they told us and said that in those few lines there must be the information that will make the click on follow users who happen on your profile. This bio must also be in line with the content you share. Here, try to think of your resume as your social media feed then. What would you write as bio?
As an expat, for example, I like to emphasize what I have learned and what I learn from working with cultures other than my own, using different languages and drawing from them to create my own uniqueness.
To conclude, a couple of practical tips to use on Linkedin for example:
- Update your profile in English
- Insert the cv
- Enter your e-mail address and contact number (if you already have one in the country where you want to move better)
- Add a short description in the appropriate box
- Connect with recruiters and follow pages of agencies and companies that interest you
- Enter your work preferences and activate notifications for when positions are posted in line with your search.
Let me know if this article can be useful and good luck
Talk you soon
Rossella
