Nov1020094:29 pm

Get a job abroad, where there are apparently more than in the U.S.

CNN.com tells us how to “tap into the growing overseas job market.” Jean Marc Hachey gives some good tips in the second half of the article, noting that international/globally-minded employers aren’t usually looking for a regional specialist, but rather someone with previous overseas experience and cultural skills that will enable him or her to adapt and roll with the punches:

What they are especially interested in is that you can demonstrate that you have crossed over various cultures at various times, and you have a set of skills that mean you can quickly be up and running in new cultures.

Mary Anne Thompson, quoted earlier in the article, makes what strikes me as a big generalization:

In order to apply for a work permit or visa on your behalf, most employers have to prove there’s no one in that country with the credentials to do the job, and show that they advertised the job and no locals applied for it.

“Most employers?” Is this really a fair statement to make when we’re talking not about a particular industry or city or even country, but rather “the world”? I’m sure this can be true in certain instances (it can be now in the recession-ravaged U.S.), but is this really so true that one can generalize like this and not be rather misleading? Maybe so, but it just strikes me as an odd thing to go out there and state as fact.

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3 Responses to “Get a job abroad, where there are apparently more than in the U.S.”

  1. Mark,

    I just moved to Germany and what Mary Anne stated is very true here. It was not easy to find a job, but with a little bit of wiggle room and networking I was able to find one. But as an Non EU citizen I had to have a job first and they had to support me for a work permit and Germany was able to hold that process up for at least a few months to see if any German citizens or EU citizens could fill the job first. This all makes perfect sense as they are trying to keep jobs in the hands of their citizens. Just thought I would share my experience and tell you that yes that the work permit thing can be a hassle and not really well explained anywhere. So you are right it could be a big generalization for the world, but it is in fact true in some EU countries. Thanks for all the great blogs!
    Marisa Jackson

  2. Joanne says:

    Actually, Mary Anne’s spot on about skilled migration. And skilled migration in Australia has led to horrendous rates of unemployment and/or highly skilled migrants slogging in poorly paid blue-collar jobs: http://www20.sbs.com.au/podcasting/index.php?action=feeddetails&feedid=12

    Oh, the pain!

  3. Error: Unable to create directory /home/content/m/a/o/mao32/html/wp-content/uploads/2024/03. Is its parent directory writable by the server? Mark Overmann says:

    Thanks for the insights, Marisa and Joanne. As I said, I didn’t necessarily doubt the truth of Thompson’s statement, but was just struck by the sweeping, generalized nature of it and would have appreciated some examples, I guess, to show how this is true in certain instances and certain countries. So I appreciated these two concrete instances in which this is a very real worry for those seeking employment in a country other the one on their passport.

    Any other specific country examples beyond Germany and Australia?

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