The University Club of Washington, DC’s 25th Annual Meet the Author Night and Book Fair!

Wednesday, December 3, 5:30 — 8:00 pm

The University Club of Washington, DC

1135 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC

If you’re in DC, come on out and meet Sherry, along with many other interesting authors. The event is free!

I’m resurfacing, though — at least for now — to share the happy news that Sherry and I are hard at work on a second edition of Working World: Careers in International Education, Exchange, and Development! This second edition will again be published by our wonderful colleagues at Georgetown University Press, with plans for a 2014 release.

This second edition will feature the same philosophy you came to love in the first Working World book — namely, pushing international job seekers to challenge their assumptions about what it means to pursue a career in international relations and to recognize that the path to career success is rarely straight. We’ll also be adding lots of exciting new content, including:

• New and updated profiles of fascinating professionals in these fields — you can learn so much from their diverse career paths and excellent career insights;
• New and updated international job hunting and career resources — much has changed since the last edition was published, and so many resources are out there — we’ll be bringing you the best of them; and
• Expanded discussions on key topics important to both current professionals and job seekers in these fields (such as identifying your cause, the art of networking, the value of mentors, and viewing your career as a continuous journey).

We’re so pleased that much of our new content is being inspired and driven by reader input and feedback.

For now, Sherry and I are focusing our energy on completing the second edition. But we hope to re-energize this blog in the months ahead as a discussion space for any and all issues related to careers in international education, exchange, and development.

Thank you for your support, and see you soon in the new Working World!

——

Beyond Translator, Travel Writer, or Diplomat:

Exploring the Possibilities of an International Career

By Mark Overmann

Many of us—me included—have gravitated toward the field of international affairs because of a love of travel, languages, and cultures other than our own. This is only natural. Something I’ve come to learn, though, is that pursuing an international career is not synonymous with working abroad. Just because a job enables you to travel (or live/work abroad) doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best opportunity for your career in international affairs. In the same way, even though a job doesn’t have a travel component, it may still help to build your career in international relations in significant ways. Building your career and traveling abroad can, and hopefully will, overlap, but they are not one and the same.

This is an important distinction to consider. Many young professionals looking for international work out of college and graduate school—again, me included—judge the worth of a position based on its travel component. The reality, though, is that many jobs available to those just out of college and grad school won’t include extensive travel—at least right away. But that doesn’t mean the work you’re doing stateside won’t be valuable and exciting, and it certainly doesn’t mean it won’t eventually lead to a position that does allow you to travel. (I’m only now beginning to travel regularly as a part of my job.)

A substantive experience abroad

Whether you end up working in the United States or abroad, traveling extensively or not, the best preparation for an internationally oriented career is spending time abroad (and preferably studying a language at the same time). As Sherry Mueller, my co-author on our book Working World: Careers in International Education, Exchange, and Development, often notes, she looks first for a substantive international experience on the resume of a job applicant. For Sherry and many other managers, not only is time abroad expected of an applicant for an internationally-focused job, but such an experience also indicates that the applicant has developed the broader skills that come with immersion in a different way of life: adaptability, confidence, resilience, the ability to succeed despite language and cultural barriers. These are skills that all employers prize, but especially those in international affairs.

So, no matter how you end up doing it—whether you teach English through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps or Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program, or you pursue the Peace Corps, or you get a Fulbright teaching or research grant, or you do a European Commission stage*—the best way to get ready for an international job is to be international yourself.

Expand your notion of the international

Once you’re ready to look for a job in the international arena, expand your notion of possible paths to follow—international careers are not confined to translator, travel writer, or diplomat. Rather, there are countless opportunities to work for internationally-engaged nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations: for example, you could work as a Regional Education Advisor with the EducationUSA network based in Munich, or a program manager for Save the Children based in southern Sudan, or the manager of an Institute for International Education project based in Washington, or the director of the International Visitor Leadership Program at the World Affairs Council of Seattle. You could work as a study abroad or international student advisor at a university; as the international affairs legislative assistant to a member of Congress; as a consultant with Accenture working with the Department of State; or as a researcher at an international think. The list could go on, and as the line between the domestic and the international becomes increasingly blurred, the possibility of finding an international job in any sector continues to grow.

But how do I find these international jobs?

This is the most common question Sherry and I field, always from talented, motivated professionals who just don’t know where to begin. I think the story of a young woman I met recently provides an admirable example of how you can, first, see what kind of international jobs are out there, and then blend your use of technology and face-to-face contact in order to network your way into one of those jobs.

As a starting point, this young woman narrowed down where geographically she wanted to be and in what area she wanted to work (in her case, Washington, DC, and international exchange and global education). From there, she searched broadly for organizations that interested her, using such websites as Idealist.org, FPA.org, NAFSA.org, Devex.com, and Indeed.com. She consulted career books specializing in international affairs (like Working World!) and jotted down organizations most relevant to international exchange. She looked through the partners and members of these organizations to further broaden her search. She utilized the connections she was making via her profile on LinkedIn.com, as well as her university’s career services office and alumni database. From all of this research, she made a list of those organizations she was most interested in and located as many contacts at them as possible. She then emailed these contacts her resume, along with an explanation of her professional background and future goals.

She told me that she received a reply less than one-third of the time—a discouraging rate, to be sure, but she pressed on. She kept in contact with these repliers and eventually met with many of them (including me) in person when she arrived in DC. These contacts not only filled her in on their own work, but also referred her to other, related organizations. If a job opening appeared at one of these organizations, she applied for it and alerted her new contact to that fact.

Through one of these contacts, the young woman had the opportunity to meet with the president of an international exchange organization in DC, a meeting which directly resulted in her being referred to another individual who then informed her of a job opening before it went public. The young woman applied, interviewed well and this, combined with her excellent resume and the good impression she had already made at the organization through her previous networking contact, succeeded in landing her the job. Her strategy reinforced for me the notion that electronic job search tools, while vitally important, won’t cut it by themselves. Instead, getting in front of people and making yourself a “known quantity” will prove to be much more effective.

How do you want to spend your days?

As you’re searching and applying for jobs, consider other important factors that go into building an international career. For example: what kind of organizational culture will you thrive in? Is the hierarchy of the government or a consulting firm the right environment for you, or will you thrive in a smaller, less structured nonprofit? Also: What kind of daily tasks do you want? You may find an organization that perfectly fits your worldview, but in the end, mission-match won’t matter if you’re miserable in your daily work. And last: how do you want to spend your days? Where do you see yourself setting up a home base (or perhaps you don’t and would prefer a more nomadic professional existence)? Do you see yourself managing programs from headquarters, or rather implementing those projects in the field?

These are not questions that need be, or even can be, answered in one sitting. But they are important ones to consider because as you get your first international job, and then your next one and soon your next, you’ll suddenly realize that you’re no longer just getting jobs—you’re building a career. And the career decisions you make not only affect the kind of job you’re doing, but also the kind of life you’re leading.

Mark Overmann is a 2002 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, an English major and an Angers, France, study abroad alum. He now works as the Assistant Director and Senior Policy Specialist at the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange in Washington, DC and is co-author of the book Working World: Careers in International Education, Exchange, and Development and the blog at http://workingworldcareers.com. Despite his parents’ vehement objections and his utter lack of experience with the country, Mark spent the year after his graduation from ND in China as a volunteer English teacher for the Salesian Lay Mission program (http://www.salesians.org/slm/index.htm).

*http://www.jesuitvolunteers.org

http://www.jetprogramme.org/

http://www.peacecorps.gov/

http://fulbright.state.gov/

http://ec.europa.eu/stages/

Anyhow, catch-up posts to come. Thanks for hanging around with me.

I’m not necessarily sure if the myth regarding rain on one’s wedding day reigns true outside the confines of a chapel, however, if events that occurred last week during a torrential downpour in DC are any indication of its transcendence – I’m a believer.

After attending the first government-sponsored TED event at the State Department last Wednesday afternoon, I emerged from the auditorium optimistic about the impending job interview to which I was en route. That optimism was instantly smothered by the pouring rain, which greeted me upon exit. Down in DC for the day from Manhattan, I planned the contents of my bag strategically, leaving no detail unchecked or without consideration…needless to say, I was disheartened by my failure to execute a relatively routine exercise — verify the forecast. Hailing a cab sans umbrella in my newly pressed suit proved to be a sufficient challenge. And just as I was about to call my interview and apologize for my imminent tardiness, it happened. A kind, umbrella-toting stranger motioned for me to join her in the cab she had hailed.

Sharing a cab is a truly generous act…that soon paled in comparison to additional gestures of my cab companion. Sherry Mueller welcomed me into her cab during a tenuous moment of urgency, offered me valuable and constructive interview advice, and proceeded to gift me her umbrella, all before departing at her stop within ten minutes of our chance introduction.

Perhaps I’m just a jaded New Yorker, but Sherry’s random act of kindness and generosity was truly overwhelming, sincere, and deeply appreciated. The impact of my chance meeting only served to solidify my faith in ‘paying it forward.’ Furthermore, after reading up on Sherry’s professional endeavors, the irony of our introduction and its ripple effect emerged. Sherry’s recently published book, Working World, encourages professionals to take an active role in shaping their career paths through extra-curricular initiatives/activities and relationships – a mantra to which I’m a committed disciple. What’s more is that Sherry acknowledges the critical nature of developing relationships that transcend discipline, comfort zone, and age.

I look forward to encouraging my peers and colleagues to seek out the ‘Sherry’s’ in their own world and not only as an exercise in cognizance enrichment – it’s important to be aware of, engage, and learn from those available resources. You never know when you’ll get caught in a storm without an umbrella.

Sometimes — due to geography — I find myself doing an event solo. Despite missing Mark, I always enjoy the give and take with my audience — and their varied reactions to some of the ideas Mark and I share in the book and that I review in opening remarks that launch spirited discussions.

Last Friday was a particularly interesting occasion. Initially, my trip to San Diego was planned so I could speak at the 30th anniversary celebration of NCIV’s member organization there — the Citizen Diplomacy Council of San Diego (CDCSD). That festive event was held May 28 at the San Diego Yacht Club. CDCSD is a dynamic collection of dedicated citizen diplomats, and it was a privilege to be present in person to recognize their three decades of service to their community, our country, and to the foreign leaders whose lives they have touched and entwined with their own.

Last Friday evening, as part of CDCSD’s effort to draw more young people into their work as citizen diplomats, The Internationalists (a group designed to bring young professionals with global interests together) hosted a book event that turned into a lively discussion and a classic networking opportunity. The audience ranged from newly minted University of California, San Diego and University of San Diego grads to a Latina woman who works for Univision Radio to a Navy SEAL with experience in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I learned so much from each of them as I visited with them before and after the formal program.

I’m always quick to point out that we wrote Working World for idealists. Our target audience from the outset was readers who want to make a positive difference in our turbulent world. Now I am discovering how uplifting it is to interact with our readers who indeed are idealists. In this time of grim headlines and somber sound bites, it is truly heartening to interact with such impressive young people (and those seeking a mid-career change or an “encore career”) who are determined to be forces for good in this chaotic world of ours.

My thanks to Enrique, Mel, Christiana, and Eric — and all of your CDCSD colleagues for making the event such a success. The welcoming audience, the buzz in the room, the excellent questions and comments — all combined to provide inspiration and new connections.

Knowing I had a number of recent grads in my audience, I opened my remarks with a reference to Secretary of State Clinton’s commencement address at NYU (described in an earlier post—with a video— by Mark), where she said she hoped we could “harness the energy of a rising generation of citizen diplomats…My message to you today is this: Be the special envoy of your ideals…be citizen ambassadors using your personal and professional lives to forge global partnerships…”

It is a source of great satisfaction to know directly from our readers that Working World is helping them do just this.

As we embark on our new site, Sherry and I would like to take a minute to thank Rob Pongsajapan and the team at the Georgetown Digital Commons project for their assistance and support and for providing a great home for Working World for the past nine months.

And now, on with the Working World…