Having an 'internationalized' professional bio is a must if you want to be seriously considered for international jobs and assignments. An Internationalized Bio Helps You at Home and Abroad But in an increasingly competitive and global marketplace, even if you are not looking to work abroad, having a more international profile can help you in your job search. By differentiating yourself - by being more 'global' - you are more likely to stand out. The global presentation will strengthen your application for many types of positions. As more companies are doing business internationally and virtually, global teams become more common. Many employers are now considering the ability to work across cultures as a highly desired, if not required, skill set. Hence presenting as more of a 'global citizen' will help you attract job opportunities wherever you are in the world. How to Internationalize Your Bio Here are just a few tips on how to internationalize your bio: ▪ Share about your international experiences. You can include previous and current work experiences overseas, any type of study abroad, volunteer work overseas, or even international travel. ▪ Show you have the qualities and skills necessary to succeed overseas. Employers hiring for jobs overseas will seek out people with qualities and skills necessary to successfully work in other cultures. Examples of these include cross-cultural communication skills, language skills, being flexible, adaptable, and resilient as well as being comfortable in multicultural environments. ▪ Write about your unique value in a culturally appropriate fashion. Cultural... Continue reading

As a result of globalization and increased opportunities due to the need for specific skill sets overseas, more and more people are looking to work abroad. Why Do You Want to Work Abroad? But before deciding to embark on an international job search, it’s important to understand why you are interested in working abroad so that you can create a path and choose targets that will move you in the right direction. Questions to ask yourself: Do I want international experience to advance my career, experience a different lifestyle, or both? Am I interested in a short-term or single overseas assignment to help differentiate myself in an overcrowded marketplace, or do I want to work abroad for an extended period of time? Is my goal to acquire overseas experience to position myself for a senior or C-suite position at a global company, or simply to develop new skills sets? Do you feel the need to work abroad because you are struggling to find a job in your home country, or are you interested in making a greater impact in the world? So if your goal is to… experience a different lifestyle, then you’ll want to target the countries that are going to help give you that desired lifestyle. advance your career, then you’d likely target countries where there is activity and growth in your target industry or companies. secure a single overseas assignment, your first step would be to target companies who regularly send their employees abroad for development or... Continue reading

For those interested in learning about the the importance of setting networking goals for your expat career and international job search or how the right mindset is key to networking success should read my latest articles on Expat Focus, In one article I discuss the signifciant impact that a lack of goals can have on the experience of networking itself as well as your networking success. In the other I discuss the impact that having the right mindset can have on both your short-term and long-term networking efforts. Mindset and goals are often overlooked aspects of networking and the right ones can dramatically affect the pace at which you can build your global network for international job search success. And given that on average 75% of jobs are unadvertised (and therefore found through people) and on average 66% of jobs are secured through employee referrals, these articles are worth a read - particularly if you are not getting the results that you want from your networking. EXPAT and INTERNATIONAL CAREER SUCCESS TIP: If you are considering starting or are currently in an international job search, consider the mindset you are taking in your networking efforts. If it is more about taking first rather than giving, try changing your approach and see if your results improve. And if you are feeling unfulfilled and drained from your networking efforts, consider setting specific networking goals to keep you focused on what you really need to set you up for success. If you found... Continue reading

Because hiring decisions, like purchasing decisions, are based on emotions and then rationalized with logic, anything we can use to emotionally engage with our target audience can be useful in our brand building and job search efforts. As studies have shown that humans are hard-wired to respond to color on an emotional and physiological level, color can be a powerful (and often under appreciated) brand communication tool. The Use of Color Color can be used in various ways in your brand communications - in your business cards, presentations, online profiles, blog or site, email signature, resume or CV or other career marketing documents. Color can also be used with what you wear or even things in your office or workspace. I often advise my clients to choose some a piece of clothing in their brand color (shirt, tie, scarf) or accent pieces (jewelry, pen, business card holder) that they can wear or use consistently enough that people will start to associate that color with them. And I always recommend that whenever there are photo opportunities (bio pictures, presentations at conferences where photos will be taken) those signature pieces be worn or used. The Meaning of Color When the right color or colors are chosen and used strategically they can strongly reinforce your unique message of value and exert greater influence on your target audience. Hence it’s important that you understand the meaning of colors so you can choose one(s) aligned with your personal brand. I recently read an article in... Continue reading

What Personal Branding Is and What It Isn't The misconceptions about what personal branding is that I have been hearing about lately and the lack of understanding of how specifically it can help you reach your professional goals prompted me to share a few minutes of my presentation at the MIT Portugal Program's E3 forum and conference. We All Do It Everyday In this video I discuss what personal branding is and what it isn't, the fact that we all do it everyday, your personal brand DNA and the impact that personal branding can have on your career success. If you found value in this post, sign up to receive updates: Enter your email address: or share with others: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Megan Fitzgerald and Career by Choice can help you...explore international career options and find work abroad ~ understand your Personal Brand DNA® and how you perform at your best ~ clarify your personal brand so you can stand out and be sought after for top jobs overseas ~ develop marketing tools and strategies to communicate your unique expertise in a compelling way ~ strengthen your online reputation to attract employers and secure international jobs ~ become highly visible, recognized and well compensated for the value you create ~ overcome challenges and grow as a leader on international assignments ~ leverage social media to build your global online network ~ develop a global mindset ~ find an international career coach and experienced guide ~ conduct an international job search ~ optimize... Continue reading

What Personal Branding Is and What It Isn't The misconceptions about what personal branding is that I have been hearing about lately and the lack of understanding of how specifically it can help you reach your professional goals prompted me to share a few minutes of my presentation at the MIT Portugal Program's E3 forum and conference. We All Do It Everyday In this video I discuss what personal branding is and what it isn't, the fact that we all do it everyday, your personal brand DNA and the impact that personal branding can have on your career success. If you found value in this post, sign up to receive updates: Enter your email address: or share with others: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Megan Fitzgerald and Career by Choice can help you...explore international career options and find work abroad ~ understand your Personal Brand DNA® and how you perform at your best ~ clarify your personal brand so you can stand out and be sought after for top jobs overseas ~ develop marketing tools and strategies to communicate your unique expertise in a compelling way ~ strengthen your online reputation to attract employers and secure international jobs ~ become highly visible, recognized and well compensated for the value you create ~ overcome challenges and grow as a leader on international assignments ~ leverage social media to build your global online network ~ develop a global mindset ~ find an international career coach and experienced guide ~ conduct an international job search ~ optimize... Continue reading

This infographic has been provided by of the Feedbacq blog: If you found value in this post, sign up to receive updates: Enter your email address: or share with others: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Megan Fitzgerald and Career by Choice can help you...explore international career options and find work abroad ~ understand your Personal Brand DNA® and how you perform at your best ~ clarify your personal brand so you can stand out and be sought after for top jobs overseas ~ develop marketing tools and strategies to communicate your unique expertise in a compelling way ~ strengthen your online reputation to attract employers and secure international jobs ~ become highly visible, recognized and well compensated for the value you create ~ overcome challenges and grow as a leader on international assignments ~ leverage social media to build your global online network ~ develop a global mindset ~ find an international career coach and experienced guide ~ conduct an international job search ~ optimize your choices and discover success abroad on your terms by being your best self. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continue reading

Social media and your online reputation are critical tools in your international job search. In 2009 I blogged about the social media revolution and featured Erik Qualman's video based on his book, Socialnomics. Then in 2011 I blogged about the fact that social media media is no longer a fad and is changing the way that we manage our careers and businesses, featuring Erik Qualman's updated version of the social media revolution video. The third video in the series was published in 2012 with updated statistics on social media worldwide which I am sharing below: I have written about the importance of your online identity or reputation to the international job search since 2006 so this message is not a new one. But given it's impact it bears repeating. For those of you who do not recognise that if you are not online: you are invisible to the 90+% of employers and recruiters sourcing talent online you are invisible to decision makers and their influencers having online conversations about challenges they are hiring people to solve you are invisible to other people who work for your target companies and could help you access people and opportunities inside them please open your ears and hear me when I say... If you are not online then you are invisible and sabotaging your international job search If you are not seen or found online then how can you be considered for the 75% of positions not advertised when you are not co-located with... Continue reading

For those of you with an interest in understanding how to demonstrate your ability to thrive in cross-cultural work environments and build a truly global personal brand to support your international job search, I invite you to read my latest article as the international job search expert on job-hunt.org. In the article I outline many of the skills and strengths associated with succeeding in cross-cultural environments as well as how you can demonstrate them to support building a global personal brand and your international job search. I also make suggestions on how to acquire cross-cultural experiences without having to travel to do it. EXPAT and INTERNATIONAL CAREER SUCCESS TIP: If you are considering starting an international job search or just want to build a global personal brand, read my latest article about demonstrating your ability to work in cross-cultural or multicultural environments on job hunt. Then identify which abilities you'll develop or highlight as part of communicating your personal brand in support of your international job search. If you found value in this post, sign up to receive updates: Enter your email address: or share with others: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Megan Fitzgerald and Career by Choice can help you...explore international career options and find work abroad ~ understand your Personal Brand DNA® and how you perform at your best ~ clarify your personal brand so you can stand out and be sought after for top jobs overseas ~ develop marketing tools and strategies to communicate your unique expertise in a compelling way... Continue reading

Many global professionals and executives or those aspiring to work abroad would describe themselves as busy. Especially those that are very career oriented. Some would say too busy to do something like work on their online reputation or start and maintain a blog. They share that they believe speaking with recruiters and asking their network if they can keep an eye out for, or know of, roles that might work for them is essentially what they need to land their next job abroad. But as I tell my clients, not having time or not believing that you can do something does not change the reality of today's digital and globalized marketplace. The rules have changed. A strong online reputation is critical to optimizing your chances of landing work - and remain working - overseas. Especially given the competition they face for top jobs globally. I've been blogging and writing about its merits since 2006, and I can say that over the course of the last 6 years I've witnessed an ever increasing impact that blogging has had on people's careers and businesses. Blogs are a powerful tool in your international job search Blogs are one of the most powerful tools for building your online reputation to support your international job search. I believe many people are wary of building a blog because they are not clear on how exactly blogging can help them. For this reason I'm sharing some of the primary reasons why building a branded blog can support... Continue reading

May you have a happy holiday and a happy new year - and may there be peace on earth for all! Continue reading

There are many reasons why senior-level professionals and executives consider joining the board of an organization. Some pursue such an opportunity to improve their brand reputation. Some do it for the additional compensation. And others want to become a board member to build their network or accelerate their careers. Whatever your reasons, prior to crafting a plan to pursue a board position, there are several questions you should ask yourself to ensure that taking a seat on a board is right for you: 1) Why do you want to be on a board of directors? Some of the reasons for pursuing a board position are mentioned above. Others include acquiring specific experience, improving your international profile or playing a role in fighting for a cause about which you feel passionate. If your reasons don’t include a true desire to support the interests of an organization and its stakeholders or shareholders, then being a board member may not be right for you. If you fail to honor the commitment that comes with being a on a board, you can potentially sabotage your career goals – particularly ones related to your brand reputation. 2) Are you qualified? Do you have a background or experience that can contribute to an organization's growth objectives? Is it clear how you could add strategic value to an organization? Can you think creatively and come up with new ways of exploring common challenges? Trying to pursue a board position when you are not sufficiently qualified could result... Continue reading

For those of you with an interest in understanding how an international job search Is different from job search at home, I invite you to read my latest article as the international job search expert on job-hunt.org. In the article I talk about work permits, jurisdictional credentials, language skills, and cultural differences. Well worth a read for those who are considering starting an international job search and are not sure where to start. Addressing some of these issues at the start of an international job search will set you up for success. EXPAT and INTERNATIONAL CAREER SUCCESS TIP: If you are considering starting an international job search, read my latest article about how an international job search Is different from job search at home on job hunt. Then identify which strategies you'll use to overcome these challenges to avoid sabotaging your international job search and set you up for success. If you found value in this post, sign up to receive updates: Enter your email address: or share with others: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ career by choice can help you...become an expat and experience a global lifestyle ~ explore international career options and find work abroad ~ understand your Brand DNA and how you perform at your best ~ clarify your personal brand so you can stand out and be sought after for top jobs overseas ~ develop marketing tools and strategies to communicate your unique expertise in a compelling way ~ strengthen your online reputation to attract employers and secure international jobs... Continue reading

Releasing the results of their 2012 Executive Compensation Survey, BlueSteps, the executive career management service of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC), announced that even though turnover in the C-suite is increasingly rapid, 65.4% of global executives, from a survey of 731 executives worldwide, believe long-term incentives do in fact motivate them to higher levels of performance. Many executives point to an increasing lack of long-term incentives as a direct contributing factor to the high turnover rate in senior-level management positions. Just under one-third (31.3%) of global executives receive stock options as part of a long-term incentives package, while 40.3% of global executives receive no long-term incentives as part of their employment package. Considering executive mobility in the scope of compensation, more than half of global executives surveyed (54.3%) would be willing to make a career move for a better role/increased responsibility even if it entailed a pay cut. The survey also revealed that, while there has been much media scrutiny of skyrocketing CEO salaries at large, public companies, when looking at executive pay on a global scale, the numbers present a very different picture. Based on base salaries of 186 executives in C-suite positions at public, private, and non-profit organizations worldwide, the annual global average C-suite base salary was $278,800 USD. When factoring in bonuses, the largest percentage of global C-suite executives earn annual bonuses less than $50K USD. While more than half of executives did experience an increase in total compensation in the last fiscal year, many... Continue reading

HSBC Bank International each year conducts an Expat Explorer Survey which addresses all aspects of expat life. This year the survey was generated from input from over 5,300 expats from nearly 100 countries - the world's largest global survey of expats. The survey reports on everything from the best places for expat earning potential (Expat Economics league table) and quality of life abroad (Expat Experience league table) to the best places to raise a family (Raising Family abroad league table) in their interactive tool: www.expatexplorer.hsbc.com generated from the survey results. The infographic below showcases some of the results as well, including the top 5 professions, average earnings and reported quality of life benefits in each region of the world. This 2012 survey reveals that: Southeast Asia is increasingly becoming the top destination for both financial opportunity and for quality of life. Singapore tops this year’s expat economics league table. Middle Eastern expats have strong outlook on the economy but only plan a short term stay due to closer ties to home. Despite economic concerns, European expats are willing to weather the Eurozone storm. I invite you to visit their interactive tool as part of your research for countries to target in your international job search, as well as review the fantastic infographic below. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DID YOU ENJOY AND FIND VALUE IN THIS POST? Why not sign up to receive more like this? Enter your email address: Or share with others? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ career by choice can help you...become an expat and... Continue reading

Amy Hoak of MarketWatch in Chicago is a real estate and personal finance expert who helps people get what they need to make smart financial decisions. She recently wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal about questions to ask before taking on an overseas assignment. Specifically Amy addresses issues related to how currency fluctuations can affect your earnings, managing your money while abroad, taxes and spousal employment. She puts forward excellent questions that any aspiring expat should be asking before taking on a post overseas. I'd like to add some additional suggestions to build on what she has recommended, as well as build on a previous post on the topic. 10 Tips for Negotiating Your Relocation Package Here are 10 additional tips on negotiating your relocation package to insure choosing to work abroad does not have a negative impact on your financial situation: 1) Companies are having to do more with less and so expatriate packages are being cut back. Many of the benefits that have historically been provided are no longer standard. You need to be ready to be proactive during the negotiation process. 2) You need to educate yourself about all aspects of the transition - but finances and cost of living in particular - so that you can equip yourself to be your own best advocate. Talk with other expats about these issues - people who are there and living the experience you will be having. They will give you a much more complete picture of... Continue reading

When searching for people to feature in my expat story series, I'm always excited to learn about successful expats who support the expat community. Being an expat myself, I know the importance of having service providers who understand the unique challenges of expat life and are dedicated to help other expats overcome them. Often it is not enough to just have the training and expertise to effectively solve a problem. Being able to properly address a challenge sometimes requires first hand experience and an understanding of that particular environment and ecosystem - especially when trying to find creative and sustainable solutions to situations with ever-changing and moving parts. There are many challenges that expat families face as they move around the globe - raising children being one of the biggest. The expat community is fortunate to have a tremendous resource to support them in that journey - Rebecca Grappo. Becky Grappo is one of those people who has the powerful combination of extensive training and personal experience - as well as a long history of success supporting expat families and their 'third culture kids' and 'global nomads' worldwide. Becky was kind enough to take some time to share about her story both as an expat and also as a successful portable business owner. So without further ado... Becky, what led you to become an international educational consultant? I’ve always been involved in “something international” since my undergraduate degree was in International Students and languages. I later went back to school... Continue reading

I was grateful to have been invited to participate in a 30 day Vlogathon on personal branding with 29 other personal branding specialists run by Peter Sterlacci of Believe, Become, Be Your Brand. I've included the video post here as well in which I describe 2 major challenges faced by most expat and global professionals and executives working in virtual, distributed and multicultural environments - and 3 success tips for how to overcome them. For those not on my list to receive updates, please sign up on the right so that you will be notified when my book on this subject comes out. People on my list will receive a code to access the book for free. Be sure to explore other vlogathon posts as well. There is a wealth of knowledge there about how to build your personal brand. If you found value in this post, sign up to receive updates: Enter your email address: or share with others: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ career by choice can help you...become an expat and experience a global lifestyle ~ explore international career options and find work abroad ~ understand your Brand DNA and how you perform at your best ~ clarify your personal brand so you can stand out and be sought after for top jobs overseas ~ develop marketing tools and strategies to communicate your unique expertise in a compelling way ~ strengthen your online reputation to attract employers and secure international jobs ~ become highly visible, recognized and well compensated for the... Continue reading

Sarah Dunigan is the co-founder of Songa Designs, a company providing a fashionable, fair trade line of innovative accessories exclusively handmade by Rwandan artisans. Each of these designs represents a collaboration among a growing network of over 150 artisans composed of individuals and women’s cooperatives. An expat in Africa for many years who now splits her time between the U.S. and Rwanda, Sarah has graciously agreed to share her story to help inspire others who may have aspirations for building a business to support their life as well as their local communities overseas. Sarah started her career in commercial real estate development and spent almost ten years in the field before heading in a new direction. She was drawn to East Africa in 2008 while earning an MBA in Sustainable Management and has dedicated herself to work in the region ever since. She believes strongly in reducing poverty through job creation, and is now focusing on building viable markets for skilled rural artisans through Songa Designs. I first connected with Sarah in August of last year. She reached out to me in need of support for how to best position herself and her company when speaking to different audiences so that her message of value would resonate with both the western corporate world as well as communities in Africa. Her passion and desire to make a real difference in the lives of Rwandan women was extremely strong back then and has translated into a business which is now selling Rwandan... Continue reading

I first encountered Anastasia Ashman back in 2009 when I learned about the internationally acclaimed book she co-edited with Jennifer Gokman, Tales of an Expat Harem. Fascinated by her book and her story, I invited her to do an interview on my blog to learn more about her. You can read that interview where she chronicles her experiences as an expat and her journey to becoming a writer –Tales from an Expat Writer. Since then I've had the pleasure of connecting with Anastasia and following her "conversations" online over the years. Anastasia has consistently explored new ground in the realms of culture, identity and how they play a role in our lives as global citizens. She's created the space for conversation on issues that shape our lives as expats and encouraged the expat community to embrace the identity crises that can come with living/working in other cultures while honoring the collection of experiences that define who we are. For fourteen years Anastasia’s been on what she calls “a global rollercoaster”, including being fired in Hollywood, abandoned on a snake-infested island off Borneo, married in an Ottoman palace and interviewed by Matt Lauer on TODAY. Previously an expat in Italy, Malaysia and Turkey, she’s recently repatriated to San Francisco with her Turkish husband (see her article Repatriation is just Relocation with Benefits). Her latest project is Global Niche, an educational media venture which empowers creative, adventurous people to tap into their own experiences and build a web platform in pursuit of... Continue reading

For those of you with an interest in learning about the realities of today's dynamic employment climate, I recommend reading my latest article on Expat Focus. In the article I talk about the global war for talent, international assigments, your online identity and the impact of culture on all aspects of your career acceleration and job search. EXPAT and INTERNATIONAL CAREER SUCCESS TIP: Read my latest article on Expat Focus. Think of one way you can shift how you are currently managing your career or job search to be better responsive to the realities of today's global employment climate. You might identify skill shortages in your target country, do something to improve your online identity or grow your network in your target market. Whatever you choose, be sure set a due date and take action! DID YOU ENJOY AND FIND VALUE IN THIS POST? Why not sign up to receive more like this? Enter your email address: Or share with others? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ career by choice can help you...become an expat and experience a global lifestyle ~ explore international career options and find work abroad ~ understand your Brand DNA and how you perform at your best ~ clarify your personal brand so you can stand out and be sought after for top jobs overseas ~ develop marketing tools and strategies to communicate your unique expertise in a compelling way ~ strengthen your online reputation to attract employers and secure international jobs ~ become highly visible, recognized and well compensated for... Continue reading

For those of you with an interest in understanding why accelerating your networking efforts is critical to a successful international job search, I invite you to read my latest article as the international job search expert on job-hunt.org. In the article I talk about marketplace differences, the hidden job market, access to opportunities, in-person networking and the impact culture has on the job search. Well worth a read for those looking to improve their international job search results. EXPAT and INTERNATIONAL CAREER SUCCESS TIP: Read my latest article of the importance of increasing your networking efforts to support a successful international job search. Then pick at least one of the seven reasons outlined in the article and think of at least one way you could leverage that knowledge to accelerate your international job search. Then set a due date and take action! DID YOU ENJOY AND FIND VALUE IN THIS POST? Why not sign up to receive more like this? Enter your email address: Or share with others? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ career by choice can help you...become an expat and experience a global lifestyle ~ explore international career options and find work abroad ~ understand your Brand DNA and how you perform at your best ~ clarify your personal brand so you can stand out and be sought after for top jobs overseas ~ develop marketing tools and strategies to communicate your unique expertise in a compelling way ~ strengthen your online reputation to attract employers and secure international jobs ~ become... Continue reading

Recently I was quoted in a Financial Times article, "US raises the bar for job-seekers". It discusses a number of factors currently impacting non U.S. citizens looking for a job in the U.S. including visas and the qualifications and skills that are in greatest demand. Although the article was written with UK financial professionals and executives in mind, much of the information is very relevant to any non U.S. citizen looking for a job in the U.S. It brings up some important information they need to be aware of: Expat and international assignments are becoming shorter and packages leaner as companies are tightening their belts. The packages do not include all of the perks and benefits which were common in the past. What this means for the aspiring expat: Adjust expectations when you go to the negotiating table if you land a job overseas. Expat assignments are on the rise as companies despite a significant unemployment rate in the U.S. What this means for the aspiring expat: Despite reports of gruesome employment climates, supplies of certain skilled talent is still lacking. According to a recent OECD report, 52% of U.S. employers report being unable to find the skilled workers they need. So if you have the skills that are in demand, you are in a position to fill posts that unemployed U.S. nationals can't. Companies dealing with global partners and clients are sending their staff abroad to get international experience so that can meet customer expectations of working with people... Continue reading

For those of you with an interest in learning how to monitor the health of your expat career, international job search and personal brand to support your expat career goals, I recommend reading my latest article as the Expat Focus expat career columnist. In the article I talk about how your to develop your own career, job search and personal brand check-up tool EXPAT and INTERNATIONAL CAREER SUCCESS TIP: Read my latest article on the health of your career, international job search and personal brand. Develop your own checklist of questions and then see how many qusetions you can answer 'yes' to. Think of at least one way you could improve the health of your expat career, international job search or personal brand to better support your goals. Then set a due date and take action! DID YOU ENJOY AND FIND VALUE IN THIS POST? Why not sign up to receive more like this? Enter your email address: Or share with others? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ career by choice can help you...become an expat and experience a global lifestyle ~ explore international career options and find work abroad ~ understand your Brand DNA and how you perform at your best ~ clarify your personal brand so you can stand out and be sought after for top jobs overseas ~ develop marketing tools and strategies to communicate your unique expertise in a compelling way ~ strengthen your online reputation to attract employers and secure international jobs ~ become highly visible, recognized and well compensated... Continue reading

For those of you with an interest in learning about how your online identity or reputation affects your job search, I recommend reading my latest article on your online identity on Expat Focus. In the article I talk about how your online identity impacts the hiring process in today's digital world. EXPAT and INTERNATIONAL CAREER SUCCESS TIP: Read my latest article on your online identity or reputation. Then google yourself. Do the results tell the story you'd like your target employers to read? Think of at least one way you could add to the story to help it better support your career or job search goals. Then set a due date and take action! DID YOU ENJOY AND FIND VALUE IN THIS POST? Why not sign up to receive more like this? Enter your email address: Or share with others? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ career by choice can help you...become an expat and experience a global lifestyle ~ explore international career options and find work abroad ~ understand your Brand DNA and how you perform at your best ~ clarify your personal brand so you can stand out and be sought after for top jobs overseas ~ develop marketing tools and strategies to communicate your unique expertise in a compelling way ~ strengthen your online reputation to attract employers and secure international jobs ~ become highly visible, recognized and well compensated for the value you create ~ overcome challenges and grow as a leader on international assignments ~ leverage social media to build... Continue reading