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First up, you need to be crystal clear on what you’re looking for. Why is it important? Being clear to yourself on what you want will help you to stay focused. Looking for a job abroad is already difficult enough and it’s easy to become overwhelmed in the sea of opportunities. By staying focused, you drastically increase your chance of success.
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Secondly, it will be easier to communicate to others what you are looking for, making it much easier for people to help you. Start by making a list of the following: – Countries you want to move to – Jobs you want to pursue – Industries you are interested in
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If location really is the most important thing to you, be prepared to stay in your old industry or function until you’ve established yourself in your new country. You are much more likely to get visa sponsorship if you have experience in the industry or role you’re applying for as your employer is taking less of a risk if you have a proven track record.
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Students often have ambitions not just to secure a job in a particular country but in a particular city. Well-known cities like New York or London for example have a highly competitive job market. You will be competing against the best people from that country, as well as international talent.
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Many cities are hungry for international talent. In the U.S. for example cities like Seattle and Austin have strong-growing job markets, are actively seeking international talent, and are considerably less competitive. It’s a similar story in the U.K. in cities like Manchester and in the U.A.E. for cities like Abu Dhabi.
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Securing a job can take six months or more. Beating the odds means starting your job hunt as soon as possible so you’ve got time to get in front of the right employer. Students who succeed start their job search early and arrive to school with a polished resume that’s properly-formatted and written in impeccable English, or the language of their target country.
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Their LinkedIn profiles lay out their professional experiences simply and clearly, highlighting their key skills. And their accompanying profile picture is appropriately professional.
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Many students make the mistake of thinking that the larger the company, the greater the chance of sponsorship. This is not necessarily the case. Multinational corporations are inundated with applications from international jobseekers, many of whom have a similar skill set.
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Smaller companies are looking for a highly unique talent pool and many are eager to hire multi-lingual international students to support foreign expansion. Although smaller companies may only hire and sponsor one international student a year—it could be you if you have the skill set they’re looking for.
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It pays to think differently, avoid the “popular” companies, and connect with the small or medium-sized alternatives that may not recruit on university campuses, but who are looking for exactly the skills you’ve got.
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Students who land a foreign job and sponsorship tend to present unique skills that their future employers couldn’t fulfill. As an example, some of the most in-demand industries in the U.S. are in fields we refer to as “STEM” (Science Technology, Engineering and Manufacturing). Additional examples of in-demand areas are:
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Android and mobile apps, digital marketing and social media, data analytics, including data visualization, statistics and Google Analytics. Other countries will have their own “most in demand” list. A critical skill set that is in high demand is language skills, and knowledge of local markets.
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For example, in Dublin, Ireland, where many technology companies established offices to support sales in Europe, there is an acute demand for multi-lingual graduates for high-growth careers in business development and sales.
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It’s been said countless times before but the fact remains true: it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Your personal and professional network can yield great opportunities. We’ve seen students successfully make the transition from their home country to target country by leveraging the contacts they already have at home.
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Does anyone in the company you used to work for know somebody in your target city? Any connection can help you get your foot in the door and start a conversation.
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There are several ways to get a job a in your target country other than to get sponsorship upon graduation. It can mean playing the long game and returning a year or two down the line, but don’t give up if you don’t get a job in the location you want right away.
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We’ve seen many students successfully gain employment in their target country by first getting a job with a multinational company in a region where there is high demand, and then transferring to the location they were originally targeting.
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Some U.S. companies may even hire international candidates and train them in the U.S. during the 12 months they’re on OPT after graduation, before deploying them to work in another region.