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Overseas Jobs (cont.)
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How long are you intending to work overseas
for?
Are you looking for a job overseas to fund a
working holiday, a temporary assignment to further your career,
or perhaps for sponsorship to migrate to a new country? Each objective
should have a different approach and the resources available to
help you find an overseas job will be different in each case.
Long-term or assignment prospects are better found through organisations,
agencies and direct approach. Short-term positions overseas are
probably best suited to direct application through local agencies
in the area you wish to work. One thing to consider is that when
it is time to return back to your own country will there be jobs
available to apply for? While a short-to-medium term position
overseas may seem like a good career move, what impact will time
away from your own domestic market have on your future employment
prospects? |
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If
you're looking to work overseas for a short or medium time period
it's important to consider life after you return home. Short-term
career gains could easily turn into long-term losses if you're
unable to find work when you return.
It's also important to know what type of work you are aiming for,
why, and what you hope to get out of it. It’s all very well
saying ‘I’m a nurse, and I want to live in Australia’
– you might be clear in your mind about that but where do
you go from there? It is much better to know that your skills as
childrens nurse are sought after for example in Sydney, Melbourne
and Perth, and that for long-term objectives Sydney offers all that
you are looking for in your new country and has the most job vacancies.
At least from that standpoint you can concentrate your efforts in
finding an overseas job as a nurse in Sydney and you have a good
platform to work from.
One thing to keep in mind is that the Internet has made it extremely
easy for anyone across the globe to approach potential overseas
employers for work. In some cases employers may not wish to receive
unsolicited job applications as perhaps they get many every month.
So if you do contact companies unsolicited you need to make sure
that your application stands out from the crowd and that you give
yourself every opportunity to follow up with that employer at some
stage again in the future. The absolute last thing you want is a
definite ‘don’t call us again’ reply. Being sure
in your own mind about what you want and why you want it will convey
itself in your approach to prospective employers. Sending a letter
to a prospective employer stating not much more than ‘I’m
a nurse and I want to move to Australia’, will not enhance
your prospects at all. Be specific, be committed, and be sure about
yourself. |
Once
you have that foundation to work from you need to spend some time
researching which employers you will approach and how you will
approach them. This is the crux of your whole objective –
presenting yourself to your (hopefully) future employer - so getting
it right means everything. Here are a number of suggestions that
you should consider while preparing to approach overseas employers:
Know
the immigration rules
Unless
you have skills that are in chronic shortage and in high demand
you will be very unlikely to gain immigration sponsorship through
obtaining an overseas job. Employers would rather walk over broken
glass than have to deal with the red tape and bureaucracy that
would go with sponsoring an overseas applicant. Having said that
make sure you are totally up to date with all the immigration
requirements you will need to enter and work in the country of
your choice. Should you happen to get into negotiations about
a prospective position you will need to allay any fears that your
new employer may have about your ability to enter or remain in
the country. Talking with some authority about the immigration
issues that affect you will ease those fears. Make sure that your
passport and other permits are up to date and valid for a reasonable
period of time when applying for positions.
Where
possible, apply in person
If at all possible try applying for positions with companies while
you are on a trip or vacation to the country of your choice. It’s
obvious that you’ll have a much better chance of landing
a job if you are able to meet your prospective employer immediately
and in person, but of course this is usually impossible when you
live on the other side of the planet. If you have the budget and
time to do so spend some time in the country and apply for as
many jobs as you can. At the very least you’ll receive some
feedback as to the areas that you may need to address (such as
education, language skills, etc.) to make your future applications
more desirable. Doing this on a holiday means that you at least
don’t have to give everything up first and gamble on getting
a job. Before you do this however make sure you have a definite
plan of attack for your job hunting when you get there. Don’t
just turn up and then see what you might be able to do - have
a plan for just about every day of your visit and treat it like
a job, not a holiday. Arriving in the country like that will also
give you a great opportunity to network yourself and make a number
of contacts with whom you can continue to liaise with when you
return to your country if you are unsuccessful.
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