Today’s world of work is a much different place than just a few years ago. Many previously proven international job search and career management tools and strategies are no longer relevant in this new digitally oriented and dynamic global employment climate.
Those that recognize that international job search tools and strategies must be tailored to the changes going on in markets across the globe to be effective will be set up for success. Those that continue to try and play the job search game using an old set of assumptions and rules will struggle to realize their aspirations for an exciting global career.
Here are just some of the new realities of the global employment climate:
• There is a global war for talent on with massive skill shortages in many countries across the globe. This means in a time of high unemployment worldwide there are still many opportunities for those with the right set of skills.The countries with employers reporting the greatest skill shortages are Japan (80%), India (68%), Brazil (60%), Australia (55%) and the United States (52%).
• In the new borderless marketplace, employers now have a global talent pool from which to source candidates. So competition for positions, wherever they may be, is much more is fierce.
• International assignments are increasing. When over 1100 companies from 58 countries were recently polled, 47% indicated the number of people they sent on international assignments increased over the last year and 45% anticipated an increase in the upcoming year.
• Culture plays a role in every aspect of the job search. And cultural differences are reported as the leading reason why certain international assignments are seen as challenging. This is particularly the case in emerging markets where the opportunities are the greatest. You simply cannot fail to factor culture into everything you do for your international job search.
• Your online identity is your de facto job application for the 75% of jobs that aren’t advertised as up to 90% of recruiters’ and employers’ #1 talent sourcing strategy is online search. This is particularly relevant for those searching for jobs overseas. If your online profile is not strong, chances are small your resume or CV will ever get seen. You’ll never know how many opportunities you’ve missed due to a weak online presence.
• You’ll access more of the top job opportunities by working to attract hiring managers and recruiters and strategic networking rather than pursuing job listings. Employers globally report only 20-25% of their hiring comes from job advertisements. The key to attraction: a compelling, highly relevant and differentiating message of value.
The Bottom Line
You can’t afford to waste time, make costly mistakes or miss even one opportunity given the fierce competition from the global talent pool for the top jobs worldwide.
Those embracing strategies for thriving in today’s world of work will happily take those opportunities from you. Use international job search or career management strategies from even a few years ago, depend solely on a resume or CV and recruiters for your job search, or think a long track record of success will be enough to get you where you want to go at your own risk.
About the author: Megan Fitzgerald is an expat and international career coach, founder of Career By Choice and expert guide to the world of global careers. She has two decades of experience supporting professionals, executives, entrepreneurs and organizations in 40+ countries. Megan uses a strategic, 360°approach to help expats become highly visible, sought after experts and leaders and succeed abroad. She’s been featured in Fortune Magazine, CNN Money, Wall Street Journal Online and numerous expat and career books and publications. You can read more about expat careers at her blog.
