Are you a fresh graduate who wants to bring your talents overseas someday? Are you an experienced professional who’s already amassed a wealth of knowledge and skills from the industry you’re currently in and are planning to further expand your horizons overseas? Well then, working abroad is definitely in your timeline.
In this post, we will share five actionable tips for you to increase your chances of getting hired abroad. No matter what your field or profession is, these tips will surely catch the attention of potential recruiters and companies overseas, increasing your chances of getting hired abroad. If this aligns with your goals right now or even in the future, then continue reading the following sections to learn more.
5 Tips to Increase Your Chances of Getting Hired Abroad
Working abroad is a challenge to anyone – whether you are a young employee or a seasoned professional. There are so many things to consider before one can completely and finally decide that they are ready.
Aside from the physical and mental aspect of the individual, they also need to factor in so many things which include:
- the readiness of their families
- their budget
- their ability to adapt to changes
- the requirements of the job
- and many more…
However, in this post, we will only address one of these aspects, particularly the requirements of the job. Here are 5 things an aspiring OFW can do to increase their chances of getting hired abroad.
1. Get the certifications needed for the job you want to apply for.
The first tip is quite tricky as this will require time and ample planning on your part to ensure the best results. This will also be more achievable if you have already set clear goals and a timeline for your career.
Depending on the industry or profession you are in, you will be required to get certifications if you want to go further in the career ladder not only abroad but also in the Philippines. If you wish to expand your career track overseas, then make sure that you get as many certifications as you can that are relevant to your field. Not only will this make your resume or CV “meatier”, but it will also add value to your portfolio, making your salary grade more competitive or even at par with the posts offered abroad.
However, if you are just starting in your career, then don’t worry. You can use this time to get certifications as you build your experience and credentials to apply for work abroad. Remember, to become competitive when looking for work (especially overseas), you need to have at least 2 to 3 years of relevant experience to the job you wish to apply for. Moreover, your resume or CV should clearly reflect the contributions and achievements that you’ve had during those years of working for a company/companies back in the Philippines.
Another thing to consider is the number of companies you were able to work with, say, in the 2 or 3-year timeline of working in the Philippines. This sometimes depends on circumstances and in the competitive nature of the profession you belong to. For example, if you’re a nurse or a health professional, having a solid and stable track record in only a few institutions or organizations could leave a good impression on your employers.
However, in fields like marketing or IT, where turnover rates are quite high and offers more competitive, it would be interesting for employers to trace your journey from one company to another. Just make sure that keep a good track record, of course, and that your overall impression must be that of an invaluable asset and a team player in all the companies you’ve worked for.
2. Do volunteer work.
Who said that volunteer work can’t help increase your chances of getting noticed for work abroad? Many multinational companies have established highly successful corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs where their employees become involved in various volunteer and social work.
If your passion for helping others align with the goals and vision of the company you’re applying for, especially abroad, then chances are you’d be a great fit in the culture that they are maintaining and are highly esteemed for.
Think about it, as an employee, you will become the company’s ambassador in the workplace as well as to the industry, so if your passion and work ethics align with the company’s vision and goals, then there’s no reason why this shouldn’t boost your chances of getting noticed or valued when applying for work overseas.
3. Continue learning and improving your skills.
The secret to remaining competitive and marketable in any industry is by accumulating valuable skills and experience that others may not know of or find too difficult to acquire. If you’re still young and are new in the industry, make sure that you keep on growing and learning as fast as you can – that’s right: speed’s the key. Remember, the market will only continue to get younger, especially in work environments abroad and depending on the industry you belong to. You will know this firsthand, so make good use of the time you have to get training and certifications.
If your company provides these kinds of professional development benefits, be sure to maximize them. Otherwise, no one is stopping you to further improve yourself by getting training and certifications on your own. You just need to look for credible organizations where you can get these credits from. Also, the budget will play a big role in your choices so make sure to do your research.
4. Be open to taking any jobs at first.
You may have heard of stories from other OFWs who “shifted” to a different industry because it had the most number of openings at the time, and work is essential once you decide to reside abroad. If you don’t land the jobs that you want, be open to exploring new avenues.
Remember, your credentials and skills are yours, and changing directions in terms of your career, may be essential at times, and this may also be temporary. This doesn’t mean that you won’t have any use for your skills and previous experiences when you shift to a different field. Think of it this way: Athletes perform cross-training to develop crucial new skills that could help them become more competitive in the sport they play. In the same way, they can still maximize their skill sets as they train for a different sport.
In the end, you still get to decide if you’re right for the career you’ve shifted to or if it’s better to go back, especially when an opportunity presents itself. Your ability to adapt to these adjustments at work and life abroad will prove to be very crucial for your success in any career you choose to have in the long run.
5. Build your social networks.
Part of what makes work exciting is meeting new people along the way. You don’t just need to focus on improving your skills and competencies, but you should also look for opportunities to expand your network and connections. You won’t know when this will come handy to you in the future. Other than for gaining new opportunities for work, take this step as a means for you to improve yourself, as well. You can do this by building connections with quality individuals. By quality, this means experts in the field or someone whom you can look up to as a mentor. By surrounding yourself with these people, you get to learn new things and pick up attributes that helped them become successful or experts in their field or profession.
Also, if you build connections with people from other industries or areas of expertise, then you would be exposed to best practices and trends that you might find useful to adopt in your craft. You’ll also have access to resources that could benefit you in your profession or industry. That said, networking is a crucial component for success in any field. With the right connections, you can better execute the other things mentioned earlier in this post.
In Conclusion
Though slow, the progress to getting back to the way we do things before is unfolding each passing day. That said, it’s important that we use the time that we have right now to accomplish the things mentioned in this post, where applicable. For example, there are lots of learning opportunities that were made available during this time so it’s best if we maximize them. Another thing is taking advantage of social media to build meaningful connections and establish a network that can help you reach your goals in the future, once everything settles and returns to normal.
What were the things listed in the above guide have you accomplished during this time or are still working on? Are there other tips you would like to share with those who wish to find a job overseas in the future? Let us know by leaving a comment in the section below!
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