Working in a Foreign Country
Embrace a Global Approach to Job Searching
When did Americans become so homebound and risk averse? The economy is global. Sports are global. Competition for jobs is global. Yet, when it comes time for Americans to look for work, all they care about is whether the job at the factory down the street is still available.
A senior corporate executive recently recounted a visit he took to India to see firsthand the growth of the Indian economy beyond simple manufacturing and into complex research and development. What struck him immediately upon entering the facility of a major Indian information technology company was the large number of European employees working side-by-side with their Indian counterparts. Noticeably absent were any American workers. This Indian company was paying well to bring in foreign expertise and the work being done was as complex and innovative as many research facilities in the United States.
Overseas Job Opportunities
Two hundred years ago, wave after wave of ambitious, entrepreneurial Americans set out from the relative comfort of the Eastern seaboard to seek adventure and opportunity in the West. A century later, thousands of people moved off the farm and headed into the city to look for work associated with the industrial age.Today, it is commonplace to have extended families split across the country as individuals pursue their own interests and look for areas where clusters of people with similar interests have gathered – i.e. Silicon Valley (technology), Wall Street (finance) or Washington, DC (politics).
Now, globalization is the buzz word to explain the economic reality of the 21st century. New York Times columnist, Tom Friedman, highlighted this sea change in his book, The World Is Flat [Picador, 2007]. Companies are global with facilities all over the world. American universities are global with campuses and exchange programs in a growing number of countries and foreign students receiving the majority of PhDs. So, why hasn’t America's workforce gone global? Why are Americans willing to move from New York to Los Angeles, but not to New Delhi or Tokyo?
Excellent Resume Builder
A job overseas does not have to be a permanent move. Don’t you think a two or three year stint learning a foreign language and culture is going to be an attractive addition to your resume back home? As companies become more global, they are looking for employees with international experience and understanding.
Yes, embracing a global approach to job searching requires Americans to think less nationalistically, but a harsh truth of today’s economy is that the success of corporate America no longer correlates to the success of individual workers. Part of the reason for this evolution is that companies will look globally for workers. Isn’t it time workers started looking for jobs the same way?
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