Facts About Searching Jobs Abroad
One problem many people have when looking for jobs in other countries is how to apply. There are a lot of key steps to make sure that you’re on the right track to land your dream job, whether it’s abroad or locally.
In this blog post, we look at what many of these potential employers are looking for and how they view your resume. We also discuss some common mistakes that people make in their application process, as well as what you might want to do if you haven’t heard back from a company that you applied for a job with.
What Do Recruiters Look For When Screening Resumes?
Before you send off your application, be sure to take a look at what the employer is looking for. The recruiter might have a quick and dirty list of what they want on the resume (whether it’s for an internal position or a job outside of the country), but many won’t tell you what they are looking for in an interview. This means that you need to do some research into their company before you apply, even if it’s just by reading their website.
You might have to dig a little deeper. Check out the company’s social media accounts, such as LinkedIn or Facebook, to get a better feel for the company and what their values are. This should give you some idea of how to write your resume. The company has written their bio about themselves, so look for any keywords that you can use on your resume. You should also look at the people that work there by reading the profiles and checking out their experience. Remember that this is how recruiters screen resumes: they are looking for certain keywords and skills in order to narrow down candidates based on what they want or need for the position.
If you see someone who works at the company, who has similar experience as you, then it might be worth reaching out to them. You can also do a quick LinkedIn search to see if they have recommendations. If they do, then this is a great way of showing employers that you’re getting recommendations by someone who knows the company well. All of this will show in your application.
What Should Your Resume Look Like?
Your resume is your first point of contact with an employer and needs to be designed in a way that works for them. You also need to make sure that it’s in a format that the recruiter will be able to read and work with.
For most companies, they’re looking for certain keywords and skills that show what you might be able to bring to their team. If you’re sending an application off outside of your home country, then you are at a disadvantage. The company might not want to spend the time thinking about how your skills match up with their organization. For example, if you have experience in management, but all of your experience is from working at fast food restaurants, then your resume could go straight into the bin.
A good idea is to read the job description and match up a handful of skills that are mentioned. If you’re not sure about other skills, then you can leave them off your resume. You should also check to see whether the company has any standards for design. For example, Apple have their own design style for resumes, which is heavily based on experience with Mac software. This doesn’t mean that you can’t use Microsoft Word if that’s what you’re comfortable with, but it might be worth checking out Google Docs or Resumup to save yourself some work if the format needs to look exactly right.
Any mistakes on your resume will probably be picked up by a computer and deleted, which only means that you’ll never be considered for the job. You need to check for spelling errors and grammatical mistakes before you send off your application. If English isn’t your first language, then there are a number of tools that can help with this process.
You can use Grammarly to copy over text from your resume into the tool, where it will pick up any mistakes that you might have made. Grammarly is free for the first month (and then $15 per month), so you could use it for two applications to check for mistakes before sending out any applications.
Finally, make sure that your resume looks good on paper. If it’s not printed out in the right A4 size (the size used for most first pages of paper), then it won’t be legible by the recruiter. The recruiter will also be able to see a lot of smaller things if the formatting is incorrect, making you look sloppy and unprofessional.
How Do Recruiters View Resumes?
Even once your resume is submitted, it might take a while before you hear back from the company. Companies will actually sit on applications for up to three weeks before they are even considered for interview or accepted into their database.
If you have sent out applications and not heard back, then you should wait a month before following up. This will give the company plenty of time to go through applications and decide what they want or need. If you don’t hear anything after a month, then it might be worth sending a follow-up email to see what has happened with your application.
However, it is also worth checking out the job boards (whether they are local or abroad) as sometimes companies will post jobs without having gone through recruiters first.
If you get an interview, then don’t be late. Recruiters have a lot of respect for people who show up on time, so be sure to arrive at least 10 minutes early.
Between interviews and the job interview itself, recruiters are looking for certain keywords that will help them decide whether or not you’re a good match for the company. If you can find out what those keywords might be prior to the interview (such as through talking to alumni or other connections), then this could be a great way of showing that you are a good fit for the company, especially if you aren’t sure about other skills.
This might seem daunting, but it’s really not. Taking the time to read a brochure and then sending off one or two carefully crafted applications can put you in front of the people you need to speak with, which is a great starting point for any job search.
Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for advice from others. People who have been through the job search process themselves will have plenty of advice to give you.
Finding work abroad is one of the most important skills that a person can have because it allows them to travel and see the world, which can open up new opportunities for work once they return home.
Conclusion
Looking for work abroad can be a lot of work and a lot of fun. You might fall in love with the whole process, which will make it harder to let go, or you may still find it difficult to get through the application stage. The good news is that you are probably also doing a great job at finding your first job in your home country.
Take some time out to look at all of the applications that you’ve sent (and how easily you can find them).