How working abroad can help you advance your career
Why working abroad is the best decision you can make to grow your career
Expanding your personal and professional boundaries is a great way to grow as a person. Learning about other cultures, meeting new people and seeing new places can open your mind and enhance your CV at the same time.
Today’s job market is more competitive than ever. Everyone is fighting for the same opportunities, and with so many options available, securing a role that stands out among the rest can be challenging.
That being said, traveling to new places opens up opportunities that you wouldn’t get from staying in one place all the time. Working abroad is one way to get both an insider view of that field of work and invaluable experience in it.
So explore those options and give yourself the adventure of a lifetime. You never know what doors this may open for you in the future.
1. A unique career advancement opportunity
Traveling abroad gives you unique access to new industries and other companies, many of which may be off-limits to those in your home country. You may be able to network with and learn from colleagues in other countries who have contacts and knowledge that could prove invaluable to your career advancement.
While working abroad you can keep a record of all the names, job titles and companies you meet. Take note of your experiences, too. What was the culture like? What type of work was being done? How does the workplace and culture differ from what you’re used to?
2. Meet new people and build networks
Depending on where you travel, you may have the opportunity to meet with people in your industry. You can network with them and meet people who could become lifelong contacts. For example, attending conferences or job fairs could open doors to meeting people who work in a field you’re interested in.
You can also meet people who work in different fields than you do, which can help you expand your network and open yourself up to new opportunities. Reach out to the people you meet and keep in touch with them. They may turn out to be great contacts who can help you advance in your career.
3. Culture shifts
One of the benefits of traveling abroad is the chance to learn about other cultures and see how other people do things. The process of learning how to do things differently will stretch your mind and force you out of your comfort zone.
You can learn about different approaches to business, communication and problem solving that you may be able to adapt to your current workplace.
You can discuss cultural approaches to problem solving, or even see how other countries solve common business problems. You can also learn how people in other countries promote themselves and their work. Take notes on what you see and learn while you travel.
You can use these notes in future job interviews or when you’re discussing business with your colleagues at home. This can help you stand out to your boss and colleagues and make you a valuable member of the team.
4. Build your skills
While traveling abroad, you may have the chance to build your skills. You can try to enroll in a program or class to gain new experience. For example, you can take a language class in a country where the language is spoken natively.
You can also take classes on business, marketing or other topics that interest you. This can help you grow professionally and help make you a more unique candidate to potential employers.
You can even improve your networking skills by meeting new people every day while traveling abroad.
You can also try to get more involved at the company where you work. Ask if there is anything you can do to help advance your skill set. Doing this can help you become more valuable to the company, other employees and your boss.
This can lead to more opportunities and promotions within the company. By the time you return home, you’ll have new skills that can help advance your career.
5. See what’s out there for your field of work
You might get the chance to explore potential fields of work that you’re interested in pursuing. This can help you decide what you want to do post-travel, as well as give you insight into how different fields work.
You can see how other industries operate and speak to people who work in the fields that interest you.
You can also use what you saw while traveling to help you excel in your next job.
6. Learn through travel
Working abroad is one of the best ways to learn about yourself. It can show you who you are, what your values are and how you react to new situations.
Traveling abroad can teach you more than just new languages, customs and cultures. It's an incredible learning opportunity that can help you discover a lot about yourself.
Discover new abilities that you didn't know you had. When faced with unfamiliar challenges, people often discover hidden talents within themselves that they never knew existed before.
The more comfortable you become with breaking out of your comfort zone, the more likely it is that you'll discover something new about yourself along the way — something that could help advance your career down the line!
Travel can teach you about your strengths, weaknesses and limitations — and how to overcome them. Additionally, it can help you find out what really matters and interests you and what kind of work will make you happy.
7. Get comfortable with uncertainty
Moving abroad can be a major life change. It's also an invaluable experience that will help you deal with new situations and improve your problem-solving skills.
If you want to advance your career, you need to get comfortable with uncertainty. Moving abroad can provide the perfect environment for this type of growth.
Companies are constantly looking for ways to improve and expand their products and services. If you're afraid of change or uncertain situations, then it will be more difficult to thrive in a fast-paced business environment.
Living in another country means having to be comfortable with ambiguity and dealing with situations that aren't black or white. This is especially true when it comes to language barriers: You can't always get what you want or need because there are nuances you don't understand.
You learn how to improvise — which can be useful in any situation where there are unknown variables involved.
8. Become more adaptable
The benefits of travel aren't just limited to personal enrichment — they can also be used as evidence of your adaptability in the workplace.
For example, if you're applying for a job that requires you to work remotely or travel frequently, sharing an experience abroad with your interviewer can help convince them that you have what it takes to succeed in those situations.
Employers look for workers that are flexible and can adapt to any situation that comes their way. Whether you're working with new clients or colleagues who have different backgrounds than you do, being able to communicate effectively and empathize with others is often what makes the difference between success and failure.
There are many ways traveling abroad can advance your career. You can meet new people and network with them, learn new cultural approaches to business, build your skills and explore different fields of work. This can help you advance in your career and stand out to future employers.
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