Networking to find a job in a new country
Social media has made it easier to contact and build relationships with people in other countries, even if you don’t already know anyone there. Assuming you are already confident with the language of that country, the below steps can help you get started with securing a job through building your professional network.
Finding the right people to talk to
You can use LinkedIn and Lboro Connect to find people to network with by searching for:
- Lboro alumni who work in the country you are interested in working in (for example, there are 774 alumni who work in the United Arab Emirates). Send them a personalised connection invite stating that you would like to find out more about their career journey to finding a job in this country.
- Recruiters in your industry in the country. They are paid to place people into employment, so it’s worth sending them a personalised connection invite outlining what you are looking for and asking to arrange a conversation to discuss this.
- Company page on LinkedIn for companies you’re interested in working for. Follow these companies to get regularly updates, and also look search employees who work there; ideally you want to find the person who is manager/level above of the role you want to apply for, but if not someone who works in the same department. You can send them a personalised invite to say you’re interested in working there and would like to speak to them to find out more. You can also look for alumni who work there, even if in different departments, to find out about how they got a job there.
Reaching out and knowing what to say
At this stage consider conducting what’s known as ‘informational interviews’ over Skype or phone (or similar) to do career research rather than asking new people directly for a job (unless you are speaking to a recruiter at an agency, then you can be really direct about what sort of job you’re looking for). Doing this will not only help you be more informed but also build relationships with key people who can help you with your career. For example, if you speak to a manager at a company you’re interested in, you could ask them a few questions about how they got to where they are, what advice they’d give someone in your circumstances, what skills are most important in that role and so on. While this may not seem as direct as asking for a job, if you build good relationship and people know what you’re looking for they may let you know about and help with upcoming opportunities and/or help you find opportunities that aren’t widely advertised.
Remember to respect people’s time by stating you’d like a 10 – 20 minute conversation and then try stick to this.
A key question to always ask is ‘what are the most pressing challenges you face?’. This information can help you understand what’s important to them should you apply for a job there, and if you’re feeling confident spend some time working on proposal or solution that addresses this problem and send it to them. This will impress and can lead to people offering you a job.
At the end of each conversation, it’s worth asking if there’s anyone else you can speak to who could help you. Doing this can help you speak to new people who you would otherwise not have known.
In addition, finding people who have made the same transition from either Loughborough or your home country to working in your country of choice can help as you learn from their experiences and get first hand advice.
Always follow up your discussion with a thank you email. Make notes about the conversation and follow up any action points. Use discretion and consider what should and shouldn’t be divulged to other people in your network, particularly if you are approaching rival organisations.
More information on informational interviews can be found at: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/media/wwwlboroacuk/external/content/services/careersandemployabilitycentre/downloads/advice/Networking%20for%20career%20planning%20and%20job%20search.pdf
Christian Jameson-Warren
