Who doesn’t dream of a job abroad? The idea of moving to your dream ‘foreign’ country – with a job offer in hand, has its own charm! While working abroad is an awesome way to earn lots of money, memories made during the stay last forever!
In case you are fed up of your professor/boss, and desperately need a breath of fresh ‘foreign’ air, you must apply for a job abroad. In this blog post, we have collected 7 sure-shot ways to help you land that much-awaited dream job abroad.
Take a look at 7 highly actionable tips for landing a job abroad.
Tip 1: Attend job fairs and walk-ins
A job fair or career fair is also called a career expo. In these events, you will directly get connected with employers and recruiters. Participate in upcoming job fairs in India to land a job overseas. Freshers and experienced job seekers must register for both national and international career fairs. Also, stay on top of your Facebook and LinkedIn feed for abroad job webinars, career fairs, and walk-ins in your city. Don’t miss out on foreign job fairs and career expos held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi every year.
Quick tip: You can also participate in virtual career fairs remotely from home. All you need is an online registration and an internet enabled device.
Tip 2: Approach a professional job consultant
You can approach a professional job consultant directly with your CV or resume, to land a job abroad. A trusted and verified job consultancy can provide expert support and guidance with an assured abroad job offer. But the service might come at a fixed price. If you seriously want to pursue a job opportunity beyond the Indian boundaries, and you want to change your fortune and outlook, contact a trusted job consultancy asap like Y Axis, Jerry Varghese Global, Delta Recruitment, Goodfellow, Acreaty, Indian Manpower etc.
You can also search, follow and connect with top recruiters in your domain by directly contacting job recruiters who hire for openings abroad. Naukri has a page dedicated to overseas recruitment agencies and consultancies. (You need to buy Naukri Recruiter Connection credits to message an abroad recruiter/consultant. 5 connection credits will cost you ₹ 1,000).
Quick tip: Beware of fake overseas recruitment firms. Do not entertain calls frantically made to you for a paid service. Check the consultancy’s reviews online, ask friends and read up about it on social media, consumer forums, and Quora before you shell out any money blindly.
Tip 3: Network with friends and family settled abroad for genuine job referrals
There is no better shortcut to getting a job abroad, other than a genuine internal referral by a friend or family member. Basically, try and keep it to people who can actually attest your work ethics.
These people should be able to give specific examples of how reliable you are and how you are an ideal candidate for a particular job profile. You can also ask them to write down a recommendation letter for you, which you can later attach to your resume.
Quick tip: Be specific, patient and thankful while requesting for a reference. Avoid contacting more distant people in your network.
Tip 4: Check out abroad openings on popular job boards and company sites
Search for relevant openings in your country of choice on popular job search portals. Choose only openings matching relevant skill sets. If you are fluent in a particular foreign language, mention it clearly in your resume. Some popular job boards have pages which enlist all abroad jobs country wise.
Apart from updating your LinkedIn profile and uploading a resume on job portals, you must look for jobs abroad on company career pages. This can be tedious, so start out by preparing a list of employers and eventually contact them personally on LinkedIn or via email. A well-written job application letter can leave a lasting impression on foreign employers.
Quick tip: Do not send out cold emails in bulk, begging for a job to every other company in your dream country. Instead, draft a personalized email for each organization and send it to the HR’s official email ID. Once you receive a reply, you may call the concerned person directly during their office hours.
Tip 5: Apply for Masters degree in countries with high job prospects for Indian students
An easy route to get into a foreign country of your choice, and join their workforce, is a Masters degree. While the degree makes you more employable, you can start hunting for a job side-by-side. According to Forbes, if you are a college graduate and you are doing an internship, 60% of the time that internship will turn into a job offer!
Go for paid internships at firms hiring candidates with similar skill sets as you. These internships mostly get converted into temporary or permanent jobs after masters degree completion. In the worst case, sign-up for volunteer work or unpaid internships.
Quick tip: In some countries like Germany, US, and Canada, doing internships during a degree program is very common. These experiences not only help the candidate gain initial professional experience and earn money but also pave way for you to land a permanent job within the same company.
Countries with high job prospects where you can do your Masters are Germany, UK, USA, Canada, China and Australia.
Tip 6: Join a company in India that offers H1-B visa or sponsors international travel
Is traveling your passion? Those of you who are interested in just traveling abroad while you are on job (i.e., via company sponsored trips), can join MNCs, SMEs and start-ups in India which sponsor official international trips. During the course of your travel, you can earn in pounds/dollars which will boost your savings. Later you can come back home at your own free will.
Even after you join a company in India, and start traveling abroad frequently, keep participating in career discussion conferences, workshops, and meetings. These meet ups take place in various cities across India (and also in cities abroad) every month. Attending them is a good way to grow your professional network both within and outside your workplace. You can also network with people or start a new discussion on popular forums like Sheroes, Reddit, Quora, MeetUp etc. to seek advice about your abroad career goals from experts.
Quick Tip: You can visit this page and under ‘Travel’ click on the check box ‘International Travel’ to filter out an exhaustive list of Indian companies permitting on-job trips abroad.
Tip 7: Approach the consulate directly with your resume
A plausible way to get a job abroad is by visiting the consulate of your dream country. Consulates, better known as foreign embassies or high commissions are located in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata. These offices always have a few openings and once you land a job here, your chances of moving abroad increase significantly.
Don’t forget to carry along a list of your achievements (laminated and filed neatly) and visit only during the Consulate’s office hours. In case a relevant opening is available, they can help you get through the job interview for that position.(Click here to download the complete list of consulates of all the nations present in Delhi, India).
Quick Tip: Book an appointment if you know someone at the consulate. Alternatively, you can walk in with your CV and book an appointment on the spot for a particular opening.
As a first time job seeker in foreign land, make sure you are clear headed about your future profession. Did you know that some of the hottest job openings across the globe are for people with niche skill sets? So tweak your resume and educational credentials. If you are still not sure, ask a friend who has already done it to help you out. You can also pay a professional resume writer for the job.
In case none of the above tips work (an extremely rare possibility), look for openings in your own country. Meanwhile, don’t stop networking with friends and family who stay abroad.
Hope you found our tips to land a job abroad helpful. In case you have any suggestions or feedback about the same, feel free to comment below.
Until then, wish you all the best!
