International experience beneficial to careers

Working abroad can provide professionals with valuable experience and boost their career potential, says recruiting experts Hays.

Over recent years the professional jobs market has become increasingly more global, providing workers with more opportunities to work and live abroad. While industries such as oil and gas have seen professionals working outside countries of their birth for some time, other industries such as life sciences, financial services and technology are now following suit.

Adam Shapley, Managing Director of Hays in New Zealand says; “Economic potential in emerging markets and skills shortages has led to companies needing to move employees to the countries where their skills are required. This has led to global opportunities for professionals across the world, allowing them to grow their careers by moving abroad and gaining experience that otherwise wouldn’t have been available to them.”

International moves for talented employees isn’t limited to the business world, Hays is the Official Recruitment Partner to Manchester City and New York City FC, where Domènec Torrent left his role in 2018 as Pep Guardiola’s Assistant Manager at Manchester City, to become Head Coach at their sister club, New York City FC.

Torrent commented how it had been his goal to manage a team again and City Football Group had fulfilled his ambitions by offering him the move; "Though I have enjoyed a wonderful 11 years working alongside my colleague and close friend Pep Guardiola - it has always been my ambition to manage a team again and I really couldn’t have hoped for a better opportunity than at this football club."

Hays CEO, Alistair Cox, adds; “Today, international mobility is on the rise and employers value adaptable, inquisitive candidates. Taking a leap of faith to work overseas – or work in a totally unfamiliar environment – will increase your cultural intelligence and your flexibility and it shows a new employer you are willing to push yourself as opposed to staying permanently in your comfort zone.”

Why should professionals consider an international move?

Adam advises; “There are a number of reasons why an international move could be beneficial to professionals and why it should be seriously considered by those that are looking to further their career and employability while hoping to expand their life experiences.”

Adam says these reasons include:

• Better career opportunities and prospects
“Depending on a person’s skillset, there could be a greater range of opportunities available to professionals in overseas markets. If moving abroad is something a professional is seriously considering, then I would advise they check where their skills are most in-demand.”
• New life experiences
“An international move provides people with new experiences that they would otherwise be unable to find at home. Having to adapt to new environments and situations can also advance a professional’s personal development.”
• Develop your cultural intelligence
“As the world becomes more connected, employees with cultural intelligence are increasingly important to businesses. Professionals are able to gain these valuable skills by working abroad, skills such as understanding cultural similarities and differences and knowing the right verbal and nonverbal behaviours in different cultural environments and situations.”
• Fine tune your soft skills
“As professionals start to build their cultural intelligence, over time they will find that their soft skills are developed at the same time. In particular, working abroad will help to develop a person’s adaptability, communication, interpersonal skills and self-confidence. These are all valuable skills in the world of work.”
• Expand your professional network
“Building an international network can be incredibly powerful and provides professionals with more options and connections than a home-built network possibly could. While professional networking sites such as LinkedIn provide people with the opportunity to connect with others from across the globe, building relationships face-to-face is much more effective.”

Adam advises “These are all great reasons why professionals should consider an international move to give their career a real boost. It’s not just beneficial to the individual either, companies can reap the benefits of international mobility too. We recognise at Hays that international mobility has many upsides and last year we moved 68 Hays employees across our 33 countries.”

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