Preparing for an International Career? Do Something Completely Different

How do you prepare for an international career? It’s not what our parents told us.

Some of the common wisdom applies. If you’re a student, apply for Study Abroad. If you can, pick up another language. Get a higher degree. For better or worse, the master’s is the minimum for most fields. Get it while you’re young.

But here’s where you can set common wisdom aside: Do something different. Get a job—anywhere—and work your tail off for a few years. Not the “perfect” job overseas that will launch you to the top of the food chain earning six figures. Go for something where you can ingrain your work ethic, bond with diverse people and broaden your experience beyond your field. 

It can even be manual labor. Food preparation. It almost doesn’t matter. (For me it was paint crews and the Peace Corps.) And it doesn’t have to be “international.” Try something closer to home.

Why such bizarre advice? International, intercultural jobs demand the strongest personal leadership skills:

• If you can prove you’re the employee who can pick up a broom and not resent it, you will be in the minority and in demand.

• If you can bring breadth to your specialty and greet the unexpected with calm, you will stand out.

• And if you can put yourself in others’ shoes, you will be a prime candidate for advancement. 

That may sound simple. But it’s not easy. Becoming that self-aware person takes intention and practice.

Expatriate employers (I was one of them) are desperate to hire, keep, and promote people who actually know something about life and can be the troubleshooter and diplomat, not a glitch waiting to happen. Believe me, folks like that can be hard to find.

This may seem like postponing your career doing irrelevant stuff. I get it. Your peers are ambitious and may be in a hurry. You could lose your edge. There’s a lot of pressure to dive right into your field, specialize, and “succeed”. 

I call BS. You have more time than you think. International career management is a long game with changing rules defying conventional wisdom. Breadth is key. Tasting a variety of experiences early on is key to future effectiveness. 

In his must-read book “Range,”* David Epstein notes, “Specialization is obvious: keep going straight. Breadth is trickier to grow.” It takes effort and a leap of faith, but a bit of exploration now can pay off big-time in your career.

What other first steps would you propose for a successful international career?

*Epstein, David J. . Range (p. 206). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.