Preparing for a International Career? Do Something Else First

How do you prepare for an international career? If you’re still a student, there’s a ton of common wisdom out there for you to blindly follow.

Pick up a second language, then do a semester abroad and then get a higher degree in international whatever from some expensive name school . Or if you’re already in the workforce, jump to a multinational organization and lobby to get that first plum job overseas. Whatever you do, the clock is ticking so get on that career track now, otherwise you’ll miss your chance…

Full disclosure: I did one or two of those things when I was just starting out. But after 36 years in the workforce I’m here to tell you it’s the people who bucked the CW that I’d want to work with again. The ones who

Remember: following the common wisdom is by definition a) common and b) following. So here’s another idea: Be yourself, take your time and start out by doing something completely different. Get a job—pretty much anywhere—and get into the habit of working your tail off—doing pretty much anything.

If you can, avoid jobs where posturing and politics are supposedly key to climbing. Go instead for something where you can ingrain your work ethic, bond with diverse people and get real-life experience. It can even be manual labor or food preparation or paint crew. It almost doesn’t matter.

Why such counterintuitive advice? Because entitlement is on the rise in universities and the workplace. Hard workers seem an endangered species. Intercultural jobs in particular demand the strongest personal leadership skills, the kind you get from broad experience, not by curating the perfect resume; by pitching in, not by looking out for number one.

Instead,

• If you can pick up a broom and not resent it, you will be rare and in demand.

• If you can bring breadth to your specialty, you will be better at what you do and stand out. And

• If you can put yourself in the shoes of other people from diverse education and background, you will be a prime candidate for advancement. 

Expatriate employers (I was one of them) are desperate to hire, keep, and promote the person who actually knows something about life. Who has the guts to collaborate, not compete. Who can be the troubleshooter and diplomat, not a dysfunction waiting to happen. Who was brave enough to question CW, take their time, and become well-rounded.

This may seem like putting off life. I get it. You could lose your edge. Everyone’s in a hurry. There’s a lot of societal pressure to “succeed”. But I call BS. You’re in your 20s or 30s? You have more time than you think. A career a long game with changing rules defying conventional wisdom. Tasting a variety of experiences early on is key to future effectiveness. 

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

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