Job hunting abroad can be both an opportunity and an adventure. There are hurdles to overcome when searching for the right job abroad. Let’s take going to Madrid, Paris, Rome or London for example. It’s not enough to just send resumes, the idea should be “get the luggage and get on the plane.”

Getting a work permit is one obstacle in Europe. To stay there for an extended time, a residence permit is needed. This an only be granted once a working permit has been granted. Companies only provide non-European workers their work permits if they prove that there are no qualified European for the position. This is tough since the European Employment Services allows different companies to recruit prospects in eighteen European Economic Area countries. Remember that an ideal candidate is one who is able to speak the native language of a specific city other than English.

If you have your eye on Spain, a typed application letter with a resume must be prepared, including a recent photo and translated qualifications and/or copies of diplomas and other credentials. The letter must be written in a direct formal style citing the vacancy applying for. A must have for the closing should be “En espera de sus noticias, les saluda atentamente.”

In the United Kingdom, newspapers are good sources of job openings. Assorted prime papers offer complement of job vacancies like “The Guardian,” “The Daily Telegraph,” “The Times,” or the “The Independent” particularize vacancies daily. Companies are very particular regarding the reason you are applying. Research on their product offers, location of branches/offices, etc. There must be a reason why there is an interest to work for a specific company.

The application for jobs in Italy should also consist of a typed application letter. This should be formal and conventional in form. Using the Italian language is a must when explaining the intriguing reason for application. Diplomas and other credentials including impressive list of references should be handy during the initial interview. There are three to four expected follow-up interviews including a psychometric test. Put emphasis on personal appearance before the interview especially how the dress as this shows the concern in getting the job being applied for.

The average job search abroad ranges between six to twelve months. Experts consider searching for a job a full time job itself. Attending career counseling is helpful if unsure on what to do. There are a lot of great career resources who can give advise that best fits ones interests and passion.

In a little over a decade, the Internet has completely transformed our lives, including the way many of us search for jobs. If you’re able to create a résumé using word-processing software, to use a Web browser and to send and receive e-mail, you may want to use the Internet in your job search. This article assumes you have at least those basic skills. If you also know how to create a Web page or have someone who can do it for you, that’s even better.

To help you determine how best to use the Internet in your job search, consider the following:

* the importance of Internet knowledge in the job I am seeking
* the skills and knowledge I need to make the best use of the Internet in my search
* the appropriate résumé format to use on the Web
* the best way to use the Internet to find and target the perfect employer

What You Need to Know
Will I be able to find a good job even though my Internet skills are pretty basic?

This depends on the type of the job you are looking for. Many jobs today require some knowledge of how to use the Internet. A graphic artist who is looking for a job creating Web pages has to know how to use the Internet. On the other hand, it may not matter whether a chef, a musician, or an accountant knows how to use it.
I am looking for a high-tech job. Can I do my entire search on the Web?

You may be able to do everything on the Web, but some employers prefer a mix of high-tech and traditional methods. For example, you can submit your résumé by e-mail, but you may also be asked to send a copy on quality paper by ordinary mail.
What to Do
Be Clear about Your Goals in Terms of a Job and the Kind of Organization You Want to Work For

If you plan to look for a job using the Internet, you need to have already decided what you want to do, identified your marketable skills, and created a winning résumé. The Web is a huge resource, and if you are not completely clear about what you want, you could waste many hours—if not days—searching aimlessly. A key thing to think about in any job search today is the importance of Internet knowledge and skills, especially if your goal is to work in a high-tech organization. The way you go about your job search can be a good demonstration of your ability to use the Internet, particularly in the way you present your résumé.
Decide on the Electronic Format or Formats for Your Résumé

The following is a summary of the types of electronic formats in which you might be asked to submit your résumé:

* as a scannable résumé, typed in a traditional font, such as Times New Roman or Arial, that is easily recognized by an optical character reader (OCR). Do not use bold or italics. It is strongly suggested that you include keywords related to the job position and to your field of expertise throughout the résumé. Do not use bold or italics. It is strongly suggested that you include keywords related to the job position and to your field of expertise throughout the résumé;
* as a text format résumé, attached to an e-mail, or included in the body of an e-mail, which any word processor can read. It loses all formatting but is easy to send quickly to a potential employer;
* as a Web-based résumé, a nontraditional résumé that you post on your Web site, typically broken up into its components—work experience, specialized skills, education, and references. Each of these could have its own page of content;
* as a CD-ROM résumé, burned onto a compact disk and, typically incorporating a multimedia presentation of your skills and qualifications.

If you need to learn how to prepare any of these formats, consult the resources at the end of this article. Then contact potential employers to find out which they would prefer to receive. Generally, a high-tech organization will ask you to submit one of the more high-tech résumés.
Search the Web for Potential Employers and Gather Information

You can find a gold mine of employment information on the Web using a search engine such as www.google.com, www.yahoo.com or one of the employment databases listed below. But first narrow your search by listing your personal job requirements. Employment databases generally organize their data by the type of business activity, the size of the organization, and its location. If you drill down through these categories, you can eliminate large numbers of potential employers very quickly. Once you have found the organizations with jobs that meet your requirements, you can visit their Web sites to screen even further. Their Web sites can be found either in the employment database or by using a search engine.
Track Your Progress

Once you have decided which organizations you are interested in, set up a database to track the information you gather about each and the actions you take related to each, for example, when you sent letters and résumés, which type of résumé you sent, the responses you got, phone calls you made, and who you spoke to and what you discussed.
Network Using the Internet

E-mail is one of the easiest and most effective ways to use the Internet for networking. You can e-mail contacts within your industry to learn about trends, potential job openings, or for the names of specific contacts within an organization. Other possible ways to use the Web for networking include:

* e-mail lists or listservs—a technology that allows you to send simple e-mails to a large number of people. All e-mails and responses are seen by everyone registered on the list. This is useful for asking questions about what is happening in a particular field or industry, or to get information about an organization. However, you may want to participate as an observer for a couple weeks to get an idea of what is acceptable before you post any messages of your own. Most listservs do not encourage direct job searches;
* newsgroups or USENET—which focus on a particular field and/or location. You will need to visit the Web site to see what information is posted before you can reply. Use one of the search engines to locate a newsgroup that encourages job seeking and job posting or visit www.availablejobs.com/newsgroups for access to many newsgroups;
* chat rooms—an excellent way to network in real time. Chat rooms are Web sites on which several people use text messages to communicate interactively. People who participate in chat rooms based on your interests will likely be able to provide you with valuable information and potential leads.

Create Your Own Web Page

You no longer have to be a “techie” to create your own Web page. Most major Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer free or inexpensive Web pages to their subscribers. However, if yours does not, you can quickly and easily set up a free Web page on www.geocities.com by using simple templates and adding you own text. You can include your photo, résumé, samples of your work, and any articles you may have written for professional journals. You may also want to purchase your own domain name (www.nsi.com). A domain name allows you to create a more elaborate Web site that includes multimedia—video, audio, art, photos—and anything else that you think will showcase your skills and abilities. A domain name can be especially important to a high-tech organization or to one looking for an especially creative person in the arts or advertising, for example. A domain name also allows people to find you more easily on the Web.

Make sure you put you e-mail address and Web site address on all correspondence, in e-mail signatures, and on your business cards.
What to Avoid
You Have No Clear Goal and Plan

If you find yourself wandering aimlessly around cyberspace, it probably means you have not taken the time to clearly define your career goals. The Web can be overwhelming to job hunters who have not done their homework, and many go back to searching the newspaper’s classified ads. Only a small percentage of job openings are listed in the classifieds. The Internet is where it is happening today. If you are having a hard time narrowing your focus, you might want to ask a career consultant to help you.
Your Approach on the Web is Too Casual

People commonly interact on the Web in an offhand way, using abbreviations and ignoring typos and misspellings. If you are job hunting, however, you cannot risk being that casual. Hundreds of thousands of people may see your online communications, including, you hope, the people in organizations seeking employees, and they will be looking for someone who communicates in a professional manner.

When you begin your job search, you want to ensure that the best opportunities are available to you. But many openings only exist in the “hidden job market,” that exclusive network that links the favored few with the very best job opportunities. How do you get connected? The best openings usually require a candidate with special skills, experience, or education, so, rather than publicly advertising an open position, companies use refined recruitment techniques to attract only those candidates who qualify for these unique positions.

One technique companies use to fill these positions is to retain search organizations—the so called “headhunters”—that specialize in locating the best candidates. Not only is it hard to learn about these particular positions, it’s even more difficult to apply for them. And the very best search organizations’ general message to the public is: “Don’t find us. We’ll find you.”

To many of these organizations, the mere fact that you are looking for a job and reaching out to them renders you an undesirable candidate. They prefer to recruit candidates who are not really job-hunting.

Considering the closed-club impression search organizations give, you might feel that actively setting out to attract their attention is counterproductive. However, there are ways to use the connections and power of search organizations to promote your career.

Before you contact one or more search organizations to help you with your job search, you might ask yourself the following questions:

* Do I need a search organization to help me find my next job?
* How quickly do I need a new job?

What You Need to Know
How does a contingency search organization differ from a retained search organization?

A contingency search organization makes its money only after it successfully places a candidate. Contingency organizations usually fill junior to middle-level executive positions, with salaries ranging from $50,000 to $150,000. A retained search organization fills the more senior positions, receiving its fee regardless of whether or not a particular position is successfully filled. Both are legitimate forms of business; however, it is generally agreed that retained search organizations have a higher quality relationship with their client company—a long-term interest in which the mutual goal is the company’s prosperity. The emphasis in a contingency organization is more likely to be on the individual placement, in which case, both you and the hiring company could find yourselves in a wrong match.
What to Do
Identify the Best Search Organization for You

Use word-of-mouth and other indirect marketing techniques to discover which are the best search organizations and to help them find you. Ask your friends, family, colleagues, and college career centers to recommend the organizations—and consultants—they found helpful and easy to work with. Go where search organization consultants go. Use some of your contacts to get invited to high-end business receptions. Attend human resource seminars in your community or industry. Participate as a speaker (or even a volunteer) at business conferences. Write articles for your industry journal.
Contact a Search Organization Consultant

If you have had a friend or colleague recommend a search organization consultant to you—or even better, have had that friend or colleague recommend you to the consultant—phone that person right away. It is the best way to initiate contact with an organization. And have an expertly prepared résumé, of no more than two pages, ready to send immediately. If you do not have a personal introduction, send the résumé with a cover letter describing your credentials, abilities, and objectives.
Be Prepared

You may be asked to come in for an interview immediately. Or you may be notified that your résumé has been keyed into the search organization’s database. If your résumé contains the important keywords associated with your career skills, knowledge, and experience, your name will come up the next time the organization searches those keywords for a suitable candidate to fill an opening. Working with a search organization is likely to be a long-term proposition. Success for you and the consultant depends upon a compatible opening becoming available at a client company.
Know How to Recognize a Good Organization

If a search organization that you are unfamiliar with contacts you, be sure to assess the organization’s ability to serve your interests well. Ask the organization who their client companies have been. Organizations you want to work with will be pleased to offer you a list of prestigious clients.
Work with More Than One Organization

You should never let yourself be pressured into signing an exclusive contract with only one search organization. The organization’s client is the hiring company not you. Because an organization receives its fees from the company—approximately 30% of the new employee’s first year’s salary—your personal interests are not part of the search organization’s business concerns. Therefore you should be free to market yourself in any way you choose. While you should never sign an exclusive contract with only one organization, you also should never sign with more than a very few organizations: you need to stay focused and in control of your interview schedule.
Follow Up

After you have had the initial interview with the hiring company, follow up with that company in the standard ways, such as with a thank-you letter and a phone call after about a week. Do not let a search organization stand in the way of your cultivating a relationship with the hiring company. Your being hired will benefit you, the hiring company, and the search organization, and you need to do whatever you can to improve your chances of receiving the offer you want.
Be Open to and Accepting of Consultant Feedback

The consultant may see you as the best possible candidate for an ideal position; however, he or she may also see something in your personal demeanor, grooming, or body language that could spoil your chances of success. If the consultant’s recommendations do not require that you fundamentally change who you are or compromise your values, seriously consider following the advice.
What to Avoid
You Waste Your Time with the Wrong Consultant or Search Organization

Insist on a personal meeting with a search consultant at that person’s office. If the consultant insists, in return, on a telephone relationship, or if you find that the organization’s offices are shabby, it may indicate that their clients do not offer the top-market employment opportunities you are looking for.
You Wait Until You Need a New Job Before Cultivating a Relationship with a Search Organization Consultant

The most successful search organizations receive hundreds of résumés a day, so you have to compete for their attention. In addition, it would be a rare coincidence, indeed, if on the day you find you need a new job they have a client with just the right position available. So be sure you are in the search organization’s system long before you become desperate for that new job.
You Try to Camouflage a Spotty Past with Finessed Answers

Most consultants and hiring managers have heard it all—the language and rationalizations typically used to camouflage a firing or a dismissal for a company’s downsizing. If you are looking for a new position because you were dismissed or fired, be as candid as possible, then move on to the future.
You Drop Your Search Organization Consultant After Having Accepted Your New Position

If you and your search organization consultant have achieved a mutually satisfactory relationship, stay in touch with that person. Send the consultant excellent candidates for other positions that may become available. Meet for lunch now and then. There is no need to make that person your best friend. But the days of working for one company for the rest of your life are over and you may be searching for a new position within a few years. Your earlier good relationship may keep you moving ahead along your career path.