What's Behind the Job Search?
Some Hidden Dimensions
by Mary MacKinnon Expatriate Issues Network
A large number of us who fall into that aptly-named category of "trailing spouses" - men as well as women - are more or less constantly on the lookout for employment. Come to think of it, there is hardly a corner of our lives anymore that remains untouched by employment problems, if not in our own situation then in the lives of our children, our relatives, our friends.
The category of people who are job-hunting abroad because they followed a spouse who was transferred, meet with a peculiar blend of factors. A shortage of job opportunities is by no means limited to foreign postings, as any of us who have looked for a job at home recently know, and in some cases, there is more of a market abroad for certain skills than one might find at home. But not having the automatic right to work abroad even if one does find a job, is something many find frustrating in the extreme.
For some people this is a new experience, and for others it is anything but new. Either way, it is a state that can and often does endure for many months and may reappear as each short contract ends. That is the most common pattern of employment obtained by expatriate spouses it seems, a series of "jobettes" as a friend of mine has called these short, often unrelated stints of employment.
Rarely, however, does the person with a definite career path and hard-won seniority find that she/he can continue in the path without a major hiccup. But availability of jobs and career opportunities, differences in equivalencies of credentials, language barriers and catch-22 work permit problems are only the visible side of the job search mode.
My purpose here is to present some of the hidden dimensions behind the scene in the search for a job abroad, whether you are reading this prior to departure, or from your host city abroad. Why a Job?
Though some might say this is merely an acute grasp of the obvious, I believe that there are three, often-overlooked questions the individual should ask herself before beginning her job search and which she should ask again whenever she loses heart.
- Why do I want a job?
- What else is going on in my life?
- How ready am I to undertake an intensive job-search, let alone a job itself?
There are many reasons for wanting paid employment. The first one which comes to mind of course is money. For some, the money a necessity, for others it means independence. Certain spouses want a job for the daily structure and social contact that it provides. Others want to maintain career continuity, and avoid gaps in their resumes. Many professionals fear they will loose ground and be considered out of touch. Still others feel they have lost an important element of their identity without their work.
Few would argue with the legitimacy of any of these motivations, but I would ask job seekers to consider whether paid employment is necessary in satisfying their particular need.
In the case of those who are concerned about losing ground in their field, there is always - now more than ever - the option of profiting from the free time to do research and get something published. A sure way to keep your name in the running.
A young economics graduate and his mother have just taken and passed the Canadian Securities Certificate course by correspondence in 3 months - a marketable qualification once they return home.
With access to distance education programs rapidly expanding and being made more accessible through the Internet, there is another option for those who are feeling the need or desire to change careers, or to have a compelling project that is not in the volunteer sector while at the same time, acquiring marketable skills.
The answer may lie in working towards a certificate in one of the many fields where they are offered by correspondence. I know two people - a young economics graduate, and his mother - who have just taken and passed The Canadian Securities Certificate course by correspondence. It took them a little over 3 months. If done from abroad, this would be a very useful qualification for anyone wanting to work in the financial field once they return home.
These suggestions will only apply to some job searchers of course and will do little or nothing for those whose primary motivation is earning money. But they may provide alternatives for certain others.
The second question is one of the most important ones for the job seeker to ask herself especially when she is discouraged and overcome by feelings of not having tried hard enough or of fading confidence.
Time and Energy Demands
What are the other calls on your time and energy?
Internationally mobile people have the same kinds of concerns as other people, and then some. In the first instance, they have a major adjustment period to get through before, during and after an international move, and that period typically lasts 6-12 months. There are substantial losses and gains which must be absorbed and put into perspective in the aftermath of such a move. This takes huge, unseen amounts of emotional energy.
They are also parents to their own children and adult children to their own parents. They must provide care and attention to both sides of this generational sandwich. And they must often do it from a great distance and through long periods of separation.
They are also, from time to time, confronted with personal crises which cause months, sometimes years, of turmoil. International families often have to struggle through those periods without benefit of support from family, intimate friends, or a culturally similar community. They must do it alone to all intents and purposes. This too, is a steady, under-the-surface drain on internal resources.
What does all this have to do with job searching? As internationals we have all the changes that everyone else has to cope with living in today's world, plus all of the changes that anyone moving to a new city must cope with, and, we have the multitude of adjustments to life in a foreign culture on top of it all. We should not be too hard on ourselves if we can't seem to get our act together for a while, to focus on a job search.
Job Search Readiness
And that brings me to the third question the job searcher should be asking : How ready am I for the search bearing in mind that the experts say "a serious job-search should be undertaken as a full-time job".
There may be an infinite variety of degrees of readiness, but for the sake of argument, let us take four. A job seeker might be:
- No holds barred; completely focussed on the job search with a systematic and disciplined approach.
- Keen, but not super-keen; increasing motivation as time goes by; organized and productive, but not constantly.
- On-again/off-again motivation and confidence; frequently discouraged and inclined to retreat for a while.
- Feeling the need to find a job, more intellectually than viscerally, but not yet settled or able to focus even on where to start.
Look at the answers you've come up with to all these questions, and you may have a better idea of just how right a job search is for you right now.