While you’re still in college, study abroad for at least one semester. Although studying outside your home country is different from working, it will help you find out if you actually like living abroad. You will learn how to buy food, use public transportation, set up personal systems such as phone and computer connections, and deal with local bureaucracies. Many people get hooked on working internationally after studying abroad.

Once you have your degree, you’ll also have your ambitions, and most likely a foreign language or two to your credit. Unless you have a specialist degree, prior overseas experience, or highdemand language skills, such as Arabic or Mandarin, you will probably find it quite competitive to be hired for an overseas post right out of school. International relocations are expensive, and therefore, the company wants a particular level of value for its investment.

According to a recent Fortune article, 42 percent of the top thirty business schools in the United States reported an increased number of recruiters targeting students for overseas jobs (April 18, 2006). However, sometimes these recruiters are looking to hire the 30 percent of international students on campus for jobs back home. In any event, it’s not impossible to land an international job right out of school, so go ahead and give it a try.

Related posts:

1. Thinking Globally
2. Living Abroad vs. the Constant Traveler (2)
3. Thinking Globally (2)
4. Do You Have the Right Stuff? (2)
5. Living Abroad vs. the Constant Traveler