6-2-01

By Anita M. Harris

Wendy Dodek spent three years in Japan teaching English language to executives. She developed new friendships;  learned about a different culture, and completely transformed her life. Today, she is an international research and training expert.  Living in Japan  was "an excellent experience," she says.

Lance Roulic, has set up joint ventures in Russia, Malyasia, Thailand and Japan. Living  abroad for five years "was great" because he was " doing business and living a major historical change," he says.

Herb Radford leads an environmental company’s sales and marketing efforts in Argentina, Chile, Mexico Uruguay, Venezuela and Brazil. Because you have to "be there" to capture a sense of what a particular culture is like,"  he spends 80 per cent of his time travelling.  "I may be crazy, " he says, "but I like it."

In these days of globalization, international opportunities appear to abound. A quick search of the Web brings up technical, managerial, consulting, banking and teaching openings in most parts of the world. But it’s not always easy for Americans to land and succeed at jobs overseas, experts say. Today, more than ever, you need highly specific skills and the ability to adapt to cultures other than your own.

Determine what skills you need

In the past, many overseas companies welcomed Americans and other expatriates into their ranks, says Andy Knox, managing director of Korn/Ferry International, <www.kornferry.com>an executive recruiting firm headquartered in Los Angeles.

But today, employers look first to "local nationals"—who already live in the country-- to fill their hiring needs. In part, that is because many countries require "local" hiring whenever possible and, in the last five years or so, through education, training and experience, local experts have become widely available all over the world. Another factor is financial: it can be very expensive to hire expatriates, once you take family relocation, schooling, home leave, dual taxation, and other expenses into account. So that while some Americans may be able to find overseas jobs in teaching or resorts, most will need skills that are critical—and not otherwise available--to the economy of a given land.

• Asia, Western Europe and South America

In Asia, Knox says, executives skilled at restructuring and turnarounds, and experts in risk management, decision science, and assets and liabilities management are in demand. In Western Europe, state-of- the art skills in multinational marketing and branding are called for and, according to a 2001 Korn/Ferry report, the need for finance and banking executives there is particularly strong.

In Latin America, expertise in telecommunications and wireless device technologies is key. Susan Ingleby, director of career services at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Medford, Massachusetts <www.fletcher.tufts.edu >is seeing international expansion in the energy, environmental and insurance fields.

Korn/Ferry reports that with regard to functional roles, in Asia, Latin America and Western Europe, experienced general managers and sales and marketing professionals are in the greatest demand.

• Former Soviet Union

In emerging markets of the former Soviet Union—such as Hungary, Rumania, Georgia and the Ukraine-- companies are seeking help in forming business partnerships; law, financial services and risk analysis are growing fields, Ingleby says.

• Developing Nations

In the developing world—in Africa, for example--experts are needed in humanitarian assistance, telecommunications, infrastructure, and microfinance, according to Ingleby.

Obtain skills and knowledge

International consulting firms sometimes hire graduates of top schools right out of college, but most companies and organizations require higher degrees or mid-career experience before sending employees overseas, Ingleby says. Multinational corporations look for people with business and language skills, and knowledge of particular cultures; this is also true of government agencies (such as the US Foreign Service, Agency for International Development, and state or U.S. departments of trade) and international organizations (like the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the World Health Organization, and the World Bank).

If you are just starting out, Ingleby recommends obtaining an advanced degree in business administration or international affairs, learning the languages of countries where you’d like to live, and developing expertise in a targeted field.

Make sure you have cultural sensitivity and empathy

But skills, education and language will not guarantee success. In working abroad, "It doesn’t matter how good you are at your profession or how ‘intellectually smart’ you are, " Knox says. "If you can’t adapt to work flexibly enough in a different culture, you are not going to survive."

Knox worked in Japan for five years and currently spends about half of his time outside the United States. "If you go from New York to London, you might think, ‘I speak English; I’m part of the Judeo- Christian ethic and I’ve been there ten times on business or on holiday.’ But then you move there and start driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the street. You find that the schooling for your children is different, and that many of the issues there are different for people at every age, stage and station in life."

Moving to a country like Japan can be still more challenging. "The United States is built on a bedrock culture of ‘the rugged individualist,’" Knox points out. "Fifty-year-olds can work for 30-year olds; we are performance-oriented, and we hire and fire at will." But "in Japan the group is all important. It also matters where you went to school, and grade and seniority are more important than an individual’s performance." If you are not born with empathy and sensitivity to cultural differences, Knox says, you could be an outcast "and not even know it."

Courses or coaching can help you recognize and handle cultural differences. But these solutions reach "only the tip of the iceberg," Knox says. "The learning curve can be steep; it can be filled with subtle nuances, and you will be out of your comfort zone."

Be enthusiastic about new experiences

For reasons like these, Ingleby says, to work successfully abroad you need a sense of adventure and to feel comfortable with uncertainty and change. Those who do best like "being out there and experiencing lots of different ways of being the world. They enjoy other people, new food, and different music. They feel comfortable wherever they are."

• Work for an American company that has an international component and let it be known that you’d like to go abroad.

• Contact recruiters or headhunting firms such as Korn/Ferry International or others listed in Kennedy Information Services International Database of Executive Recruiters; join international associations and network with people who have international connections.