Success Tips for Expat & International Careers

Expat Networking: Build Your Network & Expand Your Visibility Globally with Viadeo, ApnaCircle & Tianji

It's not a secret that your network is one of your most important tools in your job search - be it at home or abroad. Those looking to build their career or find a job locally have the ability to attend local meetings and engage with people in person to build their network to support their goals.

However most people looking to build an international career or find work abroad don't have that luxury. Hence building your network online is a critical part of any international career acceleration or job search plan. This is why I am writing to share information with you about a top international online professional network you may not be aware of - Viadeo.

Founded in 2004, Viadeo is the second largest online professional social network in the world with over 40 million members in 226 countries. With offices and teams in 12 cities around the globe and the addition of more than 30,000 new members each day, they’re expanding their size and reach at a very rapid pace. 

Branded as ApnaCircle on the Indian sub-continent and as Tianji in China, Viadeo has taken a local approach to professional networking. By recognizing that networking styles are not universal across cultures, each network's features allows you to expand your network as well as develop an online presence in a more culturally relevant way. 

Because companies in emerging markets like India and China are actively seeking talent outside of their borders given the lack of necessary skill sets at home, Viadeo‘s large member bases in these countries could be an extremely powerful tool for those looking for jobs in those areas of the world. 

Here is a breakdown of Viadeo's Group’s members by country:

Expat & International Careers: 6 Questions to Ask When Evaluating Recruiters Seeking Executives for International Assignments - Part II

As discussed in Part I of this post, with a fierce global war for talent on, recruiters are actively searching out passive candidates worldwide for international executive posts.

A common assumption being that the best performers are already being successful at work – not actively looking for jobs. 

Here are the last 3 of the 6 questions an executive can ask themselves when evaluating a recruiter proposing an international assignment:

Expat Networking: Build Your Online Reputation & Network to Support Your International Career Goals with Xing

Most people interested in building an international career or business don't have the time or resources to network locally in all the markets they are targeting. 

Hence online networking is the primary - and for some the only - way to expand one's connections outside their local area to support their global career or business goals.

Having a presence on certain networks can also help someone increase their visibility and enhance their online reputation in the right markets. This can be critical to attract opportunities in the areas of the world in which a person wants to work or do business.

Some people may consider being on Linkedin enough to get the global reach they need to support an international job or client search given it's the largest professional online network with 150 million members. This may be true for some markets, but it is definitely not always the case.

Expat & International Careers: 6 Questions to Ask When Evaluating Recruiters Seeking Executives for International Assignments - Part I

With a fierce global war for talent on, recruiters are actively searching out passive candidates worldwide for international executive assignments.

A common assumption being that the best performers are already being successful at work – not actively looking for jobs. 

But once an executive is contacted by a recruiter about their interest in pursuing an interesting opportunity overseas, how do they know if the recruiter is really in a position to make things happen?

Here are six questions an executive can ask themselves when evaluating a recruiter seeking candidates an international assignment: