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What Clients are Saying...

  • “The biggest change that resulted from coaching was understanding how business success can come through leveraging our unique strengths and value. I learned how to keep focus on my core business specialties, reach my target market through ongoing, compelling messages and get maximum impact from my marketing activities. I also learned how to use technology to automate my business and a management system to better organize my day-to-day operations.”

    “Megan helped me improve my networking approach, build strong relationships with clients and partners, and message my brand online through my bio, website and LinkedIn profile. I’m grateful for her commitment, enthusiasm and passion. I highly recommend Megan to any one that wishes to use their own unique value to build a successful business.”

    - Paola Fiore, Sustainability Management and Communications Consultant, Italy


  • “Megan did an exceptional job working with me to develop my personal branding plan. Her genuine listening and coaching ability helped me identify my unique value proposition and define a clear vision for my career. She followed a disciplined approach and ensured that I stayed on track.”

    “Megan provides valuable insight in every interaction. The work we did together was a key contributor to my successful career change. I found Megan to be friendly, articulate and a great person to work with. I would highly recommend her to anyone anywhere in the world looking for a career or business coach.”

    - Venu Sripada, IRI, Vice President, Technology Executive, Expat in US


  • “My coaching experience with Megan was outstanding. She is the ultimate coach - competent, committed, passionate about her work and fully dedicated to her client's success."

    “Creating my personal brand statement gave me clarity and confidence. One of the biggest benefits of working with Megan was developing a CV that effectively communicated my accomplishments and personal brand. If you are looking for a coach, I would definitely recommend Megan.”

    - Medhi Drissi, Senior Information Officer, United Nations Food and Agriculturel Organization, Expat in France


  • “With her exceptional approach to her clients, expertise, dedication and passion, Megan has provided great value. Her practicality and special sense for the people really made working with Megan experience and atmosphere that I will hardly forget ever. I would highly and heartily recommend Megan to anyone!”

    ~ Tihomir Cirkvencic, Technology Executive, Microsoft, Croatia


  • “It is difficult to express the fulfillment, satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that I experienced through the personal branding coaching. I became empowered to make choices for myself and my professional life. It helped me understand I don’t have to wait for opportunities - I can create them! I feel incredibly energized because I am now managing my career through building and communicating my personal brand"

    - Roberta Zelari, International Human Resources Specialist, Agthia Group, Expat in Dubai


  • "I came to Megan as a person with little confidence in my work and undervaluing myself as a professional. Our work allowed me to focus and better understand what I am looking for as I no longer knew what I wanted. Through the coaching I was able to understand my unique and important value and start communicating it.”

    - Kemi Lambo, Gender and Equity Management Consultant, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Expat in Italy

Biography


I'm Megan Fitzgerald, expat and international career coach, founder of Career By Choice and expert guide through the dynamic world of global careers. I take a strategic, 360° approach to helping forward-thinking expats become highly visible, sought after experts and leaders and succeed abroad. My approach is informed by extensive training and 20 years of experience supporting professionals, executives, entrepreneurs and organizations in 40+ countries. By thriving in jobs and roles aligned with their strengths and global lifestyle, my expat clients are recognized and well-compensated for the value they create and are positioned to impact real change in their organizations and the world. Based in Italy, I work with expats, global leaders and their employers worldwide..

Like many of my fellow expats, my journey to becoming a global professional and business owner started early in life. Books first introduced me to a world outside of my own and fueled a growing fascination with different countries and cultures. My first taste of life in another country at 12 inspired my study of languages and world economies and the pursuit of international travel and study during high school and university. What I loved most about my first job working with entrepreneurs from developing countries was learning about the challenges of growing careers and businesses in challenging environments - and the solutions to overcome them. That formative experience was the start of a now almost 20 year career in professional and business development stretching over 40+ countries on 6 continents.

As a result of my success supporting hundreds worldwide, I've been named a top 50 personal branding consultant and been featured in Fortune Magazine, CNNMoney.com, the Wall Street Journal Online and many expatriate and career books and publications. To learn more about my story, watch this video (1:54):

Who I Work With

I work best with future-oriented, innovative expats struggling to clarify or market their differentiating, compelling value in the global marketplace and/or land work abroad. Truly committed and not afraid of a challenge, they're ready to invest the time and energy to manage their international careers on an ongoing basis.

These expats are willing to let go of old beliefs and approaches to building and growing careers and businesses and want to learn about online tools and strategies critical to landing work abroad. They are keen to unleash their unique expertise and passion to make an impact in their organization or the world.

My clients work for organizations like Oracle, Cisco, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, embassies & the United Nations. I've worked with clients in the following industries:
• Technology, HR, Finance, Media, Renewable Energy & Sustainability
• Diplomacy, Foreign Service & United Nations
• International Development & Non-Profits
• Medicine & Research

Results my clients have achieved include:
• Secured jobs in new countries and new industries
• Secured jobs with high-profile organizations they pursued for years
• Secured promotions and 50% salary increases
• Became pioneers in their field for discoveries or work
• Built portable businesses, websites and blogs with industry following
• Built or expanded global network and client base
• Published and/or featured in major media and industry publications and websites
• Transformed their online presence from non-existant to #1 search result
• Recognized for growth as leaders and improvements to business operations

My Approach

I partner with these global minds to clarify their vision and unique value. Because I believe people are most successful when they are true to themselves and their strengths, we dig deep to unearth that uniqueness that will inspire, transform and drive their success. With a proven step-by-step and in-depth process, we develop powerful tools on and offine to authentically communicate their value in a compelling and differentiating way. With a distinctive online identity and strong network built with social media, they are equipped to realize success on their terms.

Credentials

Always looking for tools and strategies to better support my clients my credentials include:
• Certified Personal Branding Strategist - 1 of first 100 worldwide
• Certified Career Coach
• Certified Executive Coach
• Certified Online Identity Strategist – 1 of first 35 worldwide
• Certified Social Media Marketing Strategist
• Certified 360 Personal Brand Assessment Analyst 
• Masters Degree in Multimedia Communications

Publications

As a specialist in expat careers, personal branding and online identity, I'm regularly asked to contribute to or am included in books such as:
• Storytelling about Your Brand Online & Offline
• The Twitter Job Search Guide: Find a Job and Advance Your Career in only 15 Minutes a Day
• Should I Stay or Should I Go?: The Truth About Moving Abroad and Whether it's Right for You
• A Career in my Suitcase
• A Broad Abroad: The Expat Wife's Guide to Successful Living Abroad
• Vado a Vivere all'Estero: Guida Pratica per Espatriati

Expertise Recognition

I've also been recognized for my expertise in careers and social media:
• Top 30 Personal Branding Experts on Twitter
• 100 Personal Branding Experts To Follow on Twitter
• 100+ Career Blogs ALL Professionals MUST Read
• 9 Expat Blogs to Follow
• 20 Interesting Expats to Follow on Twitter
• 101 Best Job Search and Career Experts on Twitter
• Top 10 Facebook Fan Pages for Job Seekers and Career Minded Folk

Giving Back

Having spent years working with professionals and entrepreneurs in developing and transitional countries, I donate a percentage of my total income to life saving programs around the world fighting AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Through Kiva.org I continue to support entrepreneurs in the developing world. Currently I’m supporting a group in Peru to start a restaurant to serve traditional regional dishes to their community. 

At Play

When not at work, planning my next trip, or enjoying the outdoor museum that is my current hometown of Rome, you can find me reading about new innovations, discussing an interesting film or a having a caffè macchiato to start my day.


You can sign up for my expat career and business success tips at my blog or visit my website. to learn more about I can help you build a career or business to support your life abroad.