Success Tips for Expat & International Careers

Expat Careers & Businesses: Personal Brand Attributes of the Most Successful CAN be Nurtured

Entrepreneurs are the source of most job creation, economic growth and innovation in the world. They are critical players in the global economy and their role in generating prosperity and growth across the globe continues to increase. 

Ernst & Young, founders of the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Program, realized that there was no universal definition of entrepreneurship or a definitive list of traits and behaviors of the world's most successful entrepreneurial leaders. They decided to use current research, in-depth interviews with winners of Entrepreneur of the Year Program, and a survey of 685 entrepreneurs worldwide to build a model and remedy that problem.

The results of their work - a look at the personal brand attributes and skills of successful entrepreneurial leaders from around the world - is a report entitled, "Nature or nurture? Decoding the DNA of the entrepreneur".

Expat & International Careers: For Jobs Abroad, it's about Differentiation, Communication & Strategic Action

This is an article about the international job search I wrote for HSBC Bank International's Expat Explorer I thought would be of interest to my readers:

 

IN SEARCH OF THE JOB ABROAD

210 million people around the world are living outside of their home country. That’s almost 3 percent of the world’s population. There is not global data available, but looking at regional numbers we can deduce that a good number of those people are without a job, underemployed, or dissatisfied with the job that they do have. 

Given we can potentially spend more time at work than anywhere else, this is tragic. Especially when you consider many of us chose to become an expat to have new experiences, more freedom and a better quality of life. How can someone have a rich or fulfilling life abroad when they are dissatisfied, frustrated or in despair professionally speaking? I’m not sure there is an easy answer to that question.

The key to addressing this situation is looking at how changes in the marketplace and current hiring practices have changed the way expats need to approach the job search and managing their careers. With appropriate shifts in approaches to compliment the shifts going on around us in the marketplace, we can see that there are definitive strategies that can help us take back control over our careers and allow us to enjoy our life abroad.

Expat Careers & Businesses: The Next Issue of Personal Branding Magazine is Out (Download Sample)

I received an advance copy of Volume 4, Issue 4 of the Personal Branding Magazine from Dan Schawbel and his team at the magazine. Once again they've done a fantastic job of getting thought leaders in their field to share their thoughts on the topic of personal branding.

The focus of my work is helping expats leverage their personal brand and online identity to help the build a successful career or business abroad. Hence I consider learning more about personal branding a must do whether you are building or managing your expat career or portable business.

This issue is focused on CEO branding strategies, leadership and corporate culture. Leading CEOs from across multiple industries are interviewed, including Deloitte and Campbells, to present multiple perspectives on personal branding from the top down. The strength of the CEO brand can be attributed to the overall success of a company, regardless of size. Employees look to the CEO for guidance, leadership and personality. 

There are interviews with Doug Conant, CEO of Campbells, Jim Quigley, CEO of Deloitte, Bob Taylor, CEO of Taylor Guitars, Sam Calagione, CEO of Dogfish Head and Brian Halligan, CEO of Hubspot. 

Although the fully paid issue (25 articles) will not be available until May 1st, you can download a sample issue (9 articles) right now here: Personal Branding Magazine Sample Issue.

EXPAT CAREER & BUSINESS SUCCESS TIP: Download the Personal Branding Magazine Sample Issue and learn more about the power of building your personal brand online for expat career and business success abroad.

 

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Expat Careers & Businesses: Storytelling about Your Brand Online and Offline

For today's post I’ve interviewed friend, colleague and fellow personal branding strategist Bernadette Martin about her new book Storytelling about Your Brand Online & Offline. The book explains how storytelling can help executives, entrepreneurs and professionals to message and strengthen their personal brand. 

I had the honor of penning a chapter in the book entitled, “How to Internationalize your Bio”.

 

 I want to thank Bernadette for taking the time to answer a few questions regarding storytelling and personal branding.

• So Bernadette, how do you define the word “story” and why are stories so powerful?

I believe a story is an expression of real and imagined experiences, crafted and woven by the storyteller in a sensory fashion. This can play out in an oral, written, visual or tactical context in a book, movie, poem, song or dance. Stories can be expressed online through vehicles like YouTube, FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Second Life and more. 

Stories capture and hold our attention. They are an extremely powerful form of communication because stories combine facts, figures and details with emotions, colors and imagery, creating synapses between the left and right halves of your brain. Stories not only allow us to process information and store it effectively in memory, but also, perhaps most importantly, allow us connect emotionally with another person. 

Expat Careers & Businesses: How To Stand Out in the Global Marketplace - Part 2 of 3

This post is the second in a series discussing how expat professionals and entrepreneurs can stand out in the global marketplace. Before reading this article, I invite you to read Expat Careers & Businesses: How to Stand Out in the Global Marketplace - Part 1.

The second strategy for standing out in the global marketplace is through media or industry recognition. 

MEDIA OR INDUSTRY RECOGNITION

Given the global war for talent and trends like telecommuting and working via VOIP and videochat, you are competing in the global marketplace even if you are looking for a job or business locally. With such a phenomenal increase in competition, how can one be found and stand out?

Pursuing industry or media recognition is a very effective way to differentiate yourself from your competition. Consider the ratio of people in any given industry to those who have been recognized by industry leaders or the media and it would be hard to argue otherwise.

Not only will it increase your visibility and help you stand out, but it also helps build trust in your thought leadership in your area of expertise. This trust is critical when competing amongst other well qualified professionals or businesses.

Why?  Because people hire experts. People featured in the media or industry publications are seen as experts. They are seen as people you can trust to know what they are talking about. No credible media or industry source is going to quote or feature someone without demonstrated authority on their subject matter expertise.