All we ever hear about or read about it seems is how the recession is strangling the economy, resulting in a slump in property prices and rising unemployment rates. According to a BBC report, UK’s unemployment figure rose in three short months to touch 2.67 million in January. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the jobless rate rose to 8.4 per cent. This has led to an increase in the claimant count of people claiming the Jobseeker’s allowance, adding a bigger burden on the exchequer.
Anyone facing unemployment in a harsh economic climate had best consider going abroad as the best option to find a job. With news articles predicting higher unemployment figures before the summer sets in, now may be a good time to pack a bag and get ready to move the job hunt to overseas markets.
Finding A Vacancy
Let’s see how to go about job hunting for an overseas position. With the Internet at our fingertips, hunting for jobs abroad becomes relatively easy. Here are some ideas that may prove useful:
The European Commission has a job mobility portal ‘Eures’ that allows job seekers to scan the job offers from all over Europe through the web.
One thing to avoid is developing a passion for living somewhere sunny; get rid of the notion that going abroad means sunny blue skies. Europe’s south where the sun shines brightest is not exactly an economically healthy option. Northern Europe, it would appear, has more jobs to offer. Another reason for people to head north is the language. In the north, it is a proven fact that the people are more competent in the English language. Northern Europe is probably the best place to head if English is the only language spoken.
Use Social Media!
Anyone using social media networking sites such as the ubiquitous Facebook may want to put out the good word. It can’t hurt to spread the word to friends and acquaintances. It is also recommended that people looking for jobs register on websites that connect people in a particular employment field such as accounting or human resources.
There are numerous job portals online where overseas employment opportunities are listed. Newspapers may be old hat, but still worth the effort of scanning through them. Conduct research on countries that have a high demand for the individual-specific qualifications that make it easier to find a job.
Once the countries where the demand is high for a specific qualification or skill, find companies located in that country, log on to their websites and send in applications to the human resources department.
European Union institutions have a decent representation within the EU, but tend to be strict on language requirements. At least one European language, apart from the native language, is generally the norm. For this reason, it is important to identify individual strengths and weakness before applying for jobs. Selection of jobs that weigh heavily on the positives will increase the success rate.
Try, Try and Try Again
Jobs are available; it just requires a great deal of persistent effort on the part of the job seeker to keep sending out applications regardless of rejections.
This article was written in association with Office Angels, leading recruiters of personal assistants in the UK
