Preparing Yourself For a Job Overseas 

By age 20, 1998 Yale University grad Julia Kahr already had compiled more international work experience than most people acquire in a lifetime. After graduating from high school in three years, Kahr studied at the Ecole Alsacienne in Paris for a year before college. While at Yale she tucked into her portfolio internships at two Paris law firms and Banque Nationale de Paris. She also traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia. The experiences were plusses when she started job hunting after graduation.

"When I interviewed for jobs last year, I found that firms are looking for candidates who can adapt quickly to new and difficult situations and are willing to travel and perhaps work in a foreign office," says Kahr.

She's now an associate in New York for the Boston Consulting Group, an international consulting firm, and expects that her experience abroad will put her at the front of the line when she seeks her first full-time international assignment.

Ms. Kahr isn't typical of most new graduates entering the workforce, but she's indicative: Although few have resumes as impressive as hers, more are going global these days. The phenomenon is fed by the current business demand for overseas customers or suppliers, as well as by the supply of graduates who want to work in foreign lands. Increasingly, it seems, the world is shrinking.

Brendan Bannister, associate dean of undergraduate business at Northeastern University in Boston, says the number of students interested in international work-study programs has exploded in recent years. About 1,800 companies participate in the school's co-op programs worldwide, and "more students are taking advantage of that opportunity than ever before," he says.

The Northeastern program began with only one or two pioneers a few years ago, he recalls, "but now, on a regular basis, we're sending from 13 to 15 students to each partner school," mainly in France, Spain and Germany. Soon, the program will expand to Argentina and other countries.

Unlike a few years back, when new graduates hoped to land foreign assignments later in their careers, more co-op students and other grads are eyeing overseas jobs as first positions. While exciting, these jobs can be extremely challenging for new hires unfamiliar with their companies and business in general.

"These people have a double task because they need to get a handle on the U.S. market and on the other country's market, too," says Jeff Wood, director of career development at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, Calif., a graduate school for globally minded students.

Here's how to go about nabbing and making the most of a foreign work adventure, whether it's a co-op position or a job early in your career:

Take advantage of available resources. Most schools provide a multitude of opportunities for students to gain international experience, including international studies and co-op programs, international college organizations and networking with students with foreign contacts.

Many employers prefer to hire undergraduates over graduates for co-op positions because "companies look at the work as a temporary experience that supports education," says Gayle Elliott, director of international co-op programs at the University of Cincinnati. "And later, you can more easily convince a company that you're capable of working abroad, based on actual experience, and they're more willing to take the risk in hiring you."

Don't overlook extracurricular activities that relate to international organizations. Ronn Torrosian, a 1995 graduate of the State University of New York at Albany, became involved with Betar, the International Youth Movement of the Likud, when he was 13. He was elected the group's North American president from 1993 to 1995.

"I saw that as a foray to getting my first full-time job," says Torrosian, who spent six months in Israel after graduating, working as a public relations coordinator for the American Friends of Likud, the American branch of Israel's current ruling party. He's now an account supervisor for G.S. Schwartz and Co. Inc., a public relations firm in New York.

"I had had encounters with a lot of the people in Israel before, when I was involved with the organization, and that, for me, eliminated a lot of the barriers," he says. "When I went there after college, a lot of the people I worked with remembered me from when I was younger, and they looked at me as somebody who was playing on the same team."

Hook up with a U.S.-based multinational. Try to penetrate an American-based company with extensive operations abroad, starting with its domestic operations. "Getting to know the company's U.S. side is a good idea," says Bernie Milano, partner in charge of university relations for KPMG, an international professional-services firm based in New York. "Ninety percent of your opportunity to work abroad is through a U.S. company with a branch in another country."

With this in mind, many students and recent graduates are targeting positions within U.S.-based multinationals as launch pads for future international assignments. Craig Martini earned an electrical engineering degree from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, an engineering and science college in Terre Haute, Ind. He's now doing power engineering research as a graduate student at the University of Illinois. After he finishes his education, Martini hopes to join a multinational because, he says, "I eventually want to work in Germany."

Keep in mind that the best opportunities may not evolve from the biggest or most recognizable companies. Trent Edwards, a 1995 University of Cincinnati graduate, spent six months interning in Japan and now works as an engineer in Hamburg, Germany, for Makino, a Japanese motor vehicle, aerospace and die-mold machinery company.

"You don't need to work for GM or Daimler/Chrysler to move to Germany or China," says Edwards. "There are many unknown small- and medium-sized companies that need people to work internationally. I know almost 10 people who have moved to Japan for U.S. companies that employ fewer than 500 people."

Look on the Internet for opportunities. Review sites that specialize in international positions, sites offering general information and college-sponsored sites. Here's a sampling:

Asianet (www.asia-net.com). A conglomeration of job opportunities in Asia. Studyabroad.com (www.studyabroad.com). Links to study-abroad programs. Duke University's International Resources on the Internet (www.duke.edu). Resources available for anyone seeking a job overseas. Brandeis University's International Employment (www.brandeis.edu). Links to employment opportunities in many countries.

Immerse yourself in the culture. Don't expect anything in another country to be like it is at home. If you're serious about working overseas, focus on preparing yourself for the dissimilarities, especially the language and culture.

Julie Nielson, 23, a 1997 graduate of Pacific University in Forest Grove, Wash., learned French and studied French culture before spending time in France during college. The experience taught her how to adapt and flourish in a different country and inspired her to seek a position abroad after graduation.

She planned to work in Taiwan and studied Chinese culture and language. Instead, she ended up traveling 6,200 miles to Japan to become coordinator of international relations at the town hall in Tsuruta, a small town in the country. This meant adjusting to a completely unexpected set of cultural rules. Had she known what the future held, "I would have studied the language and a lot more about Japan before I left," Nielson says.

If you're fluent in the language and prepared for everyday life, the transition will be less difficult. "You must know the culture of business in the other countries because it's very different from the way we do things here. Small things add up to major insults if you aren't careful," says Ravi Kumar, professor of information and operations management at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business in Los Angeles.

Stay flexible when you first arrive. "When you first get over there, everything is new and exciting, but after a while, you start to miss things at home," says Elliott. "If you can get past the crowds and how you're treated as a foreigner, and get back to integrating yourself into the culture, you'll become more comfortable and learn the hang of things."

"Go with an open mind and a sense of humor," says Nielson. "You're going to be in another country with a new set of rules. You can't change them, so try to accept them, not necessarily conform to them."

Make connections over there. Just as networking with contacts after graduation can help you land a job in the U.S., knowing people overseas can help you start your career in another country. When traveling, studying or doing internships abroad, introduce yourself to as many people as possible and stay in touch with them when you leave. "If you know someone in another country, a businessman, a relative or a close friend, it helps. You're really using your networks," says Milano.

Keep your U.S. contacts as well. Many expatriates who don't stay in touch with domestic colleagues complain that they're forgotten and don't receive good assignments when they return from their assignment. If you don't stay visible, you may be left out of the loop for promotions and new responsibilities back home.

"Begin networking with the parent company and make your presence known, or you may arrive on the doorstep of your parent company -- and they haven't thought about you," says Jean Sommers, associate director of career development for Smith College in Northampton, Mass. "As they say, out of country, out of mind."

Be prepared for an adjustment when you return home. Many expatriates suffer reverse culture shock when they return to the U.S. After having been given a lot of responsibility abroad, some don't know how to fit in to their employer's U.S. office. Before leaving your international locale, assess your interests, know what part of your international experience you want to emphasize and decide what you want to do when you return, says Sommers.

"Self-assessment is probably one of the most important parts of re-entering a home country, but you should do this well before leaving to come home," she says.

As business becomes more international, highlighting your experience from an internship or work assignment will give you an advantage over others competing for similar jobs. "Very few people actually work abroad, and that shows employers you're flexible, can adapt to difficult situations and overcome obstacles," says Kahr. "It can give you an edge over other people."

Ms. Gates is a writer in Rochester Hills, Mich.