Moving abroad for the change of a lifetime; securing great work and understanding the cultural differences
When Rory Grant accepted an offer to take his skills down under, little did he know he’d be moving career, family and home 10,500 miles as international borders close. He tells us that story – and the key to securing a new role in a different territory.
In March 2020, I found myself in a race across the world to reach Australia before the country closed its borders. Having accepted a job at Allens – Linklaters’ Australian partner - in September 2019, my family and I had spent many months in the lead-up to what was to be the most seismic experience of my life - planning for and executing our relocation to Sydney.
With less than 24 hours’ notice of Australia closing its borders, I found myself frantically rebooking my 22-hour flight and literally sprinting through airports and to the Australian immigration desk, making it by the skin of my teeth with less than five minutes to spare. Terrifying.
I’ve been in Sydney now for over a year and have had time to reflect on the relocation process and unpack the differences in the approach to business development and marketing between the UK and Australia.
For me, contemplating a serious relocation across the world was daunting. With so many unknowns, both in relation to how to search for and securing a fantastic job, and how business development might differ between the two countries made starting the process difficult, but not impossible.
Now that I’m here, I’m not looking back and wouldn’t change a thing. Making the move has broadened my horizon, equipped me with a skill set that I would not have otherwise developed, and given me the confidence to jump in and tackle issues in the workplace that I would not have done before.
This article, therefore, serves as a guide and insight into the practicalities of securing your dream job abroad, before you’ve even set foot in the country. And, importantly, as a note to the differences to expect when it comes to how business is done, using Australia as an example.
Accepting a great job abroad
With a young family and serious financial commitments to meet, moving abroad without having found a great job wasn’t an option for me. And, with complicated immigration visa requirements staring me in the face, it felt sensible to search for my new job before leaving the country - something that proved vital when Australia closed its borders to anyone that wasn’t an Australian national or who didn’t hold the right visa.
For me, moving from holding the solid idea that you want to work abroad to making it happen requires consideration of three key elements: understanding the market you want to enter; understanding the recruitment process within that market; and most importantly, taking the time to identify and define your own value proposition and what makes you stand out in an unknown market.
Understanding the market
Taking the time to research and understand the market you’re looking to enter is key - mainly because for many of us, we’ve spent most if not all of our careers working in one market (for me that was London), and we need to allow ourselves the opportunity to question assumptions we hold about where we’re wanting to get to, whether the work we do now is likely to align with the work expected of you abroad, and whether elements of your day-to-day work hold the same value and emphasis outside of your current market.
I cover much of this in detail below, but it would be wrong to assume for example that business development in the UK and Australia are likely to be similar. But it is also a fair assumption to make given the markets hold similar structures and players, and many businesses have teams across both locations.
Making a decision as to what sub-sector of professional services you’d like to work in and understanding the key businesses/employers and their focus and strengths within the market was an exercise I found extremely helpful. It allowed me to break down some of the assumptions I had previously held (crucially before speaking with any recruiters) and built a clearer picture of who I might want to work for.
“For me, contemplating a serious relocation across the world was daunting. With so many unknowns, both in relation to how to search for and secure a fantastic job - and how business development might differ between the two countries - made starting the process difficult, but not impossible.”
Understand the recruitment process
The UK, and London specifically, is a big market. It's not short of recruitment firms looking to help you make your next move, and it's generally not short of opportunity. As you are progressing through your career, you’re no doubt in contact with those recruiters, and they will know you well enough to help you when the times comes, putting the right jobs in front of you.
But that isn’t the case with all markets. Australia, for example, is much smaller. There are fewer recruiters and fewer roles. Recruiters are across the expertise of business development and marketing professionals in the country, but if you’re looking to join that peer group you need to make it clear as to why a recruiter should take a bet on you by working with you and introducing you to employers in the country.
Take the time to research recruiters. Ask your peers if they have any recommendations or can introduce you to contacts in the country that can, in turn, recommend recruiters. Take the time to get to know the various recruiters. Jump on calls with them whenever you can and build a relationship with them to sell yourself and your expertise, including expressing what your long-term plans are within that country.
As a non-national, the recruitment process is likely to be a little different for you. Work with your recruiter to understand which businesses are open to sponsoring and recruiting from the international market, and which roles are strategic enough to warrant both international recruitment and the longer time frame that is likely to be involved and set by the visa requirements.
Define and promote your expertise and key selling points
Defining and promoting your expertise before you make contact with recruiters or apply for jobs is the most important element of successfully securing a job abroad. I reminded myself that within the Australian market I was unknown - just a name on a CV.
You need to show your recruiter and the businesses you’d like to work with that you have a specific skill set that is valuable enough to warrant international recruitment. Defining that skillset and the success you can bring can help your recruiter and the business feel confident that they should engage with the process of recruiting internationally.
There’s a lot of detail to the process (all of which I’d be happy to discuss with any reader), but by following my three principles, you’ll be off to a good start in securing a great job abroad.
Knowing how to get started in finding that great job abroad was the hardest part of this process for me, but if you can break down your thought process to consider the three elements of understanding the market, the recruitment process and defining your expertise, it all becomes a little easier. Australia is a fantastic place if you’re looking to switch things up.