Getting Started


12 Steps for Getting Started

These steps are essential to planning your international job, internship, and volunteer search.  The first four steps are key to the process.

The Hiatt Web site resources and advisers, as well as the International Job Search Resources, will help you with the following:

  1. List your top five goals for working, interning or volunteering abroad: gaining experience in a field, enhancing language skills, cultural immersion, etc.
  2. Identify the destination that you would really like to target and that best matches these goals.  If you are having trouble narrowing to one destination, identify no more than three potential sites.
  3. List the financial, time, and personal responsibilities and constraints that will affect your plans, as well as your expectations for your ideal experience.
  4. Identify your top three fields or areas of interest.  These will be the focal points of your search.
  5. Create a list of the top three or four kinds of positions you would like to target.
  6. Assess your skills and experience with respect to your three areas of interest, for example, courses you have taken, past work, languages, cross-cultural skills, etc.
  7. Begin to prepare your job search documents (your resumes and cover letters), highlighting your skills and experiences.
  8. Use your network to get personal contacts, up-to-the-minute information, and advice about working in your host country as well as leads about real work options.
  9. Research the current social, political, marketplace and economic trends in your host country that will affect your plans.
  10. Check your host country's embassy Web site to learn about obtaining permission to pursue legally paid or unpaid work.  The process to obtain work visas can be lengthy.  It is important to know the requirements and include plenty of time to meet them.
  11. Consult key field- and country-specific job listings.
  12. When considering a specific opportunity, check its "fit" with your goals, expectations, and skills. Is it a good match?

At each step, use every available resource at Hiatt, Brandeis, and your personal network!