Establishing Yourself as a Resource: How to Network for Remote Work Opportunities
Figure out what you want to do or at the very least make a detailed list of all of your marketable skills. Don’t tell me (or anyone else for that matter), that you’ll “do anything, anywhere.”
How to Find & Negotiate Remote Work with American Companies?
This is a pretty common question that I receive and if you’ve listened to my episode on the podcast, you learned about how I got abroad and how I continually “flipped” opportunities into remote jobs abroad. My situation was different than how this question is typically posed because I didn’t work or seek to work for a company and then negotiate with them to work remotely. I already lived abroad and networked my way into a full-time job with an American company based in D.C.
So, my advice is simple: Network
Before you roll your eyes at me, hear me out!
Networking is simply building relationships, that’s it, that’s all. Don’t make it deeper than it is!
People who are great at networking establish themselves as a resource to others. Thereby demonstrating their expertise and skills, but also continuously building relationships.
Networking may not land you a job, but it may put you in a position to pitch yourself as a solution to some company’s problem (with the stipulation that you work remotely).
So what are your first steps?
Figure out what you want to do or at the very least make a detailed list of all of your marketable skills. Don’t tell me (or anyone else for that matter), that you’ll “do anything, anywhere.” That’s not true and that doesn’t help anyone who’s rooting for you to actually assist you. It won’t make them think of someone specific within their network you should link up with and it doesn’t narrow the field of your own search. You will burn yourself out being so abstract. Remember specificity reigns supreme! Narrow it down even if it’s just to get informational interviews or as a starting point for you to gather data to see if you really want to go down a particularly marketable skill “route”.
Develop a profile, reputation, and/or professional brand that aligns with what you want to be hired to do. Showcase your skills and expertise. Showcase your ability to work remotely/independently within deadlines and/or across time zones.
Then tell people! Go through your network and see who is working in that field or country or company. Identify companies that you’d be interested in working with and identify how they recruit (outside recruiting agency or internal HR) and introduce yourself. This way your efforts will most likely yield more and better quality results and opportunities. I also recommend listening to the How to Get a Job Abroad episode of the podcast and watching the AMAZING video I did with Itiah Thomas about taking your career abroad!
This video is about how to make a successful career transition abroad, featuring past Flourish in the Foreign guest, Itiah Thomas. Itiah is an American woman who used to work in commercial construction project management in the US, but moved to Australia to pursue a career transition and explore living abroad as a pathway to wellness. She talks about her experience of leaving the US, traveling for 8 months to find a new home, settling in Australia, how she secured a job in her career field in Australia and how she negotiated Australian residency into her compensation package. She also talks about the importance of professional and financial wellness in relation to living abroad.
This episode of Flourish in the Foreign focuses on the topic of getting a job abroad and features Christine's, host of Flourish in the Foreign, personal experience and advice on how to be strategic and network effectively in order to secure opportunities. It covers getting a job via headhunters, staffing agencies, job boards, networking, and leveraging competitive advantages. It also shares insights about earning a degree abroad as a way to enter a country's job market and create entrepreneurial opportunities. It also features the stories of how past podcast guests got jobs abroad:
Working as an International Recruiter in Jordan
Working as an Architectural Designer in Japan
Working in Social Work and Counseling in Italy
Working as a Graphic Designer in Hong Kong
Working in Marketing in Iceland
Working in Construction Project Management in Australia
Working in International Higher Education Around the World
Working in Bio-Tech in the Netherlands
Working in Digital Marketing in Portugal
Have some insight to share? Drop your comments below and let’s continue the conversation.
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Life as a Remote Worker in Barcelona: Considerations and Tips
There’s so much freedom in being able to decide when, where, and how best to work. Although not all remote workers are entrepreneurs, many people find remote work attractive for its flexibility adaptability.
Originally published in Las Morenas en España
There’s so much freedom in being able to decide when, where, and how best to work. Although not all remote workers are entrepreneurs, many people find remote work attractive for its flexibility adaptability.
How long you’ve been here in Spain, where are you from originally, what do you do for work?
I moved to Spain in August 2017 from Atlanta. I’m a business analyst and business development, consultant. I also produced a wellness/spirituality/music festival, SeekerFest. However, when I first moved to Spain I put all of my professional ventures on hiatus and spent a year as an auxiliar de conversacion in La Rioja.
What brought you to Spain?
Hmmm, I suppose convenience lol? I’ve been to Spain many times so I felt pretty comfortable with the country and various cultures. I first visited right after I graduated from high school, I then studied abroad in Valencia during University, and in 2014 I walked the Camino de Santiago. I’ve just always known that I wanted to live abroad and for a long time, it didn’t really matter where! I applied for the auxiliar program and was investigating other countries at the same time. It really came down to timing--I was in a position to move and moving to Spain was the most convenient out of all of the options.
What’s your favorite Spanish dish?
Definitely the setas and champiñones pinchos found on Calle Laurel in Logroño! Grilled mushrooms in olive oil and garlic, so simple, but so good!
How did you decide to make your home base Barcelona? What were you looking for in a “new” home city?
Well, my boyfriend was living in Barcelona, so it was an easy decision. I definitely wanted to be in an international city: international airport, an abundance of multinational companies, a distinct culture, a temperate clime (although sometimes Barcelona is a bit too chilly for me because I’m from Atlanta and I used to live in Miami!). I also wanted a much more chill vibe and a slower pace of life. Even though Barcelona is an international city it has a much slower pace than the US.
What’s one book you’ve read in your life that was completely transformative?
The Game of Life by Florence Scovel Shinn. It’s an old-timey “law of attraction” book that has been one of my manifesting “guidebooks” for years. I re-read chapters weekly and it always comes through and delivers!
Remote work in Spain. What’s it really like to work remotely while abroad?
The biggest issue that all entrepreneurs go through is the isolation of “doing your own thing”. It’s really important to have a community of entrepreneurs or mentors “that get it”.
What’s the most common misconception about working remotely that people have? And what’s the reality like?
Ha! There are so many misconceptions!! The most common misconception people have is that because I may have a somewhat flexible schedule that I don’t really work! Or that I’m available for anything at any time! Lol NOT TRUE! I’m constantly on google chat responding to colleagues, it's very normal for me to jump on impromptu meetings with colleagues or clients throughout the day. So, yeah I can go to the grocery store or cook or go to the gym throughout the day, but I still need to be responsive throughout working hours. Also, I work EST working hours so my days may end at 11 pm or 12 am CET. So there are pros & cons.
Can you share a bit about the visa you have, the requirements, and what it allows you to do?
I have a tarjeta comunitaria visa. To get a TC (the requirements vary depending on the Comunidad) you need to be Pareja de Hecho (civil union) or Married to a Spaniard or an EU citizen. You have to register that you live together, you need private health insurance, your partner needs to be on a full-time contract or have sufficient funds (the amount varies by Comunidad) proving that they can support you (or you can show that you have sufficient funds to support yourself). The Tarjeta comunitaria gives me residency in Spain vs when I was an auxiliar, I had a student visa, which is a long-term visa but doesn’t provide residency. TC gives me access to the national health care system and permits me to work in Spain. Also, my visa is for 5 years so I don’t have to deal with the extranjería for a while!! I also can travel within the Schengen zone freely, however, my residency in Spain doesn't transfer to another EU country. If I moved, I would need to apply for residency all over again.
As an entrepreneur, what’s one piece of advice you wish you’d received before starting your own company that you now know?
The biggest issue that all entrepreneurs go through is the isolation of “doing your own thing”. It’s really important to have a community of entrepreneurs or mentors “that get it”. I also strongly advise all entrepreneurs, but especially WOC entrepreneurs to invest in self-care and mental health wellness. I know that when people are just getting started, they don’t want to spend money on what they deem as a “luxury” or a “nice to have”, but it's super essential. One of the keys to “succeeding” in your business is building a business on a solid foundation: financially, and mentally. If you try to adhere to the “hustle”, “grind” or “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” mentality you WILL burn out! I know, because it happened to me. Truly, your health is your wealth! Oddly enough, your business will probably pop off faster when you’re in a healthy and calm mental and energetic space which a lot of people associate with “growing slow”.
Go slow! You’ll get farther, faster, healthier and happier!
Have some insight to share? Drop your comments below and let’s continue the conversation.
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