Where To Look For Jobs Abroad And Why You Need To Expand Your Search

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If you’re an aspiring expat who wants to look for jobs abroad, you’ve probably heard of the big names such as Indeed, LinkedIn Jobs, Monster, etc.

I’d like to bring to your attention 5 unique job search websites, that I think are doing a tremendous job of helping people find jobs abroad.

But first, why should you look at a smaller website instead of a big established job search platform?

• It goes by logic that smaller websites will have a more personalized approach to the jobs they offer. Many of them may enlist small companies, but these are companies that WANT to hire international workers. On a large platform, you don’t know that because anyone and everyone would list a job there, just to get maximum eyeballs.
• If you’re looking for jobs abroad in startups, your best best is to work with a platforms that specialise and not generalise in hiring international talent.
• Less competition. If you look for jobs abroad on LinkedIn, where do you think everyone else is looking too? At the end of the day, finding a job is about beating significant competition, and while large platforms definitely have their advantages, you’re fighting a lost battle if you ONLY limit your search to a place with maximum traffic and competition.

READ ALSO: How to Get An Internship in Germany?


As I get closer and closer to finishing my Master, I’m preparing myself to jump back into working full time. During the last five years I have probably applied for countless internships, jobs and trainee programs both in my home country and abroad. (more on that later)

What’s really important to remember when you look for jobs abroad is that not every rejection has to do with how crappy you are or how bad your CV or presentation skills are.

Normally when you try to look for jobs abroad, you face a lot of hurdles. The biggest challenges when looking for jobs abroad are-

• Language Skills– If I could count the number of times I’ve been told how good my English is for a non-native, it’d be in hundreds. The fact is that no matter how amazing your language skills are, if you learnt it at a country where the ‘national language’ is not the same, you are automatically seen as a ‘non-native’ speaker. Many of my Indian or (other ex colonial country) friends speak better English than an average American or British person would, but well this is just not ‘English enough’ as per many HR recruiting standards (and they are not to be blamed for it, that’s just how the recruiting industry works). This sucks but is often the biggest obstacle you face when looking for jobs abroad. Even if you could manage the work in say one language, how would you communicate with your colleagues in another language if you only speak 10 words?
• Cost of Hiring- Even though video and phone interviewing is becoming extremely common, it is still an entirely another experience to have a personal face to face interview. What’s the biggest challenge when you try to look for jobs abroad? Distance. The cost of flying you in from a far away country may just not be worth the risk unless you are a senior management person or some one who comes in with a strong internal recommendation. Think about it. Why would any HR department in the world complicate their life more by pulling special strings for one person in a different continent when they have a pool of others sitting right in front? Either you have something everyone else doesn’t or the company has large pockets. There are not many other scenarios when a recruiter will stretch their neck out for a foreign candidate.
• Bureaucracy- Let’s say you passed all the stages and now the hiring manager realizes you can’t join for another 3 months because the visa office in your country has a waiting time that goes on forever. Not only has the hiring manager wasted considerable time in processing your application (with the distance and all), but now needs to wait an extra time to process the paperwork needed for you to work in a new country. What do you think this person is likely to do the next time? Many job positions are opened and closed (as in the new person starts working) in a matter of 3-4 months. This is, in the case of jobs abroad more often than not simply NOT feasible.

Even with these hurdles, many companies now understand the value of hiring international employees and having diversity in future looking teams. This is also why some of the best and fastest growing companies consistently hire foreign human capital to help bring diverse ideas and knowledge.

The struggle sometimes is not so much that there exist NO one that wants to hire you, but that you simple need to look in the RIGHT place. Ideally, where not many else are looking.

Think about it. If you apply for a role in LinkedIn where potentially the rest of the world is also looking, how likely are you to stand out? I’d take a random guess and say not very.

This is not to discount the largest job platforms out there. They exist for a good reason and for larger firms this may be the best place to look but you also need to specifically look for platforms that promote jobs abroad.

Read Also: MBA Degree - The Wrong Reasons To Go To A Business School

Here’s my top platforms to look for jobs abroad-

#1 JOBBATICAL

m/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”> Credit: Jobbatical

My favourite platf

[/caption]My favourite platform, this small Estonian startup is fast shaping the future of location independent jobs in Europe. Jobbatical specializes in looking for companies and listing for companies that are WILLING to go the extra mile for foreign talent. I mean it even says in the home page , ‘because skills matter more than your passport’.

Whether it’s a job in the beaches of Bali, in the Silicon Valley or in the eclectic city of Talinn, you are MOST likely going to find the most co-operative companies here.

Granted, a lot of them are startups and not traditionally large firms, but do you really care? I’ve written about why I think everyone should work at a startup once in their lifetime, and what better way to start than by working in one abroad?

#2 GRADUATE LAND

Credit: Graduateland

A platform I got familiar with the last time I was in Poland as I was close to finishing my then MBA degree and looking for entry level jobs.

I loved this platform for the ease of use, profile settings and the amazing customization options for looking for internships and jobs all over the world.

If you’re an entry or junior person (with less than 5 years of work experience), you must not discount this platform. It’s seriously diverse in it’s reach.

#3 IAGORA

Although, Iagora is not the prettiest looking platform, I found that it has a LARGE repository of internships and jobs often from small companies, that you may other wise miss out on if you were to never check it in the first place.

The user management system is not the best in the industry, but well, all you need to do is search and apply for jobs anyway right? As long as the end goal remains clear, this platform should be definitely worth your while!

Read Also: Job Interview Tips- How to Nail Every Interview You Walk Into

Some of the other platforms that I have also come across, although not heavily used are industry or location specific and may be of some benefit to you if you fall in these domains-

• DICE– Best for technology professionals looking for jobs in the US.
• Total Jobs – Best for Restaurants, Bars and Hospitality Jobs in the UK.

Further Resources for the ambitious types-

• JOBSCAN– A resume and LinkedIn profile optimization platform. You can start with a free account and then upgrade to premium services should you so desire.
• RESUME WRITERS– The platform does what it says, it customizes your resume as per your needs and gives you the best possible resume back. If this is something you struggle with, it’s worth paying a professional here to make a efficient resume for you.

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