What to Consider When You Work for an International Firm

If you are looking for a job, you may be willing to either move to a new location or work remotely with an international company. Working for a company that is based out of another area or one that has a global reach is very different than working for a company just down the street. There are several things to consider when you apply for these kinds of jobs.

Will You Need to Travel or Move?

You’ll want to know upfront if you will be required to relocated if you’re hired by a global company. Even if you want to move to a new location, you’ll need to know the timeline. If the firm is based in another country, you may already need to have a valid passport to speed up the process.

Even if you work remotely or from a secondary location near where you currently live, you’ll want to find out about expected travel. Some firms like to meet with all employees at least once or twice a year.

Are There Communication Barriers?

If the company you want to work for has a diverse workforce or is based in another country, English may not be the only language spoken. While many companies do use English for major communications, many of the staff members are non-native speakers. This will impact you as you try to communicate with them.

If you will speak with other staff members through phone calls or video calls, you’ll need to work on your speaking ability. You’ll want to learn how to enunciate clearly so that you may be understood. If you have a heavy accent, you can hire an accent reduction coach to help you speak without as much of an accent.

Will Time Differences Matter?

When you work with a company with a global reach, you may have to work outside normal business hours. You may need to make phone calls during early morning or evening hours to reach people during their working hours. If you are based in another country, your regular business hours may be different.

Not everyone follows the 9-5 routine.

This issue will impact you whether you are trying to communicate with other employees or outside

vendors. Even making calls to customers will be dependent on the local times. For instance, if you plan to work as a customer service representative, you’ll need to be aware of when you can contact customers based on the local time.

Working for an international firm means learning how to adjust to a different mindset. Whether you are planning to move to a new location in this job or working remotely from your current location, you’ll have many things to consider that would not be applicable when working with a local company.

However, the experience will be worth the extra effort.

Take the time to consider all of these aspects and any others that come to mind before you apply for jobs with companies that have a global reach. You want to be sure you are a good fit and will have a positive experience in your future career.

Claudette Roche is an accent reduction in the Vero Beach, FL area. She teaches foreign and American accents to actors and business persons/executives. In 2010 she was named as one of The Top 5 Voice Coaches by Hollywood Weekly Magazine.

Claudette Roche is a dialect coach who teaches accent coach.