ExpatWomen:Jo, it may have been six years in the making, but the third edition of your must-have portable career guide, A Career In Your Suitcase is better than ever. It is jam-packed with tools to help people self-assess their passion, drive, skills and goals, plus real-life quotes from men and women living the portable career dream abroad. But let's start from the beginning… please share with us what is meant by “portable career” and why you are so passionate about inspiring others to find their own portable careers.
Jo: I have been married to a man who works in the oil industry for 20 years now, and have been following him around the world since then (willingly I might add). But now we are living in our 5th country and while I could have decided to give up my career it was not something that I could face. My work is my hobby, so without it I am lost. To me, a portable career is a way of retaining a professional identity that a) weighs nothing, b) is flexible enough to adapt to each location and lifestyle and c) retains your professional identity.
It can include elements of study, voluntary work, part-time, full-time or freelance work and it can be a mixture of different 'jobs', what is called a portfolio career, but what matters above all is that it is based on your passions and your skills. Without this as a fundamental it is impossible to sustain and grow a portable career. Further, a portable career can only grow if you have both local and global networks. This is why I have reinvented myself countless times. I taught computers, French and writing in Dubai and worked as a journalist, yet wrote a Date cookbook and sold date chutney in Oman. In Norway I developed my career in your suitcase program and started a publishing company, back in England I was a journalist and editor of a magazine and metamorphosised into a book cook, who helps people to write their books. Now, in Holland, I focus on writing and running workshops.
ExpatWomen:What do you think are the most common barriers that expat women face in establishing their own portable careers and why?
Jo: Work permit restrictions, pressure of domestic commitments, lack of language skills and lack of perceived opportunities spring to mind. Indeed the surveys, such as ORC's Dual career survey, endorse this. Constant upheaval makes it very hard to keep on reinventing yourself. Learning about new ways of doing business again and again takes its toll. That is why it is so important to become adaptable and to grow global networks.
ExpatWomen:What would be your Top 10 Tips to establishing a portable career?
Jo:
1. Consider hiring a coach or career consultant to join you on your journey at any or all stages of the process.
2. Find your passions, values, mission and meaning.
3. Assess your skills, talents, strengths and uniqueness.
4. Discover what you want and need from a career at this stage of your life.
5. Brainstorm the perfect portable career for you.
6. Adjust your career to fit your current location and the opportunities it holds.
7. Do the research and learning you need to prepare for transition and your chosen career.
8. Create the marketing materials you need (CV, website, cards, brochures).
9. Network to meet the people you will need as they become your clients, employers, role models and support team.
10. Make it happen by setting goals, staying motivated and developing the self-belief and confidence you need.
ExpatWomen:One of your tips is to hire a coach/career consultant. What can a coach/career consultant offer that a smart, educated expat woman could not do on her own?
Jo:I have worked with a coach myself. I am good at staring at my own navel and journal constantly to try and be my own therapist and come up with the answers I am looking for, but only a third party, who does not share your agenda, can ask the right questions and help you to find a path through the trees. Also, a coach will set goals with you and help you achieve them, which can be tough to do alone. A career counselor can help you to find the networks you need and help with practical stuff like your CV and interview skills. Both are invaluable.
ExpatWomen:Jo, you are also a big advocate of networking. What do you mean by networking and why do you think networking is so important?
Jo:Networking is just making friends and building win-win relationships. It is not about selling your services or handing out business cards. In fact those in your network usually become your referrers or cheerleaders as I call them rather than your direct clients. So networking is all about ensuring you have enough people out there telling others about how wonderful you are. The more connections you have, the luckier you will become. Unless you have a network you will be invisible and anonymous when you move to a new country. With a network in place and the courage to ask questions you can get up and running, and happy, much faster.
ExpatWomen:Thank you very much Jo. We wish you all the best with the third edition of A Career In Your Suitcase.
