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Applying for a job in another country

Eligibility, expectations and the details that vary more than people expect.

Cross border applications fail for reasons that have nothing to do with ability, and most of them are knowable in advance.

Settle eligibility first

Before anything else, work out whether the employer can legally engage you. Sponsorship, an employer of record, a contractor arrangement, or an existing right to work. If none apply, no amount of tailoring helps.

Say your position in the application, plainly and early. Recruiters appreciate not having to ask, and vagueness reads as a problem.

CV conventions differ more than you think

• Photograph: expected in much of the Gulf and continental Europe, a problem in the US and UK.
• Date of birth and marital status: normal in some markets, unlawful to ask in others.
• Length: one to two pages in most of Europe, longer and more detailed in Germany, longer still for academic roles.
• References: listed in some markets, on request in others.

Write for a reader who does not know your country

Employer names that everyone recognises at home mean nothing abroad. Add five words of context: a mid sized construction contractor, a regional logistics group. Do the same for qualifications, with the nearest equivalent.

Timezone and language

State your overlap with their working day. If you speak the local language at all, say the level honestly. Overstating language ability is discovered in the first call and costs more than the gap would have.