Approach Overseas Employers Directly – 9 Easy Steps

By Zarelsie Van Der Merwe on Jan 29,2020

Building Networks & Relationships, CV & Resumes, Job Hunting, LinkedIn Strategies

To approach overseas employers directly is ONE of the more successful strategies for immigrant job seekers.

Let me ask you a question first.

Have you sent your CV to hundreds of job applications and not received any hits yet?

That is the scattergun approach of applying for jobs, and it is very ineffective to get a job that way, as an immigrant.

You will be shredded to pieces by unique obstacles which are in the way of immigrant job seekers, like ATSs, the Catch-22 situation (you must have a visa first), job relevancy issues (only able to apply to the correct jobs in terms of eligibility), trust and employers risk averseness issues.

In this video, I am going to teach you how to approach overseas employers directly as an immigrant job seeker – even from a distance.

This way to approach overseas employers directly is called the Direct Approach Strategy.

I hope you can follow along and look over my shoulder, as I am going to show you step by step how to do this.

However, most people hear about “the direct approach” and then go about it the wrong way.

2 Mistakes Immigrants Make When They Approach Overseas Employers Directly

Here are 2 ways in which they go wrong when they approach overseas employers directly:

Targeting the wrong employers when they approach overseas employers directly:

You must find employers in your industry and sector and who are looking for people like you, in other words in your occupation or the job you can apply for in terms of eligibility, and also employers who can (by law) and are willing to work with immigrants.

Finding these employers is damn hard.

This video is too short to go through that whole process, but if you watched my other videos, you will find some videos and articles where I showcase this whole process in detail.

The 2nd way in which they go wrong is then sending a generic CV to these employers

Cold.

Saying, “here is my CV, now give me a job”.

This will again get you shredded by risk averseness and trust issues of overseas employers.

Why would he hire an immigrant, with an unverifiable CV, no eligibility details sending a generic (possibly false) CV from abroad?

They won’t.

So – long story short, here is the correct way to go about the Direct Approach Strategy and how to approach overseas employers directly:

By the way – I assume that at this point you have done your eligibility and skills assessments already and have a full, comprehensive, written eligibility assessment report, which details the types of jobs which you can pursue in your destination country.

Without it, this is fairly impossible…

9 Steps To Approach Overseas Employers Directly – The Right Way

Step 1 – Find the right industry

 Determine the industry which you are looking to work in your destination country, e.g. if you are an accountant, this would be Banking, Finance and Insurance.

If you are a residential electrician, looking for general residential electrical jobs, this would be Construction and Infrastructure. BUT if you are a maintenance or linesman electrician, this would be Resources, Mining, Gas and Utilities, etc.

See the importance of your eligibility assessment, where it details exactly which jobs you should pursue?

You must have and understand your eligibility before you approach overseas employers directly. This information must be conveyed to them.

Step 2 – Research before you approach overseas employers directly

Go to your computer and open up a Google Search

Now search for the employers in this industry, utilising some keyword phrases.

Note here. If you are offshore, that means in a different country, then you must either set your settings in Google to bring results from your destination country, OR you must include the keywords of your search.

For example “power companies + New Zealand”

Or

“Small business accounting + Tasmania”

You should also include any specific locations as per your eligibility assessment in terms of which visas you qualify for if there are regional specifications.

When you approach overseas employers directly in terms of your eligibility, your approach will be much more targeted.

Again … your eligibility assessment determines where and which jobs you can pursue, and you cannot just apply for anything you like.

Accurate targeting is crucial in this approach, so the amount of time you spend researching the company, and who to target within it, will be much greater than the amount of time you spend making the contact. Your research when approaching overseas employers directly must be accurate – ensure that you are approaching the correct company and person!

Now that you have a result in Google, go to these websites and check out 10 – 15 of them.

You need to visit each website to see if they are the right type of employer in terms of what you are looking for.

Copy their website address to a spreadsheet.

Spend some time on their website to get to know who they are, what they do, etc.

Also, see if there is a Careers page which you can visit to see any openings and what their hiring policies are. If there are jobs which interests you, I recommend you follow the process further, before just applying.

Step 3 – Find them on LinkedIn

Now, find their LinkedIn button on their website, click it and go to their company LinkedIn page. This is where 99% of employers recruit and search for talent these days.

When you approach overseas employers directly, you will also find that the companies with great LinkedIn pages are worthwhile to work for.

It is also here that they might be adding jobs, which they do not add to the LinkedIn Jobs platform.

Step 4 – Follow them on LinkedIn

When it takes you through to their LinkedIn Page, click the “Follow” button.

If they do not have a LinkedIn button, try and find them on LinkedIn, using the “companies’ filter.

Check out their LinkedIn page and updates.

When you approach overseas employers directly, you must consistently follow them and know who they are, what their values are, what they want, who they employ, where they recruit, etc.

Following them on LinkedIn is a great way to achieve this.

Are there any relevant updates there where you can become visible to them by asking questions, making comments or participating in discussions. Do not overdo this, but be subtle.

Their news and updates will also now appear in your LinkedIn Newsfeed.

Tip – many people have had shoulder taps – that is being asked to come and work for someone, just by perfecting this step.

Here is an example:

Step 5 – Find key people inside

Go to “see all employees in LinkedIn” and perform a search here with keywords similar to your job title or your skills.

See if any people come up. This might take a few tries as your title might be different than the titles used in other parts of the world. For this reason, I recommend using rather key skills keywords, for the main skillsets found in these jobs.

This will also teach you the correct terminology of jobs in your industry and sector in your destination country.

Again, valuable information if you approach overseas employers directly and if you are invited for interviews. You will be already clued up with this information.

For example, for a residential electrician, using “electrical wiring”, etc.

Step 6 – Research the person to connect to

Once you have a few people on the list, now research their LinkedIn Profile.

– Are they in a decision-making capacity?

– Are they fairly active on LinkedIn with more than 80 – 100 connections, and if they post regularly on their Activities page, even better.

– Do they have something in common with you? Have they studied the same background, do the same work, use the same tools and processes, come from the same country, etc, etc.

– You must research their background very well.

Step 7 – Craft a connection request

Now, craft a personal, meaningful connection message to them. Give them some comment or attention about their work, business or ask a question about the industry as a whole, but do not beg for a job!

There is nothing that can get the door slammed faster in your face when you approach overseas employers directly than begging for a job with the first contact.

You may subtly convey your intention, after giving a good comment or compliment, e.g. “I am relocation to xx country soon and was wondering if you could help me answer some questions about the power and utilities industry.”

Step 8 – Start a conversation

Once they have accepted your connection request, start conversations with them, furthering your interest in their business, their industry, their work, etc. You can do this through questions.

Establishing these first conversations when you approach overseas employers directly, is crucial.

Step 9 – Optional – Create an elevator pitch.

Your elevator pitch is like a short introduction saying who you are and what you do and what you are looking for. Create it to use when you approach overseas employers directly during live or phone conversations.

Then, when trust is created – now you can directly approach them – saying you are looking for positions, you have seen positions on their Careers Page and you will apply. You can you’re your CV to them if appropriate. Thanking them for their connection with you and the info which they provided.

When someone knows you and then receives a CV or job application from you, the hiring process is so much more in your favour, because of something so simple as trust and familiarity.

The direct approach strategy is based on attention.

Giving someone attention before asking for anything.

Giving attention by asking questions about them, their business, their work, their industry, etc.

And no human being can deny attention.

These relationships might lead to more meaningful relationships, where opportunities become visible even after you have found a job (yes, that happens quite a lot), or where you are referred or recommended.

You, as someone who took the time to be interested in them first, will hold much more power in your application than a cold CV.

This is the correct direct approach strategy.

It is not sending cold CVs to companies.

It is rather creating subtle familiarity and young relationships, so you are at least known to the decision-maker on the inside before you apply formally.

This was teaching you the basic steps of the direct approach strategy.

Now, teaching is different from coaching…

Coaching is holding someone’s hand until they get there – until they get their job – no matter how long it takes.

That is what we do for our VIP clients when we walk them through the process while they approach overseas employers directly.

I hope that you found this video which teaches how to approach overseas employers directly, helpful, and if you want to be informed of more videos, more tips, guidance and information on how to find a job as an immigrant, make sure that you subscribe to this channel, or even better.

If you are interested in becoming part of our VIP Program, there is a button below to apply, so we can see if you qualify for this Program and assist you until you find your job offer.

Until next time make the most of this information on how to approach overseas employers directly as an immigrant job seeker.

Q Jumper Factor VIP Program: if you need a complete, hand-holding program and personal assistance to get a job as an immigrant – no matter how long it takes, apply here for an entry into our Q Jumper Factor VIP Program.

2 Comments

2 thoughts on “Approach Overseas Employers Directly – 9 Easy Steps”

    1. Hi Santigie,

      It is a pleasure to have you here….

      If you need any assistance securing a job offer in your destination country we would be happy to assist you.

      The first step is to complete this free online application to see if you qualify for our assistance.

      Go to this link to complete it >> https://bit.ly/3UIZaZy

      I also recommend you download this free guide we created for members of this group that show you where to get started and proven tips and strategies that will help you secure that elusive job offer.

      https://globalreachalliance.lpages.co/free-report-4-crucial-steps/

      Hope this helps….good luck!

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