There was a time when crafting your CV was fun and exciting… but these days, all it does is give you a headache. A gap here and there. Relocations every few years. You can already hear that uncomfortable question you know you’ll be asked: “And what have YOU been doing there?”
The answer?
A million and one things! After all, being an expat or diplomatic wife and mom comes with a lot of responsibilities and equips us with countless skills… but can we put those on a CV? Explain to someone at a local Human Resources Department that taking care of a family’s paperwork in a foreign country and language can keep someone busy for weeks?
The result?
We feel ashamed of ourselves and our lack of professional accomplishments. If someone asks us what we do (which they often don’t) we stutter. And maybe, the idea of looking for a job moves further into the unknown future. There’s always a good excuse: small children; the lack of a support network; a limited timeframe in your host country; a global pandemic!
I get it.
It can really be intimidating and overwhelming to re-enter the workforce, especially with the kind of life we’re living. And I’m not saying that professional accomplishments are more important than personal ones, such as raising your children and supporting your family.
But if there’s an itch inside you to work, to grow and achieve… don’t postpone it. You CAN have your cake and eat it too! There are companies that offer flexible working hours or remote work opportunities. There are shorter-term or project-based employments that won’t require a long-term commitment. There’s the possibility to be transferred abroad or continue in a partner firm once you move again.
Most importantly, there is a need for people like YOU. You are awesome and you have a lot to offer. I know that, just because you’re here, reading this and listening to The Empowered Expat Podcast!
In today’s episode I’m interviewing Lucy Samuels, a US-based Career Coach and Professional Development Facilitator. Her specialty? Creating attractive CVs that will get you seen, heard and hired!
You’ll learn:
how to present gaps on your CV
how to sell your “unrelated work experience” to a potential employer
why you should always “but-out” and “don’t-just”
to tune in to what your potential employer is really looking for
Have you considered starting your own, portable business?
Maybe you’re dying to do it, and just haven’t had the momentum to start.
Maybe it’s something you’ve thought about before, but that seems kind of out of reach and it’s difficult to figure out where to even start.
Or maybe you’ve just never seen yourself as an entrepreneur. So you don’t even know what’s possible – it’s not something that crosses your mind.
Today I’m interviewing Business and Marketing Coach for Global Entrepreneurs and Founder of Tandem Nomads, Amel Derragui , about this topic.
A serial expat wife herself, she helps entrepreneurs across the world take their business to the next level, focus and simplify their processes with a strong vision and marketing strategies that fit to their resources and goals.
No matter where you stand at your entrepreneurial journey: you’re gonna love what she has to say!
‘But is entrepreneurship for me?’
Just to clarify any potential doubts upfront about whether this is for you, let me paraphrase Amel’s take on this:
You might essentially already be an “entrepreneur” without knowing it: Expat Wives and Moms are great at problem-solving, and that’s the main thing entrepreneurship is about!
The world has changed: back in the day, we thought of entrepreneurship and success in traditional terms; nowadays there are so many opportunities, both online and offline. Entrepreneurship looks different and can be perfectly combined with motherhood, relocations etc. The possibilities are endless!
If you don’t try, you’ll never know if you’re cut for entrepreneurship. There is no failure: this experience will enrich you with skills and professional experience that are interesting for a future employer, valuable for your next business idea, or simply something to add to your bucket list!
Listen to the full episode and find out:
About Amel’s journey towards a successful, portable entrepreneurship
Why YOU should start a portable business
What the Expat Wife’s Career Curse is
Amel’s “3 Cs” System to build a successful portable business
The 3 Yes-es you need before getting started
What pitfalls to avoid when it comes to starting your own, portable business
We wish you all the best for your journey of starting your own business and if we can help you in any way, count on us!
“What could I possibly do around here?” Have you asked yourself that questions after moving abroad? You’ve left your previous job, network and possibilities behind to start over in a new country.
You may have joined an expat community and fill your schedule with activities…. but you yearn for something more. Something meaningful. Something where you can make a difference and feel proud of yourself.
Or maybe, you’re feeling completely lost, after realizing that creating a truly fulfilling life in a new country isn’t easy. There are no clear steps to follow and you don’t even know where to start.
If this rings a bell, this episode is for you!
Today I’m interviewing Vilma Usaite, a certified Life & Career Coach. She works with fulfilment driven individuals seeking for direction and looking to strategically switch their careers. By merging the most effective coaching strategies together with her intuitive guidance, she’s helped clients all over the world discover their meaning and successfully change careers.
Vilma and I go way back: not only did we graduate from the same Coaching Academy and belong to the same Mastermind Group for Coaches; we also recorded “The Intentional Life Podcast” together throughout 2019 and have had countless inspiring, mind-stretching conversations over the years.
What you’ll learn:
How a move abroad can actually be a catalyst for finding your purpose in life
How Vilma’s self-auditing process can help you on your quest for purpose
What to do when you’re passionate about a lot of things or when you don’t really seem to have any clear interests / talents at all
How to transition into your new identity (even when it gets messy)
The one thing that stands in your way of finding your purpose
Remember: your interests and strengths are not accidental. You’re here for a reason. And it’s time you shared your gifts with the world!
This episode is full of nuggets of wisdom that will inspire you to find your purpose!
We all know what a burnout is, but have you heard of BOREOUT?
It’s a disorder caused by chronic mental underload that leads to a persistent lack of motivation and interest, to frustration, lethargy and in some cases even depression.
I’ve noticed this syndrome in some of my coaching clients and so in this episode of The Empowered Expat Wife Podcast, I’ve taken all the scientific research and made it relevant to expat wives.
A topic close to my heart
This is a topic very close to my heart: first of all, because it isn’t nearly talked about enough, causing affected women to feel like something’s wrong with them. And yet, it is a real condition that can lead to depression (in some literature it has been described as a “soul infarct”), so it must be taken seriously. Since specializing on working with (expat) women presenting Boreout symptoms, I’ve seen incredible results and transformations!
But I’ve also had some encounters with Boreout of my own:
My story
As newly-weds, my husband was relocated to Madrid – a city I knew and loved but where all of our friends were working full time. Meanwhile, I was minimally working from home in the 1st year and was on parental leave with our firstborn the 2nd year.
The days were long. We lived somewhere in the outskirts of the city with not much to do at first glance.
So I started watching a stupid 3-hour long morning show…
I’d drive up to a huge supermarket and spent hours strolling down the aisles. Just to have something to do.
When I went to the park with my baby, I was the only mom there surrounded by nannies in uniforms.
And when my husband came home late, I expected him to fill up my own, empty cup. No matter what I’d do to “kill time” it wouldn’t light me up. Because I hadn’t yet figured out the formula of what’s needed to break out of Boreout:
Step 1:
Listen to this Podcast episode in which you’ll learn:
what Boreout is and where it comes from
how you can spot symptoms in yourself and others
the types of expat wives that are most prone to suffer from it
Overcoming Boreout is something I take very seriously in my 1:1 client sessions. There are two key ingredients in the remedy:
Engage in activities that stimulate your intellect
You can keep very busy and your calendar might be full, but if the activities aren’t intellectually challenging you, if there’s no accomplishment to show at the end of the day and you’re not making making any impact it won’t feel fulfilling to you.
That’s why you’ll need align your weekly activities with what’s truly driving and motivating you:
Find your individual meaning and purpose across borders
This is obviously highly personal. I believe everyone is here on Earth with a unique purpose and mission. So don’t give in to outside pressure that may try and convince you that:
“All you need to feel fulfilled is _____________ (kids, a job, start a business, more friends, moving back home or somewhere else, etc)”
This may (partly) be true, but noone else can decide that but yourself, after really looking within and uncovering your authentic truth, desires and goals for your life.
Because of its highly individualistic nature, there is no shortcut to uncovering YOURS. It’s a beautiful and gratifying process and I’d love to accompany you on that journey.
Book a Complementary Boreout Consultation
Attention: unavailable in November / December 2020
@ Copyright Camilla Quintana – The Empowered Expat Woman 2024. All rights reserved.
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