Checklist for applications abroad

The “good to know checklist” for an application abroad

If you want to work abroad – be it to enhance your own CV with experience abroad or even as a long-term perspective – you have to pay attention to many different things when you apply:

• How do you find the right vacancies?
• How does the application process work?
• What features should the applicant expect at the interview?
• And what advantages do you actually have over domestic competitors who want to apply for the same position?

For many people in these country, working abroad means the fulfilment of a long-held dream, but even applying for the dream job often represents an almost insurmountable obstacle – not least because many applicants do not know exactly how the whole thing works and what you are looking for in the application process must pay attention.

First things first: before you apply for a job abroad, you should make sure that you have a good command of the language and that the labor market situation in the target country is stable. In addition, it can’t hurt to familiarize yourself with the organizational and bureaucratic processes in order to be on the safe side from the start. In addition, there are a few other requirements and requirements that you should ideally consider before you apply.

Applying abroad: The first steps

Even before the actual application process begins, the applicant should ensure that they meet all the requirements necessary to work in the desired country. On the one hand , this includes the question of whether a visa or a residence or work permit is required. On the other hand, it is important to determine which requirements must be observed in relation to pension and health insurance, as well as tax payments.

Good to know: Depending on the destination country, just applying for a work permit can take several weeks or even a few months. Furthermore, a private liability and health insurance may be necessary – as for example in the United States – which are sometimes associated with very high costs.

What do you have to pay attention to when applying yourself?

The most important thing first: Anyone who simply translates their application documents one-to-one into the language of the target country should assume that the application will end up directly on the rejection pile. Since the formal requirements for the application can differ significantly from country to country, the first step is to find out how the application letter and the CV are structured and what content must be included under all circumstances.

An example for clarification: While neither an application photo nor job references are required in Great Britain , references that are as meaningful as possible are required in the USA and Australia . And while school and final grades can safely be left out in the Netherlands, they are absolutely necessary in both France and Austria.

The “good to know checklist” for an application abroad

When applying abroad, there are so many basic things to consider that it is understandable that you can quickly lose track. For this reason, we have summarized the most important points in a clear checklist below, which should be taken into account in almost every application abroad.

1. Thorough preliminary research regarding the requirements of the company and the country-specific conditions (visa, insurance, etc.).
2. Adapt the content and structure of the cover letter and CV to the required specifications. Good to know: As a rule, the information required for this can be found in the respective job advertisements.
3. All application documents should always be written in the language of the target country.
4. All country-specific requirements regarding the application documents should be observed under all circumstances. This includes, among other things, the question of whether an application photo is necessary, which personal details are required and which attachments (certificates, letters of reference, etc.) must not be missing.
5. The documents must show the level of your own language skills as well as the current status of the visa or the residence and work permit. Important: You should avoid untruths under all circumstances.
6. Before the application is sent, all documents should be proofread by another person – ideally by a native speaker.