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English
REPORT
At ESADEFORUM on 16 February, the executive and international career coach Kim Sumner explained the job prospects for foreigners in Spain and gave some advice for executives seeking employment outside their country of origin.
Iñaki Ocaña (Lic&MBA 06/DARH 12), director of ESADE Alumni International, introduced the event and explained that there are currently 2,000 non-Spanish alumni living in Barcelona, which is why ESADE Alumni holds talks about job hunting in the city for people with different traits from the locals.
Kim Sumner's experience in business, human resource management, organizational consulting, career changes and reinventing oneself at work provides a unique insight for helping others find jobs. After living in the United States, Mexico, France, Holland, Germany, South Korea and now Spain, Kim has become an expert in intercultural questions. ''Today’s talk will focus on people who want to stay in Barcelona for years and who are not native Spanish speakers,'' she said in her introduction, ''because they have different aims from people who come to work here on a project for a short space of time.''
She emphasised the following success factors: the ability to speak the local language fluently, to be flexible and adaptable, to reinvent oneself, to innovate, to be competent in one’s chosen field of expertise and the ability to work via the internet.
''To begin with, it’s important to know what your USP is (unique selling proposition). You can find this out by asking people in your profession or recruiters, what factors make you different and make you stand out from other people, because you may not be aware of them,'' said Sumner. The next step is to find out what companies, markets and industries may be interested in your USP, and who you can give value added to and help develop their project.
''Companies who may want to hire you may include those interested in your contacts in your country of origin or your experience in that region because they operate there, or local companies aiming to go global, or companies that need people fluent in your native language. To find them, you must search the internet: LinkedIn forums, social networks, chambers of commerce, alumni groups, etc. It’s important to make yourself known and have your elevator pitch ready'', added the coach.
''Once you find a job, it’s essential to live up to your promises and demonstrate your talent, skills and reliability. You must of course, continue to develop and learn throughout your career,'' Sumner concluded.
The speaker then suggested several websites specialised in jobs for foreigners which the audience could browse and investigate: glassdoor.com, indeed.com and skillcrush.com, to name just a few. For anyone seeking to start their own project, she recommended startupgrind.com, barcinno.com, ecommercetechbcn.com and esadecreapolis.com.
See you there!
For further information:
chapterbcninternational@alumni.esade.edu