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Working Abroad as an Expat

3/28/2021

After four years in the same college town, many graduates leap at the opportunity to start their careers in a new city, with some even seeking employment outside of the country. Expats receive the chance to experience a new culture and network with people from across the globe, all while learning about themselves in the process. Landing a job in a new country takes a great deal of planning, persistence, and conviction; it can often be challenging to know where to start.

I recently had the opportunity to interview UBWA alumna Lauren Covetta about her experience working abroad, living in a new country, and adjusting to a new career. Lauren graduated during the pandemic's peak in May of 2020 and is currently in Brussels, Belgium working as a Human Security Unit Junior Officer at NATO.

When starting a career overseas, the trickiest part can sometimes be getting your foot in the door. Lauren shared that her opportunity to work at NATO was possible because she maintained a connection she had made when she was 17 years old. Her advice to students who are just starting to consider working overseas is to "step away from campus to develop yourself and your ambitions as it forces you to challenge your mindset, meet new people and expand your perspective." This will give you the chance to gravitate towards positions that align with who you are.

"I can speak to feeling overwhelmed with one massive commitment, as opposed to feeling collected while on campus with eight different commitments."

Lauren opened up about many of the struggles that she faced in her first few months living abroad. Among them was the difficulty of channeling her energy more narrowly than ever before. This is a mostly foreign concept to ambitious undergraduates who spend most of their time bolting between classes, clubs, office hours, and social events. One of Lauren's most significant challenges was "the absence of routine in the presence of chaos," which she learned to embrace by making time for the practices that center her, such as exercising, cooking, listening to podcasts, and practicing her French.

Another challenge that Lauren faced was creating a network in her new career. Networking is intimidating to begin with, and networking during a pandemic is even more complicated. How does one network during a pandemic in a foreign country while abiding by covid guidelines? Lauren shared that her go-to networking method includes meeting colleagues in a nearby park for a walk or coffee. She suggests keeping conversations "short and purposeful," noting that it is essential to be respectful of others' time, especially those who have families. When possible, outdoor meetings are preferable to avoid the burnout that so many people are experiencing right now with Zoom and Skype calls.

"I have learned more about myself and my country in the last six months than I have in my 16 years of formal education."

One of the most sought-after opportunities of working abroad is the chance to interact with individuals from all across the globe. As one of the only Americans on her team, Lauren frequently interacts with citizens of the Netherlands, Italy, Canada, Austria, Iceland, and Germany. The exchange of social and cultural insights that she has experienced in her role has given her a heightened sense of cultural and geographic sensitivities. Lauren noted that these experiences will allow her to move through her future roles with a greater sense of empathy and awareness.

Working abroad in a foreign country will force you to confront several challenges, but it is often during hardship that we learn the most about ourselves. If you think you are up for the challenge, I'll leave you with some final advice from our interview.

"Remain open-minded, practice a language, welcome discomfort, strengthen your adaptability skills, identify your priorities, and never turn down a chance to pursue a passion."

Sylvia Strange

Editor: Erin Dickman

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Virtual Meeting Etiquette: Elevating Your Next Call

3/14/2021

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I hate Zoom calls. This is probably a sentence that you've heard once or twice — okay, a lot. You probably told yourself that things would be better if they were just in-person or that you really felt such a disconnect. While some professionals feel the same way, it is hard to deny the business environment's increasingly virtual nature. In fact, 72% of knowledge workers said that they would want a hybrid remote-office model moving forward. Whether we like it or not, virtual meetings are here to stay. So how do we make the best of our professional video calls? Or dare I even say it, actually enjoy them?

Look no further than UBWA alumna Sandra Aleksova. Aleksova has experienced a shift towards a nearly 100% virtual work environment in her experience as a Service Line Finance Manager at Procter & Gamble. In March of 2020, Procter & Gamble pivoted in response to the pandemic, instructing over 10,000 office personnel to work from home. Since then, it has been difficult to ignore the lasting impact of this decision on work-place norms. Luckily, Aleksova is ready to offer her top tips on how to elevate your next virtual meeting.

Beginning with setting up the call, Aleksova offers us some initial tips on approaching virtual meetings. She recommends arriving on time, in front of a clean background, with a plan. Aleksova states: "In the professional world, meetings crop up like weeds and quickly fill up your day. If you come prepared and get to the point, people will love you." Taking these initial steps demonstrates to your co-workers that you value their time. Likewise, try to schedule your meetings in 25 to 55-minute intervals instead of 30 to 60-minute intervals. As Aleksova explains, structuring meetings in this manner "provides needed breaks for those who have back-to-back meetings." Being respectful of others' time allows you to be a more effective, courteous virtual meeting host. After all, a simple five-minute break could make just the difference in lessening virtual meeting fatigue.

Now that you have scheduled the call, how do you engage meaningfully and respectfully with the other attendees? Interrupting your fellow meeting attendees is a frequent challenge during calls as picking up social cues is less intuitive in a virtual setting than in-person. In Aleksova's experience, it is helpful to "keep yourself muted if not actively speaking to limit background noise" and "use the 'raise hand' feature if you'd like to speak." Just as you want participants to be able to focus on your ideas, you also want to make sure that you are allowing your fellow participants to have their own opportunities to do the same. Muting yourself and "raising your hand" signals to your fellow meeting attendees that you care about their contributions. Similarly, when you are in a small group, turning your camera on also demonstrates active engagement. Aleksova says her "rule of thumb is if a meeting is ten people or less, show your face. In larger groups, it is typically not necessary for your camera to be on unless you're an active participant." Having your camera on makes the other meeting attendees feel like they are communicating with an actual audience rather than a collection of boxes on a screen.

Creating more engaging virtual environments, while difficult, strengthens personal connections. Similar to turning on your camera during small meetings, Aleksova suggests practicing small talk during 1-on-1 meetings. She explains: "This may seem awkward at first, but building relationships is key, so engage by keeping the conversation genuine and friendly. It becomes more comfortable & natural the more you do it!" Quick discussions about how someone's day is going or talking about something they are looking forward to can make a world of difference in the level to which you both connect. Conversations such as these make your fellow attendees feel heard, because they acknowledge that they have activities and responsibilities outside of just attending the meeting. Moreover, Aleksova recommends looking directly at the camera rather than the screen to make the conversation feel more personal. Looking into the camera resembles the eye contact you would typically make when meeting with someone in-person.

Approaching virtual meetings mindfully and intentionally, we set ourselves up to effectively host and engage as attendees. Virtual meetings may be different from the typical work environment to which many of us are accustomed. Still, the more we learn to adapt to the ever-changing work environment, the better we position ourselves for the future. After hearing Aleksova's tips, I hope that you are ready to elevate your next virtual meeting. Now, go crush those virtual meetings, UBWA!

Thank you to the fantastic UBWA alumna Sandra Aleksova for lending us her knowledge on this topic. If you would like to learn more about the featured alumna in this post, click on the Featured Alumnae button on the blog's webpage! If you would like to learn more about handling virtual meeting etiquette or discuss this topic further, feel free to contact me at berlier.2@osu.edu.

Grace Berlier

Editor: Sylvia Strange

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