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International Business Careers

A broad topic such as this cannot be easily and quickly covered in a website, so you will find lots of links below to get the information you need. 

Basic information about international business careers:

  • Most international positions are located in urban areas in the United States. 
  • Generally, your best chance for international business employment is with an American multinational company.  
  • The fast track in most companies is through sales, market research, advertising, or product management.
  • You may or may not be able to obtain positions abroad with American or foreign companies due to employment restrictions.
  • Expatriates (American citizens working abroad) are typically employed when they possess certain skills or experience that is not sufficiently available in the foreign subsidiary. 
  • Expatriates are often bilingual, bi-cultural, and familiar with business practices and their firm's operation in the US and the foreign country.
  • Ironically, the Peace Corps is one of the best international employers, and they have business-related opportunities.
  • Financial institutions, consulting firms, and manufactures offer strong opportunities for international employment.
  • Be sure to consider the consumer products, commodities, import/export businesses, insurance, high tech, and pharmaceutical fields as well. 
  • Don't assume you have to start at the top in an international company.  Be flexible with your first assignment.  It’s not unusual for someone to start as a secretary or bank teller and end up with an international assignment in a much higher position within a few years.
    • The route to international posting usually begins with US domestic operations. 
    • Willingness to "pay your dues" and learn a product line from the domestic side first will place you in strong standing for an international opening.
    • Expect to have a stateside job for 2 to 10 years before you get an international assignment. 
    • In some cases, an immediate assignment to the International Division may be the wrong step for an ambitious person as that division may simply serve an export or staff function, while the company's US division controls worldwide operational and policy issues.
  • Another way to pursue an international position is to seek smaller companies that have not yet expanded to the international marketplace, but could. If you have the knowledge base about the company’s product or services, language and cultural skills, and make your interests in international placement known, you might find you'll be able to work your way into an international position.

Prepare yourself for an international business career while you’re still in school:

  • Seek out opportunities related to business, preferably in accounting, finance, and marketing. 
    • Obtain related experience through internships, summer jobs, or part-time employment.
    • Try to find opportunities which relate to your specific career goal. 
      • If you are thinking about a career in international finance, work for a bank.  Even if you can't work or intern in their international division, learn all you can from someone in that office.
      • Volunteer to help out in the international division. 
      • Even small banks have managers who may have some international experience or could tell you about the international market.
  • Take coursework in marketing, accounting, and finance if you’re not a business major.
  • Study a second language, learn about other cultures, and study abroad.
  • Start narrowing your interests. Think about where you'd like to work in the business setting and how you could apply your international skills and knowledge. Here are some typical business fields with potential global opportunities:
  • Accounting
  • Advertising
  • Administrative/Management
  • Auditing
  • Banking/Finance
  • Communications
  • Computers/Data Processing
  • Consulting
  • Cultural Affairs
  • Customer Service
  • Engineering
  • Foreign Policy
  • Industrial Relations
  • Legal Affairs
  • Managerial Accounting
  • Operations/Production
  • Purchasing/procurement
  • Personnel/human resources
  • Product Management
  • Production Specialists
  • Public Relations
  • Research & Development
  • Retail (Buyer)
  • Sales/Marketing
  • Strategic Planning
  • Translation
  • Technical Writing
  • Trade (Import/Export)
  • Transportation

Prepare for the job interview:

  • Know yourself and what you'd like to do.
  • Most companies have essentially six divisions which serve different functions: Sales, Marketing, Creative, Production, Finance, and Administration. 
    • Decide which industries interest you the most and what function you would like to perform.
    • Generally, the fast track in most companies is through sales, market research, advertising, or product management.
  • The ability to sell and represent a firm and its products in a highly competitive environment is a must.
    • Research the company you're applying to and find out what their main products are. 
    • Read a book on marketing or sales and become familiar with approaches to selling a product. 
    • Know what percentage of the company's business is international. And know where they're marketing their products internationally. 
  • Language proficiency and knowledge of a country's political, economic, and social climate enhance your chances of ultimately receiving an international offer.
  • Express your willingness to be flexible about the position you're offered. 
  • Most companies need a local image at their international sites.  Therefore only a few Americans will likely work abroad. If they are going to send an American employee abroad, they want to make sure that you are flexible and sensitive to foreign environments.  No "Ugly Americans" need apply.
  • Build up your knowledge of business customs and practices by reading guides and checking out the following websites:
    • Window on the World Inc.
      Located on the Wall Street Journal’s website, Window on the World provides 26 country profiles highlighting the social and business customs.
    • Worldwide Business Briefings 
      Information on customs and business practices internationally.

HOW TO FIND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

  • Do an economic/political analysis to see where the hot areas are.
    • Where are trade agreements being signed? 
    • What countries are popular import/export regions?
    • What types of business interact with US companies? 
    • In what countries are they located?
    • What products or services are involved?
  • As you investigate organizations, determine what percentage of their total business is international.
  • Focus on businesses most likely to have an international component, such as
    • Companies with an international division and/or international training program.
    • Export-import firms
    • Branch office of foreign companies in US
    • Business-government relations offices (Capitol Hill experience can be valuable here)
    • Extractive industries: petroleum, mining, etc
    • Major accounting firms
    • High tech firms
    • Consulting firms
    • Trade & professional firms
    • Research organizations
    • Environmental firms
    • Sports organizations
    • Publishing firms
  • Check your library for reference books and guides to determine companies which have international connections.  Some suggested references are:
    • Foreign Chamber of Commerce directories.  You can obtain directories of companies registered with a foreign chamber of commerce. For instance, the German Chamber of Commerce publishes a guide to American companies doing business in Germany and vice versa.
    • Directory of American Firms Operating in Foreign Countries and the Directory of Foreign Firms Operating in the United States
  • Investigate which companies have an international training program (although this is unusual- most don't). 
  • Read the corporation’s website, particularly noting any international initiatives.  Read the annual report or press releases which often indicate new product lines, expansions into new territories, etc. 
  • The most industrialized countries are more likely to have the best employment opportunities.   This would include the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia and Western Europe. 
  • Business initiatives continue to develop in Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brazil, India and Mexico. 
  • Additional opportunities exist, but to a lesser extent, in Latin America, the Middle East, the Pacific Rim, Eastern Europe, and Africa.
  • Because political and economic situations changes from year to year, you'll need to keep up with current events.
  • Set up an information interview with someone who is employed in the international division of a company. This is an invaluable process which merits more attention.  See the section on job search techniques for more information.

General International Business Career Links

Hot Fields for International Business Employment

International Accounting, Finance, and Investments

Knowing Japanese is a great asset in the accounting and investment fields, but knowing French, Spanish or Portuguese is worthwhile as well. Most financial- related careers are international these days. Concentrate on Asian financial services, international banking, merchant banking, or currency trading. Another interesting location to explore is Ireland as Dublin has a concentration of banking services.

Jobs Links for International Finance & Banking

  • Career Guide to Wall Street
    Discusses basic skills needed to succeed on Wall Street and contains links to major Wall Street firms.
  • Financial/Accounting/Insurance Jobs
    Review the numerous job listings, or explore the job data base by location, position, or salary.
  • JP Morgan/Chase
    JPMorgan/Chase offers links to global opportunities in Europe, Asia Pacific, and South Africa.
  • Investment Banking links
  • Job$ In The Money
    Features numerous career opportunities in finance, investment, economics, banking, and insurance.
  • American Bankers Association
    Click on the "International Relations" link to learn about two training courses to help you land a job in the global payment system, Bank Card International and BankExec International.
  • World Bank 
    Many opportunities and jobs are available through, World Bank Group, for individuals, organizations or businesses to apply their skills to programs and projects, both at Bank headquarters and in its member countries.   

International Real Estate

A knowledge of real estate management and investment combined with an understanding and appreciation of cultural differences, as well as language ability, can help you develop a career managing property in an international environment. With major corporations purchasing property in foreign countries to set up factories and offices, international real estate is an increasingly important specialty.

Job Links for International Real Estate

International Negotiations

This is a rapidly developing field which usually requires graduate study and experience with mediation, arbitration, and other aspects of negotiation and conflict resolution.  You need to be schooled in business-government relations, have a good knowledge of politics and the law, and be capable of corporate diplomacy at home and abroad. These positions are high-level and not generally available to entry-level workers. Most workers in this field are promoted from within or work at a consulting firm after acquiring years of experience.  Typical employers of negotiations specialists would be government agencies, regulatory bodies, international trade organizations, mediation and arbitration practices, etc.

Business-Government Relations

Specialist in Business-Government Relations provide such services as strategic planning & advising, research &analysis, and monitoring as well as direct representation on international government relations issues affecting corporate profitability and operations. They often provide political risk-assessment analysis, work with trade agreements and policies, and sometimes handle negotiations. They are experts in global political and economic climates. 

Import-Export/Transportation

Import-Export operations can be contained within a large company or serve as a stand-alone business.  This field requires specialized knowledge in transportation, customs, international trade regulations, and the laws and regulations of the specific countries with which the importer/exporter is dealing.  Strong business and language skills are necessary.  Freight forwarding and customhouse brokers work within this field and support the activities of the import/export industry.

Jobs in Import/Export