on Career Survival - IEEE-USA

on the State of the Future” (pp. 20-24) and “Thinking Ahead: The Value of Future Consciousness”
(pp. 45-50). Explore other cultures and ideologies. Consider an internship or co-op work term
abroad.
• View globalization as an opportunity to develop and prosper, rather than as a threat to
your career. Take time to rest, build friendships, engage in introspection, and keep healthy
through good nutrition and physical activity. A sense of wellness can help provide you with the
judgment to make good career decisions, the ability to keep things in perspective, the resilience
to withstand disappointments, and the ability to effectively handle stress. Always discuss
international career possibilities with your family, realistically exploring benefits and challenges.
• Be self-confident, yet humble enough to listen and learn from the ideologies and practices
of other cultures. Value multi-cultural experiences and competencies and leverage them
with your employer. Travel internationally, and while doing so, survey the business environment.
Develop friendships with nationals from other countries, and maintain these friendships
after you have returned home. Learn another language — perhaps not enough to be fluent, but
enough to function at a basic level. Keep in mind that some languages are easier to learn than
others.
• Encourage your K-12 and post-secondary education leaders to incorporate international
knowledge into the curriculum, so students will become informed citizens and well prepared
for globalization. Customs and business practices vary widely from country to country. Be a role
model to your children on being a “citizen of the world.”
• If you are seeking a position in another country, take the time to become knowledgeable
about that country and its customs. Check out the embassy website. Investigate employers’
expectations for your résumé — important differences from what you’re used to will be likely.
Learn how to conduct yourself during an interview and social gatherings, as other cultures may
have different standards and norms of behavior and etiquette. Check out the requirements associated
with entering and exiting the country.
• Always have a fallback plan, should something unexpected happen with your current job
or with global possibilities that you might pursue. Develop multiple income streams. Always
maintain a minimum of six months of financial assets to bridge the gap between jobs. This savings
will provide you with the flexibility to reflect and the time to search out the best opportunities
that will meet your needs.
Career success favors those who plan and those who are prepared to take advantage of change
and serendipitous career opportunities. Career success favors those who take the time to become
informed through reading, discussion and travel. An excellent place to start your research on globalization’s
effects on careers is the most recent issue of IEEE Engineering Management Review (Volume
33, Number 4, 2005). Fifteen reprinted articles by some of the leading thinkers in the globalization
field appear in this issue. John Saee’s book, Managing Organizations in a Global Economy: An Intercultural
Perspective, provides another comprehensive source of information on globalization and how
to achieve career success. IEEE-USA Today’s Engineer archives contain a number of articles for your
information. Another source is the U.S. Department of State [www.state.gov]. Most post-secondary
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