A 12- to 16-month internship is an excellent way to accumulate real-world experience. Today's employment marketplace is global and a world of opportunities is available. For many, the opportunity to work in another country is an exciting and realistic possibility offering a sound base for a successful career. Today, almost all business has an international aspect. Very few products and services have an exclusively one nation focus. Workplaces in America are increasingly diverse with people of different nationalities working together. I traveled extensively in my youth, and found the experience to be especially beneficial in understanding other cultures and importantly increasing my appreciation of what we have in America. It was truly a life-changing experience.

Searching the internet will yield many sources of information and recruiters that specialize in international internships. Beware: before using any of these, take the time to ensure that the provider is genuine and has an established record of success. Seek references from former clients. Your College or University may also have career placement staff that has an expertise in this area.

Although the financial remuneration may not be great, the experience will be invaluable to your career success. Before you make a decision to seek out an international internship, undertake some self-reflection to determine if you have the “right stuff” to work in another country where conditions will likely differ substantially from what you are used to. Determine what countries are of interest to you and become informed. Most of our educational institutions are multi-cultural, take the time to speak with people from the country that you are interested in working in as an intern. There are many excellent guides such as The Big Guide to Living and Working Overseas by Jean-March Hachey (www.workingoverseas.com)

When applying for an international opportunity, it is important to show that you possess some of the coping and adapting skills required for international living. You are not an intern to have a holiday, but rather to be a participating contributor to the organization that you are serving.

Once you have been offered a position, and before you leave, take the time to learn as much as you can about its culture and learn the basics of the language. Once you are there, take advantage of every opportunity to learn, grow, meet the people, and develop as a “well-rounded person of the world.” Although at times you may be uncomfortable, you will never regret the international experience.

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Here are some of the things going on in and around the engineering community:

• Engagement is about creating an organizational culture where people do not feel misused, overused, underused or abused. A series of articles in Training and Development [Training and Development, 61(1), January 2008, www.astd.org/TD], discusses employee engagement, including: “What’s the Big Deal about Employee Engagement?” (pp. 44-49), by Paula Ketter; “10 Ms of Employee Engagement” (pp. 50-53), by Cris Wildermuth and Mel Wildermuth; “Learning Influences Employee Engagement” (pp. 54-59), by Andrew Paradise; and “Building a Learning Infrastructure” (pp. 38-43), by Christopher Glynn. Employee organizational engagement translates to increased individual, group and organizational performance. Increased productivity, and better retention, less turnover, better customer service and increasing employee loyalty are but a few of the resultant benefits. Strategies to build employee engagement are provided in “10 M’s of Employee Engagement.” Learning through challenging assignments and improving the frequency and breadth of learning opportunities are discussed as being highly rated factors in promoting employee engagement.

• An analysis of the feelings of Canadians on their country is provided in “The Mood of Canada: A Country Moving in the Right Direction” [Policy Options, 29(1), pgs. 26-32, Dec07/Jan08, www.irpp.org]. Nik Nanos found that two-thirds of Canadians are optimistic about the future and believe that the country is moving in the right direction. Canadians also believe that because of their role in the Afghan mission, that Canada is planning a larger role on the world stage.

• In today’s globalized workplace, the search for talent is international in scope. In “Managing the Global Workforce” [BusinessWeek, #4068, 28 January 2008,  www.businessweek.com], Jena McGregor and Steve Hamm provide a special report written to coincide with the 2008 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The experience of companies such as IBM and Nokia are discussed. McGregor provides insights into understanding how different cultures view salaries, taxes and benefits in an article entitled “The Right Perks.” In an article entitled “It’s about the Face-to-Face,” McGregor and Hamm discuss, how despite new communication technologies, career success is still dependent upon personal face-to-face interaction.

• FORTUNE’s annual ranking of the best companies to work for is provided in “The 100 Best Companies to Work for 2008” [Fortune, 157(2), pgs. 61-96, 4 February 2008, www.fortune.com]. Nearly 100,000 employees were surveyed to create this ranking. Leaders included: Google, Quicken Loans, Wegmans Food Markets, Edward Jones, Genetech and Cisco Systems. Further information on the survey methodology and more information on those companies selected in the ranking can be found at www.fortune.com/bestcompanies. In a short article by Anne Fisher (pg. 96), strategies are provided on “How to get Hired by a ‘Best’ Company.”

• As the workplace becomes more diverse, employers are facing increased need to make accommodation for religious tolerance. In “Keeping the Faith: EEO policies should account for Religion in the workplace” [HR Magazine, 53(1), pgs. 85-88, January 2008, www.shrm.org/hrmagazine]. In some cases, recognizing religious diversity in the workplace is a highly volatile issue for HR professionals, management and employees themselves. This article discusses this important issue and provides insights on setting and enforcing policy.

 

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