Ask the Expat

How to Work in Asia: 5 Tips for Job Seekers

Article and photos by Volker Poelzl

Thousands of expatriates from North America and Europe now work in a large variety of professions and in every imaginable corner of Asia. From English teachers in Vietnam to programmers in India, managers in China, and engineers in Indonesia, Asia's fast growing economies offer a myriad of job opportunities for intrepid professionals from the West.

Although the rewards of working in Asia can be plentiful, finding the right job opportunity and actually being hired can be quite a challenge. In order to help you get off to a good start with your job search in Asia, we have put together a number of useful tips and resources that will make your job search in Asia a little easier. If you are thinking about working in Asia, you may already have a country in mind where you would like to work. However, if you still only have a vague idea about where to look for work and how to go about it, this article will help you get started.

Tip #1: Choose The Right Job in the Right Country

When looking for a job in Asia, it is important to find out where the jobs are located, but you also need to ask yourself if you would actually enjoy living and working in that country. Are you mainly interested in an international career, or is it the country that fascinates you? Make an honest assessment of your aptitude for cultural adaptation. If a completely different culture, language, and lifestyle in your host country intimidates you, perhaps consider a destination that is a bit more westernized and is home to a large English-speaking expatriate community, such as Singapore or Tokyo. If you are interested in China but are concerned about the cultural differences, you may want to consider Hong Kong or Shanghai, China's most westernized and modern cities.

Consider not only the way of life in the Asian countries you are interested in, but also the work and office culture.

• Will you be able to fit in and adapt?
• Would you mind being the only foreigner in your office?
• Can you deal with possible loneliness and isolation that many expatriates experience during their first months overseas?

Changing jobs at home requires significant flexibility, and adaptability to the new company culture, and you should expect your adjustment to a job in Asia to be even more complex. By outlining a clear vision and purpose for your stay overseas, you will be able to deal with these challenges more easily, because you can fall back on your strategy and vision to support you during the initial adjustment period. By carefully assessing your ability for cultural adaptation, you will be able to choose a country that is right for you and that offers just enough familiarity and just enough new experiences to meet your needs and goals.

Tip #2: Find Out Where the Jobs are and Who is Hiring

Many Asian countries have a highly educated and skilled work force, but there are shortages of skilled job candidates in IT, management, finance, technology, and energy. These fields continue to be the most dynamic economic sectors in many Asian countries, and if you have professional skills and experience in any of these areas, your chance of getting a job in Asia are fairly good. 

Multinational corporations who need skilled experts for their operations in Asia offer many jobs to expatriates. Sometimes native-level English skills are the most desired skills, but more and more it is job-specific skills in key economic sectors that companies are looking for most. Most expats working in Asia are concentrated in a few major urban centers, where most of the jobs are located, and where competition for jobs is strongest. The largest and most dynamic Asian economic hubs are Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Singapore. Many expats come to these areas via companies they work for based in the U.S. by way of internal transfers. If you are willing to work in parts of Asia other than the major economic centers, you may be able to find a job more quickly, as there is less international competition for jobs in smaller and less westernized cities. The downside is that fewer people will speak English in less globalized regions, that the expat community will be much smaller, and that you may need to learn the local language to get by.

Teaching English is another attractive alternative, if you would like to gain work experience in Asia. Traditional destinations such as Japan and Korea are somewhat saturated most recently, but China still has a high demand for English teachers. There are also teaching opportunities in less developed countries that do not pay quite as well, such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. Take a look at selection of articles on Teaching English in Asia for useful advice and first-hand accounts.

Tip #3: Find Out Who Gets Hired and Why

Asia's top employers are very globalized companies with a diverse, highly educated, and international work force. To get a job in Asia's competitive job market, you need to know what type of candidates employers are looking for and what job skills are currently in high demand. That way you can better target your application without wasting time. Find out whether MBA graduates hired right after graduation, or are experienced professionals preferred? If companies in your area of expertise are looking for senior team members, applying for a job with them as a recent graduate may not be the best strategy at this point in your career. In this case, it would be best to gain some work experience in your field at home that you can use when you apply for a job in Asia in a few years. A different path to a job in Asia is via a transfer through the company you work for currently. However, this usually involves several years of employment in your home country until you might be considered to be experienced enough to work for the company's foreign operations. If you have the job skills it takes, you might be better off looking for a job in Asia on your own, instead of waiting for an opportunity to be transferred.

To make sure that your application carries the desired punch, you need to find out if your most notable skills are actually needed by the company that interests you. The best strategy is to research American companies in Asia in order to find out if they are hiring. Research companies in Asia that regularly do business with the United States and might be interested in hiring American applicants. Visit the companies' websites, read their annual reports, and search the web for additional information about the company. By getting to know a desirable employer, you will be able to tailor your resume and application specifically to the current needs of the company. However, keep in mind that employment trends and business practices can change quickly given the demands of the market. Your best approach is not to assume anything and constantly strive to be on top of the game. Be well informed about hiring trends and job opportunities with the top players in your field.

Tip #4: Go on a Smart Job Hunt

To get started, look up country Asian sites and other popular job boards that focus on Asia. Find out the jobs that are out there in your field of expertise not only by looking at the many job boards for Asian countries, but also by researching international firms that work in your field. They may have operations in Asia that match your qualifications and goals. If you do not mind paying professional help to find a job in Asia, you can use the services of a recruiting company that specializes in job placements in Asia. Letting human resource specialists help you with your job search will no doubt expedite the job search, because they have access to job listings and openings that you will not easily find by yourself on the web. These recruitment companies post your resume on their database and regularly send you information about job openings that match your skills and criteria. Some Asian job sites also specialize in jobs for expatriates, and you can gain access to their database and services for an annual fee.

Tip #5: Use All Available Resources

Another good strategy for finding out about work opportunities and trends in Asia is by talking to people who have been there. Pick the brains of friends, relatives, co-students, and co-workers, who have worked in Asia. In short, talk to anyone and everyone who has had work experience in Asia and who can give you some useful advice. Network, network, network — as that is usually the most effective way to "get in the door." Check out websites for expatriates in Asia, and find out what they are talking about in their forums. The Internet is a treasure trove of information: use it! Look up as many job sites in Asia as you can (such as Jobsdb.com, and many more). A lot of companies that have a large presence in Asia, with a focus on the countries and cities where they are most active. Then check out recruiting firms and compare their prices and services. Finally, get specific details about desirable companies in Asia. If you do not know any companies yet, contact the American Chamber of Commerce in Asian countries (or visit their websites) to find out the businesses are that are currently hot and which companies are currently in the news. The more actively engaged you are in your job search, and the more you make use of all the available job-hunting tools, the quicker your effort will yield results. With much of Europe re-entering a recession, and with slow growth in the U.S. job market, the time to look for work in Asia is now.

For more information about organizations and websites that can be helpful in your job search in Asia, check out our Living Abroad in Asia section, select the country that interests you, and look for listings under the Business and Economy heading. You will find contact information for American Chambers of Commerce in Asia, and other resources that will help you research multinational companies and employment markets in Asian countries.

Volker Poelzl is a Living Abroad Contributing Editor for TransitionsAbroad.com. He has traveled in over thirty countries worldwide, inlcuding many in Asia, and has lived in ten of them for study, research and work.