You might be in a position right now where either you are worried about losing your job or you are already looking for a new job. Maybe you have even been looking for a while already. Perhaps you feel it’s time to update your resume and your job-searching skills, just in case. I thought you could use this reminder from my older publication, “The Global Career Workbook,” on how to get a Swiss recruiter’s attention. Cover letter writing is an art. With modern technology, applicants often do not see the need to write a cover letter these days, but in my opinion, it is the most artistic part of a good application. Emphatically,  in Switzerland, IT’S A MUST. Many recruiters […]

Moving to a new country for work is a life-altering experience with its share of challenges and opportunities. While your employer plays a significant role in facilitating the transition, it’s vital to ensure a smooth and enriching expat experience actively. In this comprehensive guide, drawing from my extensive experience as a Global Mobility Coach, I will delve deeper into each of the ten crucial ideas to help you make the most of your expat lifestyle. 1 – Check the Host Market Salary with an Expert in the Country One of the first and most crucial considerations when embarking on your expat journey is understanding your host market salary. Often, salary levels are determined at the “peer” level, but the details […]

Deborah Withelm holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing and began her career in a management trainee program at Enterprise. There, she quickly took on responsibility in sales, customer service, and operational management, building a strong understanding of day-to-day business operations. She then moved to a staffing services company, where she spent several years working in sales and project management. In this role, she managed client relationships, oversaw recruiting processes, and gradually assumed leadership responsibilities. During this time, she was also involved in building an IT trainee program, with a particular focus on supporting career changers entering the field. Since 2022, she has been working at a digital engineering services company, where she progressed from […]

If you have read any standard American career guidebook or scrolled through LinkedIn for more than five minutes, you’ve heard the advice: “Just invite them for a virtual coffee chat!” It sounds so easy. It’s low-stakes. It’s friendly. In many business cultures—particularly the US—it is the “Swiss Army Knife” of networking; an efficient, accepted way to break the ice and uncover opportunities. But I’m going to give you a piece of unpopular advice, specifically for those of you trying to build a professional network from scratch here in the Germanic countries, which are all considered “low context” countries in intercultural theory: Stop asking strangers for coffee chats. First, A Necessary Disclaimer (Because Culture is Complicated) Before the comments section explodes, […]

Last week, I challenged you a little bit but nobody complained so you might not have noticed my little mistake in the editing process. Some of you might have wondered why Virginia was called “Robot” in between. We originally called her Virginia Robot but we never explained how she got the name, and when we met Tom Robot, the story idea slowly emerged.  In case you missed Part 1 of the story of the Virginia Stormtroopers, which started with ‘Why Developing Future Skills is Crucial for Global Mobility Professionals.‘ Here is Part 2: After establishing herself as a rising star in global mobility, Virginia Robot’s work caught the attention of leaders across the globe. Her success in turning interplanetary chaos […]