GET AHEAD BY GOING ABROAD

GET AHEAD BY GOING ABROAD

Author: Stacie Berdan

In today’s global economy, women who are prepared to work abroad can dramatically accelerate their careers and expand personal horizons beyond their wildest dreams. Higher pay raises, faster promotions and increased responsibility are the reasons – not to mention a whole lot of fun! If you – or a woman you know – loves adventure and thrives on taking risks and operating outside your comfort zone, the international ticket could be your fast-track to the top.
When my coauthor and I started working on our book, Get Ahead By Going Abroad: A Woman’s Guide to Fast-Track Career Success (HarperCollins 2007) two years ago, we did so because we recognized that as U.S. companies became more global they would need more Americans with international skills. We also had a hunch there were more women like us – women who had worked overseas and then used that international experience to catapult their careers.
Timing is everything.
So we decided to test our hunch by conducting a two-part research survey: 50 in-depth interviews with professional women who have lived and worked abroad and an online survey reaching more than 200 women who had spent significant time overseas, either as expatriates or in HQ-based roles with significant international responsibility.
This research confirmed our theory about the benefits of women working abroad, but we learned another critical piece of information, too: Women not only succeed but tend to be more likely to excel abroad than men.
Why pound the pavement in Peoria when you can be strolling in Paris? The vast majority of the globetrotting women surveyed agreed saying that going overseas accelerated their career (85%), had a significant impact on compensation (78%) and made them better leaders and managers (95%). They also said they would advise other women to go abroad to advance their careers (83%).
So, with the research in hand, our purpose became clear: get the word out to all female professionals that they should consider working abroad. Arm them with the information they need to help them successfully pursue that first international assignment, thrive in it and make the most of it for a stellar career.
We wrote with all women in mind: at all ages and personal stages in life, and at all career levels and across a wide variety of industries, corporate, non-profit and government. Included are real stories of women who succeeded and who inspire, encourage and motivate. Like successful women who came before us, these women encourage others to follow in their footsteps and their successes instill a “can do” attitude.
While going abroad is not for everybody, most of us know someone who has or will. You may even be mentoring a woman (or man) who needs advice in this increasingly important space. If so, the book is a practical how-to guide following a linear path that begins with determining if working abroad is right for you to landing the coveted assignment through making the most of the experience.
Our award-winning book is the first of its kind, a book Fortune called Get Ahead By Going Abroad “a must-read for anyone serious about going global”. We wrote it for women like you in the hopes it will help you achieve your personal and professional aspirations. We only wish we’d had it when we started out!
To learn more about the book and research, go to: www.getaheadbygoingabroad.com or contact Stacie directly at: StacieNBerdan@aol.com



Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1057899_36.html

About the Author: Stacie is a marketing and communications consultant, an expert on international careers, an award-winning author and speaker. Using her unique position working on campuses and in corporations around the world, she helps clients develop performance-based organizational models to succeed in the changing global marketplace. Focusing on the elements of diversity-driven strategies, she helps employers and professionals effectively deal with cross-cultural environments, the benefits of feminine leadership and the changing role of managers within the context of an increasingly global marketplace and virtual workplace.

Stacie serves as an on-call expert for several broadcast outlets and has numerous appearances to her credit, including NBC “Weekend Today”, ABC News “Money Matters” and “America This Morning”, CNN International, several FOX appearances, including International and “Money for Breakfast”, and national and syndicated radio. In addition, Stacie has been quoted as an expert and author in USA Today, Time, the Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune, and MORE magazine, among numerous others. She is an engaging and lively speaker, sought-after by multi-national corporations, professional organizations and universities around the world. Stacie is a regular contributor to Huffington Post, as well as many other print and online publications.

Stacie spent the majority of her career at Burson-Marsteller, one of the world’s leading global communications firms, rising from entry level to senior management. After her tenure at Burson-Marsteller, she went “in house” at Unilever, one of the world’s largest consumer products companies. During her 15-year career, she counseled dozens of senior executives at the world’s leading companies, internationally-acclaimed non-profit organizations and several foreign governments in the area of strategic business communication. It was her three years in Hong Kong, however, that gave her the opportunity to effectively differentiate and distinguish herself. She returned to Washington, D.C., with greater responsibility, jumping from vice-president to global account managing director. Her professional responsibilities have spanned more than 50 countries in Asia-Pacific, Europe and South America.

Stacie has served as coach, counselor, strategist and adviser to CEOs, heads of state, politicians and senior executives around the world. Her cross-cultural consulting experiences enable her to work well with a diverse mixture of professionals across industry, seniority level, nationality and gender. She brings a unique perspective to the table as a female leader with international experience in these dynamic times.



http://www.getaheadbygoingabroad.com