International assignment - worth pausing your game?

Consider the following scenario: you are three to five years in a corporate career (position not relevant) and you hear about an opportunity for a temporary role within your organization.

It sounds interesting and would represent a natural next step in your development, in addition, it comes with a perk, it's in another country.

Now they (the company) got your attention, but like with any dating game, you need to play it cool; or do you...?

First things first, you do a 360° analysis of the situation:

Is it a promotion or a lateral move?

Are they desperate, meaning is this a critical role? Are you the only viable candidate?

What position are you offered after the assignment?

Can you complete the mission successfully or is it a losing ticket?

How open are you to new cultures and experiences? Is a new experience worth stepping out of your comfort zone?

And the most important part...

How will this affect your personal life?

Is it a promotion or a lateral move? Depending on your current performance and expectations, the most common options are:

Promotion - we are not necessarily talking about job title or internal grade level, but about the impact of the role; You should look at what exposure you get by accepting the role, the level of contributions it has for the “common good”[1], your team (direct reports and management) and if the responsibility is bigger than the one you currently have; 

Lateral move - in this scenario you will need to consider if the move makes sense long term; will this new role open up opportunities which are currently locked for you? Is the extra effort worth or are you doing it because you want a change in scenery? Of course, all the points from the promotion paragraph are relevant, however there is the risk to move into something which does not suit you, just for the sake of a change. Many will tell you that any change is positive, but I tend to disagree. Sometimes we just need to stick it out and deliver on our commitments. I am not saying that staying in the same, unchanging and monotonous role for 10 years[2] is something to strive for, but this new, fast-paced world has its disadvantages as well. Just think about a nicely aged whisky.

Are they desperate, meaning is this a critical role? Are you the only viable candidate? Once you have done the above analysis and if you are still interested, you should check out the competition. Talk to the potential new managers, see how they approach you, what is the tone of the discussion, feel free to ask about other potential employees targeted for the role. You would be surprised how much you can find out, just by asking, being frank and listening.

Use the silence method, which works wonders for most of the population (some Asian countries are used to this and even applying it as a negotiation technique). What do I mean? During discussions, when you ask a question and receive a partial answer, just remain silent. Don’t change your facial expression, just stay silent. Usually the other person will feel the unconscious need to fill the void and give out more details than they would want to.

I encourage you to do your homework: read your company’s relocation policy (might have different name, e.g. Global Mobility Policy), talk to HR, see what the usual practice is, find a colleague who has been on international assignment with the same company. He should be able to give you tips and tricks on how the company applies the policy and what you should look after. The more information you have, the more you can leverage it in the discussions. Be careful however as especially organizations with a strong and mature Global Mobility function, frown upon any exception request. This is why, in my opinion, the best strategy is to look for what you are interested, see what has been offered in the past and just ask!

What you should not do, is to be extremely demanding and set deal-breakers. The moment they see that you insist on items which were historically never approved, even for VIP moves, they will start looking for another candidate. So, if you don’t really need something, don’t shoot yourself in the foot by telling them it is a deal breaker.

Hopefully the above has added some mental oil to your brain’s thinking gears. Feel free to comment in the comments section and share your view on this topic.

Part two will follow soon….

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[1] The topic of “common good” will be discussed in another post
[2] Side comment: are there still such roles available, or have they been automized/ replaced by AI?!

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About the author:

Raluca Bulduș is a selective extrovert, founder of  moosa Art Gallery and a Global Mobility professional. She usually has an opinion about everything and loves if someone manages to change it. 

Her super power? An endless supply of curiosity.