Lifestyle

Why Women Who Go Farther In Their Travels Go Further In Their Careers

by Gigi Engle

Ladies, listen up! When it comes to developing a fruitful career, a woman has many obstacles to overcome.

We may be equally as qualified as any man for a given position, but I think we all know it isn’t that simple to attain the same level of respect.

We’re earning 77 cents to every dollar a man makes, and I think I can say with complete confidence this is utter bullsh*t.

We’ve made many advances toward equality, but it is still of vital importance we take advantage of every opportunity to put us ahead of the game.

There is good news for you hardworking, career-driven ladies out there: The answer to achieving a truly fantastic career, ripe with opportunity, may actually be something you haven’t yet thought of: Your passport.

That’s right, my fellow females. Women who work abroad are actually more successful in their careers.

The international experience you will gain overseas will be immeasurable and help you to achieve your aspirations.

It’s time to break down traditional barriers and forge our own paths.

So long, glass ceiling! We are so over you!

In a recent survey by The Global Professionals On The Move, 100 percent of women asked suggested working abroad as a surefire way to improve your career in a variety of ways.

According to AOL Jobs:

The vast majority of respondents [reported] that it has improved their career prospects, salaries, living conditions and personal development.

How’s that for a definite reason to book a plane ticket?

International experience makes you employer bait.

Emma Halls, director of Hydrogen ANZ told AOL Jobs:

With gender diversity at the forefront of our clients' minds, women with international experience will see their CVs fast-tracked through to interview.

International experience will improve your candidacy for employment because you’re seen as more diverse and culturally experienced.

If you want to be more appealing, you need experience outside of your comfort zone.

International experience will expand your network.

According to Elite Daily’s Political Editor John Haltiwanger, people who have lived or worked abroad are more innovative and socially fluent.

As Haltiwanger puts it:

The key to survival, in any walk of life, is adaptability. Working abroad helps you hone this quality, molding you into a multifaceted, versatile and resourceful individual.

Women who travel abroad will be the ones to gain from their experiences overseas. Working in another country will help you expand your Rolodex, your knowledge and your networks.

Haltiwanger continues:

Having international experience also means you have a wide network, which is vital in terms of both obtaining employment and moving up the ladder.

Sometimes it isn’t always about what you know but whom you know. By going abroad, you’re systematically expanding your network.

You’ll meet people from all over the world with bountiful experience that can offer you unquantifiable lessons and resources.

Working abroad will improve your salary.

According to the Global Professionals On The Move survey, 74 percent of women who worked abroad reported that they saw an increase in salary.

Where women are making a markedly lower wage than that of their male counterparts, it’s very important that we ladies take every opportunity handed to us to maximize our income.

If international experience can give us an extra boost, it is completely worth it to take a job abroad.

Going international will give you a more multidimensional view of the workplace.

Working abroad will help you understand the different ways in which people live and work.

It will give you a multifaceted view of various professional environments, expanding your horizons on multiple levels.

According to Haltiwanger:

Working in a new country requires both the ability to recognize cultural idiosyncrasies and the willingness and capacity to adjust to them.

You’ll be a more understanding and well-adjusted worker bee among so many who only understand one kind of environment.

You’ll be a woman who can adapt to various situations, and that will make being successful only that much simpler.

Working in a foreign land will make you more creative.

According to researchers at the Harvard Business Review:

People who have international experience or identify with more than one nationality are better problem solvers and display more creativity, our research suggests. What’s more, we found that people with this international experience are more likely to create new businesses and products.

If you open yourself up to different worlds, you’re expanding your mind to more creative strategy.

The more experience you have, the better you’ll be at functioning in the workplace.

Those who work internationally have a higher ability to succeed in entrepreneurial endeavors because they are the ones who can think outside of the box.

A woman who travels abroad is one who has opened herself up to see the bigger picture. You’re faced with problems you may have otherwise never been exposed to.

This means when you finally do come back to your native country, you’ll be playing on a whole other professional field, based solely on the fact that you freed your mind to a better understanding of the world at large.