Spinning Travel in a Tough Job Market

When I decided to quit a full-time job in Washington, D.C., to take a one-year fellowship in Taiwan, I didn’t know I’d be returning home to economic collapse and the worst U.S. job market in years.  I skirted the problem by choosing to work for myself, at least for the immediate future.

For those of us who have lived abroad or have traveled long-term, translating the experience into marketable talking points during a job interview can be a challenge. So I found this list explaining “Why Expat Women Make Great Entrepreneurs,” by Italy-based life coach and blogger Karen Armstrong, helpful and timely.  Armstrong offers a number of key words—risk-taking, adaptable, growth-oriented—that I can see myself using in an interview, trying to explain to a doubtful hiring manager why on earth I’d put all my stuff in storage and move to China. (Alas, not everyone gets this.)

With layoffs continuing at a steady clip, a lot of us need to think creatively about how to market ourselves, and expats/long-term travelers have some unique selling points. In fact, a recent study by the American Psychological Association found a strong link between creativity and living abroad. So make that work for you.

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