CREATIVITY
Work From Home: Sounds obvious especially as the covid pandemic has disrupted the way we do (career) life and the way we network. The way I see it is: becoming intentional and using the impetus to consider trying out something different, something creative. Now that the world is largely working from home, you do not have to worry about unearthing opportunities that limit you to a specific geographic location. You can become creative by developing an eco-system for your career growth right in the comfort of your home, whether it is a home-based business (consulting for an international development agency) or a job opportunity. We have an incredible break to engage and empower ourselves for opportunities in the international development space, anywhere in the world. It would be a missed opportunity if we did not tap into what is possible as international development professionals.
CAREER AGILITY
Create a global personal brand: Fraternizing the formal employment scene is not everyone’s comfort zone, therefore if you feel that you are hitting the wall at your every turn, you can consider consulting/contracting by creating a personal global brand. If you are not confident about setting up a consultancy look to develop symbiotic synergies by partnering with someone, a fellow STAR, who is an expert in the field, has similar interests and ambition, with experience providing consulting services. You can either work as an independent consultant or operate as a consulting firm: this might require responding to requests for proposals. Visit opportunity pages of multilateral and bilateral organizations such as Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, World Trade Organization (WTO, as well as International NGOs such as International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Rescue Committee (IRC), The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) and more to explore opportunities.
An agile career is a self-reflective, incremental career path, guided by response to change, evolving job roles, and designed to optimize creativity, growth, and happiness. —Marti Konstant
GROWTH MIND SET
Portable Careers: Exploring a career that you can take with you anywhere you go (especially if you decide to expatriate again) will give you the freedom for growth and mobility. Establishing your transferable skills such as expertise learnt during your time overseas or developed from a professional role, including volunteering/pro-bono work will take you a long way. Whether you have served on a school board or regularly volunteered at an orphanage – communication, planning, organizational, logistics, coordination, teaching/training, collaboration are transferable skills that can drive value towards your career trajectory. Incorporate them into your curriculum vitae and career documents to demonstrate a unique, competitive, and compelling professional story.
Are you or will you be “accompanying” your partner/spouse to this new place of work in a foreign land as part of working for the UN/NGOs/multilaterals etc? Then watch this webinar: Navigating life as an accompanying spouse in times of your transition, a coffee chat-style Chibesa and Jens, both experienced accompanying spouses, will host a conversation about living and working overseas as an accompanying spouse/partner and the potential challenges of professional life overseas.
Have you ever faced the challenges of job searching while living overseas? - Practical tips for active job seeker overseas that feel like doors consistently keep shutting in their face.
Learn More from Chibesa A. Mwape's career resources
About Chibesa A. Mwape
Chibesa A. Mwape is a mother of three, writer, blogger, expat spouse, and a Certified Career Coach who has always had a passion for making the lives of others more meaningful and leaving a positive impact on them through the alignment of their personal and professional goals. With a Communication and HR management background, Chibesa has had experience living and working in five different countries outside her own passport country including Ghana, Denmark, USA, Kosovo, and Kenya since 2004 as an accompanying spouse.
With extensive Africa experience spanning 15 years, Chibesa has written and delivered workshops on career progression & job search, and successfully coached expats and ex-pat spouses/partners on career growth and international relocation. Additionally, she has empowered clients with effective job search tools and strategies in over fifty locations in Africa and helped them to the navigation of an ‘out of the box’ perspective. Her clients have endorsed her for her high energy, passion and simple but practical coaching approach. Chibesa is a cultivated coach equipped with the most expedient tools, skills, and resources for coaching success.