I know many expat-repats who are at their desk Monday to Friday, setting weekly coffee meeting quotas for themselves and are joining every professional LinkedIn or Facebook group they can find on the internet.

The logic being that hard work is rewarded and that three months of concentrated effort, you’ll be in your next job.

Maybe, or maybe not.

I often ask these same expat-repats if they have joined a netball team.

Because sometimes, to get your next job, you actually need time out. 

Here are the reasons.

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The job market doesn’t work to your deadline and in a small market like Australia, it can only deliver roles when demand and circumstance dictate.  The right role might come up in six days or six months, but you cannot control this. Setting yourself a deadline that is out of your control can cause unnecessary stress and anxiety.  The only thing within your power is your preparation.

Networks are everywhere

New networks are not just on LinkedIn.

One expat-repat in our community liked to row and joined a local club.  Soon she was in a boat with a university academic, a management consultant, a corporate affairs professional and a chief risk officer of one of the major banks. Coffee after rowing often became a lively discussion about the machinations of the Sydney corporate scene.  

Other expat-repats in our community have found new connections via their local dog parks, doing a Park Run or joining Mentor Walks.

New social connections help you reconnect with fun back home but can also introduce you to new people who can potentially help you understand the local job market.

It’s your excuse to professionally invest

Arriving home without a job may be one of the few times in a person’s career that they can experience a break. 

It can be a good time to do a professional short course that adds to your professional offering while at the same time, allows you to actively engage with the local market and peers.

You need to protect your energy

There can be a fair bit of rejection when you are re-entering an unknown job market and this can feel overwhelming when it is the only thing you are doing.  Having a focus on a personal passion or interest helps keep an expat-repat balanced and with energy levels needed to keep going.

I personally did an interior design course when I returned home.  It was like a gym session for my mind. And I am also now joyfully empowered when it comes to coordinating soft furnishings!

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Never underestimate the impact of ‘reverse culture shock’.  When expat-repats come home without a job, they are often leaving a life where they have felt they have ‘never had enough time to do everything’ to a life back in Australia where there is almost too much time. Be kind to yourself.  It will take time for you to forge your identity and new life back in Australia – and your job is just one part of it.

If you want to spend a bit more time thinking and talking about the steps of a successful transition, you can start by joining my free monthly Managing Career Repatriation Workshop.

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“ Whilst social media can get a bad rap it can be such a positive force in building connection…LinkedIn for professional opportunities and community platforms to get a sense of a place…where is the local Parkrun, farmers market, school fete etc”

When Kerryn Colen and her family repatriated back to Australia from Canada after 11 years overseas during COVID, hotel quarantine was a silver lining.  A silver lining that turned into a silver bullet to getting all the repatriation admin done in two short weeks.

Kids enrolled in school, check. Kids football club logistics, check. Great job, check.

What took longer, was feeling ‘normal’ which took nearly 12 months for the family of four. 

In this podcast, Kerryn talks about how the family adjusted and the difference in feelings between parents, who were ‘coming home’ and the kids who were going to live in a place that to date, had just felt like the land of ‘beach holidays, Christmas with relatives and fun times’ – despite their Australian birth certificates.

BetMGM live casinoKerryn used preparation time and hotel quarantine to sort out the anchors for her family’s new life back in Australia.  While for Kerryn this was a job and volunteering, for her kids it was sorting out school and a football club.  For Kerryn and her partner, getting the family’s ‘non-work’ lives sorted as soon as possible was a key strategy to making the family, the kids in particular, reconnect with life back in Australia as quickly as possible.

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“ I made the decision to pivot away from my core competency of finance. So I really had to repackage and rebrand myself. I had to lean into and emphasize my broader skills to try and open up new lines of enquiry about those skillsets.”

Adam Ford describes his approach to the job market after coming home as ‘pretty proactive because I knew it was going to be pretty difficult’.

Adam was coming home to Australia with a North American finance career but what he really wanted was a role in the for-purpose sector.  To achieve this, he knew he had to convince a parochial hiring market NOT to put him in the finance box.

Fast forward a few short years and Adam has successfully swapped boxes. 

He now leads the International Association of Privacy Professionals in Australia and New Zealand.

In this podcast, we talk about how Adam has ‘relaunched’ himself a number of times in his career in both the US and in Australia to align with his changing interests and as part of a dual career family.

This is a great discussion for expats who want to come home and want to pivot their career. 

Going from a small fish in a large pond, to a larger fish in a somewhat smaller pond sounds like a good idea, until you are that fish.  Adam talks through his strategy of taking what could look like a sideways step on the surface, but really was the step that helped him rebuild and pivot to the professional and personal life that he loves right now.

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Your plan is to come home and ‘take a break’ and then look for a job or decide what’s next. 

By all means, take a break, but get your research started before you do. 

One of the biggest mistakes I see repatriates make is coming home without doing their research on how their experience may fit with the job market which just sets them up for future disappointment and in some cases…panic when they start their search, usually after a few months of being back.

I see two groups make this mistake.  The first are those who are coming home in an ‘expensive’ time of life in their 30s and 40s and, in due course, need to get a job that leverages their experience. The second type is the repatriate who returns with an intention to do something ‘totally different’.  This might be to completely change careers or give consideration to building out a portfolio career with some consulting.

The often over-looked and / or underestimated factors here are time required and timing.

Just because you’re ready, doesn’t mean the market is ready for you.

If job and career are important to you, you can start planning and researching the market, start re-engaging your Australian networks and crafting your positioning…all while still living overseas.  This work does a few things.  It helps alleviate any shocks you might face understanding the Australian job market. It means you can more accurately plan how long it will take you to prepare yourself and your positioning. It also means you can start gathering some initial feedback and making the connections you need to make early.  The Australian job market operates considerably slower than other overseas markets. It can be months from a job interview and an initial introduction before a role is offered. 

You believe the recruiter who says to wait until you are back to have discussions about roles

Firstly, a recruiter who tells you this is not giving you a sign that it will be easier when you get home. It is a tactic by the recruiter to ensure that you are committed to Australia and have a timeline they can work with. They want to make sure you are a sure bet.

Discussions with (specialist) recruiters should be just one part of your job search and I recommend not engaging too early.  Research the market, re-engage your networks, give consideration to who you should know but don’t yet know and work on your positioning – all before picking up the phone to a recruiter.  Recruiters are not career coaches.  Their role is best betmgm slotsto work for clients to fill their roles – not necessarily to help you define your next career move or research the Australian job market.

You aren’t prepared to spend 9-12 months of living expenses looking for a role

I advise senior executives to allow around 9-12 months to find a similar role/meaningful work. Of course, this does vary between industry and role seniority.

Money and career go hand in hand.

Financial constraints will effect your decision making; and you can easily find yourself taking something because you feel ‘you have to’, not because it’s a good fit. It can also see you entering the market at the wrong level which can then impact how you are regarded locally and further undermine the value of your experience.

It was really pleasing to see in our 2022 Australian Expat Career Survey, nearly half of respondents got a job in three months. The job market was particularly buoyant in 2022 and the question we did not ask was if the roles secured were considered positive career moves or not!  We have asked this question in our 2024 survey.

You don’t know how much a weekly grocery shop is in Australia

Australia’s cost of living is currently very high.  Australians ski in Japan because it can be cheaper than a holiday in Thredbo. This may influence your thinking about role, how long you are prepared to look for a job and the city you wish to repatriate too or if you want to repatriate at all. It is easy to do research online into costs so you can set your salary expectations to support your cost-of-living expectations.

You are confident Australia will recognise your overseas experience

Don’t assume this. You need to leave your ego at the door and realise that unless you are going for a global role, the ‘international’ in your experience may not be as highly valued by the domestic Australian market as you think it should.  This is not to say it isn’t valuable, however in Australia it may not be as necessary or as desirable for the roles you are going for.

This can also be the case if you are planning to come home with your employer.  In many cases, repats have told me that ‘local’ branches of international companies in Australia can also not value the international experience in the same way as the repat.

You are prepared to tell people you are open to working in any industry and city

If you say this to a recruiter or hirer without being able to clearly articulate why, the message you could be unintentionally relaying is that you are prepared to take anything and are therefore a risk to stay in a role because you don’t know what you want.   Just because you can see the transferability of skillsets, or you are flexible doesn’t mean people can see or understand your motivations or your why – this needs to be crystal clear in your positioning. Recruiters and hirers want to feel confident that you are settled back in Australia and know what you want, therefore will be committed if they place you in a role. Having decisive answers proves you have done the work…even if you are prepared to change your mind!

If you are considering a return to Australia and are keen to start your planing now, why not register for our next FREE webinar: Managing Your Career Repatriation.

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“ It’s an evolving profile and I think that’s a terrific thing – organisations continue to look for different skill sets…. They want people who are at the forefront of their career, with expertise in everything from marketing to AI and cyber – and gained through a diversity of experiences .

Udo Doring’s ‘normal’ adult life is not ‘normal’ for most Australians, but ‘normal’ for a person who grew up as a third culture kid with parents raising children in Indonesia, Vietnam, Hong Kong and mainland China.

Which makes him a perfectly “normal” pick for CEO of the Advisory Board Centre, an organisation born in Brisbane but with a presence across the globe.

In this episode we cover Udo’s life as an expat-repat “lifer” and the growth of Advisory Boards and opportunities for globally experienced Aussies.

Advisory boards have doubled globally in the last two years which means opportunities are booming. Unlike corporate boards which are responsible for governance and decision making, advisory boards are used for “problem solving” and it’s not just corporates using them.  Today government departments and universities are increasingly employing advisory boards.  International and deep sector experience is often sought, and no best betmgm slotslonger are advisory boards just the domain of people in their 50s and 60s. Digital marketing, cyber security and AI are just some of the areas advisory boards are now leaning in to, providing new opportunities for younger professionals.

In this podcast, Udo and I talk about these opportunities, current sector trends and how interested expat-repats should approach getting involved. The decision by the Australian government to mandate that aged care operators have an advisory board is leading many to believe more industries will follow, creating many more opportunities for returning expats to leverage their expertise and keep their international experience alive.

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It’s an interesting question with so many current stories of Australian expats, ‘expatting’ again – but before we shriek ‘brain drain!’, this trend could be more normal than we think. And something in Australia’s best interest to embrace.

In our Australian expat survey in 2022 we asked expats who had come home if they had repatriated at least once before; 42% of people said they had.

If we project this percentage across the one million Australians based overseas at any given time, we get a picture of constant movement.

There are a number of reasons expats “expat” again and understanding these reasons can help both Australians and employers get comfortable with the idea that good talent will move – and come back. Potentially more than once.

Overseas born partner and kids

According to our 2022 survey, 62% of expats have an overseas born partner and many are balancing dual career households. If a partner of an expat struggles to find meaningful work, challenged by international credentials and experience, this can mean that after a period, the expat and their family return to that partner’s home country or a country who will recognise their skills.

This was the case for Michael Waite, who came home to regional South Australia with his American wife and three kids for what they had hoped for many years in Australia however after two years, they have returned to the US.

“When Australia blocked every practical way to recognise my wife’s ability to practice as a paediatrician it didn’t really give us much of a choice. We explored state and federal pathways to see if anyone could help clear a pathway, but the only option offered was to do six years of training which was absurd.”

For others, the reason to go back overseas is less about their partner’s career and more about the experience the Australian expat wants to give their kids. Senior HR director Nicole MacDonald has repatriated back to Australia twice and is now on her way back overseas for life in the Hague with her overseas born husband and two kids.

“Our return to Australia and our subsequent decision to relocate again, has similar drivers to what took me overseas in the first place like adventure and challenge, but with the added benefit of providing this global experience to our children.”

Career opportunity

For others, a new opportunity overseas emerges – often too good to refuse.  This was the case of a senior HR leader I recently worked with who came home from China in 2020.  After a few years back home in Brisbane, in her words, “recalibrating”, she has taken a new role in Singapore. While she was happy to work in Australia, she knew she had another big role in her and actively pursued overseas roles as part of her next career consideration.

Coming home often gives people the clarity they BetMGM live casinoneed to assess whether they ‘could or would’ go back overseas.  Returning expats have the big advantage is that they know what they are getting themselves into moving overseas.  This means when they come home, they actively pursue 2^nd or 3^rd moves or, if offered an international opportunity, find the decision quite an easy to make. 

The role career plays in the decision again fluctuates with age-and-stage and lifestyle considerations.

“Career options and quality-of-life considerations have been key factors. I do think the calculation varies at different phases in your life, so it is an ongoing consideration,” Michael Waite says.

Is this you?

If you are a returnee who likes the idea of another overseas move, the key message I have from the executives I work with is – keep your overseas networks warm. Many of the opportunities I hear executives going back overseas for, come from their networks.

If you are prepared to take the leap again, and no doubt you are across this already, but be aware of tax and residency implications. 

I think all expats never truly get their wanderlust out of their system.  And while no expat I know would dispute the value the experience an overseas career brings them, I really hope Australian employers see the value that Australians who are prepared to move can bring to organisations. And the big bonus they often bring – a highly skilled partner!

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“ We had very open discussions and there was a commitment from me to the organisation whilst they also said ‘bear with us, we’ve heard you’ – and there was a collective understanding to work on what could be next “

Many of my guests leave for overseas for a job opportunity…but few come home for one.

Jason Whiley is one of the lucky few who after 18 years overseas, didn’t just come home with a job with global Security Tech company Giesecke+Devrient – he came back with a newly created APAC role, which he now does from his home on the Gold Coast.

In this interview, we talk about Jason’s time overseas in Europe and the Middle East which saw him work for two employers, both of whom he has worked for, for nearly three decades.

Having tenure and strong relationships with both employers meant when it was time to come home, Jason could have open conversations about his return and his willingness to work on any opportunity to leverage his experience.  The result of these conversations led him to a role with G&D who were looking to expand in the region.

During the podcast, we go into the conversations Jason had with his employers and the planning that when into the role that Jason helped create.

And an early heads up, the process was not quick!  But for the patient, Jason’s story has some great lessons for those who find themselves with great, global employers keen to capture their value…even if it is from the other side of the world.

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The financial impact of not working for an unknown period is, for many, too big a risk to take.

Expats who are coming home with kids in schools, to care and be closer to family or to transition to retirement are now very sensitive to the cost of ‘getting the move wrong’. The changing financial rules for many expats around wealth transfer and capital gains tax are also impacting move considerations.

When InSync did our expat survey in 2022, 30% of respondents said they would only come back if they had a job. Based on discussions I am having now; I predict this percentage will rise when we repeat the survey later this year.

The employment market in Australia has changed. Work was relatively plentiful and flexible during and immediately post COVID with the pandemic disrupting how we work, where we work and Australia’s international migration. The uncertainty that COVID created also meant that more Australians were willing to take the risk of coming home without best betmgm slotsa job – and take work when and where they could find it. Back in 2022, 54% of expats who came back to Australia without a job found a job within three months.

But the landscape has shifted. Costs of living pressures, housing shortages, rising unemployment, and a workforce where the pendulum of power is swinging back to the employer from the employee means the first career move back in Australia for many expats has significant financial and personal consequences.

How to approach securing a job before you get home

We have profiled a number of Australians who have come home with jobs in various seasons of Boomeraging: from expat to repat including Adam Malouf from our current season and Jacinta Reddan, Prue Clarke, Shane Masters, Andy Whitford and Jan McGrath from previous seasons. Here is what can be learned from their success securing roles and career moves before jumping on a plane back to Australia.

Understand and balance your motivation for returning home

Most successful expats don’t come home with the primary driver of ‘furthering their career’ in a traditional linear sense.  Most will admit they are returning for other factors such as kids, sick and or ageing parents or lifestyle. They recognise that they are balancing a tension between these drivers and their career.  Honesty and recognition of this supports emotional aspects of a transition. It also influences an expat’s willingness to take a job outside their planned career trajectory overseas. This may see opportunities secured sooner.

For some, this has meant taking a role which on paper looks like ‘a sideways’ step initially, such as Jan McGrath’s experience. For others like Andy Whitford, it means changing to an organisation overseas that could eventually provide an Australian-based role.

Take control

None of the most successful career stories have ‘got lucky’ with a random LinkedIn or Seek job ad.  80% of Australians overseas have never been approached by a local recruiter while living overseas. If you want to come home, it is unlikely a job will find you, you need to find the job.

Success will come from taking time to understand Australia’s current landscape, creating a plan, getting feedback and starting to engage with the local market. This takes time. Nearly 60% of expats we surveyed in 2022 said they were taking one year or more to prepare to move home.  Prue Clarke and Jacinta Reddan are examples of expats who allowed time to plant seeds and wait for the right opportunity to make the move back home.

Ensure clarity

When you are motivated to come home by factors other than a job offer, it can be easier to deprioritise what you are looking for in a job. This makes it hard for the job market, hirers and recruiters to match you with a job.  One recruitment firm I work with says a common mistake expats make is thinking that recruiters are career coaches – they are not. 

The Australian job market is generally slow and risk adverse.  Which means you need to have absolute clarity on what you are looking for, what is a good fit for you and what you bring to the local job market.

Ask not tell

Successful expats are curious. They spend time understanding the market in Australia and time developing an understanding of how their experience is and was perceived by relevant networks. Sometimes it can be uncomfortable to hear feedback that the local market doesn’t understand or value your international experience however expats who embrace this feedback and work on how to overcome the challenge of adapting their international experience to a local context do end up finding opportunities faster.

Get BBQ ready

Australia is a small market, and you never know who you will meet at a BBQ.  Having a succinct, one sentence elevator pitch about who you are what you are looking for can be so useful in a small market in Australia where not only does everyone seem to know everyone, but Australians generally want to help.  Trena Blair was one such expat-repat that had the next step in her successful career unfold via a random conversation and her one sentence pitch.

Getting your one sentence, however, can take months of thinking.

Build networks early

You don’t have to wait until you are home to start building local Australian networks. Podcast guests Adam Malouf and Jacinta Reddan built Australian networks while overseas via international Australian entities like AusCham and local AICD chapters. Others used holiday trips home to find and target recruiters and hirers in their industry. Be deliberate, be clear and succinct about what you are looking for and be curious about the market and you will find networks open.

Don’t know where to start?  InSync hosts a free webinar once a month designed to give participants relevant market insights and a practical framework for managing career transitions. Click here for the next webinar

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