Let me start with a truth that most career coaches won't tell you. When I left Nepal, I had immense confidence. I was a good student, and I fully believed I would graduate and step straight into a comfortable government office or corporate headquarters.
But life took me across the world, and reality hit hard.
When I moved to London, things went well because my English was strong, thanks to my studies in Singapore. But when I moved to Portugal, everything changed. I didn't speak Portuguese, and suddenly, my degree felt invisible. To survive, I had to swallow my pride and step into a restaurant kitchen.
 |
| Me working a grueling kitchen shift abroad - the honest work that funded my journey into the European corporate space. |
I started at the very bottom. I washed greasy dishes, chopped vegetables for hours, and stood on my feet until my back ached. It was a massive shock to my system, and it was lightyears away from my dream job. But it was honest work, and it taught me the most valuable lesson an international student or immigrant can ever learn: You must start where you are, not where you want to be.
After Portugal, my journey took me to Denmark, and eventually here to Brugge, Belgium. In total, I navigated seven different countries, multiple language barriers, and constant instability. Because I didn’t have a local network or perfect language skills in every country, I had to figure out a universal system to get hired. Whether you are a student from Pakistan, Nepal, or anywhere else trying to break into the global job market, the core rules of survival are exactly the same. Let me share them with you.
1. Understand How Global Entry-Level Hiring Works
Before you send out a single application, you must understand a hard hiring truth: degrees are a dime a dozen globally. International employers rarely care about the name of a university from your home country; they care about proof of execution.
Even for entry-level roles, companies need verification that you possess basic professional skills. They are looking for digital literacy (managing spreadsheets, professional email communication), the ability to follow complex instructions without hand-holding, and evidence of reliability.
In my case, when I was trying to transition out of the kitchen, I didn't have local corporate experience. But I had proof of an unbreakable work ethic. I showed employers that I turned up on time every single shift, handled extreme kitchen pressure, and adapted rapidly. You must learn to translate your daily discipline into corporate value.
2. Identify Real Entry Points (Drop the "Dream Job" Fantasy)
A critical mistake I see hundreds of South Asian students make is aiming too high right out of the gate. They arrive in Europe or the Middle East and immediately apply for senior executive or specialized management roles. When the automated rejections pile up, they lose hope.
The global job market operates on strict hierarchies. You must target actual entry points:
- Paid or unpaid internships
- Corporate trainee programs
- Junior administrative assistants
- Customer support or call center operations
- Data entry or logistics coordination
When I transitioned between countries, I had to accept that my career wouldn't always move in a straight, upward line. Sometimes it moves sideways. A kitchen, a retail counter, or a warehouse floor isn't a dead-end, it is a strategic open door. It proves to local authorities and future employers that you are legally employable, tax-compliant, and culturally integrated.
 |
| Treating survival roles as a strategic open door to prove your work ethic locally while planning your next move. |
3. Build Proof of Ability Without a Local Resume
If you have zero local work experience, your resume is essentially blank to a foreign recruiter. To fix this, you must build public proof of your skills that an employer can click on and verify in five seconds.
Don't just write "Good at Excel" or "Digital Marketer" on your CV. Create a free portfolio. If you want an office job, manage a digital project for a local charity or volunteer to handle the administrative data for a community student group. If you want a tech job, build small freelance micro-projects or put your coding samples on GitHub.
When I was working long hours in the kitchen, I used my spare time to master basic organizational workflows. I treated every small task as an opportunity to build discipline. Employers trust what they can see, not the hollow adjectives written on your profile.
4. Commit to One Direction per Application Cycle
When desperation sets in, especially when you are dealing with visa timelines or financial pressure, the temptation is to apply for everything. You apply for a marketing role on Monday, a data entry job on Tuesday, and a warehouse shift on Wednesday. This scattered approach is a guarantee for failure.
Recruiters can spot a desperate, generic resume instantly. You must choose a singular path based on your current reality, not just your desires.
[Your Target Niche]➔[Tailored Skills]
➔[Localized Application Strategy]
When I was in London, my English proficiency allowed me to target office administration exclusively. When I relocated to Belgium and realized my Dutch wasn't advanced enough yet for corporate client-facing roles, I shifted my strategy intentionally to sectors where language constraints were secondary to hard work. Focus on one direction, master its terminology, and dominate that specific niche.
5. Build a Simple, Clean Global Standard CV
 |
| Traditional paper formats won't cut it abroad. To get noticed by global recruiters, you must transition to a digital, ATS-compliant CV. |
European and international hiring managers do not read resumes, they scan them. If your CV is a three-page document filled with your high school grades, hobbies, a generic objective statement, and a photo, it will be rejected by automated Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) immediately.
Your global resume must adhere to strict professional standards:
- Strictly One Page: Keep it concise.
- Clean and Monochromatic: Avoid colorful graphics or complex progress bars for skills.
- Results-Oriented: Use bullet points that start with action verbs (e.g., Managed, Organized, Developed).
- Incorporate All Work: Do not leave out your retail or kitchen experience. It proves to a local employer that you understand workplace accountability and possess a legal work history in the region.
6. Navigate Local and Global Job Platforms Strategically
Do not rely on just one job board. You need to combine massive global networks with highly specific regional portals. LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor are excellent for multinational corporate roles, but they are incredibly competitive.
To gain an edge, you must look where the average international student forgets to look. In Belgium, for example, you should actively utilize the official regional portal VDAB. If you are looking for roles where your native language or unique background is an asset, look for international logistics hubs or import-export companies. Furthermore, never underestimate the power of direct referrals. Attend local expat networking events or university career fairs, many jobs are filled through a simple handshake long before they are ever posted online.
7. Apply with Aggressive Strategy, Not Blind Volume
Mass-applying to 200 jobs a day via "Easy Apply" buttons is an absolute waste of your energy. It yields a 0% success rate and causes severe mental burnout.
A professional job hunt requires a targeted corporate strategy. Aim for 5 to 10 highly tailored, meticulous applications per week. For every single position, look at the job description, extract the keywords the employer is looking for, and subtly weave those exact terms into your resume and cover letter. Track every application in a simple spreadsheet: note the company name, the date applied, the software requirements, and follow up politely via email or LinkedIn after one week if you haven't received a response.
 |
| The evening hustle: Set up a dedicated workspace, tailor your resume, and track your applications like a corporate project. |
8. Master the Universal Interview Structure
International interviews follow a very predictable framework. At an entry-level stage, recruiters are not looking for a genius, they are evaluating your communication clarity, your motivation, and your psychological resilience.
You will almost certainly be asked: "Tell me about yourself," "Why do you want to work for this specific company?" and "How do you handle workplace conflict?"
When you answer, embrace absolute honesty about your background. When I faced interviewers abroad, I didn't try to pretend I had a flawless, aristocratic corporate background. I told them straight out: "I have moved across countries, I have taken whatever work was available to support myself, I learned intense discipline in high-pressure environments, and I am ready to apply that exact work ethic to this role." Authenticity and raw grit will beat a polished, fake answer every single time.
 |
| A clean, distraction-free interview environment. When speaking with global hiring managers, let your raw grit and preparation give you confidence. |
9. Develop a Thick Skin for International Rejections
Rejection is an undeniable, foundational part of the immigrant and student experience. I have faced crushing rejections in London, Portugal, Denmark, and Belgium.
When you receive an automated rejection email, it is incredibly easy to take it personally and feel like your talent or your nationality is being judged. But you must reframe your mindset. Rejection is not a reflection of your human value; it is simply a marketplace filter. It means the timing wasn't right, the competition was saturated, or the visa logistics didn't line up. Every "No" you collect is simply data that refines your approach and edges you closer to the one "Yes" that changes everything.
10. Your First Job is an Anchor, Not Your Destiny
Let's close with the most critical truth of all: Your first job abroad does not define your permanent career.
The sole purpose of your first international job is to act as a financial and logistical anchor. It gets you onto the local economic ladder, provides you with a stable income, gives you a legal tax history, and allows you to adapt to the local culture and language.
If I had refused to work in that Portuguese kitchen because it "wasn't my dream office job," I would have run out of money, panicked, and been forced to return home. By taking what was available, I bought myself time. I stabilized my finances, slowly perfected my languages, and built a foundation for a much brighter future. Do not wait for perfection. Take the start that reality offers you, work harder than anyone else in the room, and build your empire from there.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How can a student from Pakistan or Nepal find an English-speaking job in a country like Belgium or Germany?
While the local languages (like Dutch, French, or German) are crucial for long-term corporate career growth, major international cities and logistics hubs have thousands of roles operating entirely in English. Focus heavily on multinational corporations, global tech startups, international customer support centers, and large-scale distribution sectors where English is the primary mode of operational communication.
What should I do if my degree from my home country isn't recognized abroad?
If your academic credentials face accreditation barriers, pivot your focus entirely to skills-based hiring. Industries like digital marketing, IT support, software development, sales, and logistics care vastly more about your certifications (such as Google, AWS, or HubSpot certificates) and practical portfolios than a physical diploma.
Is it possible to transition from a manual labor job (like kitchen or warehouse work) to an office career?
Absolutely. This is the exact journey I walked. The secret is to use your manual job to secure your financial survival while spending your evenings upskilling, earning digital certifications, and networking on LinkedIn. When applying for office roles, reframe your manual labor experience as proof of high reliability, stamina, and an elite work ethic.
A Direct Question For My Readers
What is the single biggest roadblock stopping you from securing your first job abroad right now? Is it a language barrier, visa restrictions, a confusing resume layout, or simply a lack of confidence? Drop your story in the comments section below, let's figure out your next strategic move together.
With respect and solidarity,
Brugge, Belgium 🇧🇪
📚 If you enjoyed this post, you might also like to read: 👉 The Feynman Technique: If You Can’t Explain It Simply, You Don’t Know It
One direction. One proof. One strategic application at a time. That is all it takes to change your life.
Post a Comment